SnowPro Associate: Platform Question 156
Single answer○ Use the PUBLIC SCHEMAA Snowflake administrator creates a new database named FINANCE_DB for an application team. Soon after, developers begin creating tables without fully qualifying object names, and some objects appear in a schema they did not explicitly create. The team asks why this happened and what schema Snowflake provides by default for general use in each new database. Which answer correctly explains the behavior?
- A
Snowflake automatically creates a PUBLIC schema in every new database, and unqualified object creation can occur there when that schema is in use.
- B
Snowflake creates a temporary WORK schema in every new database, and all new tables are placed there until moved.
- C
Snowflake requires users to create a schema before any table can be created, so the objects must have been created in a user-defined schema.
- D
Snowflake automatically creates an INFORMATION_SCHEMA for user tables, so unqualified objects are stored there by default.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
When a database is created in Snowflake, Snowflake automatically creates system-provided schemas including PUBLIC and INFORMATION_SCHEMA. PUBLIC is the standard schema available for general object creation unless an organization chooses to use other schemas for governance or separation of duties. INFORMATION_SCHEMA, by contrast, is used for metadata queries and is not where application tables are normally created. In practice, if developers create objects without fully qualifying database and schema names, the objects are created in the current database and current schema context, which often leads to objects being placed in PUBLIC. This aligns with Snowflake documentation on database, schema, and object creation behavior and on the default schemas created with a database.
- A. Correct.
Correct. In Snowflake, each newly created database includes a PUBLIC schema by default, intended for general use. If users are working in that database and schema context and create objects without fully qualifying names, those objects can be created in PUBLIC. This is a common reason objects appear there unexpectedly.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Snowflake does not create a default WORK schema in new databases. This distractor reflects a common assumption based on naming conventions used in some organizations, but it is not a Snowflake-provided default.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Although users can create their own schemas, Snowflake does not require that to happen before tables can be created in a new database because the PUBLIC schema already exists by default. Someone might choose this if they are unaware of the automatically created schemas.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. INFORMATION_SCHEMA is created in Snowflake databases, but it is used for metadata and views about database objects, not as a default location for user-created tables. User objects are not stored there by default.