DEA-C02 Storage and Data Protection Practice Question
A data engineer runs the following statement on a permanent table in a Snowflake account: ALTER TABLE SALES_ARCHIVE SET DATA_RETENTION_TIME_IN_DAYS = 14; The table previously had a retention of 1 day, and the account is on Enterprise Edition. Which statement accurately describes the effect?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is believing that lengthening the retention period retroactively restores data that was already purged.
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 table retains historical data for 14 days going forward, but data older than the prior 1-day window is not recovered.
Increasing DATA_RETENTION_TIME_IN_DAYS extends the Time Travel window for future data changes. It does not retroactively recover historical versions that were already purged under the shorter retention period. The engineer should expect protection for new modifications over the next 14 days, not restoration of previously expired history.
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 change is rejected because retention can only be increased at table creation time.
Why it's wrong here
DATA_RETENTION_TIME_IN_DAYS can be altered after table creation, subject to account and table-type limits. There is no rule requiring it to be set only at creation. This option is factually incorrect and would incorrectly lead the engineer to believe the ALTER TABLE statement is invalid for SALES_ARCHIVE.
- ✓
The table retains historical data for 14 days going forward, but data older than the prior 1-day window is not recovered.
Why this is correct
Raising DATA_RETENTION_TIME_IN_DAYS extends the window for future changes. Historical versions already purged under the previous 1-day setting are not restored. This accurately reflects how the retention parameter applies going forward without retroactively recovering expired data, which is the correct behavior for SALES_ARCHIVE.
- ✗
The table's storage usage doubles because Snowflake clones all existing micro-partitions to extend retention.
Why it's wrong here
Changing the retention parameter does not trigger cloning of micro-partitions. Time Travel storage accrues naturally as data changes going forward; existing partitions are not duplicated. This option misrepresents the storage mechanics and would mislead the engineer about cost implications for the SALES_ARCHIVE table.
- ✗
Existing historical data older than 1 day becomes immediately available for Time Travel queries.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing the retention setting does not retroactively resurrect historical versions that were already purged. Time Travel works on data that is still retained; once the prior window expired, those versions are gone. This option incorrectly implies that extending retention recovers previously discarded history, which is not how the setting behaves.
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.