You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
SNOWFLAKESnowflake SnowPro Advanced — Data Engineer
The SnowPro Advanced: Data Engineer certification validates your expertise in designing and implementing complex data engineering solutions on the Snowflake AI Data Cloud. It is for experienced data engineers who build and manage robust, scalable data pipelines and transformations. Earning it demonstrates your ability to apply advanced Snowflake features to solve real-world data challenges and stand out in the data community.
DeliveryPearson VUE
Free questions290
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What DEA-C02 proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
5domains
13objectives
104concepts
US $375exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The SnowPro Advanced: Data Engineer certification is a role-based credential that validates advanced skills in using Snowflake to build comprehensive data engineering solutions. It goes beyond the fundamentals to cover complex data pipelines, advanced transformation techniques, and performance optimization. This certification is designed for data engineers who are hands-on with Snowflake and want to demonstrate their expertise in the platform.
Earning this certification proves your ability to architect and implement scalable data solutions that meet business requirements. It covers key areas such as data loading, transformation, and governance, ensuring you can manage data workflows effectively. As a SnowPro Advanced credential, it signals to employers and peers that you have the depth of knowledge needed to tackle challenging data engineering projects on the Snowflake AI Data Cloud.
Who it’s for
This certification is for data engineers who design, build, and manage data pipelines and transformations on the Snowflake platform. It is ideal for professionals who have hands-on experience with Snowflake and are responsible for implementing complex data solutions in production environments. You should be comfortable with SQL, data modeling, and ETL/ELT processes, and have a deep understanding of Snowflake's architecture and features. This certification is a next step for those who have earned the SnowPro Core Certification and want to advance their career in data engineering.
Recommended experience
Snowflake recommends that candidates have hands-on experience with Snowflake and have earned the SnowPro Core Certification before attempting this exam. Hands-on experience with Snowflake data loading and transformation; Understanding of Snowflake architecture and key features; Experience with SQL and data modeling; Familiarity with data governance and security best practices
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective Snowflake measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official Snowflake exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Data Movement
- Load and unload data with COPY INTO and Snowpipe
- Configure stages, file formats, and connectors
- Ingest streaming data
Data Transformation
- Transform data using SQL and Snowpark
- Implement streams and tasks
- Process semi-structured data
Performance Optimization
- Apply clustering keys and the Search Optimization Service
- Size warehouses and use query pruning
- Optimize data pipelines
Storage and Data Protection
- Manage Time Travel and Fail-safe
- Configure cloning and data retention
Data Governance
- Apply masking and row access policies
- Manage access control for data pipelines
On the day
The exam itself
Everything Snowflake publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
SnowPro Core Certification (recommended, not required)
Exam codeDEA-C02
CertificationSnowflake SnowPro Advanced — Data Engineer
DeliveryPearson VUE
LanguagesEnglish, Japanese
PricingUS $375
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path Snowflake lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to Snowflake SnowPro Advanced — Data Engineer
PrerequisiteSnowPro Core Certification (recommended, not required)
Credential earnedSnowflake SnowPro Advanced — Data Engineer Certification Renewal and maintenance
SnowPro certifications must be renewed periodically to stay current. Specific renewal requirements are outlined in the SnowPro Program Policies. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. Snowflake maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by Snowflake
Exam registration
Register for the exam through Pearson VUE, Snowflake’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official Snowflake certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does the DEA-C02 exam relate to the previous version?
The DEA-C02 is the current version of the SnowPro Advanced: Data Engineer exam. Snowflake periodically updates exams to reflect new features and best practices. Candidates should refer to the official exam guide for the latest objectives.
Do I need to earn the SnowPro Core Certification before taking the DEA-C02 exam?
While the SnowPro Core Certification is recommended as a foundation, it is not a mandatory prerequisite for the DEA-C02 exam. However, having a solid understanding of Snowflake fundamentals is essential for success.
Is there a hands-on or lab component in the DEA-C02 exam?
The DEA-C02 exam is a multiple-choice exam. There is no hands-on lab component. However, the exam tests practical knowledge through scenario-based questions.
What is the retake policy for the DEA-C02 exam?
Snowflake's retake policy allows candidates to retake the exam after a waiting period. Specific waiting times and any limits on attempts are detailed in the SnowPro Program Policies.
What job roles does the SnowPro Advanced: Data Engineer certification map to?
This certification is designed for data engineers who are responsible for designing and implementing data pipelines, transformations, and data workflows on Snowflake. It validates skills needed for roles such as Data Engineer, Senior Data Engineer, and Data Architect.
Can I recertify by passing a different SnowPro exam?
Snowflake offers recertification pathways that may allow you to renew your certification by passing a higher-level exam. Details are available in the SnowPro Program Policies.
Are there regional discounts for the DEA-C02 exam?
Yes, Snowflake offers a 20% regional discount for exams delivered in India. Other regional pricing may vary; check the official certification page for details.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 290 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept Snowflake measures — each one written out.
5domains
13objectives
104concepts
64free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official Snowflake exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Data Movement85 questions
2Data Transformation64 questions
3Performance Optimization57 questions
4Storage and Data Protection48 questions
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Load and unload data with COPY INTO and Snowpipe7 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
32 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
290 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
290questions
64pages
13objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Data Movement85 questions
2Data Transformation64 questions
3Performance Optimization57 questions
4Storage and Data Protection48 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
104concepts
290free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from Snowflake
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
2official links
104concepts mapped
The source
Snowflake’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official Snowflake outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 13 objectives, 104 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When Snowflake changes the outline, this page changes with it.
13objectives on the outline→104concepts written→290free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.