- A
Firestore
Why wrong: NoSQL document database.
- B
Cloud Spanner
Fully managed, globally distributed, HA, and can handle read scaling.
- C
Cloud Bigtable
Why wrong: NoSQL, not MySQL-compatible.
- D
Cloud SQL for MySQL
Fully managed, HA, automated backups, read replicas.
- E
BigQuery
Why wrong: Analytics data warehouse, not transactional.
Question 411 of 1,000
PCDOE Design and Plan Database Solutions Practice Question
This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of design and plan 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 company wants to migrate from a self-managed MySQL database to a fully managed GCP service. They need high availability with automatic failover, automated backups, and read replicas for scaling read traffic. Which two Google Cloud services meet these requirements? (Choose TWO.)
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
✓
Cloud Spanner
Cloud Spanner is correct because it provides a fully managed, horizontally scalable relational database service with strong global consistency, automatic synchronous replication for high availability, automatic failover, automated backups, and support for read replicas to scale read traffic. It meets the requirements for a MySQL migration while offering a managed service with built-in high availability and read scaling.
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.
- ✗
Firestore
Why it's wrong here
NoSQL document database.
- ✓
Cloud Spanner
Why this is correct
Fully managed, globally distributed, HA, and can handle read scaling.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Cloud Bigtable
Why it's wrong here
NoSQL, not MySQL-compatible.
- ✓
Cloud SQL for MySQL
Why this is correct
Fully managed, HA, automated backups, read replicas.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
BigQuery
Why it's wrong here
Analytics data warehouse, not transactional.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may incorrectly choose Firestore or Cloud Bigtable because they see 'fully managed' and 'high availability' without recognizing that the requirement for MySQL compatibility and read replicas eliminates NoSQL options, or they may overlook Cloud SQL for MySQL as a valid choice because they assume only Cloud Spanner can provide high availability with read replicas.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud SQL for MySQL supports high availability through regional persistent disks and synchronous replication to a standby in a different zone, with automatic failover typically completing within 60 seconds. Cloud Spanner uses Paxos-based synchronous replication across zones and regions, providing external consistency and automatic failover with no downtime, while read replicas can be configured as read-only nodes in a multi-region configuration to offload 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.
Visual reference
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.
- →
Design and Plan Database Solutions — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Design and Plan Database Solutions practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All PCDOE questions
1,000 questions across all exam domains
- →
Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
PCDOE practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related PCDOE practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Design and Plan Database Solutions practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Design and Plan Database Solutions.
Manage Database Solutions practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Manage Database Solutions.
Migrate Database Solutions practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Migrate Database Solutions.
Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Design for Reliability, Scalability, and Disaster Recovery.
Bootstrapping a Google Cloud organization for DevOps practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Bootstrapping a Google Cloud organization for DevOps.
Managing service incidents practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Managing service incidents.
Managing Google Cloud costs practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Managing Google Cloud costs.
Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Building and implementing CI/CD pipelines.
Implementing service monitoring strategies practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Implementing service monitoring strategies.
Optimizing service performance practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to Optimizing service performance.
PCDOE fundamentals practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to PCDOE fundamentals.
PCDOE scenario practice questions
Practise PCDOE questions linked to PCDOE scenario.
Practice this exam
Start a free PCDOE practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDOE question test?
Design and Plan Database Solutions — This question tests Design and Plan Database Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Cloud Spanner — Cloud Spanner is correct because it provides a fully managed, horizontally scalable relational database service with strong global consistency, automatic synchronous replication for high availability, automatic failover, automated backups, and support for read replicas to scale read traffic. It meets the requirements for a MySQL migration while offering a managed service with built-in high availability and read scaling.
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
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 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.
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.