The architecture in the image shows a Snowflake data platform with two databases, DB1 and DB2, and two schemas, SH1 and SH2. DB1 contains a table TBL1 and a stage STAGE1. DB2 contains a table TBL2. The image also shows a snippet of code written in SQL language that copies data from STAGE1 to TBL2 using a file format FF PIPE 1.

To copy data from DB1 to TBL2, there are two possible options among the choices given:

Option B: Use a named external stage that references STAGE1. This option requires creating an external stage object in DB2.SH2 that points to the same location as STAGE1 in DB1.SH1. The external stage can be created using the CREATE STAGE command with the URL parameter specifying the location of STAGE11. For example:

SQLAI-generated code. Review and use carefully. More info on FAQ.

use database DB2;

use schema SH2;

createstage EXT_STAGE1

url=@DB1.SH1.STAGE1;

Then, the data can be copied from the external stage to TBL2 using the COPY INTO command with the FROM parameter specifying the external stage name and the FILE FORMAT parameter specifying the file format name2. For example:

SQLAI-generated code. Review and use carefully. More info on FAQ.

copyintoTBL2

from@EXT_STAGE1

file format=(format name=DB1.SH1.FF PIPE1);

Option E: Use a cross-database query to select data from TBL1 and insert into TBL2. This option requires using the INSERT INTO command with the SELECT clause to query data from TBL1 in DB1.SH1 and insert it into TBL2 in DB2.SH2. The query must use the fully-qualified names of the tables, including the database and schema names3. For example:

SQLAI-generated code. Review and use carefully. More info on FAQ.

use database DB2;

use schema SH2;

insertintoTBL2

select*fromDB1.SH1.TBL1;

The other options are not valid because:

Option A: It uses an invalid syntax for the COPY INTO command. The FROM parameter cannot specify a table name, only a stage name or a file location2.

Option C: It uses an invalid syntax for the COPY INTO command. The FILE FORMAT parameter cannot specify a stage name, only a file format name or options2.

Option D: It uses an invalid syntax for the CREATE STAGE command. The URL parameter cannot specify a table name, only a file location1.

1: CREATE STAGE | Snowflake Documentation

2: COPY INTO table | Snowflake Documentation

3: Cross-database Queries | Snowflake Documentation

A healthcare company that handles PHI data must ensure compliance with relevant privacy standards, such as HIPAA, HITRUST, and GDPR. Snowflake provides several features and best practices to help customers meet their data protection and compliance requirements1.

One best practice recommendation is to use, at minimum, the Business Critical edition of Snowflake. This edition provides the highest level of data protection and security, including end-to-end encryption with customer-managed keys, enhanced object-level security, and HIPAA and HITRUST compliance2. Therefore, option A is correct.

Another best practice recommendation is to create Dynamic Data Masking policies and apply them to columns that contain PHI. Dynamic Data Masking is a feature that allows masking or redacting sensitive data based on the current user’s role. This way, only authorized users can view the unmasked data, while others will see masked values, such as NULL, asterisks, or random characters3. Therefore, option B is correct.

A third best practice recommendation is to use the External Tokenization feature to obfuscate sensitive data. External Tokenization is a feature that allows replacing sensitive data with tokens that are generated and stored by an external service, such as Protegrity. This way, the original data is never stored or processed by Snowflake, and only authorized users can access the tokenized data through the external service4. Therefore, option D is correct.

Option C is incorrect, because the Internal Tokenization feature is not available in Snowflake. Snowflake does not provide any native tokenization functionality, but only supports integration with external tokenization services4.

Option E is incorrect, because rewriting SQL queries to eliminate projections of PHI data based on current_role() is not a best practice. This approach is error-prone, inefficient, and hard to maintain. A better alternative is to use Dynamic Data Masking policies, which can automatically mask data based on the user’s role without modifying the queries3.

Option F is incorrect, because avoiding sharing data with partner organizations is not a best practice. Snowflake enables secure and governed data sharing with internal and external consumers, such as business units, customers, or partners. Data sharing does not involve copying or moving data, but only granting access privileges to the shared objects. Data sharing can also leverage Dynamic Data Masking and External Tokenization features to protect sensitive data5.

