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Snowflake Build 2023: The most exciting news had nothing to do with AI

Snowflake Build 2023: The most exciting news had nothing to do with AI

Written by

Dan Luszcz, Senior Manager

Published

December 12, 2023

Data & App Engineering
Snowflake
Snowflake Build 2023 just wrapped up and several exciting new Snowflake technologies were on display. The conference centered around demonstrating how to use the new Snowflake features which were announced about a month prior on Snowday (hopefully there is a Chief Naming Officer at Snowflake who gets a bonus every time they churn out one of these gems).

Highlights from Snowflake Build

Snowflake Native Apps were showcased throughout the conference, either as the focal point of presentations or the tool of choice for demonstrating other features. Unfortunately, there were not any exciting reveals on the Native Apps front, but it was good to hear that support in Azure environments should be coming soon. The main attraction was Snowflake’s upcoming AI and LLM tooling. We are excited to start using these new LLM tools, specifically Cortex, and we know our clients are as well. On that note, one of the biggest disappointments of the event was how few of these new tools are available to the public at this time.

Buried in the lineup of large language models, artificial intelligence, and native app sessions was something even more exciting: Snowflake is releasing support for Git integration and declarative database change management.

While not as flashy as a computer that will write Christmas themed jokes for you, this will have a much wider impact on our clients and is a huge differentiator for Snowflake.

The Power of Declarative Schema Management

Database change management has been a challenge in the industry for years. Tooling for source control, collaboration, and automated deployments for applications and cloud infrastructure are robust and best practice at every company. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for database schema management. Due to a lack of quality tooling, too many companies continue to manage database schema by hand and use little or no source control.

The problem centers around imperative vs declarative schema management tools. Most tools on the market today are imperative, like Flyway or Schemachange, which handle schema management via a series of create/alter scripts which must be executed in sequence. They enable automated deployments and source control, but are cumbersome to use, require extremely strict discipline on the development team, make collaboration challenging, and ultimately bring too many disadvantages for widespread adoption. Up until now, a combination of Terraform and an imperative tool was the only way to perform automated deployments to Snowflake.

Declarative schema management is significantly more powerful. Table definitions are maintained simply as CREATE scripts. When deployed, a schema compare tool identifies the differences between the target database and the table definition, generates the necessary ALTER statements, and updates the target database accordingly. In a declarative repository, users can look at version history on a single file and see how the table has evolved over time, compared to an imperative repository where they would need to identify every create/alter script that impacted the table which can be extremely challenging. It also makes it much easier for developers to collaborate on a schema without stepping on each other’s toes.

The only major player in the declarative space was Microsoft SQL Server, which enabled users to set up a SQL Project and deploy schema changes via a schema compare tool in a completely automated fashion. This works great, but only if you are using SQL Server. This is why it is such a big deal that Snowflake is now releasing their own tooling to support declarative schema management.

Getting Started with Snowflake’s New DevOps Features

Source control and schema management will be accomplished by using three key Snowflake functions:

1. Git Integration, which essentially lets you to setup a Snowflake stage that’s connected to your Git repository

2. EXECUTE IMMEDIATE, which lets you run scripts directly from a stage (see above)

3. CREATE OR ALTER, which is a new DDL command which will perform a schema compare and update the target table to match the new schema in your latest definition

Through the combination of these three new features, you can now maintain your entire database schema in git, organized however you like, and deployed automatically via the Snowpark CLI. The icing on the cake: it’s baked right into Snowflake, so no additional licensing or security concerns to worry about. 

This is a big deal for modern data organizations. At OneSix, fully automated schema management will become standard practice for all our Snowflake projects as soon as these new tools are released. It might not be as flashy as AI, ML, and LLMs, but it’s arguably the most important new feature set demonstrated at Build 2023. 

Get Started

OneSix is here to help your organization build the strategy, technology, and teams you need to unlock the power of your data for AI.

Contact Us

Introducing Community Bank 360° for Data-Driven Growth

Introducing Community Bank 360° for Data-Driven Growth

Written by

Mike Galvin, CEO & Co-Founder

Published

September 28, 2023

Data & App Engineering
Data Analytics
Financial Services
Power BI
Fivetran
Matillion
Snowflake

In today’s digital era, community banks face an ever-evolving landscape of challenges. Recognizing the pressing need for a dedicated solution tailored for this sector, OneSix introduces Community Bank 360°. This offering is not just a tool, but a comprehensive strategy and service offering based on our commitment to aid community banks in harnessing their data effectively.

