PDE Storing the Data Practice Question
A company has a Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance and wants to create a read replica to offload read traffic from the primary. They also need to ensure the replica is in a different region for disaster recovery. Which Cloud SQL feature should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mistake is to confuse high availability (HA) configuration, which only protects against zone-level failures, with cross-region read replicas that provide regional disaster recovery. HA does not replicate data to another region.
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
✓
Cross-region read replica
Cross-region read replicas in Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL allow you to create a replica in a different region from the primary instance. This offloads read traffic from the primary while also providing disaster recovery capabilities by maintaining a standby copy in a geographically separate location. The replica uses asynchronous replication to stay up-to-date with the primary.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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External replica
Why it's wrong here
External replicas require managing replication to a non-Cloud SQL source, typically on-premises or another cloud, and cannot be provisioned as a managed cross-region Cloud SQL read replica. They suit migrating from external PostgreSQL, not offloading reads within Google Cloud.
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Automatic backups with PITR
Why it's wrong here
Backups with point-in-time recovery restore data after corruption or deletion; they create no queryable replica and serve no read traffic. They are tempting because both features address disaster recovery, but PITR restores to a point in time rather than providing a live cross-region instance.
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Cross-region read replica
Why this is correct
A cross-region read replica is created in a different region from the primary, replicating asynchronously over Google's network. This offloads read traffic while providing regional isolation for disaster recovery, which a same-region replica or standard read replica cannot deliver.
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High availability (HA) configuration
Why it's wrong here
HA configuration maintains a standby in the same region, failing over automatically; it provides neither read offload nor cross-region placement. It is tempting because HA also creates a second instance, but its purpose is synchronous failover for availability, not serving reads or disaster recovery across regions.
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