SnowPro Associate: Platform Question 66
Single answer● Notebook sessionsA data engineering team uses Snowsight notebooks to prototype SQL and Python data quality checks. They want to reduce unnecessary compute costs when notebooks are left open, while still allowing users to restart work later from the same notebook. Which action best addresses this requirement for notebook sessions?
- A
Suspend or shut down the notebook session when it is no longer needed, then start a new session later from the same notebook
- B
Convert the notebook into a dashboard so the session automatically stops whenever a worksheet tab is closed
- C
Resize the virtual warehouse to X-Small because notebook sessions do not consume compute once a notebook is idle
- D
Clone the notebook to preserve state, because cloning also stops the currently running notebook session
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This question tests the distinction between a Snowflake notebook and a notebook session. In practice, users save their notebook content independently of the running compute session. To reduce cost, the best practice is to stop or suspend the notebook session when work is finished, then restart a session later as needed. This aligns with Snowflake guidance to manage active compute resources carefully and avoid leaving interactive environments running longer than necessary. The distractors reflect common misunderstandings: that other Snowsight objects such as dashboards manage notebook sessions, that simply downsizing compute is equivalent to stopping it, or that cloning is a lifecycle control for sessions. For the SnowPro Associate level, candidates should understand that interactive development objects can persist even when their active execution session is ended.
- A. Correct.
Correct. In Snowflake notebooks, the notebook object and the running session are separate concepts. The notebook can remain saved in Snowsight, while the active notebook session can be stopped when users are done. This helps control compute consumption and users can later start a new session and continue working in the same notebook.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Dashboards are a different Snowsight capability and do not serve as a mechanism for managing notebook sessions. Converting a notebook to a dashboard is not the standard way to stop notebook compute or preserve notebook work for later use.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Reducing warehouse size may lower cost per unit of time, but it does not address the key requirement. A running notebook session still uses compute resources associated with its execution environment. Idle time can still lead to unnecessary cost if the session is left running.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Cloning creates a copy of an object, but it is not a session management feature for notebooks. Cloning a notebook does not stop an active notebook session, nor is it needed simply to save work and restart later.