Which authentication method has the following characteristics? 1. User authentication is separated from access to Snowflake using an external entity 2. The external entity provides independent…

Question

Options

• AKey-pair authentication
• BMulti-Factor Authentication (MFA)
• CUsername and password
• DFederated authentication

• A
  2% (1)
• B
  2% (1)
• C
  9% (4)
• D
  86% (38)

Explanation

Federated authentication fits both characteristics because it delegates the authentication process entirely to an external Identity Provider (IdP) - such as Okta, Azure AD, or ADFS. The IdP independently verifies user credentials and, upon success, issues a token that Snowflake trusts; Snowflake itself never handles the credential check. This clean separation - where the IdP owns authentication and Snowflake owns access - is the defining feature of federation.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A (Key-pair): Uses cryptographic keys verified directly by Snowflake - no external entity authenticates you.
• B (MFA): Adds a second factor, but authentication still happens against Snowflake; there's no independent external authority taking over the process.
• C (Username/password): Credentials are validated entirely within Snowflake - the most direct, non-delegated method possible.

Memory tip: Think of "federated" like a passport - a foreign government (the IdP) independently issues and validates it, and Snowflake just trusts the document rather than doing its own citizenship check.

No community discussion yet for this question.