Manage a solution that can span multiple database technologies →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
PCDE Practice Question: Manage a solution that can span multiple database technologies
A retail company uses Cloud SQL for MySQL with point-in-time recovery (PITR) enabled. They need to recover the database to a specific second from 2 days ago. The backup retention is set to 7 days. Which action should the engineer take to perform the recovery?
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
✓
Use gcloud sql instances restore-backup with the --point-in-time flag and specify the timestamp, restoring to a new instance.
Point-in-time recovery (PITR) in Cloud SQL uses binary logs to recover to any time within the configured retention period. The engineer can restore to a new instance using gcloud sql instances restore-backup with the --point-in-time flag and specify the exact timestamp. Restoring to the same instance is not supported; only to a new instance. The --async flag is optional but not required. The recovery is not limited to full backups; binary logs allow precise time recovery.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use gcloud sql instances restore-backup with the --point-in-time flag and specify the timestamp, restoring to a new instance.
Why this is correct
This is the correct method: using --point-in-time and restoring to a new instance (since same-instance restore is not supported for PITR).
- ✗
Use mysqldump to export the binary logs and replay them from the backup.
Why it's wrong here
This is a manual and error-prone approach. Cloud SQL provides built-in PITR capabilities.
- ✗
Use gcloud sql instances restore-backup with the --async flag and specify the timestamp.
Why it's wrong here
The --async flag only makes the command asynchronous; it does not enable PITR. You need --point-in-time and the timestamp.
- ✗
Create an on-demand backup from the source instance and restore that backup to a new instance.
Why it's wrong here
On-demand backups are full backups; they do not allow recovery to a specific second. PITR is required for that granularity.
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