Snowflake Certification Practice Test

In which layer is data stored in a compressed, columnar format?

1. Cloud Services

2. Query Processing

3. Database Storage

4. Service Layer

The correct answer is: Database Storage

Data is stored in a compressed, columnar format in the Database Storage layer of Snowflake. This design optimizes storage efficiency and enhances performance for analytical queries. By organizing data in a columnar format, Snowflake allows for more effective data compression, which reduces the amount of storage space required and speeds up retrieval times when querying specific columns rather than entire rows. This architecture is particularly advantageous for analytical workloads that often aggregate and filter data across large datasets. The other layers mentioned are essential for different functionalities within Snowflake. For instance, the Cloud Services layer is responsible for managing user requests and orchestration of tasks, while the Query Processing layer handles the execution of queries. The Service Layer functions as an interface for the various services within Snowflake but does not handle data storage. Thus, only the Database Storage layer is specifically designed for the efficient storage of data in a compressed, columnar format.