ADA-C01 Question 151
Single answerChange account namesA company is rebranding and wants its Snowflake account name changed from ACME_PROD to NORTHSTAR_PROD so that the new name appears in the account URL and aligns with corporate standards. The Snowflake administrator is asked to complete the change with minimal disruption to users and integrations. Which action should the administrator take?
- A
Open a Snowflake Support case to request an account rename, and plan updates for any clients, bookmarks, or integrations that reference the current account identifier or URL.
- B
Run an ALTER ACCOUNT SET NAME = 'NORTHSTAR_PROD' command as ACCOUNTADMIN, which immediately changes the account URL without affecting clients.
- C
Create a new account named NORTHSTAR_PROD, replicate all databases and roles, and then drop the original account because Snowflake does not support renaming accounts.
- D
Use ORGADMIN to rename the account in the organization, which automatically preserves all existing URLs through permanent redirects.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best answer is to work with Snowflake Support to request the account rename and to plan for dependency updates. In Snowflake, changing an account name is not a routine SQL administration task such as altering a warehouse or database object. Because account names are tied to account identifiers and URLs used by users, drivers, BI tools, automation, and possibly identity integrations, administrators should treat the change as a coordinated operational activity. Best practice is to inventory all connection points that reference the existing account name or locator-based URL and validate post-change connectivity. This aligns with Snowflake documentation and operational guidance around account-level changes and support-managed account rename requests.
- A. Correct.
Correct. Changing a Snowflake account name is not performed with a SQL command by account administrators. It is a support-assisted operation. In practice, administrators should coordinate the rename through Snowflake Support and prepare for downstream changes because account URLs, connection definitions, SSO settings, and other references may need to be updated depending on how clients address the account.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. There is no supported ALTER ACCOUNT command to rename a Snowflake account in this way. A common misconception is that ACCOUNTADMIN can change any account-level property directly through SQL, but account renames are not self-service via SQL.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Snowflake does support account renaming through Snowflake-managed processes, so creating a replacement account is not the required action. This approach would introduce unnecessary complexity, migration risk, and potential downtime.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. ORGADMIN provides organization-level administration capabilities, but account renaming is not simply an organization metadata change that automatically preserves all existing URLs with permanent redirects. Administrators should not assume old endpoints will continue working unchanged after a rename.