What is the passing score for the Snowflake SnowPro Core exam?

The SnowPro Core (COF-C03) certification exam passing score is 750 or higher on a scaled score range of 0 to 1000.

Is CloudPrep affiliated with Snowflake Inc.?

No. Snowflake® and SnowPro® are registered trademarks of Snowflake Inc. CloudPrep is an independent educational platform and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Snowflake Inc.

What is Dynamic Data Masking (DDM) in Snowflake, and how does it protect sensitive column data?

It evaluates a schema-level masking policy at query runtime to transform or obscure column values without modifying the stored data — Dynamic Data Masking (DDM) is a column-level security feature that applies a masking policy at SQL query execution time. The underlying data in micro-partitions remains unchanged, but unauthorized roles see masked/obscured values.

How does a Row Access Policy (RAP) determine which rows a querying user is permitted to see?

By evaluating an inline boolean SQL expression at query time that acts as an automatic, invisible filtering predicate (equivalent to an enforced WHERE clause) — A Row Access Policy uses a schema-level policy containing a SQL expression that returns a BOOLEAN (TRUE to view the row, FALSE to filter it out). Snowflake transparently injects this expression into the query plan before execution.

Why does Snowflake official documentation recommend using IS_ROLE_IN_SESSION() instead of CURRENT_ROLE() in Masking and Row Access Policies?

Because IS_ROLE_IN_SESSION() verifies whether a specified role is active anywhere in the user's primary or secondary role hierarchy, whereas CURRENT_ROLE() only inspects the active primary role — CURRENT_ROLE() only returns the single primary role active in the session. IS_ROLE_IN_SESSION('ROLE_NAME') checks whether the specified role is active in the primary or secondary role session hierarchy, preventing unintended masking when secondary roles or inherited roles are active.

Domain: Account Management & Governance (Pro Study Module)

September 2026 · 621 words · 10 min read

Data Masking and Row Access

Overview

Protecting sensitive data (like PII or PHI) at query time without altering the underlying physical data is a powerful governance capability in Snowflake. The COF-C03 exam tests your knowledge of masking policies and row access policies.

Key Concepts

Dynamic Data Masking (DDM)

DDM allows you to obscure sensitive data at query time based on the user's role.

External Tokenization

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