What are all of the storage metrics in SELECT?

Last updated: November 24, 2025

This guide explains the different storage byte metrics tracked in Select.dev for Snowflake tables.

Active Bytes

Active Bytes represent the storage consumed by data currently in use by your table. This is the primary storage for your active, queryable data. This metric excludes any historical data maintained for Time Travel or Fail-safe purposes.

Time Travel Bytes

Time Travel Bytes are the storage bytes consumed by historical table data retained for Snowflake's Time Travel feature. Time Travel allows you to query, clone, and restore historical versions of your data within the retention period.

Time Travel retention periods:

  • Standard: 0-1 day (available in all editions)

  • Extended: Up to 90 days (requires Snowflake Enterprise Edition or higher)

Failsafe Bytes

Failsafe Bytes are storage bytes consumed by deleted data that has passed the Time Travel retention period but is still within the Fail-safe period. Fail-safe is a Snowflake disaster recovery feature that provides a non-configurable 7-day period during which Snowflake may be able to recover historical data.

Fail-safe begins immediately after the Time Travel retention period ends. Data in Fail-safe cannot be accessed by users directly. Only Snowflake Support can initiate recovery in exceptional circumstances.

Clone Bytes (Retained for Clone)

Clone Bytes (also called Retained for Clone Bytes) represent storage consumed by deleted data that is no longer in Time Travel or Fail-safe, but is still retained because one or more clones of the table reference these bytes.

When you clone a table, Snowflake uses zero-copy cloning technology. No data is physically duplicated initially. As the clone and original table diverge over time, storage may be retained for the clone even after data is deleted from the original table.

Total Billable Bytes

Total Billable Bytes is the sum of all billable storage categories:

Total Billable Bytes = Active Bytes + Time Travel Bytes + Failsafe Bytes + Clone Bytes

Total Billable Bytes = Active Bytes + Time Travel Bytes + Failsafe Bytes + Clone Bytes

This represents the total amount of storage you're being charged for by Snowflake. Use this metric to understand your complete billable storage footprint.

Total Bytes

Total Bytes represents the total physical storage consumed by the table, including both billable and non-billable storage types.

This metric includes:

  • All billable storage (Active, Time Travel, Failsafe, Clone)

  • Non-billable storage types (e.g., Iceberg tables, External tables)

Iceberg tables and External tables store data outside Snowflake's managed storage and therefore don't incur Snowflake storage charges, but their size may still be tracked in Total Bytes for visibility.