 Snowflake’s Security & Compliance Reports : Snowflake Editions : Dynamic Data Masking : External Tokenization : Secure Data Sharing

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

Snowflake supports both implicit and explicit transactions. However, only specific statement types are allowed within transactions.

Option C:

This is correct. In Snowflake, transactions can be started with any of the following: BEGIN, BEGIN WORK, or START TRANSACTION. Transactions can be ended using COMMIT, COMMIT WORK, or ROLLBACK.

Official Extract:

"You can explicitly start a transaction using the BEGIN, BEGIN WORK, or START TRANSACTION statements and end it using the COMMIT, COMMIT WORK, or ROLLBACK statements."

Source:Snowflake SQL Transactions

Option E:

This is correct. Transactions should only include DML statements (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, MERGE) and queries. DDL statements (CREATE, ALTER, DROP) automatically commit and cannot be part of an explicit transaction block.

Official Extract:

"A transaction can contain only DML statements and queries. Any DDL statement implicitly commits the current transaction."

Source:Snowflake SQL Transactions

Option A:

Incorrect. DDL statements are not allowed inside explicit transactions. If used, they trigger an implicit commit.

Option B:

Incorrect. The autocommit setting cannot be modified within a stored procedure. Autocommit is session-level and not dynamically changeable within procedural logic.

Option D:

Incorrect. Snowflake does not support END TRANSACTION as a valid SQL command. The correct ending statement for a transaction is COMMIT or ROLLBACK.

These two configuration options can enhance the performance of the workload that consists of a huge number of concurrent queries that are smaller and faster.

Enabling a multi-clustered virtual warehouse in maximized mode allows the warehouse to scale out automatically by adding more clusters as soon as the current cluster is fully loaded, regardless of the number of queries in the queue. This can improve the concurrency and throughput of the workload by minimizing or preventing queuing. The maximized mode is suitable for workloads that require high performance and low latency, and are less sensitive to credit consumption1.

Setting the MAX_CONCURRENCY_LEVEL to a higher value than its default value of 8 at the virtual warehouse level allows the warehouse to run more queries concurrently on each cluster. This can improve the utilization and efficiency of the warehouse resources, especially for smaller and faster queries that do not require a lot of processing power. The MAX_CONCURRENCY_LEVEL parameter can be set when creating or modifying a warehouse, and it can be changed at any time2.

Snowflake Documentation: Scaling Policy for Multi-cluster Warehouses

Snowflake Documentation: MAX_CONCURRENCY_LEVEL

The Snowflake system functions used to view and monitor the clustering metadata for a table are:

SYSTEM$CLUSTERING_INFORMATION

SYSTEM$CLUSTERING_DEPTH

Comprehensive But Short Explanation:

TheSYSTEM$CLUSTERING_INFORMATIONfunction in Snowflake returns a variety of clustering information for a specified table. This information includes the average clustering depth, total number of micro-partitions, total constant partition count, average overlaps, average depth, and a partition depth histogram. This function allows you to specify either one or multiple columns for which the clustering information is returned, and it returns this data in JSON format.

TheSYSTEM$CLUSTERING_DEPTHfunction computes the average depth of a table based on specified columns or the clustering key defined for the table. A lower average depth indicates that the table is better clustered with respect to the specified columns. This function also allows specifying columns to calculate the depth, and the values need to be enclosed in single quotes.

The best way to address the performance issues and time-outs faced by the Store Manager team is to configure a dedicated virtual warehouse for them and make it multi-clustered. This will allow them to run their reports independently from other workloads and scale up or down the compute resources as needed. A dedicated virtual warehouse will also enable them to apply specific security and access policies for their data. A multi-clustered virtual warehouse will provide high availability and concurrency for their queries and avoid queuing or throttling.

Using a Business Intelligence tool for in-memory computation may improve performance, but it will not solve the underlying issue of insufficient compute resources in the shared virtual warehouse. It will also introduce additional costs and complexity for the data architecture.

Configuring the virtual warehouse to size 4-XL may increase the performance, but it will also increase the cost and may not be optimal for the workload. It will also not address the concurrency and availability issues that may arise from sharing the virtual warehouse with other workloads.

