ADA-C01 Question 491
Single answerManage the process of becoming a data providerA data engineering team at a software company wants to monetize a curated set of benchmark tables by sharing them externally through Snowflake as a provider. The team has already built the source database and secured the tables for internal use. Before they can list or share the data with customers, the Snowflake administrator is asked what must be done first to enable the organization to act as a data provider. Which action should the administrator take?
- A
Create a reader account for each prospective customer, because provider status is activated automatically when the first reader account is created.
- B
Contact Snowflake to enable provider capabilities for the account/org, because becoming a provider requires Snowflake to activate the ability to create listings and offer shared data.
- C
Grant the ACCOUNTADMIN role the IMPORTED PRIVILEGES privilege on SNOWFLAKE.DATA_SHARING_USAGE, because this privilege is required before any provider object can be created.
- D
Convert the source database into a share-managed database, because only share-managed databases can be used by organizations that want to become providers.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The key applied concept is that becoming a data provider is not just a matter of creating a share or reader account. An organization must first have provider capabilities enabled by Snowflake before it can act as a provider for data sharing and listings. Once enabled, administrators can create secure shares, offer listings, and optionally use reader accounts for consumers without Snowflake accounts. Snowflake documentation on data sharing and provider/listing workflows distinguishes between preparing shareable data objects and the separate prerequisite of being enabled as a provider. Candidates should recognize that reader accounts, imported privileges, and database design choices may be part of downstream implementation or administration, but they are not the initial prerequisite to becoming a provider.
- A. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Reader accounts are one method a provider can use to distribute data to consumers who do not already have a Snowflake account, but creating reader accounts is not what enables an organization to become a provider. Provider capabilities must be enabled first. This option reflects a common misconception that operational sharing actions automatically confer provider status.
- B. Correct.
Correct. To become a data provider in Snowflake, the organization typically must work with Snowflake to enable provider functionality. This is the prerequisite step before publishing listings or broadly distributing shared data. After provider enablement, the administrator can proceed with creating shares, listings, and other provider-side objects as appropriate.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. IMPORTED PRIVILEGES on Snowflake-provided shared databases can be useful for accessing account usage or marketplace-related metadata, but it is not the prerequisite step for becoming a provider. This option confuses monitoring or metadata access with the separate process of provider enablement.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. There is no requirement to convert a standard database into a so-called share-managed database to become a provider. Providers share supported database objects through shares or listings from their existing Snowflake objects, subject to object and feature support. This option is plausible because it sounds like a specialized provider setup step, but it is not an actual requirement.