Snowflake Certification Practice Test

To enhance query throughput, which action should be taken?

1. Rewrite the query

2. Scale up the cluster

3. Scale out the cluster

4. All of the above

The correct answer is: Scale out the cluster

Scaling out the cluster is the most effective action to enhance query throughput in Snowflake. This approach involves adding more compute resources (in the form of virtual warehouses) to process queries concurrently. When you scale out, additional clusters can operate in parallel, allowing multiple queries and operations to be handled simultaneously. This is particularly beneficial during periods of high demand, as it can significantly reduce wait times and improve overall performance. Rewriting the query can optimize performance in some cases, but it primarily focuses on the logic and structure of the query rather than increasing the available resources. While scaling up the cluster (increasing the size of the existing warehouse) can also improve performance by giving more resources to a single workload, it does not allow for parallel processing of multiple workloads the same way scaling out does. Therefore, the most encompassing and effective method to enhance query throughput, especially in a multi-user or high-demand scenario, is scaling out the cluster.