Snowflake ARA-C01 SnowPro Advanced: Architect Certification Exam Practice Test

Answer : D

The best design to store and analyze large amounts of structured and semi-structured data for different business units and departments is to use a centralized Snowflake database for core business data, and use separate databases for departmental or project-specific data. This design allows for scalability, security, and cost efficiency by leveraging Snowflake's features such as:

Database cloning:Cloning a database creates a zero-copy clone that shares the same data files as the original database, but can be modified independently. This reduces storage costs and enables fast and consistent data replication for different purposes.

Database sharing:Sharing a database allows granting secure and governed access to a subset of data in a database to other Snowflake accounts or consumers. This enables data collaboration and monetization across different business units or external partners.

Warehouse scaling:Scaling a warehouse allows adjusting the size and concurrency of a warehouse to match the performance and cost requirements of different workloads. This enables optimal resource utilization and flexibility for different data analysis needs.Reference:Snowflake Documentation: Database Cloning,Snowflake Documentation: Database Sharing, [Snowflake Documentation: Warehouse Scaling]

Answer : D, E

A star schema model is a type of dimensional data model that consists of a single fact table and multiple dimension tables. A 3NF model is a type of relational data model that follows the third normal form, which eliminates data redundancy and ensures referential integrity. A Snowflake Architect might use a star schema model rather than a 3NF model when designing a data architecture to run in Snowflake for the following reasons:

A star schema model is more suitable for analytical queries that require aggregating and slicing data across different dimensions, such as those performed by a BI tool. A 3NF model is more suitable for transactional queries that require inserting, updating, and deleting individual records.

A star schema model is simpler and faster to query than a 3NF model, as it involves fewer joins and less complex SQL statements. A 3NF model is more complex and slower to query, as it involves more joins and more complex SQL statements.

A star schema model can provide a simple flattened single view of the data to a particular group of end users, such as business analysts or data scientists, who need to explore and visualize the data. A 3NF model can provide a more detailed and normalized view of the data to a different group of end users, such as application developers or data engineers, who need to maintain and update the data.

The other options are not valid reasons for choosing a star schema model over a 3NF model in Snowflake:

Snowflake can handle the joins implied in a 3NF data model, as it supports ANSI SQL and has a powerful query engine that can optimize and execute complex queries efficiently.

The Architect can use both star schema and 3NF models to remove data duplication from the data stored in Snowflake, as both models can enforce data integrity and avoid data anomalies. However, the trade-off is that a star schema model may have more data redundancy than a 3NF model, as it denormalizes the data for faster query performance, while a 3NF model may have less data redundancy than a star schema model, as it normalizes the data for easier data maintenance.

The Architect can use both star schema and 3NF models to design a landing zone to receive raw data into Snowflake, as both models can accommodate different types of data sources and formats. However, the choice of the model may depend on the purpose and scope of the landing zone, such as whether it is a temporary or permanent storage, whether it is a staging area or a data lake, and whether it is a single source or a multi-source integration.

Snowflake Architect Training

Data Modeling: Understanding the Star and Snowflake Schemas

Data Vault vs Star Schema vs Third Normal Form: Which Data Model to Use?

Star Schema vs Snowflake Schema: 5 Key Differences

Dimensional Data Modeling - Snowflake schema

Star schema vs Snowflake Schema

Answer : D

To provide the highest uptime and least application disruption in case of a service event, the best option is to use the Business Critical Snowflake edition and connect the applications using the <organization_name>- URL. The Business Critical Snowflake edition offers the highest level of security, performance, and availability for Snowflake accounts. It includes features such as customer-managed encryption keys, HIPAA compliance, and 4-hour RPO and RTO SLAs. It also supports account replication and failover across regions and cloud platforms, which enables business continuity and disaster recovery. By using the <organization_name>- URL, the applications can leverage the Snowflake Client Redirect feature, which automatically redirects the client connections to the secondary account in case of a failover. This way, the applications can seamlessly switch to the backup account without any manual intervention or configuration changes. The other options are less cost-effective or less reliable because they either use a lower edition of Snowflake, which does not support account replication and failover, or they use the <organization_name>-<connection_name> URL, which does not support client redirect and requires manual updates to the connection string in case of a failover.Reference:

[Snowflake Editions]1

[Replication and Failover/Failback]2

[Client Redirect]3

[Snowflake Account Identifiers]4

Answer : A

In a scenario where strong legal isolation is required alongside the need for multi-tenancy, the most effective approach is to create separate accounts for each tenant within the Snowflake organization. This approach ensures complete isolation of data, resources, and management, adhering to strict legal and compliance requirements. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) further enhances security by allowing granular control over who can access what resources within each account. This solution leverages Snowflake's capabilities for managing multiple accounts under a single organization umbrella, ensuring that each tenant's data and operations are isolated from others. Reference: Snowflake documentation on multi-tenancy and account management, part of the SnowPro Advanced: Architect learning path.

Answer : B

The get command in SnowSQL is a convenient way to download files from an internal stage to a local directory. The get command can be used in interactive mode or in a script, and it supports wildcards and parallel downloads.The get command also allows specifying the overwrite option, which determines how to handle existing files with the same name2

The Snowflake Connector for Python, the Snowflake API endpoint, and the get command in Snowsight are not recommended methods for downloading files from an internal stage, because they require more operational overhead than the get command in SnowSQL. The Snowflake Connector for Python and the Snowflake API endpoint require writing and maintaining code to handle the connection, authentication, and file transfer.The get command in Snowsight requires using the web interface and manually selecting the files to download34Reference:

1: SnowPro Advanced: Architect | Study Guide

2: Snowflake Documentation | Using the GET Command

3: Snowflake Documentation | Using the Snowflake Connector for Python

4: Snowflake Documentation | Using the Snowflake API

: Snowflake Documentation | Using the GET Command in Snowsight

:SnowPro Advanced: Architect | Study Guide

:Using the GET Command

:Using the Snowflake Connector for Python

:Using the Snowflake API

: [Using the GET Command in Snowsight]

Answer : B, C

Option A (RETURN_FAILED_ONLY)will only load files that previously failed to load.Since file5.csv already exists in the stage with the same name,it will not be considered a new file and will not be loaded.

Option D (FORCE)will overwrite any existing data in the table.This is not desired as we only want to load the data from file5.csv.

Option E (NEW_FILES_ONLY)will only load files that have been added to the stage since the last COPY command.This will not work because file5.csv was already in the stage before it was fixed.

Option F (MERGE)is used to merge data from a stage into an existing table,creating new rows for any data not already present.This is not needed in this case as we simply want to load the data from file5.csv.

Therefore, the architect can use either COPY INTO tablea FROM @%tablea or COPY INTO tablea FROM @%tablea FILES = ('file5.csv') to load only file5.csv from the stage. Both options will load the data from the specified file without overwriting any existing data or requiring additional configuration

Answer : A, B, D

Snowflake supports cloning of various objects, such as databases, schemas, tables, stages, file formats, sequences, streams, tasks, and roles. Cloning creates a copy of an existing object in the system without copying the data or metadata.Cloning is also known as zero-copy cloning1.

Among the objects listed in the question, the following ones can be cloned in Snowflake:

Permanent table: A permanent table is a type of table that has a Fail-safe period and a Time Travel retention period of up to 90 days.A permanent table can be cloned using the CREATE TABLE ... CLONE command2. Therefore, option A is correct.

Transient table: A transient table is a type of table that does not have a Fail-safe period and can have a Time Travel retention period of either 0 or 1 day.A transient table can also be cloned using the CREATE TABLE ... CLONE command2. Therefore, option B is correct.

External table: An external table is a type of table that references data files stored in an external location, such as Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Microsoft Azure Blob Storage.An external table can be cloned using the CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE ... CLONE command3. Therefore, option D is correct.

The following objects listed in the question cannot be cloned in Snowflake:

Temporary table: A temporary table is a type of table that is automatically dropped when the session ends or the current user logs out.Temporary tables do not support cloning4. Therefore, option C is incorrect.

Internal stage: An internal stage is a type of stage that is managed by Snowflake and stores files in Snowflake's internal cloud storage.Internal stages do not support cloning5. Therefore, option E is incorrect.