Query Caching Strategies: Maximize Free Result Reuse

Query Caching Strategies: Maximize Free Result Reuse

Leverage Snowflake's result caching to eliminate unnecessary query executions and deliver instant results at zero compute cost.

How Result Caching Works

• Query results cached for 24 hours
• Exact query match required (text, case, whitespace)
• Returns results instantly with zero compute cost
• Cache invalidated if underlying data changes

Maximizing Cache Hit Rates

1. Standardize Query Formatting

-- Ensure consistent case, spacing, order
SELECT customer_id, name, email
FROM customers
WHERE region = 'West'
ORDER BY customer_id;

2. Use Views for Common Queries

CREATE VIEW active_customers AS
SELECT customer_id, name, email, region
FROM customers
WHERE status = 'ACTIVE';

-- All users query the view (same SQL = cache hits)
SELECT * FROM active_customers WHERE region = 'West';

3. Configure BI Tools for Consistency

Set BI tools to generate consistent SQL (same column order, same formatting).

Measuring Cache Effectiveness

SELECT
SUM(IFF(BYTES_SCANNED = 0, 1, 0)) as CACHE_HITS,
COUNT(*) as TOTAL_QUERIES,
(CACHE_HITS / TOTAL_QUERIES * 100) as HIT_RATE
FROM SNOWFLAKE.ACCOUNT_USAGE.QUERY_HISTORY
WHERE START_TIME >= DATEADD(day, -7, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP());

Real-World Example

A BI team had 15% cache hit rate despite similar daily queries. After standardizing formatting and using views: Cache hit rate increased to 65%, eliminated 50% of compute costs for reporting queries, dashboard load times improved from 8s to <1s instant.

Key Takeaways

• Result caching is free but requires exact query matches
• Standardize query formatting across organization
• Use views to encapsulate common query patterns
• Monitor and improve cache hit rates continuously
• Can eliminate 40-60% of reporting query costs