DEA-C02 Storage and Data Protection Practice Question
Exhibit
SELECT TABLE_NAME, TABLE_TYPE, IS_TRANSIENT, RETENTION_TIME FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES WHERE TABLE_NAME = 'SENSITIVE_LOGS';
Refer to the exhibit. If the output shows TABLE_TYPE='BASE TABLE', IS_TRANSIENT='YES', and RETENTION_TIME='1', which statement correctly describes the storage behavior if this table is accidentally dropped?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume that because it is a table, it must have a 7-day Fail-safe period, forgetting that transient tables specifically exclude Fail-safe functionality entirely.
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 can be recovered using UNDROP for exactly 24 hours after the drop.
The exhibit describes a transient table. Transient tables are permanent objects that persist across sessions but are specifically designed to have no Fail-safe period. They support Time Travel for up to 1 day. If dropped, the table can be recovered using UNDROP within that 24-hour window, but once that day passes, it is gone forever.
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 table can be recovered by Snowflake Support for up to 7 days after the drop.
Why it's wrong here
Because IS_TRANSIENT is 'YES', the table has no Fail-safe period. Snowflake Support relies on the Fail-safe layer to perform manual data recoveries. Since this layer does not exist for transient tables, neither the user nor Snowflake Support can recover the data once the Time Travel window expires.
- ✗
The table will stay in Time Travel for 1 day, then move to Fail-safe for 7 days.
Why it's wrong here
Transient tables are explicitly defined by their lack of a Fail-safe period. The data protection lifecycle for a transient table ends immediately when the Time Travel retention period (in this case, 1 day) concludes. There is no subsequent 7-day period for these table types in Snowflake.
- ✓
The table can be recovered using UNDROP for exactly 24 hours after the drop.
Why this is correct
The RETENTION_TIME of '1' indicates a 1-day Time Travel window. During this period, the metadata for the dropped table is preserved, allowing the UNDROP TABLE command to succeed. This is the only recovery mechanism available for transient tables before the data is permanently deleted.
- ✗
The table is not recoverable because transient tables do not support the UNDROP command.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect; transient tables fully support Time Travel features, including the UNDROP command and the AT/BEFORE clauses, provided the retention time is set to 1. The only Time Travel limitation for transient tables is that the retention period cannot exceed one day.
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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
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