Google ACE Planning and configuring a cloud solution Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of planning and configuring a cloud solution. 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.
Which feature of Cloud SQL provides automated backups and enables point-in-time recovery?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
All Cloud SQL tiers
Cloud SQL provides automated backups and point-in-time recovery (PITR) for all tiers, including Cloud SQL Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, and even the basic (non-HA) configurations. This is because the backup and PITR functionality is a core feature of the Cloud SQL service itself, not tied to a specific tier or high-availability setup. Automated backups are enabled by default, and PITR uses binary log (binlog) files to allow restoration to any point within the backup retention window.
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.
✓
All Cloud SQL tiers
Why this is correct
Both Enterprise and Enterprise Plus support automated backups and binary logging; even the basic tier in older versions supported it.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Only Cloud SQL Enterprise
Why it's wrong here
Enterprise Plus also supports; the feature is not exclusive to one tier.
✗
Only Cloud SQL High Availability configuration
Why it's wrong here
High Availability is a separate feature for zonal failover; backups are independent.
✗
Only Cloud SQL Enterprise Plus
Why it's wrong here
Cloud SQL Enterprise also supports automated backups and PITR.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that advanced features like PITR or automated backups are reserved for higher-tier or HA configurations, when in fact they are available across all Cloud SQL tiers.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Cloud SQL uses MySQL's binary logging (binlog) or PostgreSQL's Write-Ahead Log (WAL) to enable point-in-time recovery. The backup retention window can be configured from 1 to 365 days, and PITR relies on the transaction logs being retained for that period. In a real-world scenario, if a user accidentally drops a table at 10:30 AM, PITR allows restoration to 10:29 AM, regardless of whether the instance is Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, or basic, as long as the backup and binary logging are enabled.
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 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.
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: All Cloud SQL tiers — Cloud SQL provides automated backups and point-in-time recovery (PITR) for all tiers, including Cloud SQL Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, and even the basic (non-HA) configurations. This is because the backup and PITR functionality is a core feature of the Cloud SQL service itself, not tied to a specific tier or high-availability setup. Automated backups are enabled by default, and PITR uses binary log (binlog) files to allow restoration to any point within the backup retention window.
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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This ACE 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 ACE exam.
Question Discussion
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