How to Retain a Month-End Copy of Your Cloud SQL MySQL Database

B.

The best option to retain a month-end copy of the Cloud SQL MySQL database for three years for audit purposes is option B: Save the automatic first-of-the-month backup for three years. Store the backup file in an Archive class Cloud Storage bucket.

Option B is the best choice because it allows you to leverage the automatic first-of-the-month backup feature that is provided by Cloud SQL. Cloud SQL provides automated backups that can be configured to run at specific times, including the first of the month. By retaining the first-of-the-month backup for three years, you can be sure that you have a complete copy of the database for that month.

Storing the backup file in an Archive class Cloud Storage bucket is also a good choice. Archive class storage is a type of Cloud Storage designed for long-term storage of data that is accessed infrequently. This makes it a good choice for storing backups that are retained for compliance or audit purposes, as they are not likely to be accessed frequently.

Option A, setting up an export job for the first of the month and writing the export file to an Archive class Cloud Storage bucket, is not the best choice because it requires you to manually run the export job each month. This can be prone to human error and may not be reliable if the person responsible for running the job is unavailable.

Option C, setting up an on-demand backup for the first of the month and writing the backup to an Archive class Cloud Storage bucket, is also not the best choice because it requires manual intervention each month to initiate the backup. This approach may be prone to human error and may not be reliable if the person responsible for initiating the backup is unavailable.

Option D, converting the automatic first-of-the-month backup to an export file and writing the export file to a Coldline class Cloud Storage bucket, is also not the best choice. Although storing the backup file in Coldline class storage can be less expensive than other storage classes, it is designed for data that is accessed even less frequently than Archive class storage. As a result, it may not be suitable for storing backups that need to be accessed for compliance or audit purposes. Additionally, converting the backup to an export file is not necessary, as the automatic backup can be restored directly to a Cloud SQL instance if needed.