Introducing Community Bank 360°

Community banks find themselves at a crossroads, needing to evolve and integrate new-age solutions while preserving the essence of their community-focused ethos. It’s within this backdrop that OneSix’s Community Bank 360° emerges as a beacon, offering these institutions a way forward in navigating the digital transformation journey.

Unified Data Platform

Centralized Data Management

By centralizing all pertinent data, we eradicate the gaps that prevent a consolidated customer view, enabling banks to swiftly access and analyze customer information from a single point.

Master Data Management

Ensure consistency, accuracy, and reliability across your data assets. By applying advanced Master Data Management techniques, we ensure that data from various sources is coherent, reducing discrepancies and offering a single version of the truth.

In-depth Customer Analytics

Data Visualization

Visualize the customer journey like never before. With tools like Power BI and Tableau, banks can grasp complex data patterns through intuitive visuals, enabling quicker and more informed decisions.

Actionable Insights

Beyond mere data visualization, the solution extracts actionable insights. By understanding customer behaviors and preferences, banks can design strategies that resonate and effectively respond to market demands.

Scalable & Flexible Infrastructure

Cloud-Driven Solutions

With the flexibility of the cloud, banks can scale their data operations up or down based on demand, ensuring efficiency without compromising on capabilities. This agility allows banks to adapt to changing data needs seamlessly.

Powered by Matillion

Recognizing that every community bank is unique, our solution harnesses the power of Matillion’s engine, offering the liberty to customize data processes. This means banks can mold the solution to fit their unique operational nuances and requirements.

Holistic Training & Support

Empowering Banks

The best tools are only as effective as those wielding them. We provide a comprehensive training program, ensuring your team can make the most of Community Bank 360°.

Continuous Support

Our commitment doesn’t end post-implementation. With a dedicated support team, we ensure you’re always equipped to tackle any challenges that come your way, maximizing the utility of the tool for enduring success.

Our Work in Action
Building a Customer 360 Data Solution for Leader Bank
Read Story

Unlocking Business Outcomes

Drawing upon industry-leading insights and cutting-edge methodologies, our solution aims to elevate every facet of banking—from customer engagement and operational efficiency to growth planning and risk mitigation. By integrating this transformative approach, community banks can unlock unparalleled business outcomes:

Enhanced Customer View

Delve into enriched customer interactions and offer banking experiences that resonate. As Forrester points out, those who tap into customer insights see a staggering 85% rise in sales growth compared to their peers.

Deeper Customer Engagement

With our 360° customer view, create tailored banking experiences, fostering enhanced loyalty and retention. Again, Forrester’s findings reinforce the value of deep customer insights, linking them to an 85% surge in sales growth.

Maximized Cross-selling and Upselling

A nuanced understanding of each customer’s journey uncovers latent opportunities, allowing banks to present relevant offerings. Such strategies, as McKinsey highlights, can amplify sales by a remarkable 10%.

Operational Streamlining

By harmonizing various processes, banks can drive down redundancies, fine-tune their workflows, and enhance decision-making. Integrating data in such a manner can precipitate cost reductions of up to 23%, as noted by IDC.

Adaptive Digital Strategy

As digital banking undergoes constant metamorphosis, our solution ensures community banks always remain a step ahead, appealing to the modern, tech-savvy customer.

Risk Mitigation & Enhanced Compliance

With a robust data framework, banks can confidently navigate the intricate regulatory maze, benefiting from improved reporting, reduced errors, and diminished compliance-associated risks.

Strategic Growth Planning

Grasping the core segments of the customer base permits banks to align their strategies with the highest growth potential sectors, optimizing the return on investment.

Personalized Marketing Campaigns

Harnessing detailed customer insights allows for the crafting of targeted marketing endeavors, which in turn, enhances engagement rates and bolsters the ROI on marketing investments.

Revolutionize Your Community Bank

Community Bank 360° is more than a tech upgrade. It equips banks with the requisite tools and insights to not only remain competitive but also to chart an innovative path towards sustainable, data-driven growth. It’s a strategic guide for community banks in a digital world. By adopting this approach, banks can not only enhance customer relations but also ensure sustainable growth in a challenging market environment. For a deeper dive into how community banks can overcome their data challenges with Community Bank 360°, view our comprehensive guide.

