PCDE Practice Question: Manage a solution that can span multiple database technologies
An engineer needs to monitor the replication lag of a Cloud SQL read replica. Which metric should they use in Cloud Monitoring?
⚠ Common exam trap
In Google Cloud exams, candidates may confuse metrics that measure replication throughput (like sent_bytes_count) versus those that measure replication latency (like replication_lag), leading them to mistake data transfer volume for time delay.
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
✓
replication_lag
The `replication_lag` metric in Cloud Monitoring directly measures the time delay between a primary Cloud SQL instance and its read replica, reported in seconds. This is the standard metric for monitoring how far behind the replica is in applying changes from the primary, which is critical for ensuring read-after-write consistency and data freshness.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
replication_lag
Why this is correct
This metric directly measures the lag between the primary and read replica.
- ✗
sent_bytes_count
Why it's wrong here
This measures bytes sent, not replication lag.
- ✗
disk_bytes_used
Why it's wrong here
This measures disk usage, not replication lag.
- ✗
cpu_utilization
Why it's wrong here
This measures CPU usage, not replication lag.
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