What is the primary purpose of SnowCD?

• A. To diagnose and troubleshoot network connection to Snowflake
• B. To monitor billing
• C. To manage user roles
• D. To optimize queries

Answer: (A)

SnowCD is a diagnostic tool designed to diagnose and troubleshoot connectivity between a client and Snowflake. Its primary purpose is to verify that the network path, DNS resolution, TLS handshake, and firewall or proxy rules allow a client to reach Snowflake endpoints. By checking components such as port reachability (typically HTTPS on 443), proxy/VPN configurations, and the ability to resolve the correct account URL, it helps identify where a connection problem originates—on the client side, in the network path, or with Snowflake’s endpoints.

This focus on connectivity and network troubleshooting is what distinguishes SnowCD from tools used for other tasks. It’s not intended for monitoring billing, managing user roles, or optimizing queries, which are handled by separate features and processes like usage/cost reporting, access control commands, or query performance analysis.