Snowflake is designed to optimize query performance by utilizing metadata for certain types of queries. When executing a COUNT query, Snowflake can often fulfill the request by accessing metadata about the table's row count, rather than scanning the entire table or micro-partitions. This is particularly efficient for large tables like FCT_SALES with a significant number of records. The metadata layer maintains statistics about the table, including the row count, which enables Snowflake to quickly return the result of a COUNT query without the need to perform a full scan.
References:
* Snowflake Documentation on Metadata Management
* SnowPro Core Certification Study Guide

* User-Defined Functions (UDFs) written in JavaScript and SQL require inline handlers.
* Inline Handlers mean the UDF logic must be directly defined within the CREATE FUNCTION statement.
* Examples:
* SQL UDF:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION add_numbers(a INT, b INT)
RETURNS INT
LANGUAGE SQL
AS 'a + b';
* JavaScript UDF:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION reverse_string(input STRING)
RETURNS STRING
LANGUAGE JAVASCRIPT
AS 'return input.split("").reverse().join("");';
References:
* Snowflake Documentation: SQL UDFs
* Snowflake Documentation: JavaScript UDFs

For directory tables, a named external stage allows for the automatic refreshing of metadata. This capability is particularly useful when dealing with files stored on external storage services (like Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Azure Blob Storage) and accessed through Snowflake. The external stage references these files, and the directory table's metadata can be automatically updated to reflect changes in the underlying files.
Reference:
Snowflake Documentation: External Stages

To temporarily bypass an active network policy by configuring the user object propertyMINS_TO_BYPASS_NETWORK_POLICY, the minimum set of privileges required is having the ACCOUNTADMIN role. This role has the necessary privileges to make such changes, including modifying user properties that affect network policies.
Snowflake Documentation: Network Policy Management