Snowflake automatically reclusters &#x26; backs up data in tables.
After a series of DML operations, reclustering is executed from time to time to balance data across multiple partitions.
On each DML operation, Snowflake also saves incremental data necessary to restore the table to the prior state in Time Travel. The incremental data stays in Time Travel for a designated period of time (default 1 day) before being moved to Fail Safe, where it stays for 7 days.
A transient table data is not moved to Fail Safe. A temporary table data is not moved to Time Travel.
Data in Time Travel can be accessed by the user, while data in Fail Safe can only be recovered by contacting Snowflake directly.
<img src="/assets/images/posts/2021-07-07-snowflake-table-background-processes.png" alt="Snowflake-Clustering-Time-Travel-Fail-Safe">
Read more at:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/tables-auto-reclustering.html">Snowflake: Autoreclustering</a></li>
<li><a href="https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/data-time-travel.html">Snowflake: Time Travel</a></li>
<li><a href="https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/data-cdp-storage-costs.html">Snowflake: Storage Cost for Time Travel and Fail Safe</a></li>
</ul>

Snowflake clustering, time travel & fail safe

Snowflake Table Background Processes - Clustering, Time Travel & Fail Safe