ARA-C01 Performance Optimization Practice Question
Which TWO of the following statements about the Query Acceleration Service are correct? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates mistakenly believe Query Acceleration Service automatically speeds up all queries. They miss that it only targets specific, large, compute-intensive scan or aggregation operations that are currently bottlenecked.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
It is intended for queries with large, compute-intensive scan or aggregation operations.
The Query Acceleration Service is an opt-in feature designed to improve the performance of complex, large-scale scan and aggregation queries. It works by dynamically providing extra compute resources to a query that would otherwise be throttled. It is only useful for queries with high variance in performance, where specific parts of the query take significantly longer than the rest of the execution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
It automatically scales up the warehouse size for all queries.
Why it's wrong here
The Query Acceleration Service does not scale the warehouse size; it provides temporary, additional compute power to specific queries that can benefit from parallel processing. It is distinct from warehouse resizing, which impacts all concurrent queries on the warehouse, and it is specifically targeted at large-scale, scan-heavy operations.
- ✓
It is intended for queries with large, compute-intensive scan or aggregation operations.
Why this is correct
The service is specifically designed to handle large scans and aggregations that take longer than average. By offloading these pieces to extra nodes, the service reduces the overall execution time of the query, making it an excellent optimization for workloads that involve massive datasets and heavy compute demands.
- ✗
It effectively replaces the need for clustering keys.
Why it's wrong here
Query acceleration does not remove the need for good data design. Clustering remains the best way to optimize data access by pruning partitions. Relying on the acceleration service without proper clustering is inefficient, as the system would still be scanning more data than necessary, leading to higher costs and latency.
- ✓
It can be enabled at the warehouse level to improve performance for specific queries.
Why this is correct
The service is enabled by configuring the maximum scale factor on a warehouse. Once enabled, Snowflake automatically identifies eligible queries and applies the acceleration. This allows architects to control the cost while enabling performance gains for the most compute-intensive queries running on the warehouse, providing a flexible optimization strategy.
- ✗
It is always free of charge.
Why it's wrong here
The Query Acceleration Service incurs additional credit consumption based on the amount of compute power used during the acceleration process. It is a cost-incurring service designed to improve performance for specific, resource-heavy queries, and architects should monitor its usage closely to ensure it provides sufficient value for the associated costs.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Snowflake exam blueprint
This ARA-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Snowflake certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the ARA-C01 exam.