DEA-C02 Data Movement Practice Question
A data engineer is using Snowpipe to load data from an external stage. The pipe is configured with AUTO_INGEST = TRUE. Which two statements are true regarding the behavior of Snowpipe in this configuration? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming Snowpipe polls the stage or that it automatically sets up notification integrations, when in fact it requires manual configuration and is event-driven.
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
✓
Snowpipe relies on cloud storage event notifications to trigger the load process.
Snowpipe with AUTO_INGEST uses cloud storage event notifications to trigger loads and maintains a load history to avoid duplicates. It does not poll the stage, does not auto-create integrations, and is not compatible with internal stages.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Snowpipe periodically polls the external stage for new files based on a defined schedule.
Why it's wrong here
Snowpipe does not poll the stage; it relies on event notifications. Polling is a different mechanism, often implemented with tasks or external schedulers. With AUTO_INGEST, Snowpipe is event-driven, not schedule-driven. Polling would introduce latency and is not how Snowpipe operates.
- ✓
Snowpipe relies on cloud storage event notifications to trigger the load process.
Why this is correct
When AUTO_INGEST is set to TRUE, Snowpipe uses event notifications from the cloud storage service (e.g., S3, Azure Blob Storage, GCS) to detect new files. These notifications are sent to a queue that Snowflake monitors, triggering the pipe to load the new files. This enables near real-time ingestion.
- ✗
AUTO_INGEST = TRUE requires the stage to be an internal stage.
Why it's wrong here
AUTO_INGEST is specifically designed for external stages, as it relies on cloud storage event notifications. Internal stages do not support event notifications from cloud providers. Therefore, AUTO_INGEST cannot be used with internal stages; it requires an external stage with a notification integration.
- ✓
The pipe's load history is used to prevent re-ingestion of files that have already been processed.
Why this is correct
Snowpipe maintains a load history for each pipe, which records the files that have been successfully loaded. When a new event notification is received, Snowpipe checks this history to avoid loading the same file again. This ensures that files are not duplicated, even if multiple notifications are received.
- ✗
Snowpipe automatically creates a notification integration if one does not exist.
Why it's wrong here
Snowpipe does not automatically create notification integrations. The data engineer must manually create a notification integration and configure the cloud storage to send events to Snowflake. Without this setup, AUTO_INGEST will not function. The integration is a separate object that must be created and granted to the pipe.
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 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.