ADA-C01 Question 538
Single answerStages, pipes, and clones objectsA financial services company uses an internal named stage to receive daily CSV files and a Snowpipe object to continuously load those files into a production table. Before changing the file format and COPY options used by the pipe, the administrator creates a zero-copy clone of the production schema in the same database to validate the new configuration without affecting production loads. Which statement best describes what happens to the stage and pipe in the cloned schema?
- A
Both the named stage and the pipe are cloned into the new schema, but the cloned pipe is suspended by default until it is explicitly resumed.
- B
The named stage is cloned, but the pipe is not cloned because pipes cannot be cloned.
- C
Both the named stage and the pipe are cloned into the new schema, and the cloned pipe retains the execution state of the source pipe.
- D
The pipe is cloned, but the named stage is not cloned because staged files are external to schema metadata.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
In Snowflake, cloning a schema creates zero-copy clones of supported child objects in that schema, including named stages and pipes. This makes cloning useful for testing ingestion changes without altering production definitions. A key operational detail is that cloned pipes are suspended by default, which is a safeguard against unintended continuous loading in the cloned environment. Administrators typically resume the cloned pipe manually only after validating the target table, stage contents, and pipe definition. This aligns with Snowflake documentation on cloning considerations and Snowpipe behavior: object definitions can be cloned, but cloned pipes do not start processing automatically. This distinction is important in real-world administration because it prevents duplicate ingestion and gives teams a safe path for testing changes to file formats, COPY options, and downstream table structures.
- A. Correct.
Correct. Snowflake supports cloning for schema objects such as named internal stages and pipes when they reside in the cloned container. However, cloned pipes are created in a suspended state. This behavior helps prevent unintended duplicate or premature ingestion in the cloned environment. This is the practical behavior an administrator relies on when testing ingestion changes safely in a clone.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Pipes can be cloned as part of cloning a database or schema. A common misconception is that because Snowpipe performs ongoing ingestion work, the pipe definition is excluded from cloning. In reality, the metadata object is cloned, but operational state is not carried forward as active processing; instead, the cloned pipe is suspended.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. While both objects can be cloned, the cloned pipe does not continue running with the same active execution state as the source. Snowflake suspends the cloned pipe by default. Assuming the execution state is retained could lead to accidental expectations that files will continue loading automatically in the clone.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Named stages are schema-level objects and are included when the schema is cloned. The misunderstanding here is confusing stage metadata with the underlying files. For an internal named stage, the stage object is cloned as part of the schema metadata. The option is wrong because it excludes the stage and incorrectly suggests only the pipe is cloned.