Answer: By querying a directory table

The question asks how URLs that access unstructured data in external stages are retrieved. According to Snowflake documentation and the community consensus (100% agreement with upvoted comments), directory tables store a catalog of staged files in cloud storage, and roles with sufficient privileges can query a directory table to retrieve file URLs to access the staged files. Option A (Snowsight navigation menu) is incorrect as it's a UI method, not a programmatic retrieval method. Option C (external function) is unrelated to retrieving URLs from stages. Option D (INFORMATION_USAGE schema) is for query history and usage metrics, not for accessing unstructured data URLs from external stages.

Author: LeetQuiz Editorial Team