- A
Take daily on-demand exports to Cloud Storage.
Why wrong: Exports are point-in-time but not sufficient for 1-hour RTO; promoting a replica is faster.
- B
Create two cross-region read replicas for redundancy.
Why wrong: One replica is sufficient; multiple replicas add cost without significant benefit for DR.
- C
Increase the instance tier to have more memory.
Why wrong: Scaling up does not provide DR capability.
- D
Enable automated backups and point-in-time recovery with a 7-day retention.
PITR allows restoring to any point within the retention window, complementing the replica for data integrity.
- E
Create a cross-region read replica in us-west1.
A cross-region replica can be promoted to a standalone instance in another region for failover.
Question 655 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.
You are designing a disaster recovery strategy for a Cloud SQL for MySQL instance that hosts a critical OLTP application. The instance is in us-central1. You need to ensure that you can recover the database to a different region within 1 hour of a regional outage, with minimal data loss. Which TWO actions should you take? (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
✓
Enable automated backups and point-in-time recovery with a 7-day retention.
Option D is correct because enabling automated backups with point-in-time recovery (PITR) allows you to restore the database to any point within the retention window (here, 7 days), minimizing data loss to seconds. Option E is correct because a cross-region read replica in us-west1 can be promoted to a standalone primary instance in the event of a regional outage, providing a fully writable database in another region within minutes, meeting the 1-hour RTO.
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.
- ✗
Take daily on-demand exports to Cloud Storage.
Why it's wrong here
Exports are point-in-time but not sufficient for 1-hour RTO; promoting a replica is faster.
- ✗
Create two cross-region read replicas for redundancy.
Why it's wrong here
One replica is sufficient; multiple replicas add cost without significant benefit for DR.
- ✗
Increase the instance tier to have more memory.
Why it's wrong here
Scaling up does not provide DR capability.
- ✓
Enable automated backups and point-in-time recovery with a 7-day retention.
Why this is correct
PITR allows restoring to any point within the retention window, complementing the replica for data integrity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Create a cross-region read replica in us-west1.
Why this is correct
A cross-region replica can be promoted to a standalone instance in another region for failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that cross-region read replicas are only for read scaling and cannot be used for disaster recovery, but in Cloud SQL, promoting a cross-region replica is a valid DR strategy that provides a writable instance in another region with minimal data loss.
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), with a typical replication lag of 1-5 seconds under normal conditions. When promoted, the replica becomes a writable instance with all committed transactions from the primary up to the point of promotion, offering near-zero data loss. Automated backups with PITR rely on transaction logs stored in Cloud Storage, enabling restore to any second within the retention period, but cross-region restore from backups requires exporting to a different region, which can take hours for large databases.
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.
- →
Manage Database Solutions — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Manage 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?
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 and point-in-time recovery with a 7-day retention. — Option D is correct because enabling automated backups with point-in-time recovery (PITR) allows you to restore the database to any point within the retention window (here, 7 days), minimizing data loss to seconds. Option E is correct because a cross-region read replica in us-west1 can be promoted to a standalone primary instance in the event of a regional outage, providing a fully writable database in another region within minutes, meeting the 1-hour RTO.
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.