Google ACE Planning and configuring a cloud solution Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of planning and configuring a cloud solution. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 migrating an on-premises MySQL database to Cloud SQL. Which TWO steps are necessary for setting up ongoing replication from on-premises to Cloud SQL? (Choose 2)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable binary logging on the on-premises MySQL server.
Option C is correct because MySQL's native replication relies on binary logs (binlogs) to capture all changes on the primary server. Enabling binary logging on the on-premises MySQL server is essential to generate the change stream that Cloud SQL will read and apply for ongoing replication.
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.
✗
Set up a Dataflow pipeline to stream changes.
Why it's wrong here
Dataflow is not used for MySQL replication to Cloud SQL.
✗
Use pg_dump to export the database.
Why it's wrong here
pg_dump is for PostgreSQL, not MySQL.
✓
Enable binary logging on the on-premises MySQL server.
Why this is correct
Binary logs are needed for replication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Create a Cloud SQL instance to be the replica.
Why this is correct
The Cloud SQL instance will be the destination replica.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Establish a Cloud VPN connection between on-premises and Google Cloud.
Why it's wrong here
VPN may be needed for connectivity, but it is not a step specific to replication setup; the replication can use public IPs if allowed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'ongoing replication' with 'one-time migration' and select a dump tool (Option B) or a generic streaming service (Option A), missing that MySQL replication specifically requires binary logs and a Cloud SQL replica instance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
MySQL binary logging records every data change (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) as events in binary log files. Cloud SQL for MySQL acts as a replica by connecting to the on-premises primary, fetching binlog events via the MySQL replication protocol (using a replication user and GTID or file-position-based replication), and applying them in near real-time. A common subtlety is that the on-premises server must also have its server-id set and the binary log format set to ROW (not STATEMENT) for consistent replication.
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 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this ACE question in full detail.
Planning and configuring a cloud solution — This question tests Planning and configuring a cloud solution — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable binary logging on the on-premises MySQL server. — Option C is correct because MySQL's native replication relies on binary logs (binlogs) to capture all changes on the primary server. Enabling binary logging on the on-premises MySQL server is essential to generate the change stream that Cloud SQL will read and apply for ongoing replication.
What should I do if I get this ACE 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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Question Discussion
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