SnowPro Associate: Platform Question 83
Single answer○ Cell execution statusA data engineer is using a Snowflake notebook to validate a new transformation pipeline. One SQL cell has been running much longer than expected, and the engineer wants to determine whether the cell is still actively executing, completed successfully, or failed before deciding whether to rerun it. Which notebook feature should the engineer rely on to make that determination?
- A
The cell execution status indicator shown with the notebook cell
- B
The warehouse size currently assigned to the notebook session
- C
The notebook title and owner information in Snowsight
- D
The database and schema selected for the worksheet context
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Snowflake notebooks provide per-cell execution feedback so users can monitor the progress and result of each step in an interactive workflow. When a professional needs to know whether a notebook cell is still running, finished successfully, or failed, the correct source is the cell execution status displayed with that cell. Context settings such as warehouse, database, and schema are important for performance and object resolution, but they do not indicate state. This aligns with Snowflake best practices for interactive development in Snowsight: use the notebook UI's execution indicators to monitor cell progress and outcomes before rerunning code or troubleshooting errors.
- A. Correct.
Correct. In Snowflake notebooks, each cell provides an execution status indicator that shows whether the cell is running, completed, or encountered an error. This is the direct feature intended to help users understand the current state of an individual cell execution and is the most appropriate way to decide whether to wait, investigate, or rerun the cell.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Warehouse size can affect performance and execution time, but it does not indicate the execution state of a specific notebook cell. A larger or smaller warehouse may explain why a query is fast or slow, but it does not tell the engineer whether the cell is still running, succeeded, or failed.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The notebook title and owner help identify the notebook and its author, but they provide no information about the runtime state of an individual cell. Someone might choose this option if they confuse notebook metadata with execution metadata.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The selected database and schema determine object resolution for SQL statements, but they do not provide execution-state feedback for notebook cells. This is a common confusion between execution context and execution status.