- A
Reduce automated backup retention to 2 days and keep manual backups as is.
Why wrong: Reducing automated backup retention to 2 days increases risk of data loss if a failure occurs after 2 days.
- B
Reduce manual backup retention to 7 days and increase automated backup retention to 14 days.
Why wrong: This still retains a large number of backups in Cloud SQL, which are billed at higher rates than Cloud Storage.
- C
Use Cloud SQL's point-in-time recovery (PITR) feature instead of manual backups.
Why wrong: PITR requires binary logs, which also incur storage costs and may not reduce overall backup costs.
- D
Export backups to Cloud Storage and delete old ones from Cloud SQL.
Exporting backups to Cloud Storage allows you to use cheaper storage classes (e.g., Nearline) and delete the original backups from Cloud SQL, reducing costs.
PCDOE Managing Google Cloud costs Practice Question
This PCDOE practice question tests your understanding of managing google cloud costs. 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.
An e-commerce company uses Cloud SQL for MySQL to support their online store. The database has a 500GB dataset. They notice that monthly costs have increased significantly. On reviewing the billing export to BigQuery, they see that the highest cost is from 'Cloud SQL - Storage' and 'Cloud SQL - Backups'. They currently have automated backups enabled with a retention of 7 days. They also take manual backups before every deployment, which are stored for 30 days. They want to reduce backup storage costs without compromising disaster recovery. What should they 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
Export backups to Cloud Storage and delete old ones from Cloud SQL.
Option D is correct because exporting backups to Cloud Storage and then deleting from Cloud SQL reduces storage costs since Cloud Storage has cheaper classes. Option A reduces retention but may risk data loss. Option B still retains many backups. Option C (PITR) requires binary logs, which also incur storage costs.
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.
- ✗
Reduce automated backup retention to 2 days and keep manual backups as is.
Why it's wrong here
Reducing automated backup retention to 2 days increases risk of data loss if a failure occurs after 2 days.
- ✗
Reduce manual backup retention to 7 days and increase automated backup retention to 14 days.
Why it's wrong here
This still retains a large number of backups in Cloud SQL, which are billed at higher rates than Cloud Storage.
- ✗
Use Cloud SQL's point-in-time recovery (PITR) feature instead of manual backups.
Why it's wrong here
PITR requires binary logs, which also incur storage costs and may not reduce overall backup costs.
- ✓
Export backups to Cloud Storage and delete old ones from Cloud SQL.
Why this is correct
Exporting backups to Cloud Storage allows you to use cheaper storage classes (e.g., Nearline) and delete the original backups from Cloud SQL, reducing costs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PCDOE 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 Google Cloud costs — study guide chapter
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Managing Google Cloud costs practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCDOE question test?
Managing Google Cloud costs — This question tests Managing Google Cloud costs — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Export backups to Cloud Storage and delete old ones from Cloud SQL. — Option D is correct because exporting backups to Cloud Storage and then deleting from Cloud SQL reduces storage costs since Cloud Storage has cheaper classes. Option A reduces retention but may risk data loss. Option B still retains many backups. Option C (PITR) requires binary logs, which also incur storage costs.
What should I do if I get this PCDOE question wrong?
Identify which PCDOE 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: Jun 24, 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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