Prerequisites

Snowflake Account - An active Snowflake account with access to your data warehouse

Database Access - Read permissions on databases, schemas, and tables you want to analyze

Connection Details - Account URL, warehouse name, and authentication credentials

Network Access - Snowflake account accessible from Datapad (usually automatic for cloud)

Connection Methods

Choose the authentication method that fits your organization's security requirements.

Username/Password

Standard authentication using Snowflake username and password.

SSO Integration

Single Sign-On integration for enterprise security and convenience.

Key Pair Authentication

Use RSA key pair authentication for enhanced security.

Connection Guide

Step 1: Access Snowflake Integration

Navigate to Integrations in Datapad and select Snowflake:

Snowflake connect screen on Datapad UI

Step 2: Enter Connection Details

Fill in your Snowflake connection information:

Snowflake connection form

Required Fields:

Account URL (e.g., your-account.snowflakecomputing.com)
Username
Password or Authentication Method
Warehouse Name
Database Name
Schema Name (optional)

Your Snowflake account URL can be found in your Snowflake console under Account settings.

Step 3: Configure Warehouse Settings

Select compute warehouse and resource settings:

Snowflake warehouse configuration

Warehouse Options:

Existing Warehouse (recommended)
Warehouse Size Preference
Auto-suspend Settings
Query Timeout Limits

Create Read-Only Role (Recommended)

For security, create a dedicated role with read-only permissions:

-- Create a role for Datapad
CREATE ROLE datapad_readonly;

-- Grant database and schema usage
GRANT USAGE ON DATABASE your_database TO ROLE datapad_readonly;
GRANT USAGE ON SCHEMA your_database.your_schema TO ROLE datapad_readonly;

-- Grant select permissions on tables
GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA your_database.your_schema TO ROLE datapad_readonly;
GRANT SELECT ON FUTURE TABLES IN SCHEMA your_database.your_schema TO ROLE datapad_readonly;

-- Grant warehouse usage
GRANT USAGE ON WAREHOUSE your_warehouse TO ROLE datapad_readonly;

-- Create user and assign role
CREATE USER datapad_user PASSWORD = 'secure_password';
GRANT ROLE datapad_readonly TO USER datapad_user;

Replace database, schema, and warehouse names with your actual names. Use a strong password for the datapad_user account.

Example Queries

Here are some example questions you can ask once your Snowflake data is connected:

"What's our revenue trend by month for the last year?"

"Show me the top 10 customers by total spend across all regions"

"How does our conversion rate vary by traffic source and campaign?"

"What's the average customer lifetime value by cohort?"

"Which products have the highest profit margins this quarter?"

"Show me daily active users trend with seasonality analysis"

💬 Data Warehouse Tips

Include database and schema names for precise targeting

Ask about data lineage and relationships between tables

Request performance analysis to optimize your queries

Use business metrics that align with your data warehouse structure

Behind the Scenes

Datapad connects to your Snowflake data warehouse using secure connections and generates optimized SQL queries that take advantage of Snowflake's cloud architecture. Our AI understands Snowflake-specific functions, performance optimizations, and best practices to provide fast, cost-effective analytics from your data warehouse.

Troubleshooting

Connection timeout

If Snowflake connection times out:

Verify your account URL is correct and accessible
Check that your warehouse is running and available
Ensure network connectivity to Snowflake cloud
Try increasing connection timeout settings

Authentication failed

If authentication fails:

Verify username and password are correct
Check that the user account is active and not locked
Ensure the user has access to the specified database and warehouse
Try logging in directly to Snowflake console with same credentials

Insufficient privileges

If you get privilege errors:

Verify the user has SELECT permissions on target tables
Check that USAGE permissions are granted on database and schema
Ensure the user can access the specified warehouse
Review role assignments and privilege inheritance

Query performance issues

If queries are running slowly:

Check warehouse size and consider scaling up for better performance
Review query complexity and suggest optimizations
Ensure proper clustering and indexing on frequently queried columns
Contact support for query optimization assistance