True or False: Fail-safe can be disabled within a Snowflake account.
B
Explanation:
Reference:
https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/data-failsafe.html
Separate and distinct from Time Travel, Fail-safe ensures historical data is protected in the event of a
system failure or other catastrophic event, e.g. a hardware failure or security breach. Fail-safe feature
cannot be enabled or disabled from the user end.
True or False: It is possible for a user to run a query against the query result cache without requiring
an active Warehouse.
A
Explanation:
Snowflake’s architecture allows for the use of a query result cache that stores the results of queries
for a period of time. If the same query is run again and the underlying data has not changed,
Snowflake can retrieve the result from this cache without needing to re-run the query on an active
warehouse, thus saving on compute resources.
A virtual warehouse's auto-suspend and auto-resume settings apply to which of the following?
B
Explanation:
The auto-suspend and auto-resume settings in Snowflake apply to the entire virtual warehouse.
These settings allow the warehouse to automatically suspend when it’s not in use, helping to save on
compute costs. When queries or tasks are submitted to the warehouse, it can automatically resume
operation. This functionality is designed to optimize resource usage and cost-efficiency.
References:
SnowPro Core Certification Exam Study Guide (as of 2021)
Snowflake documentation on virtual warehouses and their settings (as of 2021)
Which of the following Snowflake features provide continuous data protection automatically? (Select
TWO).
C, E
Explanation:
Snowflake’s Continuous Data Protection (CDP) encompasses a set of features that help protect data
stored in Snowflake against human error, malicious acts, and software failure. Time Travel allows
users to access historical data (i.e., data that has been changed or deleted) for a defined period,
enabling querying and restoring of data. Fail-safe is an additional layer of data protection that
provides a recovery option in the event of significant data loss or corruption, which can only be
performed by Snowflake.
References:
Continuous Data Protection | Snowflake Documentation1
Data Storage Considerations | Snowflake Documentation2
Snowflake SnowPro Core Certification Study Guide3
Snowflake Data Cloud Glossary
https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/data-availability.html
Which of the following conditions must be met in order to return results from the results cache?
(Select TWO).
A, E
Explanation:
To return results from the results cache in Snowflake, certain conditions must be met:
Privileges: The user must have the appropriate privileges on the objects associated with the query.
This ensures that only authorized users can access cached data.
Time Frame: The query must have been run within 24 hours of the previously-run query. Snowflake’s
results cache is designed to store the results of queries for a short period, typically 24 hours, to
improve performance for repeated queries.
Which of the following are benefits of micro-partitioning? (Select TWO)
B, C
Explanation:
Micro-partitions in Snowflake are immutable objects, which means once they are written, they
cannot be modified. This immutability supports the use of Time Travel, allowing users to access
historical data within a defined period. Additionally, micro-partitions can significantly reduce the
amount of I/O from object storage to virtual warehouses. This is because Snowflake’s query
optimizer can skip over micro-partitions that do not contain relevant data for a query, thus reducing
the amount of data that needs to be scanned and transferred.
References: [COF-C02] SnowPro Core Certification Exam Study Guide
https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/tables-clustering-micropartitions.html
What is the minimum Snowflake edition required to create a materialized view?
B
Explanation:
Materialized views in Snowflake are a feature that allows for the pre-computation and storage of
query results for faster query performance. This feature is available starting from the Enterprise
Edition of Snowflake. It is not available in the Standard Edition, and while it is also available in higher
editions like Business Critical and Virtual Private Snowflake, the Enterprise Edition is the minimum
requirement.
References:
Snowflake Documentation on CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW1
.
Snowflake Documentation on Working with Materialized Views
https://docs.snowflake.com/en/sql-reference/sql/create-materialized-view.html#:~:text=Materialized%20views%20require%20Enterprise%20Edition,upgrading%2C%20pl
ease%20contact%20Snowflake%20Support
.
What happens to the underlying table data when a CLUSTER BY clause is added to a Snowflake table?
D
Explanation:
When a CLUSTER BY clause is added to a Snowflake table, it specifies one or more columns to
organize the data within the table’s micro-partitions. This clustering aims to colocate data with
similar values in the same or adjacent micro-partitions. By doing so, it enhances the efficiency of
query pruning, where the Snowflake query optimizer can skip over irrelevant micro-partitions that do
not contain the data relevant to the query, thereby improving performance.
References:
Snowflake Documentation on Clustering Keys & Clustered Tables1
.
Community discussions on how source data’s ordering affects a table with a cluster key
Which feature is only available in the Enterprise or higher editions of Snowflake?
A
Explanation:
Column-level security is a feature that allows fine-grained control over access to specific columns
within a table. This is particularly useful for managing sensitive data and ensuring that only
authorized users can view or manipulate certain pieces of information. According to my last update,
this feature was available in the Enterprise Edition or higher editions of Snowflake.
References: Based on my internal data as of 2021, column-level security is an advanced feature
typically reserved for higher-tiered editions like the Enterprise Edition in data warehousing solutions
such as Snowflake.
https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/intro-editions.html
Which of the following are valid methods for authenticating users for access into Snowflake? (Select
THREE)
B, D, E
Explanation:
Snowflake supports several methods for authenticating users, including federated
authentication, key-pair authentication, and OAuth. Federated authentication allows users to
authenticate using their organization’s identity provider. Key-pair authentication uses a public-
private key pair for secure login, and OAuth is an open standard for access delegation commonly
used for token-based authentication. References:
Authentication policies | Snowflake
Documentation
,
Authenticating to the server | Snowflake Documentation
,
External API
authentication and secrets | Snowflake Documentation
.