To load or unload data from or to a stage that uses a storage integration, which privilege on the stage is required?

• A. USAGE on the stage is required; USAGE on storage integration is not required
• B. OWNERSHIP on stage
• C. CREATE STAGE on stage
• D. USAGE on storage integration is required; USAGE on stage is not required

Answer: (D)

Access to a stage that uses a storage integration is controlled by the storage integration itself. To load or unload data, you grant USAGE on the storage integration to the role, because that object provides the credentials and policies needed to access the external storage. The stage is just a reference to that external location, so once the storage integration can be used, Snowflake can perform the data transfer without requiring USAGE on the stage itself.

Ownership on the stage relates to object ownership, not access rights for data transfer. CREATE STAGE on the stage is about creating the stage object, not granting access. USAGE on the stage alone would not enable access to the external storage when a storage integration is involved, whereas USAGE on the storage integration is the correct permission to authorize the external access.