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Plan and manage database infrastructure →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Achieving 99.99% SLA for Cloud SQL — Regional Availability | Google PCDE Explained

This PCDE practice question tests your understanding of plan and manage database infrastructure. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.

Exhibit

gcloud sql instances describe my-instance --format=json
Output:
{"availabilityType": "ZONAL", "databaseVersion": "MYSQL_8_0", "region": "us-central1"}

Refer to the exhibit. The company wants to achieve a 99.99% SLA for this Cloud SQL instance. What should they do?

Exhibit

gcloud sql instances describe my-instance --format=json
Output:
{"availabilityType": "ZONAL", "databaseVersion": "MYSQL_8_0", "region": "us-central1"}

Quick Answer

The answer is to change the availability type to REGIONAL. This is correct because a regional Cloud SQL instance maintains synchronous replication across two zones within the same region, providing a 99.99% SLA by ensuring automatic failover with no data loss. A zonal instance, in contrast, only offers a 99.95% SLA since it resides in a single zone and is vulnerable to zonal outages. On the Google Professional Cloud Database Engineer exam, this question tests your understanding of the direct correlation between availability type and SLA percentage—a common trap is confusing high availability with a regional configuration, but remember that only regional instances qualify for the 99.99% uptime commitment. For a quick memory tip, think “Regional = Redundant = 99.99%,” while “Zonal = Zero redundancy = 99.95%.”

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

✓

Change the availability type to REGIONAL.

A 99.99% SLA for Cloud SQL requires a regional (multi-zone) configuration to protect against a zonal failure. By changing the availability type to REGIONAL, the instance is provisioned with a synchronous standby in a different zone, enabling automatic failover and meeting the 99.99% uptime target. The default zonal availability only provides a 99.95% SLA.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • ✗

    Change to a different tier.

    Why it's wrong here

    Tier affects performance, not the SLA level.

  • ✓

    Change the availability type to REGIONAL.

    Why this is correct

    REGIONAL availability uses zonal replications and offers a 99.99% SLA.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • ✗

    Enable automatic backups.

    Why it's wrong here

    Backups affect RPO, not SLA for uptime.

  • ✗

    Increase the number of CPUs.

    Why it's wrong here

    CPU count does not affect the SLA percentage.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

In Google Cloud, the distinction is between high availability (uptime) and data durability (backups). Candidates often mistake automatic backups (which protect data from loss) for high availability (which protects against downtime). For a 99.99% SLA, a REGIONAL (multi-zone) Cloud SQL instance is required, not just backups or more resources.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

A regional Cloud SQL instance uses synchronous replication to a standby in a different zone within the same region, ensuring zero data loss during a zonal failure. Under the hood, Google Cloud uses a Paxos-based replication protocol to maintain consistency, and failover is automatic within approximately 60 seconds. In a real-world scenario, if a zone experiences a power outage, the regional instance will automatically promote the standby, maintaining the 99.99% SLA, whereas a zonal instance would remain unavailable until the zone recovers.

KKey Concepts to Remember

  • Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
  • Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
  • Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

TExam Day Tips

  • Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
  • Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PCDE question test?

Plan and manage database infrastructure — This question tests Plan and manage database infrastructure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Change the availability type to REGIONAL. — A 99.99% SLA for Cloud SQL requires a regional (multi-zone) configuration to protect against a zonal failure. By changing the availability type to REGIONAL, the instance is provisioned with a synchronous standby in a different zone, enabling automatic failover and meeting the 99.99% uptime target. The default zonal availability only provides a 99.95% SLA.

What should I do if I get this PCDE question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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This PCDE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCDE exam.