Snowflake Certification Practice Test

What is a characteristic of Snowflake's Compute layer?

1. It manages user permissions and roles

2. It handles query execution and performance optimization

3. It is solely responsible for data storage

4. It provides historical data recovery

The correct answer is: It handles query execution and performance optimization

The correct choice highlights a crucial function of Snowflake's Compute layer, which is primarily responsible for handling query execution and performance optimization. This layer dynamically scales the compute resources to efficiently manage varying workloads, ensuring that queries are processed quickly and effectively. By separating compute from storage, Snowflake allows users to allocate resources based on their specific workload demands, optimizing performance without being tied down to fixed configurations or resources. In contrast, other functions such as managing user permissions and roles are handled by different components of the Snowflake architecture, specifically the Security layer. Data storage is managed by the Storage layer, which is designed to handle large volumes of data efficiently. Historical data recovery, while a necessary feature, is typically performed through the time travel and fail-safe functionalities inherent in Snowflake’s data storage practices rather than being a characteristic of the Compute layer itself. This clear delineation of responsibilities within Snowflake's architecture allows for greater scalability and flexibility, particularly in environments with fluctuating data processing needs.