Retain a month-end copy of a Cloud SQL (MySQL) database for three years. What should you do?

Scheduling a monthly export on the 1st ensures a consistent, month-end copy of the database. Exporting to an Archive-class Cloud Storage bucket is the most cost-effective solution for long-term storage (three years) of infrequently accessed data, aligning with the requirement to "retain" the copy. Automated backups are primarily for point-in-time recovery and are typically retained for a shorter duration, not three years, making the second option incorrect. Running an on-demand backup requires manual intervention, which is not ideal for a recurring task. Converting an automated backup to an export is an unnecessary extra step, and Coldline is generally more expensive than Archive for very long-term, infrequent access.