Question

A data analyst runs 'SELECT COUNT(*) FROM sales_transactions;' against a very large table with no filters. The query returns almost instantly, and the Query Profile shows a single 'METADATA-BASED RESULT' step with no compute processing. The warehouse was suspended at the time and did not resume. Which Snowflake caching or optimization mechanism is responsible for this behavior?

Accepted Answer

The metadata cache in the cloud services layer, which stores row counts and min/max statistics per micro-partition

Answer

The warehouse local disk (SSD) cache, which retained the column data from a prior scan

Answer

The result cache, which returned the previously computed result set from the last 24 hours

Answer

A materialized view that Snowflake automatically created to precompute the aggregate