DEA-C02 Data Movement Practice Question
A data engineer is troubleshooting a Snowpipe that is not loading new files from an external Amazon S3 stage. The pipe definition is valid and manual ALTER PIPE ... REFRESH loads the files successfully, but automatic ingestion never triggers. Which cause is most consistent with these symptoms?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is blaming permissions or the COPY statement when a successful manual refresh already proves those layers are working.
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 S3 bucket's event notification is not configured to publish to the pipe's notification channel
When manual pipe refresh succeeds but automatic ingestion never fires, the COPY logic and permissions are proven correct, leaving the event delivery path as the culprit. The S3 bucket must be configured to publish object-created notifications to the pipe's notification channel. Without that subscription, Snowflake has no signal that new files exist, so the pipe stays idle despite valid files and a valid definition.
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 COPY INTO statement is missing the PATTERN clause
Why it's wrong here
A missing PATTERN clause means all files are considered, not none, so it cannot explain a total absence of automatic loads. Manual refresh loading the same files confirms the statement itself selects them correctly. PATTERN is an optional filter for narrowing file selection, and its absence would at most load more files than intended, not block ingestion entirely.
- ✓
The S3 bucket's event notification is not configured to publish to the pipe's notification channel
Why this is correct
Manual refresh working while auto-ingest fails points squarely at the event notification path. Snowflake exposes a notification channel for the pipe, and the S3 bucket must be configured to send object-created events to it. If that wiring is absent or points to the wrong channel, files arrive in the bucket but Snowflake is never told, which matches the observed behavior exactly.
- ✗
The storage integration is missing the USAGE grant to the role that owns the pipe
Why it's wrong here
A missing USAGE grant on the storage integration would break stage access generally, so manual ALTER PIPE ... REFRESH would also fail with an authorization error. Because manual refresh succeeds, the integration and its grants are functioning. This option misattributes an event-delivery problem to a permissions problem that the symptoms already rule out.
- ✗
The target table has a stream attached that is blocking inserts
Why it's wrong here
Streams are passive change-tracking objects and never block inserts into their source table. A stream on the target would not prevent Snowpipe from writing rows, and manual refresh proves inserts succeed. This option invents a locking behavior that streams do not have and does not explain why only automatic ingestion fails.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
About these practice questions
This DEA-C02 question is part of Courseiva's 229-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam 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.