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What are Tables in Snowflake Really?

Tables in Snowflake are not just "storage." They are strategies for how you manage your data based on cost, recoverability, query patterns, and lifecycle. And in Snowflake, you have many kinds: Table Type | Special Purpose Permanent Table | Long-term production data Temporary Table | Scratch, session-only data Transient Table | Semi-temporary data (no Fail-Safe) External Table | Querying external cloud files without loading Dynamic Table | Auto-refresh materialized views 2.1 Permanent Table Full durability. Fail-Safe included (7 days backup after drop — you pay storage). Time Travel enabled (by default 1 day, up to 90 days if paid). Ideal for important business data. ✅ When to use: Customer databases, financial transactions, regulatory data. ✅ Cost impact: Higher, because Snowflake stores extra metadata + Fail-safe copies.

Apr 28, 2025 - 04:44
 0
What are Tables in Snowflake Really?

Tables in Snowflake are not just "storage."
They are strategies for how you manage your data based on cost, recoverability, query patterns, and lifecycle.

And in Snowflake, you have many kinds:

Table Type | Special Purpose
Permanent Table | Long-term production data
Temporary Table | Scratch, session-only data
Transient Table | Semi-temporary data (no Fail-Safe)
External Table | Querying external cloud files without loading
Dynamic Table | Auto-refresh materialized views

2.1 Permanent Table
Full durability.

Fail-Safe included (7 days backup after drop — you pay storage).

Time Travel enabled (by default 1 day, up to 90 days if paid).

Ideal for important business data.

✅ When to use:

Customer databases, financial transactions, regulatory data.

✅ Cost impact:

Higher, because Snowflake stores extra metadata + Fail-safe copies.

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