Snowflake Certification Practice Test

What feature allows Snowflake to create copies of data without using additional storage space?

1. Data Migration

2. Snowflake's Data Cloning

3. Data Sharing

4. Caching

The correct answer is: Snowflake's Data Cloning

Snowflake's Data Cloning feature is a powerful capability that allows users to create instant, full copies of databases, schemas, and tables without the need for additional storage space. This is made possible by leveraging a technology called copy-on-write, which means that when a clone is created, no actual data is duplicated immediately. Instead, both the original and the cloned objects reference the same underlying data at that moment. Only when changes are made to either the original or the cloned data do new storage allocations occur for the modified records. This capability significantly enhances efficiency and speeds up development processes, as it allows for testing and development on copies of production data without incurring the typical storage costs associated with duplicating large datasets. Thus, Snowflake’s Data Cloning feature not only saves on storage costs but also facilitates seamless data operations in environments where rapid data access and agile testing environments are required.