In which scenario will use of an external table simplify a data pipeline?

In which scenario will use of an external table simplify a data pipeline?
A . When accessing a Snowflake table from a relational database
B . When accessing a Snowflake table from an external database within the same region
C . When continuously writing data from a Snowflake table to external storage
D . When accessing a Snowflake table that references data files located in cloud storage

View Answer

Answer: D

Explanation:

According to the Introduction to External Tables documentation, an external table is a Snowflake feature that allows you to query data stored in an external stage as if the data were inside a table in Snowflake. The external stage is not part of Snowflake, so Snowflake does not store or manage the stage. This simplifies the data pipeline by eliminating the need to load the data into Snowflake before querying it. External tables can access data stored in any format that the COPY INTO <table> command supports, such as CSV, JSON, AVRO, ORC, or PARQUET. The other scenarios do not involve external tables, but rather require data loading, unloading, or federation.