The State of Snowflake Native Applications

The State of Snowflake Native Applications

Written by

Dan Luszcz, Senior Manager

Published

September 18, 2023

Data & App Engineering
Snowflake

Snowflake Native Apps were released to the public this summer and, according to Snowflake, they are leading the way in how applications are built and deployed:  

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“The Native Application Framework offers significant benefits across the entire lifecycle of applications for developers, from building to distribution to deployment.”

At OneSix, we get hands–on with emerging technologies so we can separate hype from reality for our clients. To this end, we consider the Snowflake Data Cloud to be the bedrock upon which a successful modern data organization is built, so we’ve developed applications using Snowflake Native Apps as part of our industry–leading Snowflake OS framework. 

How Snowflake Native Apps Work

Snowflake Native Apps are built using Streamlit, a framework Snowflake acquired in 2022 with the intent of using it for services like Snowflake Native Apps. Native Apps are built through a combination of SQL and Python code. SQL is used to configure the app infrastructure, grant it permissions, and query Snowflake data sources. The Python code works like traditional Streamlit apps, with some additional built-in functions and limitations (we’ll discuss these later).

After some initial SQL configuration in Snowflake, apps are deployed simply by uploading SQL and Python files to a Snowflake stage, where the app is immediately updated with the latest code. Production deployment is done by publishing to the Snowflake marketplace and being subscribed to by consumers, much like data sharing works.

Snowflake Native Application Deployment Model:

Source: Introducing the Snowflake Native Application Framework

Streamlit: Balancing Convenience with Customization

Snowflake Native Apps purport to support developing full applications, but even before getting to the limitations when deployed as part of Snowflake Native Apps, you must deal with the limitations of Streamlit. In the same theme as Snowflake Native Apps, Streamlit is all about reducing the amount of code needed to develop applications and simplify the deployment process to make app development more accessible. Like many such frameworks, this convenience comes at a price. 

With only a few lines of code, you can have a “complete” user interface with attractive formatting, interactive charts, and more. The problems begin when you want to start customizing what comes out of the box: changing layouts, colors, sizes, and behaviors are all limited at best. Functionality like being able to react to a cell click in a table, fundamental in any modern web application, can only be accomplished by leveraging third party components. Speaking of third-party components… 

Streamlit in Snowflake Native Apps

Snowflake Native Apps currently do not support the full (or most current) version of Streamlit. The list of unsupported features can be found here. The outdated Streamlit version means you cannot take advantage of critical features in the most current edition such as dataframe column customization. The lack of support for third-party components is particularly problematic as Streamlit essentially depends on libraries like streamlit-aggrid to provide basic functionality.  

What this means is until this feature set is expanded, either through an expansion in the capabilities of Streamlit or adding support for third-party components, the type of application you can build your Snowflake Native Apps is largely constrained to simple, single page, view–only dashboards with very limited customization options.

This limited application looks even worse when compared to Snowflake competitors like Databricks which let you quickly build visualizations right through the user interface. When balanced against what you can actually build with Snowflake Native Apps, the convenience of being able to quickly deploy apps right in your Snowflake environment starts to look less convenient. 

The Future of Snowflake (Native) Apps

The good news is that Snowflake is just getting started with data native applications.  They are clearly invested in Streamlit and their Native Apps framework for the long term and we fully expect the capabilities to expand significantly over the next few years. In fact, Snowflake will soon support deploying traditional Streamlit apps on the Snowflake infrastructure when they release Streamlit in Snowflake.  

As an experienced Snowflake Partner, OneSix is here to help your organization build the strategy, technology and teams you need to unlock the power of your data. Look for future posts from us on how you can best leverage Snowflake and Streamlit technologies on your journey toward becoming a modern data organization. 

Navigating the Future of Data Integration with Salesforce and Snowflake

Navigating the Future of Data Integration with Salesforce and Snowflake

Written by

Ajit Monteiro, CTO & Co-Founder

Published

September 11, 2023

Data & App Engineering
Snowflake

In a significant stride towards fostering seamless data integration, Salesforce and Snowflake have released Bring Your Own Lake (BYOL) Data Sharing. This partnership enables a deeper integration and collaboration between the two industry leaders, enabling new ways for businesses to leverage data, drive actionable insights, and foster growth.

The Underlying Significance of This Integration

The Salesforce Data Cloud has emerged as a major player in the large-scale customer data platform world. It enables businesses to combine their Salesforce data with other external customer engagement data, creating a comprehensive view of customer profiles.

