PCDE Plan and manage database infrastructure Practice Question
This PCDE practice question tests your understanding of plan and manage database infrastructure. 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 production Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL instance needs to handle increased read traffic and provide automatic failover in case of a zone outage. Which architecture satisfies both requirements?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable high availability (regional) and create a read replica in the same region.
Option A is correct because enabling high availability (regional) for Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL creates a primary and standby instance in different zones within the same region, providing automatic failover during a zone outage. Adding a read replica in the same region offloads read traffic from the primary instance, satisfying the increased read traffic requirement while the HA configuration ensures high availability.
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 high availability (regional) and create a read replica in the same region.
Why this is correct
HA provides automatic zone failover; read replicas offload read traffic, meeting both needs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable high availability only.
Why it's wrong here
HA provides failover but does not help with increased read traffic.
✗
Use a CMEK key and enable binary logging.
Why it's wrong here
CMEK and binary logging are for encryption and PITR, not for failover or read scaling.
✗
Create multiple read replicas without HA.
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas handle read traffic but cannot automatically failover; they are not primary.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between high availability (automatic failover) and read replicas (read scaling), leading candidates to assume that read replicas alone can provide failover or that HA alone can handle increased read traffic.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL regional HA uses synchronous replication between the primary and standby instances in different zones, ensuring zero data loss during failover. Read replicas use asynchronous replication and can be promoted to standalone instances, but they do not automatically take over as the primary in an HA configuration. In a real-world scenario, if a zone outage occurs, the HA failover happens automatically within minutes, while read replicas remain unaffected and continue serving read traffic.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Plan and manage database infrastructure — This question tests Plan and manage database infrastructure — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable high availability (regional) and create a read replica in the same region. — Option A is correct because enabling high availability (regional) for Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL creates a primary and standby instance in different zones within the same region, providing automatic failover during a zone outage. Adding a read replica in the same region offloads read traffic from the primary instance, satisfying the increased read traffic requirement while the HA configuration ensures high availability.
What should I do if I get this PCDE 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.
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 →
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.
This PCDE 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 PCDE 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.