Founded in 2012, Snowflake Inc. is a cloud-based data warehousing company that has transformed approaches to data loading, storage, access and governance. As a Snowflake partner, we frequently address whether Snowflake suits different organizations.
Updating data architecture is among the most debated topics in today’s data-driven businesses. While Snowflake offers numerous advantages, it isn’t suitable for every business.
Qualifying Questions
If you answer yes to at least one question below, consider exploring Snowflake further:
- Are you migrating on-premise databases to the cloud?
- Currently running Teradata, Hadoop or Exadata? Need expansion without increasing overheads?
- Has compliant data-sharing become paramount inside and outside your organization?
- Do you need to scale your database without impacting production systems?
- Is your organization struggling with disparate sets of data?
What Is Snowflake?
Snowflake is a Cloud Data Platform delivered as a service. It’s a global ecosystem where customers, partners, and data providers can break down data silos and extract value from rapidly growing data sets in secure, governed, and compliant ways.
Why Snowflake?
Snowflake gained fast traction through its Multi-Cluster Shared Data Architecture, providing unified and seamless data experiences across cloud providers.
On-Premise Data Limitations
Due to resource constraints with on-premise solutions, switching between data projects can be time-consuming and ineffective. Engineers frequently paused resource-intensive searches or spread query execution over several nights due to insufficient compute resources.
Snowflake enables businesses to use data for enhanced customer, product, and company knowledge without resource contention concerns. It can automatically scale up/down by resizing a warehouse for faster query results and scale out/in by adding clusters to multi-cluster warehouses.
Limitations with On-Premise Databases
Scalability and Agility
On-premise databases physically hosted behind firewalls constraint organizations with distributed or globally dispersed workforces. Cloud computing offers improved agility and easier architecture scalability while proving cost-effective.
On-premise applications provide reliability, security, and business control, but IT leaders recognize the need for new cloud and SaaS applications alongside legacy systems.
Limitations While Running Hadoop
Data Processing
MapReduce, essential to Hadoop, supports only batch processing. Processing large files requires specific input and established instructions, resulting in slow output that delays data processing and subsequent management.
Data Storage and Security
Hadoop implements data security across multiple levels, requiring careful handling of sensitive information. Improper handling risks compromising data, and Hadoop’s eliminated protection mechanisms create vulnerability.
Learning Curve
Most developers prefer SQL, but Hadoop requires Java. Programmers and data analysts need thorough Java mastery and MapReduce familiarity to fully utilize Hadoop’s capabilities.
Limitations While Running Exadata
While most developers prefer SQL and Hadoop emphasizes Java, Oracle Exadata supports OLTP and OLAP database systems, presenting distinct drawbacks. Establishing Oracle Platinum Support portals isn’t always practical for production systems containing critical data, requiring complex multi-layer patching and ongoing remediation.
Challenges With Data Sharing
Businesses with limited database experience face multiple hurdles:
- Accidental release of private or sensitive information
- Delaying intentional information release
- Concerns about data misinterpretation or exploitation
- Sensitive data compliance
- Access-restricting policies limiting larger data streams
- Lengthy or unclear approval procedures
- Lack of understanding regarding data location
- Confidentiality and security issues
- Intellectual property rights violations
Snowflake Architecture
Snowflake’s architecture is distinctive and innovative, comprising three layers:
Cloud Service Layer
Operates on compute clusters Snowflake deployed on various cloud providers, organizing Snowflake-wide operations.
Compute Layer
Comparable to a virtual warehouse, comprising infinite independently operating virtual warehouses.
Data Storage Layer
All data is directly and consistently saved using Storage Services (S3 on AWS, Blob Storage on Azure, or GCP cloud storage). Snowflake stores all data in efficient, specialized file formats that are continuously compressed and encrypted.
Unlike conventional data warehouses, Snowflake is cloud-only and separates elastic compute layers from storage—a feature that distinguishes it from competitors.
How Snowflake Impacts Data Loading, Accessibility, and Governance
1. Data Loading in Snowflake
Snowflake enables real-time information loading from data warehouses, databases, backup security systems, sensors, chat logs, and Hadoop solutions with minimal impact and in-flight transformations. Its architecture enables real-time ingestion from on-premise and cloud sources, reducing migration risks and increasing operational decision-making agility.
2. Data Governance in Snowflake
Snowflake derived many scalability capabilities from various cloud vendors and is accessible on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Beyond cloud provider solutions, Snowflake adds data node fault tolerance, automated data distribution among multiple data centers, time travel for data backups and deleted data retrieval, storage and computing resource separation, and data cloning and fail-over.
3. Data Sharing in Snowflake
Secure Data Sharing allows sharing certain database objects with other Snowflake accounts. Shareable objects include tables, external tables, private views, secure views, and secure UDFs. No original data duplicates or exchanges across accounts using Secure Data Sharing. Snowflake’s special services layer and metadata storage enable all sharing. Shared data consumes no storage space in customer accounts. Consumers only pay for computing resources (virtual warehouses) querying shared data.
Conclusion
To transform data ingestion, storage, compliance and sharing for your business, organizations should consider Snowflake’s zero-maintenance solution offering seamless scaling and data-driven insights for improved operability and decision-making.