Businesses can quickly make decisions using the Salesforce Customer 360 by taking advantage of AI, automation, and analytics in different apps.

This integration seeks to resolve a longstanding issue faced by many businesses: the seamless integration of customer data from Salesforce with data housed in Snowflake. By bridging this gap, companies can delve deeper into customer behavior analyses, market trend evaluations, and operational efficiencies, thereby gaining a competitive edge through the ability to swiftly respond to market fluctuations, anticipate customer needs, and streamline operations.

A Deeper Dive: The Multifaceted Benefits of the Integration

1. Seamless Data Access and Faster Time to Value

Customers can now share data instantly between Salesforce’s Customer Data Platform (CDP) and Snowflake. This eliminates the traditional hassles associated with synchronization and offers secure, real-time collaboration.

2. Zero-ETL Approach

The integration introduces a zero-ETL approach, eliminating the traditionally complex Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) processes. This ensures real-time access to the most recent data, all while adhering to the highest standards of security and governance, while reducing operational costs and streamlining data management processes.

3. Empowering Users

From data scientists and analysts to marketers and salespersons, this integration opens up a world of opportunities. It facilitates the creation of AI models, enhances segmentation for personalized campaigns, and aids in intelligent forecasting, among other benefits, thereby unlocking new avenues for data-driven strategies.

4. Bidirectional Data Sharing

In the coming months, Salesforce and Snowflake plan to roll out the BYOL Data Federation, a feature that will allow for Snowflake data to be accessed directly within the Salesforce Data Cloud, enhancing the bidirectional data sharing capabilities and creating a more interconnected data ecosystem.

OneSix: A Resource to
Navigate This Integration

As a Snowflake Premier Partner, OneSix has a rich background in working with Snowflake and Salesforce and stands ready to assist businesses in navigating this new landscape. Leveraging our expertise in data strategy, platform implementation, data modeling, AI and ML, business intelligence, and making insights actionable, we are here to help businesses understand and make the most of this new capability, without pushing a sales agenda.

Our goal is to be a resource for companies, providing guidance and insights to help them leverage the benefits of this integration effectively.

Get Started

OneSix is here to help your organization build the strategy, technology, and teams you need to unlock the power of your data.

Contact Us

Introducing Snowflake OS: Unlock the Full Value of Snowflake

Introducing Snowflake OS: Unlock the Full Value of Snowflake

Written by

Ajit Monteiro, CTO & Co-Founder

Published

August 14, 2023

Data & App Engineering
Snowflake

To maintain relevance in today’s rapidly evolving business environment, we firmly believe that companies must evolve into Modern Data Organizations. These organizations dedicate themselves to a core principle: every business decision should be informed by data. The impact of this approach is significant, with Modern Data Organizations being 23 times more likely to attract customers, 19 times more likely to turn a profit, and six times more likely to retain their clientele (source).

The journey to becoming a Modern Data Organization requires the consolidation of data onto a single platform, enabling comprehensive business analysis, the promotion of data-driven decision-making, and the ability to predict future trends.​

We consider the Snowflake Data Cloud to be the bedrock upon which a successful modern data organization is built. However, in our work with clients, we have observed recurrent challenges when they attempt to harness the power of Snowflake.​ These common challenges include:​

Insufficient in-depth knowledge of the Snowflake platform
Limited operational visibility
Concerns over data quality
Difficulty measuring Return on Investment (ROI)
Extended time to value realization​
Inefficiency in scaling up teams
Difficulty in utilizing advanced features

Introducing Snowflake OS

To overcome these obstacles and optimize the value gained from Snowflake, we have developed our proprietary Snowflake OS, which comprises:

Quick Win Sprints

These enable organizations to swiftly resolve data issues and dismantle operational and organizational roadblocks, thereby unlocking Snowflake’s potential. Each quick-win engagement involves a sprint of 2 to 4 weeks, targeting cost optimization, data security, data sharing, data replication, machine learning + AI, and data-native applications. The sprints also help to identify and overcome data-related barriers.​

Custom Built Toolkit

This collection of proprietary code-based offerings is part of every engagement with Onesix. Once integrated into a client’s Snowflake instance, it enables immediate cost optimization, data security, data sharing, and data replication.​

Consulting Services

Our experienced consultants, who have an average of 10+ years of experience, offer bespoke services, ranging from strategy and implementation to the formation of dedicated data teams and Snowflake optimization and innovation. These services enable clients to conquer their toughest data challenges and expedite value realization.​

Client Training

As a Snowflake Premier Partner, we leverage our extensive experience to help organizations enhance their Snowflake proficiency. To foster organizational maturity, we’ve crafted a suite of Snowflake best practices and a tailored training curriculum, which complements the standard Snowflake training. Our training covers the full scope of Snowflake workloads, empowering organizations to sustain and maximize the value derived from Snowflake.

