COF-C03 Data Loading, Unloading, and Connectivity Practice Question
A developer is running a COPY INTO command to load 1,000 CSV files. The requirement is that if even one row in any file fails due to a data type mismatch, the entire load operation must stop and no data should be committed to the table. Which ON_ERROR setting is required?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates frequently choose CONTINUE or SKIP_FILE when asked to completely halt and roll back a bulk load upon a single error, confusing error tolerance with strict transactional atomicity.
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
✓
ON_ERROR = ABORT_STATEMENT
The ON_ERROR parameter determines how the COPY command handles malformed data or schema mismatches. The ABORT_STATEMENT setting is the strictest option available, ensuring transactional integrity by rolling back the entire load if a single error occurs. This is critical for datasets where partial loads could lead to data inconsistency or require complex manual cleanup.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ON_ERROR = CONTINUE
Why it's wrong here
The CONTINUE setting instructs Snowflake to ignore any rows with errors and proceed with loading all other valid records. While this is useful for maximizing data throughput, it violates the requirement of this scenario, which mandates that no data should be committed if any error is encountered during the bulk ingestion process.
- ✗
ON_ERROR = SKIP_FILE
Why it's wrong here
Using SKIP_FILE tells Snowflake to discard an entire file if it contains at least one error, but it will continue loading all other error-free files in the batch. This would result in a partial load of the 1,000 files, which does not meet the strict 'all-or-nothing' requirement specified by the data engineer.
- ✓
ON_ERROR = ABORT_STATEMENT
Why this is correct
ABORT_STATEMENT is the default behavior for the COPY command. It ensures that if any error is detected in any of the files being loaded, the entire operation is halted immediately. No records from any of the files are committed to the target table, maintaining the highest level of data consistency for the load.
- ✗
ON_ERROR = SKIP_FILE_1%
Why it's wrong here
This setting allows a file to be skipped only if the number of errors exceeds 1% of the total rows in that specific file. It is a threshold-based approach designed for tolerant data pipelines. It would still allow the load to proceed if errors were below the threshold, failing the requirement to stop on a single error.
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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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