Snowflake SnowPro Certification Practice Test

Are Snowflake's Storage and Compute layers separate or dependent?

1. Separate and Independent

2. Together and Dependent

3. Integrated and Dependent

4. Dedicated and Independent

The correct answer is: Separate and Independent

The correct choice indicates that Snowflake’s storage and compute layers are separate and independent. This architecture allows for significant flexibility and scalability in data management and processing. In Snowflake, the storage layer is designed to handle all data in a centralized repository that can scale up or down based on storage needs. In contrast, the compute layer consists of multiple virtual warehouses that can be independently scaled to accommodate varying workloads. This separation means that users can increase or decrease compute resources without affecting the storage layer, optimizing efficiency and cost. This independent architecture allows for concurrent workloads; multiple users can run analytic queries simultaneously against the same data without resource contention, which is a key advantage for performance and scalability in data processing workflows. Each layer can also be managed and adjusted according to specific usage demands, making it well-suited for diverse workloads ranging from data warehousing to analytics and reporting. The other options suggest varying degrees of dependence or integration between the layers, which would not accurately represent the flexibility and independence that Snowflake provides in its cloud-native architecture.