Road to Snowflake SnowPro Core Certification: Introduction

First chapter: Introduction to Snowflake.

First Chapter of the Snowflake SnowPro Core Certification Complete Course.

In this chapter, we will explore the fundamental concepts of Snowflake, focusing on its core functionalities. The topics covered include:

1. Snowflake as SaaS
2. Snowflake Trial
3. Snowflake Editions
4. Cloud Providers
5. Connecting to Snowflake
6. Typical Exam Questions

Don’t forget — Every chapter from the course and 300 practice questions are available at FullCertified. 🚀📚

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SNOWFLAKE AS SAAS

Snowflake is a cloud-based data solution delivered as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). It’s designed to make data storage, processing, and analytics simpler and more efficient compared to traditional systems. Snowflake combines a powerful SQL query engine with a cloud-native architecture, offering high performance and flexibility. Snowflake releases new features on a weekly basis.

Snowflake is optimal for:

• Data Warehouse: A data warehouse is a centralized repository designed to store and manage large volumes of structured data. It is optimized for query and analysis rather than transactional processing.
• Data Lake: A data lake is a storage system that allows you to store vast amounts of raw data in its native format until it is needed. It supports both structured and unstructured data.
• Data Exchange: A data exchange refers to the process of sharing data between different organizations, departments, or systems in a secure and efficient manner.
• Data Apps: Data apps are applications specifically designed to interact with data with different purposes, such as visualize, transform, or analyze data.
• Data Science: Data science is the field that involves extracting insights and knowledge from data using various techniques and tools.
• Data Engineering: Data engineering involves designing and building the systems and pipelines that collect, store, and process data.

Snowflake is optimal for different purposes.

SNOWFLAKE TRIAL

To begin with Snowflake, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial at the following link.

The trial includes $400 worth of free usage and allows you to explore the platform and its features before making a commitment. Best of all, you don’t need to add any credit card information to start the trial!

Snowflake Trial.

SNOWFLAKE EDITIONS

The available editions include Standard, Enterprise, and Business Critical. For a comprehensive experience, the Enterprise edition is recommended. Below is a summary of the different Snowflake editions:

• Standard: This is an introductory option that provides full access to Snowflake’s core features. It’s ideal for small to mid-sized organizations or those new to Snowflake. This edition includes all the features available in the following editions.
• Enterprise: This edition builds on the Standard Edition with additional features specifically designed for large organizations. It offers enhanced capabilities and support for more complex needs.
• Business Critical: This edition provides advanced data protection features. It is tailored for large organizations that handle highly sensitive information and require robust security measures.
• Virtual Private Snowflake → This edition operates in a completely separate Snowflake environment. It is ideal for organizations needing an isolated instance of Snowflake for additional security and compliance.

You can view a detailed comparison of these features in the images below. We will explore these features in more detail in the upcoming chapters. For more information on the features of each edition, visit the following link.

Summary of the Snowflake features by edition.

CLOUD PROVIDERS

Upon selecting a Snowflake edition, you must choose a cloud provider. Snowflake works with major cloud providers, giving you flexibility in choosing your cloud strategy. On each platform, Snowflake provides one or more regions to provision your account.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS).
• Microsoft Azure (Azure).
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Cloud Providers that Snowflake Supports.

Snowflake’s architecture allows for seamless integration of data across different cloud providers. For example, you can store data in Azure and process it using Snowflake on AWS.

CONNECTING TO SNOWFLAKE

We have different ways to connect to Snowflake:

• Snowsight: The Snowflake web interface, also known as Snowsight, offers a comprehensive, user-friendly environment for managing your data and executing SQL queries.
• SnowSQL: This command-line interface (CLI) client is used for automating tasks, executing scripts, and managing Snowflake operations from the terminal.
• ODBC and JDBC: Drivers to enable connectivity from various applications and tools that use standard database interfaces. In both cases, we need to install the appropriate drivers from Snowflake.
• SDKs: Snowflake provides software development kits (SDKs) for various programming languages and frameworks, including Node.js, Python, Kafka, Spark, and Go.

In the following image, you can see how Snowsight looks like:

Snowsight web interface.

TYPICAL EXAM QUESTIONS

Is Snowflake available on-premise?

1. True
2. False

Solution: 2. Snowflake is 100% SaaS.

What are the three Snowflake editions offered when you sign up for a Snowflake trial account?

1. Standard
2. Enterprise
3. Premier
4. Enterprise for Business Intelligence
5. Business Critical

Solution: 1, 2, 5.

Which Snowflake edition supports private communication between Snowflake and your other VPCs through AWS PrivateLink?

1. Standard
2. Enterprise
3. Business Critical

Solution: 3.

Which cloud provider is not supported by Snowflake?

1. AWS
2. Azure
3. IBM
4. Google Cloud Platform

Solution: 3

Does Snowflake automatically stores data in encrypted form in all editions?

1. True
2. False

Solution: 1. Snowflake encrypts all customer data by default at no additional cost.

In which Snowflake edition is Tri-Secret Secure option available?

1. Standard or higher.
2. Enterprise or higher.
3. Business Critical or higher.

Solution: 3. The minimum edition to have Tri-Secret is the Business Critical one.

Can we use Multi-factor Authentication to connect to Snowflake via the Snowflake JDBC driver?

1. True
2. False

Solution: 1.

A client has ODBC or JDBC available in their systems, but they do not have the Snowflake drivers. Is the client able to connect to Snowflake?

1. True
2. False

Solution: 2. You will need the Snowflake ODBC or JDBC driver to connect to Snowflake; just having JDBC and ODBC will not solve the problem. You can download it through the UI Interface.

What is the name of Snowflake’s Command Line Interface tool?

1. SnowCLI
2. SnowSQL
3. SnowTerminal
4. SnowCMD

Solution: 2

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