Question 943 of 1,446
Deploy scalable and highly available databases in Google Cloud →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
PCDE Practice Question: Deploy scalable and highly available databases in Google Cloud
A company uses Cloud Spanner and needs to back up a large database (several TB) for compliance reasons. They want to retain the backup for 400 days. What is the optimal approach to meet this requirement?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Export the database to Cloud Storage using Dataflow or an export job, which can be retained indefinitely
Cloud Spanner allows creating backups that can be retained for up to 365 days. For a retention of 400 days, you cannot use a single backup. Instead, you can create a backup and then take another backup before the first expires, or export data to Cloud Storage (e.g., using Dataflow) which has no expiration limit. Using the console, you are limited to 365 days; to exceed that, you must use long-term retention outside of Spanner backups.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a backup with 365-day retention, and before it expires, create another backup to extend coverage
Why it's wrong here
This approach works if you maintain overlapping backups, but it's not a single backup solution; however, the question asks for optimal approach. It's feasible but not the only way.
- ✗
Create a backup and set the expiration time to 400 days using the gcloud command
Why it's wrong here
Spanner backup expiration max is 365 days. You cannot set it to 400 days.
- ✗
Use continuous PITR to retain transaction logs for 400 days
Why it's wrong here
Spanner does not support PITR with configurable retention beyond 7 days (default).
- ✓
Export the database to Cloud Storage using Dataflow or an export job, which can be retained indefinitely
Why this is correct
Exporting to Cloud Storage bypasses the 365-day limit; you can retain exports as long as needed.
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Same concept, more angles
7 more ways this is tested on PCDE
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. What is the maximum backup retention period for Cloud Spanner backups?
easy- ✓ A.365 days
- B.730 days
- C.90 days
- D.30 days
Why A: Cloud Spanner allows backups to be retained for up to 365 days.
Variation 2. A company uses Cloud SQL for MySQL and wants to define backup retention policies for compliance. Which TWO statements about Cloud SQL backup retention are correct? (Choose 2)
easy- ✓ A.The maximum retention period for automated backups is 365 days.
- B.Point-in-time recovery logs are retained for a maximum of 7 days.
- C.Automated backups are retained for a minimum of 7 days.
- ✓ D.The maximum number of automated backups retained is 365.
- E.Backups are always stored in the same region as the database.
Why A: Cloud SQL supports up to 365 automated backups and allows setting retention days up to 365. Point-in-time recovery also has a configurable retention.
Variation 3. An organization needs to store backup copies of a Cloud Spanner database for a minimum of 365 days to comply with regulatory requirements. Which backup option should they use?
easy- ✓ A.Create a Spanner backup and set the expiration to 365 days
- B.Enable point-in-time recovery (PITR) with a 365-day retention period
- C.Export the database to Cloud Storage using the gcloud command and set a lifecycle policy
- D.Use Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL with automated backups set to 365 days
Why A: Cloud Spanner backups can be configured with expiration up to 365 days (max). Import/export to Cloud Storage is not a managed backup solution and does not support PITR. Bigtable backups are for Bigtable, not Spanner. Cloud SQL backups are for Cloud SQL.
Variation 4. A company is using Cloud Spanner and wants to back up a database to Cloud Storage for long-term retention. They also need to restore the database to a specific point in time within the last 7 days. Which two features should they use? (Choose TWO.)
easy- A.Set up a cross-region replica for backup
- ✓ B.Use Spanner's point-in-time recovery feature to restore to a specific timestamp
- C.Enable version management on the Spanner instance
- D.Export the database using gcloud spanner databases export
- ✓ E.Create a backup of the Spanner database using gcloud spanner backups create
Why B: Spanner supports creating backups and restoring from them. Backups can be stored in Cloud Storage (as part of the backup process) and can be used for point-in-time recovery within a configurable retention period (up to 7 days by default).
Variation 5. A company uses Cloud Spanner and needs to retain backups for 365 days for compliance. What is the maximum backup expiration period that can be set for a Spanner backup?
easy- A.30 days
- ✓ B.365 days
- C.Unlimited
- D.90 days
Why B: Spanner backups can have an expiration time set to a maximum of 365 days from the creation time. After that, the backup is automatically deleted.
Variation 6. A company needs to define backup retention policies for Cloud SQL, Spanner, and Bigtable to meet compliance requirements. Which THREE statements about backup retention are correct? (Choose three.)
medium- ✓ A.Cloud SQL automated backups can be retained for up to 365 days.
- B.Cloud SQL automated backups can be retained for up to 730 days.
- C.Bigtable managed backups have a maximum retention of 30 days.
- ✓ D.Bigtable on-demand backups can be retained indefinitely by using Cloud Storage object lifecycle management.
- ✓ E.Cloud Spanner backup expiration can be set to a maximum of 365 days.
Why A: Cloud SQL automated backups can be retained for up to 365 days. Spanner backup expiration is maximum 365 days. Bigtable on-demand backups are stored in Cloud Storage and can be retained indefinitely using lifecycle policies. The other options are incorrect: Cloud SQL maximum is 365 days, Spanner maximum is 365 days, Bigtable backups are not limited to 30 days.
Variation 7. An engineer needs to create a backup of a Cloud SQL for MySQL instance that is retained for 400 days to meet compliance requirements. What is the correct approach?
medium- ✓ A.Use Cloud SQL export to Cloud Storage and store the export for 400 days using object lifecycle management.
- B.Set the backup retention to 400 days in the Cloud SQL instance settings.
- C.Create a cross-region read replica and use it as a backup source.
- D.Use the gcloud command: gcloud sql backups create --instance=myinstance --async and rely on default retention.
Why A: Cloud SQL for MySQL allows automated backups with a maximum retention of 365 days. To retain a backup for longer, the engineer must create an on-demand export to Cloud Storage. The export can be stored indefinitely. Automated backup retention cannot be extended beyond 365 days. Using Cloud SQL's backup retention setting to 400 days is not supported. Using a read replica is not a backup. Using PITR does not create a separate backup file.
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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