Answer: At the instance/instant a clone is created, all micro-partitions in the original table and the clone are fully shared

Option D is correct because zero-copy cloning in Snowflake creates a clone that shares the same underlying micro-partitions as the original table at the moment of cloning, without duplicating storage. This is the fundamental principle of zero-copy cloning - no additional storage is consumed initially. Option A is incorrect because zero-copy clones do not increase storage costs initially; they only consume additional storage when changes are made to either the original or cloned table. Option B is incorrect because privileges are not automatically inherited by clones; explicit COPY GRANTS syntax is required to inherit privileges, and even then, future grants are handled differently. Option C is incorrect because zero-copy cloning is a standard Snowflake feature included in all editions, not a separately licensed add-on. The community discussion strongly supports D with 89% consensus and multiple comments explaining that clones share micro-partitions initially but become independent when modified.

Author: LeetQuiz Editorial Team