Snowflake OS is the best way to get the most out of Snowflake. By unlocking the full value of the Snowflake platform, businesses will see the following benefits:

Reduced time to value
Enhanced security​
Improved data quality​
Optimized performance​
Reduced cost
Increased visibility

Get Started

As a Snowflake Premier Partner with 10+ years of Snowflake consulting experience, OneSix is here to help your organization build the strategy, technology and teams you need to unlock the power of your data.

Contact Us

The Future of Snowflake: Data-Native Apps, LLMs, AI, and more

The Future of Snowflake: Data-Native Apps, LLMs, AI, and more

Written by

Ajit Monteiro, CTO & Co-Founder

Published

June 27, 2023

Data & App Engineering
AI & Machine Learning
Snowflake

OneSix is excited to be attending the world’s largest data, apps, and AI conference: Snowflake Summit. The opening keynote had a lot of exciting announcements for the world of data, and continued strategy of rolling out AI and Data-Native App capabilities to their platform . Below are some of the things we found most interesting:

A more complete Data-Native Apps Stack with Container Services

Streamlit and Snowpark have been available for a while now. However, the addition of Snowpark Container Services helps us fully realize Snowflake’s Data Native Apps goals.

Continuing their vision of moving all your company’s data into Snowflake as a governed secure environment, you can now use it in a more cloud platform centric way. Snowpark Container Services allows you to run Docker containers which can then be called by Snowpark; you now have a UI solution (Streamlit), a data-native coding solution (Snowpark) and a way to run legacy applications (Snowpark Container Services) in the Snowflake cloud. You can then easily distribute and monetize these apps through their marketplace.

Use Case Example: A client of ours wanted to use Python OCR services that leverage Tesseract. In the past this was difficult to do since you cannot install Tesseract in Snowpark, Snowpark Container Services will allow us to install Tesseract in a container, and use a wrapper Python library like Pytesseract in Snowpark to leverage it.

Large Language Models and Document AI

It seems like everyone has been talking about large language models (LLMs) lately, and it’s not surprising that Snowflake had some big announcements around it. It was interesting to learn about Snowflake’s partnership with Nvidia to power their Container Services, as well as their first party LLM service.

They also released a feature called Document AI that allows you to train their large language model with your documents and then ask questions against them. This UI based approach allows you to modify the model’s answers to your questions about the document. Those modifications feed back into the LLM, training it to work better on your company’s data.

Streamlit becoming a more robust app UI platform

Streamlit has been historically marketed as a ML focused UI tool. However new features are making it a more viable platform for hosting general apps on Snowflake. A notable feature that have been released this year are editable data frames, including copying and pasting from Excel, which will allow you to manage and cleanse data more effectively. Snowflake is also close to enabling you to host Streamlit in Snowflake, under the Data Native App Framework, furthering their one data cloud goals.

Streaming + Dynamic Tables

Snowflake announced the debut of Dynamic Tables, now available in public preview. Dynamic Tables allow users to perform transformations on real-time streaming data, for example via the Snowflake Kafka Connector, which is near general availability. Dynamic Table transformations are defined with a SELECT statement, allowing for flexible transformation logic that is applied directly after the streaming data lands in Snowflake. It’s as simple as defining a view definition, but with the cost efficiency of a table, all with real-time streaming data.

As a Snowflake Premier Partner, OneSix helps companies build the strategy, technology, and teams they need to unlock the power of their data. Reach out to learn more about Snowflake’s latest innovations and how we can help you get the most out of your investment.