Advising the Store Manager team to defer report execution to off-business hours may reduce the load on the shared virtual warehouse, but it will also reduce the timeliness and usefulness of the reports for the business. It will also not guarantee that the performance issues and time-outs will not occur at other times.

 According to the SnowPro Advanced: Architect documents and learning resources, the security, governance, and data protection features that require, at a minimum, the Business Critical edition of Snowflake are:

Customer-managed encryption keys through Tri-Secret Secure. This feature allows customers to manage their own encryption keys for data at rest in Snowflake, using a combination of three secrets: a master key, a service key, and a security password. This provides an additional layer of security and control over the data encryption and decryption process1.

Periodic rekeying of encrypted data. This feature allows customers to periodically rotate the encryption keys for data at rest in Snowflake, using either Snowflake-managed keys or customer-managed keys. This enhances the security and protection of the data by reducing the risk of key compromise or exposure2.

The other options are incorrect because they do not require the Business Critical edition of Snowflake. Option A is incorrect because extended Time Travel (up to 90 days) is available with the Enterprise edition of Snowflake3. Option D is incorrect because AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud private connectivity to Snowflake is available with the Standard edition of Snowflake4. Option E is incorrect because federated authentication and SSO are available with the Standard edition of Snowflake5. References: Tri-Secret Secure | Snowflake Documentation, Periodic Rekeying of Encrypted Data | Snowflake Documentation, Snowflake Editions | Snowflake Documentation, Snowflake Network Policies | Snowflake Documentation, Configuring Federated Authentication and SSO | Snowflake Documentation

 Snowflake context functions are functions that return information about the current session, user, role, warehouse, database, schema, or object. They can be used to help determine whether a user is authorized to see data that has column-level security enforced by setting masking policy conditions based on the context functions. The following context functions are relevant for column-level security:

current_role: This function returns the name of the role in use for the current session. It can be used to set masking policy conditions that target the current session and are not affected by the execution context of the SQL statement. For example, a masking policy condition using current_role can allow or deny access to a column based on the role that the user activated in the session.

invoker_role: This function returns the name of the executing role in a SQL statement. It can be used to set masking policy conditions that target the executing role and are affected by the execution context of the SQL statement. For example, a masking policy condition using invoker_role can allow or deny access to a column based on the role that the user specified in the SQL statement, such as using the AS ROLE clause or a stored procedure.

is_role_in_session: This function returns TRUE if the user’s current role in the session (i.e. the role returned by current_role) inherits the privileges of the specified role. It can be used to set masking policy conditions that involve role hierarchy and privilege inheritance. For example, a masking policy condition using is_role_in_session can allow or deny access to a column based on whether the user’s current role is a lower privilege role in the specified role hierarchy.

The other options are not valid ways to use the Snowflake context functions for column-level security:

Set masking policy conditions using is_role_in_session targeting the role in use for the current account. This option is incorrect because is_role_in_session does not target the role in use for the current account, but rather the role in use for the current session. Also, the current account is not a role, but rather a logical entity that contains users, roles, warehouses, databases, and other objects.

Determine if there are ownership privileges on the masking policy that would allow the use of any function. This option is incorrect because ownership privileges on the masking policy do not affect the use of any function, but rather the ability to create, alter, or drop the masking policy. Also, this is not a way to use the Snowflake context functions, but rather a way to check the privileges on the masking policy object.

Assign the accountadmin role to the user who is executing the object. This option is incorrect because assigning the accountadmin role to the user who is executing the object does not involve using the Snowflake context functions, but rather granting the highest-level role to the user. Also, this is not a recommended practice for column-level security, as it would give the user full access to all objects and data in the account, which could compromise data security and governance.

Context Functions

Advanced Column-level Security topics

Snowflake Data Governance: Column Level Security Overview

Data Security Snowflake Part 2 - Column Level Security

An external table schema defines the columns and data types of the data stored in an external stage. All external tables include the following columns by default:

VALUE: A VARIANT type column that represents a single row in the external file.

METADATA$FILENAME: A pseudocolumn that identifies the name of each staged data file included in the external table, including its path in the stage.

METADATA$FILE_ROW_NUMBER: A pseudocolumn that shows the row number for each record in a staged data file.

