Snowflake Certification Practice Test

Which layer contains virtual warehouses used for data access in Snowflake?

1. Database Storage

2. Cloud Services

3. Service Layer

4. Query Processing

The correct answer is: Query Processing

The layer that contains virtual warehouses used for data access in Snowflake is the Query Processing layer. This layer is responsible for handling all the query execution, which involves running SQL commands against the data stored in Snowflake. Virtual warehouses are clusters of compute resources that enable users to run queries concurrently and independently from one another. When a query is executed, it is processed by a virtual warehouse in this layer, allowing for flexibility and scalability, as the performance can be optimized based on the workload. Each virtual warehouse can be scaled up or down based on the demand, ensuring efficient resource usage. The other layers mentioned serve different purposes: Database Storage is focused on data storage, Cloud Services manages various services and infrastructure in the cloud, and the Service Layer orchestrates multiple operations including authentication and metadata management. However, they do not specifically handle query processing and data access, which is the primary function of the Query Processing layer featuring virtual warehouses.