OneSix’s Top 5 Snowflake Summit Sessions to Attend

OneSix’s Top 5 Snowflake Summit Sessions to Attend

Published

June 21, 2023

Data & App Engineering
Snowflake

The Snowflake Summit is next week, and OneSix is excited to hear more about how companies are using Snowflake to extract value from their data. Here are 5 sessions we are most excited about:

OS302: How Instacart Optimized Snowflake Costs by 50% 

The modern data stack brought a frenzy of new data tools to companies across all industries. These cloud-based offerings promised cost savings over legacy on-premises solutions, but many companies have been left with higher expenses than they were promised. The reality is that companies must now reframe their approach and operational structure to align with modern cloud-based SaaS pricing models. Instacart’s engineering team is boasting a 50% reduction in Snowflake spend, showing how important it is for companies to leverage Snowflake experts to keep their expenses in check. 

AD002: Build an App for That: The Next Big Opportunity for Data Entrepreneurs

One of the ancillary effects of Snowflake’s entry into the marketplace is the possibility of creating data-apps to service specific business needs. Data apps are a relatively new topic that is still gaining momentum, but OneSix believes they have a significant place in the future of Modern Data Organizations. Benn Stancil, CTO of Mode, will talk through some of the insights he has gained through a decade of experience building custom applications with companies. 

DE208A: Data Engineering with Python in Snowflake 

Snowpark viability as a data pipelining tool is less talked about, given the current excitement around AI and Snowpark’s machine learning capabilities. OneSix is keeping a close eye on these developments as building reliable data pipelines completely within Snowpark stored procedures or UDFs opens many possibilities for reducing costs around other data integration tools. We believe Snowpark for data loading into Snowflake could quietly bring ripples to the industry, while most customers are busy playing with its AI capabilities. 

WN206A: What’s New: Snowpark and DevOps 

Another key piece of Snowflake’s product we would like to see some development is its DevOps capabilities. As companies build more assets on top of Snowflake (e.g., ML models, data apps, reporting, etc.) they must address their functionality around DevOps and CI/CD. There are several other sessions concerning CI/CD that we are also interested in, but we are most excited about hearing Snowflake’s own plans to address what we consider to be a gap in their tool. 

Panel Discussion: Predictions on Generative AI and LLMs in the Enterprise 

Given the current hype around AI, we would be remiss to not include an AI-focused session. This panel is a rare opportunity to hear some of the industry’s top leaders including Andrew Ng, who has been one of the most respected AI leaders for years. Hearing their take on the recent surge of generative AI and LLMs is crucial to understanding the overall direction of the market. If you are interested in AI, this is by far a must-see at Snowflake Summit. 

Connect with OneSix at the Snowflake Summit 2023

As a Snowflake Premier Partner, OneSix helps companies build the strategy, technology, and teams they need to unlock the power of their data. Meet with us in Las Vegas on June 26-29 for a free Modern Data Org maturity assessment.

Let's Connect

Snowflake Connectivity Options Made Easy

Snowflake Connectivity Options Made Easy

Published

June 7, 2023

Data & App Engineering
Snowflake

Snowflake connectivity is one of the key features of why Snowflake Cloud Data Platform is our number one recommendation to clients looking for a modern data platform.  Its connectivity options allow users to connect to Snowflake using various methods, that we will explore in this blog post, and highlight its features and benefits.

Snowsight: Modern Snowflake Web Interface

Snowsight is a modern web interface provided by Snowflake that offers a unified and user-friendly experience for performing essential Snowflake operations. Some notable features of Snowsight include:

Building and running queries

Snowsight simplifies the process of querying data in Snowflake, making it easy to analyze and retrieve insights. Features like Intelli-sense or auto-complete, multi-line edit, visualizations, and query versioning all make Snowsight a core method of interacting with your data in a developer-friendly way.

Development Collaboration

Snowsight enables developers to share worksheets directly in Snowflake.

Monitoring query performance and copy history

With Snowsight, you can track the performance of your queries and analyze their execution time and resource usage.

User and Account management

Snowsight allows you to create and manage users and other account-level objects such as Virtual Warehouses, giving you control over access and permissions.

Database and object management

Create, modify, and manage databases and all related objects, such as schemas, tables, and views.

Data sharing

Snowsight facilitates the easy sharing of data with other Snowflake accounts, promoting collaboration and data exchange.

Snowflake Marketplace integration

Explore listings and share data publicly on the Snowflake Marketplace, a comprehensive platform for discovering and leveraging data solutions.

Browser Requirements: Snowsight is supported by the latest three major versions of popular web browsers, including Apple Safari for macOS, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.

