Which Snowflake table supports unstructured data?

A Directory Table is a specialized, read-only table in Snowflake designed specifically to store a catalog of files located in a stage (either internal or external). This feature is central to managing and querying unstructured data, as it allows users to see metadata about the staged files (e.g., file name, size, last modified date) and generate URLs to access them directly. This enables seamless integration of unstructured data files with SQL queries without ingesting the file content into a standard table.

B. Transient: A transient table is a standard relational table that persists beyond a session but lacks a Fail-safe period. It is not specifically designed for unstructured data.
C. Temporary: A temporary table is a standard relational table that exists only for the duration of a user session. It is not the primary mechanism for managing unstructured data.
D. Permanent: A permanent table is the default relational table type in Snowflake. While it can store references (like URLs) to unstructured data, it is not the specialized object for cataloging and managing staged unstructured files like a Directory Table is.

1. Snowflake Documentation: Directory Tables

Section: Directory Tables

Content: "Directory tables store a catalog of staged files in cloud storage... You can query a directory table to retrieve the Snowflake-hosted file URL for each file in the stage. You can use the file URL to access the file..." This directly links Directory Tables to the management of staged files, which is how Snowflake handles unstructured data.

2. Snowflake Documentation: Working with Unstructured Data

Section: Working with Unstructured Data

Content: "To work with unstructured data, you can store the files in an internal or external stage, and create a directory table for the stage. A directory table provides a file catalog of the unstructured data files in the stage." This explicitly states that Directory Tables are the feature used to work with unstructured data.

3. Snowflake Documentation: Overview of Table Types

Section: Comparison of Table Types

Content: This page details the differences between Permanent, Transient, and Temporary tables based on their data lifecycle (Time Travel, Fail-safe) and scope (session vs. permanent). It makes no mention of any special capabilities for unstructured data for these table types, reinforcing that this is not their primary design purpose.