First Hands on Exercise | Lab Demo | Free trial account | Connectivity Options Snowsight snowSQL

Getting Started with Snowflake

Setting Up a Free Trial Account

• Visit sign up.snowflake.com to create a free trial account; personal email can be used if no company email is available.

• Select the Enterprise Edition for advanced features and choose your familiar cloud provider.

• Activate your account via the email sent to your registered address; check spam folders if not found.

Navigating Snowflake's Web Interface

• Upon logging in, use the user-friendly navigation bar on the left side of Snowflake's web interface (Snow Site).

• Create and manage worksheets under projects; select roles and virtual warehouses before executing SQL statements.

• Explore database objects like tables and views, collaborate on data products, and access the Snowflake Marketplace.

Monitoring and Admin Features

• Use monitoring tools to analyze query performance, check data load statuses, and debug failed queries.

• The admin page allows management of virtual warehouses, user roles, network policies, and resource usage.

Connecting with SnowSQL

Downloading and Installing SnowSQL

• Download SnowSQL from the official website; installation steps vary by operating system (Windows/Mac/Linux).

Connecting to Your Account

• Open command prompt; enter snowsql -a <account_name> -u <username> using details from activation email.

• Enter password when prompted; you are now connected to your Snowflake account.

Using Interactive Mode

• Execute simple SQL queries on sample tables provided with your account; connection details can be pre-configured in a config file.

Additional Interaction Methods

Other Ways to Work with Snowflake

• Utilize Visual Studio Code extension for operations similar to SnowSQL within that environment.

• Interact programmatically using APIs or drivers for various programming languages including Python, Node.js, PHP.

Integration with Third-Party Tools

• Snowflake integrates with various third-party tools like Tableau, Power BI, Informatica, Talend, and Data IQ.

• Pre-built connectors facilitate easy integration with these business intelligence and data integration solutions.

Hands-On Practice Overview

• The session will involve creating database objects, loading sample data, and running queries.

• Sample data will be loaded using SQL from an S3 bucket associated with the Snowflake account.

Creating Database Objects

• Set the role in Warehouse; defaults are acceptable to execute.

• A new database named "Tasty Bite" is created along with a schema called "raw posos."

Loading Data into Tables

• A table named "menu" is created within the newly established schema.

• Running a select statement on the empty table returns no rows initially.

Using Stages for Data Loading

• A stage referencing a public S3 bucket is created for temporary raw data storage.

• Contents of the stage are listed; a compressed CSV file is identified for loading into the table.

Verifying Data Load and Queries

• The CSV file is successfully loaded into the table using a copy statement.

• Additional business queries may include retrieving values from JSON variant columns.