DEA-C02 Storage and Data Protection Practice Question
A data engineer creates a zero-copy clone of a 5 TB permanent table to provide a development team with a copy of production data. Immediately after the clone is created, how is storage billed for the clone?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that cloning a table duplicates its data and immediately doubles storage, when the clone shares micro-partitions until divergence.
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
✓
The clone consumes no additional storage until either the source or the clone is modified, at which point only the changed micro-partitions add storage.
Zero-copy cloning shares micro-partitions between the source and the clone, so no storage is consumed at creation. Storage is billed only when changes cause new micro-partitions to be written on either side. This is why cloning large tables is fast and initially free of additional storage cost, which is the defining benefit of the feature.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The clone consumes storage equal to the source table's Fail-safe footprint at creation time.
Why it's wrong here
Fail-safe footprint is unrelated to clone creation. Fail-safe applies to data that has already left the Time Travel window, and cloning does not trigger Fail-safe storage. This option conflates two separate storage mechanisms and misstates how clone storage is initially accounted for.
- ✓
The clone consumes no additional storage until either the source or the clone is modified, at which point only the changed micro-partitions add storage.
Why this is correct
Zero-copy cloning creates a new table that shares the same underlying micro-partitions as the source, so no data is physically duplicated at creation time. Storage is only added when one side diverges and new micro-partitions are written. This makes cloning near-instant and cost-efficient until changes occur.
- ✗
The clone immediately consumes 5 TB of additional storage because a full physical copy is made.
Why it's wrong here
Zero-copy cloning does not physically duplicate data. The clone references the same micro-partitions as the source, so no new storage is billed at creation. Claiming a full 5 TB copy contradicts the fundamental design of zero-copy cloning, which is specifically intended to avoid immediate duplication.
- ✗
The clone consumes 5 TB only if the source table has Time Travel enabled.
Why it's wrong here
Time Travel on the source does not cause the clone to consume storage at creation. The clone shares micro-partitions regardless of the source's retention setting. This option incorrectly ties clone storage cost to Time Travel, when in fact the sharing behavior is independent of any retention configuration.
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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
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