- A
Promote the replica, then delete and recreate the replica from the original primary after the drill.
Promotion is irreversible; to restore replication, you must recreate the replica.
- B
Stop replication, then restart the primary instance to make it the new replica.
Why wrong: Restarting does not change roles.
- C
Use the gcloud command to switch roles between the primary and replica.
Why wrong: There is no such command; replica promotion is one-way.
- D
Promote the replica, then perform a failover on the original primary to make it the new primary.
Why wrong: Failover is not applicable; the original primary is still active.
Question 945 of 1,000
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.
An organization needs to run a disaster recovery drill for its Cloud SQL for MySQL instance by promoting a read replica to a standalone instance. The replica is in the same region as the primary. After the drill, they want the original primary to resume serving writes. What should they do?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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
✓
Promote the replica, then delete and recreate the replica from the original primary after the drill.
Promoting a read replica in Cloud SQL for MySQL breaks the replication link, making the replica a standalone primary. After the drill, you must delete the promoted replica and create a new read replica from the original primary to re-establish replication. This is the only supported method because Cloud SQL does not allow reversing the promotion or re-attaching a promoted instance as a replica.
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.
- ✓
Promote the replica, then delete and recreate the replica from the original primary after the drill.
Why this is correct
Promotion is irreversible; to restore replication, you must recreate the replica.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Stop replication, then restart the primary instance to make it the new replica.
Why it's wrong here
Restarting does not change roles.
- ✗
Use the gcloud command to switch roles between the primary and replica.
Why it's wrong here
There is no such command; replica promotion is one-way.
- ✗
Promote the replica, then perform a failover on the original primary to make it the new primary.
Why it's wrong here
Failover is not applicable; the original primary is still active.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume you can simply re-attach the promoted replica or use a failover command to reverse the roles, but Cloud SQL's architecture treats promotion as an irreversible operation that requires deleting and recreating the replica.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
There is no such command; replica promotion is one-way.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Cloud SQL for MySQL read replicas use asynchronous replication based on MySQL's binary log (binlog) position. When you promote a replica, the instance is detached from the primary and its replication thread is stopped permanently; the original primary continues to operate independently. To restore replication after the drill, you must create a fresh replica from the original primary, which starts a new binlog-based replication stream from scratch.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
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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Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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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: Promote the replica, then delete and recreate the replica from the original primary after the drill. — Promoting a read replica in Cloud SQL for MySQL breaks the replication link, making the replica a standalone primary. After the drill, you must delete the promoted replica and create a new read replica from the original primary to re-establish replication. This is the only supported method because Cloud SQL does not allow reversing the promotion or re-attaching a promoted instance as a replica.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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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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