- A
Enable automated backups with a suitable retention period.
Backups are essential for recovery.
- B
Create a read replica in the same region.
Why wrong: Does not survive a regional outage.
- C
Increase the storage size to accommodate future growth.
Why wrong: Not a DR measure.
- D
Create a cross-region read replica and configure it for failover.
Cross-region replica provides DR and can be promoted.
- E
Enable binary logging (log_bin) for point-in-time recovery.
PITR reduces data loss.
PCDOE Manage Database Solutions Practice Question
This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of manage database solutions. 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 Cloud SQL for MySQL instance is being used for a production application. The team wants to implement a disaster recovery plan that can recover from a regional outage with minimal data loss and automatic failover. Which three steps should they take? (Choose THREE.)
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 automated backups with a suitable retention period.
Option A is correct because automated backups in Cloud SQL for MySQL provide a baseline for disaster recovery by creating daily backups that can be restored to a new instance. With a suitable retention period, you can recover from data corruption or accidental deletion, though backups alone do not provide automatic failover or minimal data loss during a regional outage.
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 with a suitable retention period.
Why this is correct
Backups are essential for recovery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create a read replica in the same region.
Why it's wrong here
Does not survive a regional outage.
- ✗
Increase the storage size to accommodate future growth.
Why it's wrong here
Not a DR measure.
- ✓
Create a cross-region read replica and configure it for failover.
Why this is correct
Cross-region replica provides DR and can be promoted.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Enable binary logging (log_bin) for point-in-time recovery.
Why this is correct
PITR reduces data loss.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse read replicas in the same region as providing disaster recovery for regional outages, but they only offer read scaling and high availability within the same region, not cross-region failover.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cross-region read replicas in Cloud SQL for MySQL use asynchronous replication based on MySQL's binary log (binlog). When configured for failover, you can promote the replica to a standalone primary instance, but due to asynchronous replication, there may be some data loss (typically seconds to minutes) depending on replication lag. Enabling binary logging (log_bin) is essential for point-in-time recovery (PITR), allowing you to restore to any specific timestamp within the backup retention period, which is critical for minimizing data loss beyond the last automated backup.
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.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDOE question test?
Manage Database Solutions — This question tests Manage Database Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable automated backups with a suitable retention period. — Option A is correct because automated backups in Cloud SQL for MySQL provide a baseline for disaster recovery by creating daily backups that can be restored to a new instance. With a suitable retention period, you can recover from data corruption or accidental deletion, though backups alone do not provide automatic failover or minimal data loss during a regional outage.
What should I do if I get this PCDOE 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
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCDOE 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 PCDOE exam.
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