Snowflake SnowPro Advanced: Administrator Certification ADA-C01 Exam Questions

Answer : A

According to the Snowflake documentation1, Snowflake uses a multi-version concurrency control (MVCC) model, which means that each transaction operates on a consistent snapshot of the database at a point in time. This allows queries and DML statements to run concurrently without blocking each other, as they do not modify the same data. Therefore, a deadlock, which occurs when concurrent transactions are waiting on resources that are locked by each other, cannot happen in Snowflake. Option B is incorrect because queries and DML statements do not block each other in Snowflake, unless they are explicitly started transactions and multiple statements in each transaction2. Option C is incorrect because transaction locking in Snowflake is enforced at the partition level, not the row or table level3. Option D is incorrect because queries executed within a given transaction do not see that transaction's uncommitted changes, but only the committed changes that occurred before the transaction started1.

Answer : B, E

According to the Understanding & Using Time Travel documentation, Time Travel is a feature that allows you to query, clone, and restore historical data in tables, schemas, and databases for up to 90 days. To meet the requirements of the scenario, the following best practices should be followed:

* The fact and dimension tables should have the same DATA_RETENTION_TIME_IN_DAYS. This parameter specifies the number of days for which the historical data is preserved and can be accessed by Time Travel. To ensure that the fact and dimension tables can be reverted to a consistent state in case of any anomalies in the latest load, they should have the same retention period. Otherwise, some tables may lose their historical data before others, resulting in data inconsistency and quality issues.

* The fact and dimension tables should be cloned together using the same Time Travel options to reduce potential referential integrity issues with the restored data. Cloning is a way of creating a copy of an object (table, schema, or database) at a specific point in time using Time Travel. To ensure that the fact and dimension tables are cloned with the same data set, they should be cloned together using the same AT or BEFORE clause. This will avoid any referential integrity issues that may arise from cloning tables at different points in time.

The other options are incorrect because:

* Related data should not be placed together in the same schema. Facts and dimension tables should each have their own schemas. This is not a best practice for Time Travel, as it does not affect the ability to query, clone, or restore historical data. However, it may be a good practice for data modeling and organization, depending on the use case and design principles.

* The DATA_RETENTION_TIME_IN_DAYS should be kept at the account level and never used for lower level containers (databases and schemas). This is not a best practice for Time Travel, as it limits the flexibility and granularity of setting the retention period for different objects. The retention period can be set at the account, database, schema, or table level, and the most specific setting overrides the more general ones. This allows for customizing the retention period based on the data needs and characteristics of each object.

* Only TRANSIENT tables should be used to ensure referential integrity between the fact and dimension tables. This is not a best practice for Time Travel, as it does not affect the referential integrity between the tables. Transient tables are tables that do not have a Fail-safe period, which means that they cannot be recovered by Snowflake after the retention period ends. However, they still support Time Travel within the retention period, and can be queried, cloned, and restored like permanent tables. The choice of table type depends on the data durability and availability requirements, not on the referential integrity.

Answer : C, D

The user needs the OPERATE privilege on the task to suspend and resume it, and the USAGE privilege on the database and schema containing the task to access it1.The EXECUTE TASK privilege is not required for suspending and resuming a task, only for triggering a new run1. The OWNERSHIP privilege on the task or the database and schema would allow the user to modify or drop the task, which is not desired.

Answer : D

The SIMULATED_DATA_SHARING_CONSUMER session parameter allows a data provider to test the integrity of secure views based on the account that is accessing that view2. By setting this parameter to the name of the consumer account, the data provider can query the secure view and see the results that a user in the consumer account will see2. This helps to ensure that sensitive data in a shared database is not exposed to unauthorized users1. The other options are not valid session parameters in Snowflake3

Answer : B, D

To enable federated authentication (aka SSO via SAML 2.0) in Snowflake, the integration with an Identity Provider (IdP) must be configured. This setup involves configuring external authentication via SAML, and Snowflake needs specific information from the IdP.

Required Information from IdP:

URL Endpoint for SAML Requests (B)

This is often referred to as the SSO URL or SAML 2.0 Endpoint (HTTP).

It's the URL that Snowflake redirects users to for authentication.

In Snowflake's SAML configuration, this is required as the SAML2_ISSUER or SAML2_SSO_URL.

Authentication Certificate (D)

This is the X.509 certificate issued by the IdP.

It's used by Snowflake to validate the digital signature of the SAML assertions sent by the IdP.

It ensures that the SAML response is authentic and not tampered with.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A . IdP account details

Not needed. Snowflake doesn't require credentials or internal details from the IdP. It relies on assertions sent via SAML, not stored accounts.

C . SAML response format

Snowflake adheres to SAML 2.0 standard, and expects a compliant format. There's no need to specify format explicitly --- it's part of the standard protocol.

E . IdP encryption key

Not required by Snowflake. Snowflake verifies SAML assertions via signature validation, not encryption using the IdP's private key.

SnowPro Administrator Reference:

Snowflake Documentation --- Federated Authentication Setup

https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/security-fed-auth-use

https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/security-fed-auth-config

Required IdP Metadata for Snowflake SAML Configuration:

SAML2_SSO_URL: SAML 2.0 POST binding endpoint

SAML2_X509_CERT: Public cert used to validate IdP signatures

Answer : A, E, F

* Option A is correct because the ALTER DATABASE ... ENABLE REPLICATION TO ACCOUNTS command must be issued from the primary account that owns the database to be replicated1.

* Option B is incorrect because users must be granted REPLICATIONGRANTER privileges in order to enable replication1.

* Option C is incorrect because to start replication, the ALTER DATABASE ... REFRESH command must be run on the primary database, not the secondary database1.

* Option D is incorrect because replication can occur across different cloud providers, as well as across regions2.

* Option E is correct because databases created from shares can be replicated, as long as the share is active and the database is not dropped or altered1.

* Option F is correct because users can have unlimited primary databases and they can be replicated to an unlimited number of accounts if all accounts are within the same organization1.

Answer : D