You can also create additional virtual columns as expressions using the VALUE column and/or the pseudocolumns. However, the following columns are not valid for external tables and cannot be included in the schema:

METADATASROW_ID: This column is only available for internal tables and shows the unique identifier for each row in the table.

METADATASISUPDATE: This column is only available for internal tables and shows whether the row was inserted or updated by a merge operation.

METADATASEXTERNAL TABLE PARTITION: This column is not a valid column name and does not exist in Snowflake.

 Introduction to External Tables, CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE

Warehouse credits are used to pay for the processing time used by each virtual warehouse in Snowflake. A virtual warehouse is a cluster of compute resources that enables executing queries, loading data, and performing other DML operations. Warehouse credits are charged based on the number of virtual warehouses you use, how long they run, and their size1.

Among the commands listed in the question, the following ones will use warehouse credits:

SELECT MAX(FLAKE_ID) FROM SNOWFLAKE: This command will use warehouse credits because it is a query that requires a virtual warehouse to execute. The query will scan the SNOWFLAKE table and return the maximum value of the FLAKE_ID column2. Therefore, option B is correct.

SELECT COUNT(*) FROM SNOWFLAKE: This command will also use warehouse credits because it is a query that requires a virtual warehouse to execute. The query will scan the SNOWFLAKE table and return the number of rows in the table3. Therefore, option C is correct.

SELECT COUNT(FLAKE_ID) FROM SNOWFLAKE GROUP BY FLAKE_ID: This command will also use warehouse credits because it is a query that requires a virtual warehouse to execute. The query will scan the SNOWFLAKE table and return the number of rows for each distinct value of the FLAKE_ID column4. Therefore, option D is correct.

The command that will not use warehouse credits is:

SHOW TABLES LIKE ‘SNOWFL%’: This command will not use warehouse credits because it is a metadata operation that does not require a virtual warehouse to execute. The command will return the names of the tables that match the pattern ‘SNOWFL%’ in the current database and schema5. Therefore, option A is incorrect.

 Understanding Compute Cost : MAX Function : COUNT Function : GROUP BY Clause : SHOW TABLES

 According to the Snowflake documentation, the best practices for choosing clustering keys are:

Choose columns that are frequently used in join predicates. This can improve the join performance by reducing the number of micro-partitions that need to be scanned and joined.

Choose columns that are most actively used in selective filters. This can improve the scan efficiency by skipping micro-partitions that do not match the filter predicates.

Avoid using low cardinality columns, such as gender or country, as clustering keys. This can result in poor clustering and high maintenance costs.

Avoid using TIMESTAMP columns with nanoseconds, as they tend to have very high cardinality and low correlation with other columns. This can also result in poor clustering and high maintenance costs.

Avoid using columns with duplicate values or NULLs, as they can cause skew in the clustering and reduce the benefits of pruning.

Cluster on multiple columns if the queries use multiple filters or join predicates. This can increase the chances of pruning more micro-partitions and improve the compression ratio.

Clustering is not always useful, especially for small or medium-sized tables, or tables that are not frequently queried or updated. Clustering can incur additional costs for initially clustering the data and maintaining the clustering over time.

Clustering Keys & Clustered Tables | Snowflake Documentation

[Considerations for Choosing Clustering for a Table | Snowflake Documentation]

According to the Principle of Least Privilege, the Architect should grant the minimum privileges necessary for the USER1 to find the tables in the SANDBOX database.

The USER1 needs to have USAGE privilege on the SANDBOX database and the SANDBOX.PUBLIC schema to be able to access the tables in the PUBLIC schema. Therefore, the commands B and C are the correct ones to run.

The command A is not correct because the PUBLIC role is automatically granted to every user and role in the account, and it does not have any privileges on the SANDBOX database by default.

The command D is not correct because it would transfer the ownership of the SANDBOX database from the Architect to the USER1, which is not necessary and violates the Principle of Least Privilege.

The command E is not correct because it would grant all the possible privileges on the SANDBOX database to the USER1, which is also not necessary and violates the Principle of Least Privilege.

Snowflake - Principle of Least Privilege : Snowflake - Access Control Privileges : Snowflake - Public Role : Snowflake - Ownership and Grants