- A
Export Bigtable data to Cloud Storage daily and script the import into a new cluster.
Why wrong: Daily exports have high RPO and require manual intervention, not meeting minimal data loss and automatic re-routing.
- B
Set up Cloud DNS with a health check that updates the routing policy to the secondary cluster on failure.
Cloud DNS health check can detect primary failure and automatically update the routing policy to direct traffic to the secondary cluster, achieving automated failover.
- C
Increase the number of nodes in the primary cluster to handle failover load.
Why wrong: Increasing nodes does not provide disaster recovery across regions.
- D
Configure Bigtable replication with a secondary cluster in a different region.
Replication asynchronously copies data to the secondary cluster, enabling failover with limited data loss (RPO = replication lag).
- E
Use Cloud Spanner instead of Bigtable for built-in multi-region failover.
Why wrong: While Spanner provides DR, the question is about Bigtable. Switching services is not an action to take for Bigtable DR.
PCDOE Practice Question: Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery
This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of design for reliability, scalability, and disaster recovery. 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.
A company is designing a disaster recovery plan for their Cloud Bigtable instance. They need to ensure that in the event of a regional outage, they can failover to a secondary region with minimal data loss and automatic re-routing of traffic. Which TWO actions should they take? (Choose two.)
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
Set up Cloud DNS with a health check that updates the routing policy to the secondary cluster on failure.
To achieve DR with Bigtable, you need to configure replication to a secondary cluster in a different region. Additionally, you need to configure the application's routing to failover to the secondary cluster. Using Cloud DNS with a health check that updates the routing policy can automate traffic re-routing. Increasing the number of nodes does not provide DR. Exporting to Cloud Storage is for backup, not failover. Using Spanner is a different service.
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.
- ✗
Export Bigtable data to Cloud Storage daily and script the import into a new cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Daily exports have high RPO and require manual intervention, not meeting minimal data loss and automatic re-routing.
- ✓
Set up Cloud DNS with a health check that updates the routing policy to the secondary cluster on failure.
Why this is correct
Cloud DNS health check can detect primary failure and automatically update the routing policy to direct traffic to the secondary cluster, achieving automated failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Increase the number of nodes in the primary cluster to handle failover load.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing nodes does not provide disaster recovery across regions.
- ✓
Configure Bigtable replication with a secondary cluster in a different region.
Why this is correct
Replication asynchronously copies data to the secondary cluster, enabling failover with limited data loss (RPO = replication lag).
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Cloud Spanner instead of Bigtable for built-in multi-region failover.
Why it's wrong here
While Spanner provides DR, the question is about Bigtable. Switching services is not an action to take for Bigtable DR.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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 PCDOE exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDOE question test?
Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery — This question tests Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set up Cloud DNS with a health check that updates the routing policy to the secondary cluster on failure. — To achieve DR with Bigtable, you need to configure replication to a secondary cluster in a different region. Additionally, you need to configure the application's routing to failover to the secondary cluster. Using Cloud DNS with a health check that updates the routing policy can automate traffic re-routing. Increasing the number of nodes does not provide DR. Exporting to Cloud Storage is for backup, not failover. Using Spanner is a different service.
What should I do if I get this PCDOE question wrong?
Identify which PCDOE exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCDOE 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 PCDOE exam.
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