SnowPro Core Certification — Question 271

Which of the following describes how clustering keys work in Snowflake?

Answer options

• A. Clustering keys update the micro-partitions in place with a full sort, and impact the DML operations.
• B. Clustering keys sort the designated columns over time, without blocking DML operations.
• C. Clustering keys create a distributed, parallel data structure of pointers to a table's rows and columns.
• D. Clustering keys establish a hashed key on each node of a virtual warehouse to optimize joins at run-time.

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer is B because clustering keys in Snowflake allow for the sorting of specified columns over time without disrupting data manipulation language (DML) operations. Option A is incorrect as it suggests that DML operations are blocked, while C and D describe incorrect mechanisms that do not accurately reflect how clustering keys function.