DEA-C02 Data Movement Practice Question
A data engineer is configuring a Snowpipe to continuously load new files from an external stage backed by Google Cloud Storage. The pipeline must ingest files within seconds of their arrival. The engineer notices that files are not being loaded and that no errors appear in the pipe's copy history. The pipe was created with AUTO_INGEST = TRUE, and the notification channel is configured. Which Snowflake feature should the engineer verify to ensure that Snowpipe receives event notifications from GCS?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that a storage integration alone enables event-driven ingestion, when GCS auto-ingest additionally requires a Pub/Sub push subscription to Snowflake's notification endpoint.
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 GCS bucket has a Pub/Sub subscription that forwards messages to Snowflake's notification endpoint.
For Snowpipe auto-ingest from Google Cloud Storage, Snowflake does not poll the bucket. Instead, it relies on Google Cloud Pub/Sub to publish event notifications when new objects arrive. A subscription must be created that pushes these messages to the Snowflake-provided notification endpoint. If that subscription is missing, misconfigured, or lacks permissions, Snowflake never receives the event, and the pipe remains idle without errors. Verifying the Pub/Sub subscription is therefore the correct diagnostic step.
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 pipe's FILE_FORMAT is set to skip header rows and handle compressed files.
Why it's wrong here
FILE_FORMAT controls how data is parsed once a file is queued, not whether the file is detected. A misconfigured format would cause load errors during ingestion, which would appear in the copy history. Since no errors are reported and no files are loaded, the format is not the reason for missing notifications.
- ✓
The GCS bucket has a Pub/Sub subscription that forwards messages to Snowflake's notification endpoint.
Why this is correct
Snowpipe auto-ingest for GCS relies on Google Cloud Pub/Sub to deliver event notifications. The bucket must have a Pub/Sub topic and a subscription that pushes messages to the Snowflake-provided notification URL. Without a functioning subscription, Snowflake receives no events, and files are never queued—matching the silent behavior described. This is the correct component to verify.
- ✗
The external stage URL uses the gcs:// scheme and specifies the correct bucket and folder path.
Why it's wrong here
The stage URL must be correct for Snowpipe to read files after they are queued. However, an incorrect stage URL would typically result in an error when the pipe attempts to access the file, not a silent absence of any load attempts. The scenario states no errors appear, so the stage URL is likely correct and not the missing link.
- ✗
The storage integration's STORAGE_ALLOWED_LOCATIONS parameter includes the GCS bucket path.
Why it's wrong here
STORAGE_ALLOWED_LOCATIONS defines which buckets the integration can access, but it does not govern event notification delivery. If the path were missing, the pipe would fail with an access error, not silently miss files. The engineer would see permission errors in the pipe status or copy history, so this setting is not the cause of missing notifications here.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every DEA-C02 question from scratch — 229 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 DEA-C02 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 DEA-C02 exam.