DEA-C02 Performance Optimization Practice Question
A user runs the same complex analytical query twice within 5 minutes and notices the second execution is nearly instantaneous. Which Snowflake feature is primarily responsible for this performance improvement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse the Result Cache with the Warehouse Cache (Local Disk). They fail to distinguish that the Result Cache returns results without using any compute resources at all.
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
✓
Result Cache
Snowflake's Result Cache stores the results of queries for 24 hours. If a user executes the exact same query and the underlying data in the table has not changed, Snowflake will return the results directly from the cache, bypassing the compute warehouse entirely and providing sub-second response times.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Metadata Caching
Why it's wrong here
Metadata caching helps the optimizer plan queries by storing information about micro-partitions, such as min/max values. While it speeds up the planning phase, it still requires a running warehouse to process the data, whereas the scenario describes an instantaneous result that usually bypasses the warehouse.
- ✗
Warehouse Local Disk Caching
Why it's wrong here
Local disk caching (or SSD caching) stores raw data blocks on the warehouse nodes. This speeds up subsequent queries that need the same data, but the query still must be executed by the warehouse compute. It is not as fast as the Result Cache, which returns pre-computed results.
- ✗
Query Acceleration Service
Why it's wrong here
The Query Acceleration Service provides extra compute resources for massive scans but does not cache query results. It is used to speed up the first execution of a very large query by offloading work, not to provide instantaneous results for a repeated query that was already run.
- ✓
Result Cache
Why this is correct
The Result Cache is the only feature that can provide near-instantaneous results for identical queries by skipping all compute processing. It remains valid for 24 hours as long as the underlying data remains unchanged, making it perfect for repeated dashboard queries or frequent analytical tasks.
About these practice questions
One of 229 original DEA-C02 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. 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.