DAA-C01 Question 240
Single answerUnderstand what is required to connect BI tools to SnowflakeA BI team is onboarding Tableau to query governed reporting data in Snowflake. The security team requires that analysts authenticate with their own Snowflake identities and that the BI tool connect without storing shared database credentials in Tableau. The network team confirms users can reach the Snowflake account URL, and the BI developers want the simplest supported setup that enables live queries. Which action should the data analyst recommend?
- A
Configure Tableau to use the native Snowflake connector and have each analyst sign in with their Snowflake username/password or federated SSO credentials.
- B
Export Snowflake tables to CSV files in an internal stage and point Tableau to the staged files instead of connecting directly to Snowflake.
- C
Create a single shared Snowflake service account for all Tableau users so the BI team does not need individual Snowflake users.
- D
Install SnowSQL on each analyst workstation because BI tools require SnowSQL to establish sessions to Snowflake.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
To connect a BI tool to Snowflake, the practical requirements are a supported connector/driver, reachable Snowflake account endpoint, valid Snowflake user authentication, and appropriate authorization through roles and object privileges. In this scenario, the key design requirement is individual user authentication without storing shared credentials in the BI platform, so the best recommendation is to use Tableau's native Snowflake connector with per-user Snowflake authentication or federated SSO. This preserves governance, auditing, and least-privilege access. Snowflake documentation for connecting clients emphasizes using supported drivers/connectors and valid Snowflake credentials, while access control guidance reinforces using roles and user identities rather than shared accounts when user-level accountability is needed.
- A. Correct.
Correct. BI tools such as Tableau typically connect to Snowflake through a supported Snowflake connector/driver. If the requirement is that each analyst use their own identity and avoid shared credentials stored in the BI tool, the appropriate approach is to configure the native Snowflake connection and let users authenticate with their own Snowflake credentials, including federated SSO where enabled. This supports live query access and aligns with Snowflake best practices for individual authentication, role-based access control, and auditing.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Exporting data to CSV files in a stage is not the normal or recommended way to connect a BI tool for interactive analytics against Snowflake. It breaks live query capabilities, introduces data freshness and governance issues, and adds unnecessary data movement. A BI tool should use a supported connector/driver to query Snowflake directly.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A shared service account conflicts with the stated requirement that analysts authenticate with their own Snowflake identities and that shared database credentials not be stored in Tableau. While service accounts can be appropriate for some server-to-server integrations, they reduce user-level auditability and are not the best fit for this scenario.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. SnowSQL is a command-line client for interacting with Snowflake, but BI tools do not require SnowSQL to connect. Tableau uses the Snowflake connector and the appropriate driver stack, not the SnowSQL CLI, to establish sessions and run queries.