COF-C03 Data Loading, Unloading, and Connectivity Practice Question
A data engineer has set up a Snowpipe that continuously loads JSON files from an external stage into a table. The stage references an Amazon S3 bucket with a notification integration. After several days, the engineer notices that new files are not being ingested, even though they exist in the S3 bucket. The Snowpipe is in a RUNNING state and the notification integration is active. What is the MOST likely cause of the missing data?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that a running Snowpipe will automatically load all new files without verifying that the cloud storage event notifications are correctly scoped to the file paths.
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 notification is not configured to send events for the specific prefix or suffix of the new files.
Snowpipe ingests files based on event notifications from the external stage's cloud storage. When new files are not loaded, the most likely cause is that the event notification is not configured to capture those files, such as missing prefix or suffix filters. The pipe's running state and notification integration being active do not guarantee that all files trigger events. Checking the S3 bucket's event configuration is essential.
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 files are compressed with gzip, which Snowpipe cannot automatically decompress.
Why it's wrong here
Snowpipe automatically decompresses gzip files during ingestion. It supports gzip and other compression formats. The inability to decompress is not a reason for missing files; if this were the issue, the pipe would still attempt to load and possibly fail with an error, not silently skip files.
- ✗
The virtual warehouse used by Snowpipe is suspended, preventing the pipe from executing.
Why it's wrong here
Snowpipe uses Snowflake-managed compute resources, not a user-provisioned virtual warehouse. Therefore, the state of any virtual warehouse does not affect Snowpipe's ability to load data. This is a common misconception; Snowpipe is serverless and automatically scales.
- ✓
The S3 bucket notification is not configured to send events for the specific prefix or suffix of the new files.
Why this is correct
Snowpipe relies on event notifications from the cloud storage to trigger loads. If the S3 bucket notification is not configured for the prefix or suffix matching the new files, Snowpipe will not receive events and thus will not load them. This is a common misconfiguration that leads to missing data even when the pipe is running.
- ✗
The Snowpipe's metadata has expired because the pipe was paused for more than 14 days.
Why it's wrong here
Snowpipe does not automatically expire metadata after a pause. The pipe can be paused and resumed without losing the ability to load new files. However, if the pipe is recreated, it may reload files that were already processed, but it does not stop loading new files. This is not the cause of missing new files.
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
Courseiva writes every COF-C03 question from scratch — 280 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or 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 COF-C03 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 COF-C03 exam.