PCDE Practice Question: Manage a solution that can span multiple database technologies
You are managing a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance with point-in-time recovery (PITR) enabled. The retention period is set to 7 days. A developer accidentally dropped a critical table 3 days ago. You need to restore the database to the state just before the table was dropped, without affecting the current production instance. What should you do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the clone command with the restore-backup command, thinking they must restore the original instance to a previous backup, but the question explicitly requires not affecting the current production instance, making clone the correct choice.
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 the gcloud sql instances clone command with the --point-in-time flag to clone the instance to a new instance at the timestamp just before the table was dropped.
The gcloud sql instances clone command with the --point-in-time flag allows you to create a new Cloud SQL instance that is a clone of the original at a specific timestamp. Since PITR is enabled and the retention period is 7 days, you can specify a timestamp just before the table was dropped (3 days ago) to restore the database to that exact state without affecting the current production instance. This approach meets the requirement of restoring to a point in time without overwriting the original instance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable binary logging and reconfigure PITR retention to 10 days, then wait for the logs to catch up.
Why it's wrong here
PITR is already enabled with 7-day retention, which covers 3 days ago. There's no need to change retention; the correct action is to clone to the desired timestamp.
- ✗
Use the gcloud sql backups create command to create an on-demand backup, then restore the original instance to that backup.
Why it's wrong here
On-demand backups capture the instance at the time of creation, not 3 days ago. You need a point-in-time recovery, not a backup-based restore.
- ✓
Use the gcloud sql instances clone command with the --point-in-time flag to clone the instance to a new instance at the timestamp just before the table was dropped.
Why this is correct
Cloning with --point-in-time creates a new instance restored to that exact timestamp, preserving the original instance. This is the correct procedure.
- ✗
Use the gcloud sql instances restore-backup command to restore the original instance to the backup from 3 days ago.
Why it's wrong here
Restoring a backup overwrites the current instance. The requirement is to not affect the current production instance, and a backup from 3 days ago may not capture the exact time just before the drop.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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