- A
Enable automated backups and transaction log retention for 7 days. Restore the backup in a new instance in a different region.
Why wrong: Automated backups are daily; you cannot restore to a specific second within the day.
- B
Use Cloud SQL's built-in replication to create a cross-region replica, and enable failover. Failover automatically recovers to the latest transaction.
Why wrong: Failover recovers to the latest available state, not a specific point in time.
- C
Enable point-in-time recovery and create a cross-region read replica. If needed, promote and recover the replica to the desired point in time.
PITR on the primary logs changes; the cross-region replica can be promoted and recovered to a specific second.
- D
Export the database daily using gcloud sql export and store in Cloud Storage with versioning.
Why wrong: Exports are point-in-time snapshots; you cannot recover to an arbitrary second.
Google PCA Practice Question: Managing Implementation and Ensuring Solution and Operations Reliability
This PCA practice question tests your understanding of managing implementation and ensuring solution and operations reliability. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
You are designing a disaster recovery plan for a Cloud SQL for MySQL instance. The instance is in us-east1. You need to be able to recover the database to a specific second in time within the past 7 days in the event of a regional outage. What should you do?
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
Enable point-in-time recovery and create a cross-region read replica. If needed, promote and recover the replica to the desired point in time.
Cloud SQL point-in-time recovery (PITR) allows recovery to any second within the backup retention period. For regional disaster recovery, you need cross-region replicas. Enabling PITR on the primary and creating a cross-region replica (which also supports PITR) allows you to recover the replica to a specific point in time. Automated backups alone cannot restore to a specific second.
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.
- ✗
Enable automated backups and transaction log retention for 7 days. Restore the backup in a new instance in a different region.
Why it's wrong here
Automated backups are daily; you cannot restore to a specific second within the day.
- ✗
Use Cloud SQL's built-in replication to create a cross-region replica, and enable failover. Failover automatically recovers to the latest transaction.
Why it's wrong here
Failover recovers to the latest available state, not a specific point in time.
- ✓
Enable point-in-time recovery and create a cross-region read replica. If needed, promote and recover the replica to the desired point in time.
Why this is correct
PITR on the primary logs changes; the cross-region replica can be promoted and recovered to a specific second.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Export the database daily using gcloud sql export and store in Cloud Storage with versioning.
Why it's wrong here
Exports are point-in-time snapshots; you cannot recover to an arbitrary second.
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 PCA 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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Managing Implementation and Ensuring Solution and Operations Reliability — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCA question test?
Managing Implementation and Ensuring Solution and Operations Reliability — This question tests Managing Implementation and Ensuring Solution and Operations Reliability — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable point-in-time recovery and create a cross-region read replica. If needed, promote and recover the replica to the desired point in time. — Cloud SQL point-in-time recovery (PITR) allows recovery to any second within the backup retention period. For regional disaster recovery, you need cross-region replicas. Enabling PITR on the primary and creating a cross-region replica (which also supports PITR) allows you to recover the replica to a specific point in time. Automated backups alone cannot restore to a specific second.
What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?
Identify which PCA 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 →
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCA 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 PCA exam.
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