ARA-C01 Data Engineering Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  Configure the pipe with AUTO_INGEST = TRUE and manually call ALTER PIPE ... REFRESH.

  Why it's wrong here

  AUTO_INGEST = TRUE enables event notifications, but it requires the cloud storage event notification to be set up. Simply setting AUTO_INGEST and manually refreshing does not provide automatic triggering; it relies on manual intervention. The REFRESH command is for manual loads and does not provide the automatic, event-driven behavior required.

• ✗

  Create a task that calls the Snowpipe REST API to ingest files on a schedule.

  Why it's wrong here

  Using a scheduled task to call the Snowpipe REST API adds latency and complexity. It is not event-driven and would require managing authentication and error handling. Snowpipe is designed to be triggered by events, not by polling. This approach would not meet the requirement for immediate loading when files arrive.

• ✓

  Configure a cloud storage event notification that triggers Snowpipe via a notification integration.

  Why this is correct

  Snowpipe supports event notifications from cloud storage services (e.g., AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage) through a notification integration. When a new file is created, the storage service sends an event to Snowflake, which triggers the pipe to load the file automatically. This provides near-real-time ingestion without manual intervention.

• ✗

  Use a Snowflake stream on the external stage to detect new files.

  Why it's wrong here

  Streams in Snowflake are used to track changes in tables, not external stages. They cannot detect new files in an external stage. Therefore, this approach is not applicable for triggering Snowpipe based on file arrival. Streams are for CDC on tables, not for file ingestion.