Connect GX Cloud to Snowflake

Prerequisites

• You have a GX Cloud account with Admin or Editor permissions.

• You have a Snowflake database, schema, and table.

• You have a Snowflake account with USAGE privileges on the table, database, and schema you are validating, and you have SELECT privileges on the table you are validating.

  • Optional. To improve data security, GX recommends using a separate Snowflake user service account to connect to GX Cloud.

• Optional. You can use an existing Snowflake warehouse, but GX recommends creating a separate warehouse for GX Cloud to simplify cost management and optimize performance.

Optional. Create a separate Snowflake user and warehouse

Depending on your Snowflake permissions, you may need to ask an admin on your team to create a separate Snowflake user for your GX Cloud connection.

1. In Snowflake Snowsight, click Projects > Worksheets > Add > SQL Worksheet.

2. Paste the following code into the SQL worksheet.

   Snowflake Snowsight

   use role accountadmin;
   create user if not exists gx_user password='<YOUR_PASSWORD>';
   create role if not exists gx_role;
   grant role gx_role to user gx_user;
   
   -- GX recommends creating a separate warehouse for GX Cloud to simplify cost 
   -- management and optimize resource consumption. 
   create warehouse if not exists gx_wh
   warehouse_size=xsmall
   auto_suspend=10
   auto_resume=true
   initially_suspended=true;
   grant usage, operate on warehouse gx_wh to role gx_role; 
   
   -- Replace <YOUR_DATABASE> and <YOUR_SCHEMA> with the names of the databases
   -- and schemas you want to test in GX Cloud.
   grant usage on database <YOUR_DATABASE> to role gx_role;
   grant usage on schema <YOUR_DATABASE>.<YOUR_SCHEMA> to role gx_role;
   grant select on all tables in schema <YOUR_DATABASE>.<YOUR_SCHEMA> to role gx_role;
   grant select on future tables in schema <YOUR_DATABASE>.<YOUR_SCHEMA> to role gx_role; 
   -- Gives the user with the gx_role role access to all future tables in the defined schema.
   • Replace YOUR_PASSWORD with your value and YOUR_DATABASE and YOUR_SCHEMA with the names of the database and schema you want to access in GX Cloud.
   • grant select on future tables in schema <YOUR_DATABASE>.<YOUR_SCHEMA> to role gx_role; is optional and gives the user with the gx_role role access to all future tables in the defined schema.
   • The settings in the code example optimize cost and performance. Adjust them to suit your business requirements.

3. Select Run All to define your user password, create a new GX role (gx_role), assign the password and role to a new user (gx_user), create a new warehouse (gx_wh), and allow the user with the gx_role role to access data on the Snowflake database and schema.

   

Connect to a Snowflake Data Source and add a Data Asset

1. In GX Cloud, click Data Assets > New Data Asset > New Data Source > Snowflake.

2. Enter a meaningful name for the Data Source in the Data Source name field.

3. Select whether you will enter your connection details as either separate Input parameters or a consolidated Connection string.

4. Supply your connection details depending on the method you chose in the previous step. If you created a separate Snowflake user for your GX Cloud connection as recommended above, use those credentials in your connection details.

   • If you chose Input parameters, complete the following fields:

     • Account identifier: Enter your Snowflake organization and account name separated by a hyphen (oraganizationname-accountname) or your account name and a legacy account locator separated by a period (accountname.region). The legacy account locator value must include the geographical region. For example, us-east-1.

       To locate your Snowflake organization name, account name, or legacy account locator values see Finding the Organization and Account Name for an Account or Using an Account Locator as an Identifier.

     • Username: Enter the username you use to access Snowflake.

     • Password: Enter a Snowflake password. To improve data security, GX recommends using a Snowflake service account to connect to GX Cloud.

     • Database: Enter the name of the Snowflake database where the data you want to validate is stored. In Snowsight, click Data > Databases. In the Snowflake Classic Console, click Databases.

     • Schema: Enter the name of the Snowflake schema (table) where the data you want to validate is stored.

     • Warehouse: Enter the name of your Snowflake database warehouse. In Snowsight, click Admin > Warehouses. In the Snowflake Classic Console, click Warehouses.

     • Role: Enter your Snowflake role.

   • If you chose Connection string enter it with a format of:

     Snowflake connection string

     snowflake://<USER>:<PASSWORD>@<ACCOUNT_IDENTIFIER>/<DATABASE>/<SCHEMA>?warehouse=<WAREHOUSE>&role=<ROLE>

5. Click Connect.

6. Select one or more tables to import as Data Assets.

7. Click Add x Asset(s).

8. Add an Expectation. See Add an Expectation.