- A
Use Cloud DNS health checks to update DNS records to point to the secondary cluster
During manual failover, updating DNS records to point to the secondary is necessary, and health checks can automate this.
- B
Enable automatic failover by setting the replication to synchronous mode
Why wrong: Bigtable replication is asynchronous; synchronous mode is not available.
- C
Configure a multi-cluster routing policy with a single-cluster fallback
Why wrong: This is not a standard Bigtable routing policy.
- D
Create an app profile with read-failover routing policy
read-failover sends read requests to the secondary only when the primary is unhealthy, meeting the requirement.
- E
Create an app profile with any-replica routing policy
Why wrong: any-replica routes to the nearest cluster regardless of health, so reads may go to secondary even when primary is healthy.
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 evaluating disaster recovery options for their production Bigtable instance. They need asynchronous replication with manual failover and the ability to route reads to the secondary cluster only when the primary is unhealthy. Which TWO settings should they configure? (Choose 2 correct answers.)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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 Cloud DNS health checks to update DNS records to point to the secondary cluster
Bigtable replication supports asynchronous replication with app profiles. To achieve manual failover with read routing to the secondary cluster only when the primary is unhealthy, two configurations are needed: (1) A read-failover routing policy on an app profile directs reads to the secondary during a failover event, and (2) Cloud DNS health checks update DNS records to point to the secondary cluster, enabling manual failover control. Option B is incorrect because synchronous replication would require automatic failover, not manual. Option C is incorrect because multi-cluster routing with single-cluster fallback does not meet the primary-unhealthy-only requirement. Option E is incorrect because any-replica routing would send reads to the secondary during normal operation, not just when primary is unhealthy.
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.
- ✓
Use Cloud DNS health checks to update DNS records to point to the secondary cluster
Why this is correct
During manual failover, updating DNS records to point to the secondary is necessary, and health checks can automate this.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable automatic failover by setting the replication to synchronous mode
Why it's wrong here
Bigtable replication is asynchronous; synchronous mode is not available.
- ✗
Configure a multi-cluster routing policy with a single-cluster fallback
Why it's wrong here
This is not a standard Bigtable routing policy.
- ✓
Create an app profile with read-failover routing policy
Why this is correct
read-failover sends read requests to the secondary only when the primary is unhealthy, meeting the requirement.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create an app profile with any-replica routing policy
Why it's wrong here
any-replica routes to the nearest cluster regardless of health, so reads may go to secondary even when primary is healthy.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Common DNS Record Types
| Record | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A | IPv4 address mapping | example.com → 93.184.216.34 |
| AAAA | IPv6 address mapping | example.com → 2606:2800::1 |
| CNAME | Alias to another hostname | www → example.com |
| MX | Mail server for domain | example.com → mail.example.com (priority 10) |
| TXT | Text data (SPF, DKIM, verification) | v=spf1 include:_spf.example.com ~all |
| NS | Authoritative name servers | example.com NS ns1.example.com |
| PTR | Reverse DNS (IP → hostname) | 34.216.184.93.in-addr.arpa → example.com |
| SOA | Zone authority record | Primary NS, admin email, serial, TTL defaults |
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.
- →
Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All PCDOE questions
1,000 questions across all exam domains
- →
Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
PCDOE practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related PCDOE practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Design and Plan Database Solutions practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Design and Plan Database Solutions.
Manage Database Solutions practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Manage Database Solutions.
Migrate Database Solutions practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Migrate Database Solutions.
Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery.
Bootstrapping a Google Cloud organization for DevOps practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Bootstrapping a Google Cloud organization for DevOps.
Managing service incidents practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Managing service incidents.
Managing Google Cloud costs practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Managing Google Cloud costs.
Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines.
Implementing service monitoring strategies practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Implementing service monitoring strategies.
Optimizing service performance practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Optimizing service performance.
PCDOE fundamentals practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to PCDOE fundamentals.
PCDOE scenario practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to PCDOE scenario.
Practice this exam
Start a free PCDOE practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Use Cloud DNS health checks to update DNS records to point to the secondary cluster — Bigtable replication supports asynchronous replication with app profiles. To achieve manual failover with read routing to the secondary cluster only when the primary is unhealthy, two configurations are needed: (1) A read-failover routing policy on an app profile directs reads to the secondary during a failover event, and (2) Cloud DNS health checks update DNS records to point to the secondary cluster, enabling manual failover control. Option B is incorrect because synchronous replication would require automatic failover, not manual. Option C is incorrect because multi-cluster routing with single-cluster fallback does not meet the primary-unhealthy-only requirement. Option E is incorrect because any-replica routing would send reads to the secondary during normal operation, not just when primary is unhealthy.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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 →
Keep practising
More PCDOE practice questions
- Order the steps to configure a VPC Network Peering between two projects.
- Refer to the exhibit. The Cloud Build fails with a permission error. The Cloud Build service account has roles/cloudbuil…
- A company is setting up a new Google Cloud organization. They want to ensure that all projects inherit common IAM polici…
- A DevOps team is bootstrapping their Google Cloud organization and wants to enable Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Te…
- To securely manage secrets (e.g., API keys) used in Cloud Build pipelines, which service should be used?
- A DevOps engineer needs to set up a centralized logging solution for multiple projects. They want to store logs in a Big…
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.