COF-C03 Data Loading, Unloading, and Connectivity Practice Question
A data engineer needs to load a CSV file into a Snowflake table. The file has a header row, fields are separated by commas, and string values are enclosed in double quotes. The engineer wants to ensure the header row is skipped and the string values are loaded without quotes. Which FILE_FORMAT option should be used to achieve this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse FIELD_OPTIONALLY_ENCLOSED_BY with FIELD_DELIMITER, or forgetting to skip the header row.
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
✓
SKIP_HEADER = 1 and FIELD_OPTIONALLY_ENCLOSED_BY = '"'
To load a CSV with a header and quoted strings, the file format must skip the header row and recognize the quote character as an optional enclosure. SKIP_HEADER = 1 handles the header, and FIELD_OPTIONALLY_ENCLOSED_BY = '"' ensures quotes are stripped from string values during loading. Other options either misinterpret the delimiter or fail to skip the header.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
SKIP_HEADER = 1 and FIELD_DELIMITER = '"'
Why it's wrong here
Setting FIELD_DELIMITER to a double quote would incorrectly treat the quote character as the field separator, not as an enclosure. This would break parsing because fields are comma-separated. SKIP_HEADER is correct, but the delimiter setting is wrong.
- ✗
SKIP_HEADER = 1 and ESCAPE_UNENCLOSED_FIELD = '"'
Why it's wrong here
ESCAPE_UNENCLOSED_FIELD is used to specify an escape character for unenclosed fields, not to define enclosure characters. Using a double quote as an escape character would not remove quotes from enclosed strings and could cause parsing issues.
- ✗
SKIP_HEADER = 0 and FIELD_OPTIONALLY_ENCLOSED_BY = '"'
Why it's wrong here
SKIP_HEADER = 0 means no rows are skipped, so the header row would be loaded as data. Although the enclosure option is correct, the header would cause an error or unwanted data. The engineer needs to skip the header.
- ✓
SKIP_HEADER = 1 and FIELD_OPTIONALLY_ENCLOSED_BY = '"'
Why this is correct
SKIP_HEADER = 1 skips the first row of the file, which is the header. FIELD_OPTIONALLY_ENCLOSED_BY = '"' tells Snowflake that string values may be enclosed in double quotes, and the quotes are removed during loading. This combination correctly handles the file.
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 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.