Honorable Mention: Classic Console – While Snowsight is the recommended interface for interacting with Snowflake, the Classic Console remains valuable for specific tasks. Some notable features we recommend considering the Classic Console for:

Query Profile Analyzer

While Snowsight does have its own Query Profiler, we find that the ability to filter queries and visualize the query path is a slightly easier experience in the Classic UI.

Resource Monitoring

This is another area where the Classic Console features are a little more robust.

Note: Since its release in 2021, Snowflake continues to innovate the Snowsight UI and we expect nearly 100% of the Classic Console’s functionality to eventually be replicated in Snowsight. As Snowsight becomes more comprehensive, it is recommended to use the Classic Console sparingly, especially for newcomers to Snowflake.

Snowflake Ecosystem: Third-Party Tools & Snowflake-Provided Clients

Snowflake has a vast ecosystem that integrates with industry-leading tools and technologies, offering extensive connectivity options. Here are some key features:

Certified partner solutions

Snowflake collaborates with certified partners who provide cloud-based and on-premises solutions for connecting to Snowflake. These solutions cater to various business needs and offer enhanced functionalities.

Third-party tools

Snowflake is compatible with a wide range of third-party tools and technologies, expanding data integration and analytics possibilities.

Snowflake-provided clients

Snowflake offers its own clients, including SnowSQL (command line interface, discussed more below), connectors for Python and Spark, and drivers for Node.js, JDBC, ODBC, and more. These clients enable seamless integration with Snowflake using popular programming languages and interfaces.

Snowflake Extension for Visual Studio Code

Snowflake provides an extension for Visual Studio Code (VS Code), allowing developers to write and execute Snowflake SQL statements directly within the popular IDE. This extension offers the following benefits:

Seamless integration

Snowflake extension integrates Snowflake SQL capabilities within the VS Code environment, eliminating the need to switch between tools.

Enhanced productivity

Developers who already use VS Code can leverage its features and functionalities while working with Snowflake, resulting in improved productivity.

Python development

With the recent addition of Python Worksheets in Snowflake, developers can now work efficiently in Snowflake without leaving their preferred IDE.

SnowSQL: CLI Client

SnowSQL is a command-line client provided by Snowflake, offering a powerful interface for executing SQL queries and performing DDL and DML operations. Key features of SnowSQL include:

Interactive and batch mode

SnowSQL can be run interactively as a shell or in batch mode, allowing for flexible query execution and automation.

Easy installation

SnowSQL does not require any additional prerequisites, as all necessary software is bundled in the installers provided by Snowflake.

Platform support

Snowflake provides platform-specific versions of SnowSQL for popular operating systems such as Linux, macOS, and Microsoft Windows.

Conclusion

Snowflake provides a diverse range of connectivity options, enabling users to connect to Snowflake using various interfaces and tools. Whether you prefer a modern web interface like Snowsight, third-party tools, and technologies, or CLI clients like SnowSQL, Snowflake offers a seamless experience for working with data. Choose the method that best suits your needs and start exploring the vast capabilities of Snowflake today.

Curious to get started with Snowflake? Wondering if you’re maximizing your ROI with your existing Snowflake platform?

Contact us today to see how OneSix can help.

Curious to get started with Snowflake? Wondering if you’re maximizing your ROI with your existing Snowflake platform?

Contact us today to see how OneSix can help.

Get Started

As a Snowflake Premier Partner with 10+ years of Snowflake consulting experience, OneSix is here to help your organization build the strategy, technology and teams you need to unlock the power of your data.

Contact Us

Narrate IQ: Delivering AI-Fueled Data Insights through Slack

Narrate IQ: Delivering AI-Fueled Data Insights through Slack

Published

April 14, 2023

AI & Machine Learning
Snowflake

Traditionally, companies use dashboards and reporting-based visualization tools to analyze their data. These visualizations are prebuilt by developers and require technical resources to maintain and update. But executives and business users don’t always know what questions they will have about their data, and the reality is that decision-makers don’t have time to explore a dashboard. We believe the next evolution of data analytics is building a data architecture that can quickly leverage the latest artificial intelligence (AI) advancements for fast, on-demand analysis. That’s where the power of augmented analytics comes in.

Introducing Narrate IQ: Transform your dashboards into a narrative

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“It’s like having a conversation with your analytics team—right there in Slack.”

Narrate IQ is a powerful set of tools that sits on top of Snowflake and makes the data work for you. Now executives can get more out of their data, gain valuable insights, and make more informed decisions. It’s just one of the ways that OneSix is helping companies build their Modern Data Org by combining modern data tools with the latest advancements in AI. 

