Answer: VALIDATION_MODE

The VALIDATION_MODE parameter is specifically designed for the COPY command to validate data files without actually loading them into the target table. This creates a 'dry run' scenario where Snowflake checks for file format errors, data type mismatches, and other potential issues, ensuring data integrity before committing to the actual load operation. The community discussion shows 100% consensus on option D, with the most upvoted comment explicitly stating that VALIDATION_MODE 'instructs the command to validate the data files instead of loading them into target tables.' The other options serve different purposes: STRIP_NULL_VALUES removes null values from strings, SKIP_BYTE_ORDER_MARK handles BOM characters in UTF-8 files, and REPLACE_INVALID_CHARACTERS substitutes invalid UTF-8 characters - none of these perform the validation-only function described in the question.

Author: LeetQuiz Editorial Team