You have a Snowflake virtual warehouse named 'XSMALL WI-4' configured to auto-suspend after 5 minutes of inactivity. You execute a complex query that takes 7 minutes to complete. What will happen to t

Question

Options

• AThe query will complete successfully, and the warehouse will remain active until manually
• BThe query will be terminated after 5 minutes, and the warehouse will be suspended.
• CThe query will complete successfully, and the warehouse will be suspended 5 minutes after the
• DThe query will complete successfully, and the warehouse will be suspended immediately after the
• EThe query will complete successfully, and the warehouse will remain active for another 5 minutes

• A
  5% (2)
• B
  2% (1)
• C
  15% (6)
• D
  2% (1)
• E
  76% (31)

Explanation

Option E is correct because Snowflake's auto-suspend timer only begins counting down during inactivity - it never interrupts a running query. Since the query takes 7 minutes, the warehouse remains fully active throughout execution, and only after the query finishes does the 5-minute inactivity clock start, keeping the warehouse alive for 5 more minutes before suspending.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• B is the most common misconception - auto-suspend does not terminate queries mid-execution; it only acts on idle warehouses.
• A incorrectly implies the warehouse stays alive indefinitely; auto-suspend will eventually trigger once inactivity begins.
• D is wrong because the warehouse doesn't suspend immediately after query completion - the inactivity timer must first count down.
• C is subtly wrong (if it implies the clock started before or during the query); the 5-minute window begins only after the last activity, which is query completion.

Memory tip: Think of auto-suspend like a motion-sensor light - it won't turn off while someone is moving (query running), but starts its countdown the moment the room goes idle (query ends). The configured timeout is always measured from the end of activity, never from the start.

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