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

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

View Answer

Answer: B

Explanation:

Clustering keys in Snowflake work by sorting the designated columns over time. This process is done in the background and does not block data manipulation language (DML) operations, allowing for normal database operations to continue without interruption. The purpose of clustering keys is to organize the data within micro-partitions to optimize query performance1.

Reference: [COF-C02] SnowPro Core Certification Exam Study Guide

Snowflake Documentation on Clustering1