Role-specific use cases: How does it work for your team?

Narrate IQ can generate role-specific daily data summaries that answer these questions and send them to you in the tool of your choice, like Slack. Then, with our ChatGPT integration using Azure’s OpenAI Service, users can ask follow-up questions about their data and receive answers without opening a BI tool. Here are some role-specific example questions: 

Marketing

How is the recent campaign doing?
How is my Google Ads spend affecting web traffic?
What are my trending SEO keywords?

Sales

Which regions are performing well/poorly?
Who was my top sales rep last month?
What is my leading product so far this year?

Finance

How is revenue trending relative to last year?
How is my AR trending month over month?
Which department had the largest increase in expenses last month?

Human Resources

How is my staffing utilization looking last month compared to this month?
Is my recruiting pipeline growing compared to last year?

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Snowflake Data Sharing: A Game Changer for Logistics Companies

Snowflake Data Sharing: A Game Changer for Logistics Companies

Published

March 13, 2023

Data & App Engineering
Snowflake

In today’s data-driven world, companies require timely access to accurate and relevant data to stay competitive. However, traditional data-sharing methods can be slow, cumbersome, and pose security risks. This is where Snowflake for Collaboration comes into play, revolutionizing how businesses share data with their B2B partners.

Snowflake is a secure, scalable, and cost-effective platform. It enables businesses to share real-time data with their partners, regardless of their location or size. And they can do so in a governed and audited manner, eliminating the need for manual data-sharing processes that can lead to errors and delays.

Here are some reasons why this is a game-changer for logistics business relationships:

Enable Real-Time Visibility

The logistics industry requires real-time data to track shipments, optimize routes, and manage inventory. With Snowflake, logistics providers can share data with their partners in real time, enabling them to make faster and more informed decisions.

Example: Share real-time data on the location and status of shipments with partners. Allowing them to adjust inventory levels or reroute shipments as needed.

Improve Supply Chain Planning

  • Supply chain planning involves forecasting demand, optimizing inventory levels, and managing production schedules. Snowflake can help logistics providers share this data with their partners, improving the accuracy of forecasts and reducing lead times.
Example: Share production schedules and inventory levels with manufacturing partners. Enabling them to plan their production schedules more accurately and reduce inventory costs.

Increase Collaboration

The logistics industry is highly collaborative, with multiple parties involved in the movement of goods. Sharing data in Snowflake can facilitate collaboration between logistics providers, manufacturers, retailers, and other parties, improving communication and coordination.

Example: Share shipment data with a retailer, enabling them to plan store replenishment and improve customer service.

Enhance Security and Compliance

The logistics industry is subject to numerous regulations, including privacy and data protection laws. Snowflake’s secure and compliant platform ensures that data is protected, and privacy regulations are adhered to.

Example: Share shipment data with their partners while protecting sensitive information such as customer names and addresses.

Increase Efficiency

Snowflake Data Sharing can automate the process of sharing data, reducing manual processes, and improving efficiency.

Example: Share real-time shipment data. Reduce the need for manual data entry and improve the speed and accuracy of information sharing.

Snowflake Data Sharing is a game changer for logistics B2B relationships. It provides a secure, scalable, and cost-effective platform to share data with partners. By enabling faster decision-making, improving data quality, saving time and resources, increasing collaboration, and enhancing security and compliance, Snowflake Data Sharing is transforming the way logistics companies share data and collaborate with their B2B partners.

Example: Share real-time shipment data. Reduce the need for manual data entry and improve the speed and accuracy of information sharing.

Snowflake Data Sharing is a game changer for logistics B2B relationships. It provides a secure, scalable, and cost-effective platform to share data with partners. By enabling faster decision-making, improving data quality, saving time and resources, increasing collaboration, and enhancing security and compliance, Snowflake Data Sharing is transforming the way logistics companies share data and collaborate with their B2B partners.

Example: Share real-time shipment data. Reduce the need for manual data entry and improve the speed and accuracy of information sharing.

Snowflake Data Sharing is a game changer for logistics B2B relationships. It provides a secure, scalable, and cost-effective platform to share data with partners. By enabling faster decision-making, improving data quality, saving time and resources, increasing collaboration, and enhancing security and compliance, Snowflake Data Sharing is transforming the way logistics companies share data and collaborate with their B2B partners.