While Snowflake primarily deals with structured and semi-structured data, it also has the capability to handle unstructured data. Unstructured data can be stored in Snowflake using variants of SQL data types in tables, which can be permanent tables. These permanent tables, while traditionally used for structured or semi- structured data (like JSON, Avro, or Parquet), can also accommodate unstructured data in the form of binary formats or strings, offering flexibility in data storage and analysis. However, the management and querying of unstructured data in Snowflake may require additional considerations compared to structured data. References: Snowflake Documentation on Data Types
Question 217
What happens when a cloned table is replicated to a secondary database? (Select TWO)
Correct Answer: C,E
When a cloned table is replicated to a secondary database in Snowflake, the following occurs: C . The physical data is replicated: The actual data of the cloned table is physically replicated to the secondary database.This ensures that the secondary database has its own copy of the data, which can be used for read-only purposes or failover scenarios1. E . Metadata pointers to cloned tables are replicated: Along with the physical data, the metadata pointers that refer to the cloned tables are also replicated.This metadata includes information about the structure of the table and any associated properties2. It's important to note that while the physical data and metadata are replicated, the secondary database is typically read-only and cannot be used for write operations. Additionally, while there may be additional storage costs associated with the secondary account, this is not a direct result of the replication process but rather a consequence of storing additional data. References: SnowPro Core Exam Prep - Answers to Snowflake's LEVEL UP: Backup and Recovery Snowflake SnowPro Core Certification Exam Questions Set 10
Question 218
What are potential impacts of storing non-native values like dates and timestamps in a variant column in Snowflake?
Correct Answer: B
Storing non-native values, such as dates and timestamps, in a VARIANT column in Snowflake can lead to slower query performance and increased storage consumption. VARIANT is a semi-structured data type that allows storing JSON, AVRO, ORC, Parquet, or XML data in a single column. When non-native data types are stored as VARIANT, Snowflake must perform implicit conversion to process these values, which can slow down query execution. Additionally, because the VARIANT data type is designed to accommodate a wide variety of data formats, it often requires more storage space compared to storing data in native, strongly-typed columns that are optimized for specific data types. The performance impact arises from the need to parse and interpret the semi-structured data on the fly during query execution, as opposed to directly accessing and operating on optimally stored data in its native format. Furthermore, the increased storage consumption is a result of the overhead associated with storing data in a format that is less space-efficient than the native formats optimized for specific types of data. References: Snowflake Documentation on Semi-Structured Data: Semi-Structured Data
Question 219
Which governance feature is supported by all Snowflake editions?
Correct Answer: D
Snowflake ' s governance features vary across different editions, but theOBJECT_DEPENDENCIESview is supported by all Snowflake editions. This feature is part of Snowflake ' s Information Schema and is designed to help users understand the dependencies between various objects in their Snowflake environment. TheOBJECT_DEPENDENCIESview provides a way to query and analyze the relationships and dependencies among different database objects, such as tables, views, and stored procedures. This is crucial for governance, as it allows administrators and data engineers to assess the impact of changes, understand object relationships, and ensure proper management of data assets. Object tags, masking policies, and row access policies are more advanced features that offer fine-grained data governance capabilities such as tagging objects for classification, dynamically masking sensitive data based on user roles, and controlling row-level access to data. These features may have varying levels of support across different Snowflake editions, with some features being exclusive to higher-tier editions. Reference: Snowflake Documentation on Information Schema (https://docs.snowflake.com/en/sql-reference /info-schema/object_dependencies.html)
Question 220
Which object can be shared from a database in an account with other Snowflake accounts using Secure Data Sharing?
Correct Answer: B
The correct answer is B. Iceberg table . Snowflake Secure Data Sharing allows providers to share supported database objects with other Snowflake accounts. Supported objects include tables, secure views, secure materialized views, secure UDFs, and certain other supported table types. Snowflake-managed Iceberg tables can be shared in supported configurations. Why B is correct: An Iceberg table is a supported table object in Snowflake and can be shared using Secure Data Sharing, subject to Snowflake's supported Iceberg table sharing requirements. Why the other options are incorrect: A). Event tables are used to store logging and tracing event data. They are not the expected shareable object in this question. C). Temporary tables exist only within the session that created them and cannot be shared with other accounts. D). Stored procedures are not standard objects shared through Secure Data Sharing in the same way as tables and secure views. Official Snowflake documentation reference: Snowflake documentation lists supported objects for Secure Data Sharing and describes sharing supported table objects, including Iceberg tables where supported. Reference: Snowflake Documentation - Secure Data Sharing; Shareable database objects; Iceberg tables; SnowPro Core Study Guide - Data Protection and Governance.
