Snowflake Certification Practice Test

Which Snowflake cache does the user/administrator have control over?

1. Results cache

2. Metadata cache

3. Data cache

4. None of the above

The correct answer is: Metadata cache

The correct choice is based on the specific aspects of Snowflake's caching mechanisms that are under user or administrator control. The metadata cache is the only cache type that users or administrators can influence directly. The metadata cache stores information about the structure and organization of the data stored in Snowflake, such as table definitions, schema details, and the query execution plans. Users can help optimize the use of the metadata cache by managing the organization of their data, such as using clustering keys, which affects how data is retrieved and thus impacts the efficiency of metadata utilization. In contrast, the results cache automatically stores the results of queries for a predefined duration to speed up subsequent identical queries, which can only be influenced indirectly, such as by altering query structure or input data. Furthermore, the data cache holds the actual data blocks that users access, but it is managed by Snowflake's internal algorithms without direct user control. Understanding the differing levels of control helps users optimize their usage of Snowflake's features effectively.