# Snowflake

## Overview

This guide outlines the configuration steps for adding Snowflake as a datasource in StrongDM.

When the resource is added, StrongDM proxies client connections through a [node](https://docs.strongdm.com/admin/networking/gateways-and-relays) (gateway, relay, or proxy cluster). This enables centralized access control, credential management, and audit logging. StrongDM supports Snowflake instances accessible via standard Snowflake drivers/tools.

Use this guide to complete all necessary preparations for adding Snowflake as a resource to your StrongDM environment; input the correct properties in the Admin UI, CLI, SDKs, or Terraform provider; and test for a successful connection. Once complete, you’ll be able to use the StrongDM Desktop application or CLI to connect.

For general information about how to add a database as a resource in StrongDM, see our main guide, [Add a Datasource](https://docs.strongdm.com/admin/resources/datasources).

## Supported Versions and Clients

StrongDM supports Snowflake datasources using standard Snowflake SQL clients and drivers. [docs.strongdm.com](https://docs.strongdm.com/admin/resources/datasources/snowflake?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Supported clients include:

* Snowflake’s own tools like SnowSQL
* JDBC and ODBC drivers for Snowflake
* BI tools and GUIs that support Snowflake connections

## Prerequisites

To add your resource in StrongDM, you need to meet several technical and configuration prerequisites. Please ensure that the following requirements are met.

In StrongDM, you must have the following:

* Administrator permission level
* At least one operational StrongDM node (gateway, relay, or proxy cluster) that can reach the Snowflake endpoint (hostname and port)
* If using secrets management tools for storing your database credentials, a Secret Store configured in StrongDM

{% hint style="info" %}
To verify that the resource is accessible by the node, log in to the gateway or relay and use Netcat: `nc -zv <HOSTNAME> <PORT>` (in this example, `nc -zv testdb-01.fancy.org 3306`). If your gateway server can connect to this hostname, proceed.

Netcat is a tool for checking various hostnames and ports by either sending data (a ping) or checking for listeners on the ports. The command in the aforementioned example use "-z" to check for listeners without sending data and "-v" to show verbose output. If you don't have Netcat, you can install the Netcat package with whatever package manager you are using, such as "apt-get install netcat".
{% endhint %}

On the Snowflake side, you must have the following:

* Snowflake account and valid user credentials (username/password or via secret store) with permissions to connect to the specified database/schema
* Network/firewall settings (for example, IP allow-lists, if used) that permit connections from the StrongDM gateway/relay nodes to your Snowflake account endpoint
* If using schema specification, ensure that the user has access to the schema you will connect to

## Resource Management in StrongDM

After all prerequisites and prep work is done, you are ready to add the resource to StrongDM. This section provides instructions for adding the resource in either the StrongDM Admin UI, CLI, Terraform provider, or SDKs.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Admin UI" %}
**Set up and Manage With the Admin UI**

If using the Admin UI to add Snowflake as a resource to StrongDM, use the following steps.

1. Log in to the StrongDM Admin UI.
2. Go to **Resources** > **Managed Resources**.
3. Click **Add Resource**.
4. For **Resource Type**, select **Snowflake**.
5. Complete all required [configuration properties](#configuration-properties) for your selected datasource type.
6. Click **Create** to save the resource.
7. Click the resource name to view status, diagnostic information, and setting details.
   {% endtab %}

{% tab title="CLI" %}
**Set up and Manage With the CLI**

This section provides an example of how to add the resource using the StrongDM CLI. For more information and examples, please see the [CLI Reference](https://app.gitbook.com/s/4XOJmXFslCMVCzIG2rKp/cli) documentation.

```
# Add Snowflake datasource
sdm admin datasources add snowflake snowflake-prod
  --hostname="myaccount.snowflakecomputing.com"
  --port=443
  --database="ANALYTICS_DB"
  --username="sdm_user"
  --password="secret"
  --schema="PUBLIC"
  --bind-interface="127.0.0.1"
  --egress-filter="tag:env=prod"
  --port-override="15443"
  --proxy-cluster-id="n-1a2b345c67890123"
  --secret-store-id="se-e1b2"
  --subdomain="snowflake-prod"
  --tags="env=production,team=data"
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Terraform" %}
**Set up and Manage With Terraform**

This section provides an example of how to configure and manage the resource using the Terraform provider. For more information and examples, please see the [Terraform provider](https://github.com/strongdm/terraform-provider-sdm) documentation.

```
# Install StrongDM provider
terraform {
  required_providers {
    sdm = {
      source  = "strongdm/sdm"
      version = "16.5.0"
    }
  }
}

# Configure StrongDM provider
provider "sdm" {
  # Add API access key and secret key from Admin UI
  api_access_key = "njjSn...5hM"
  api_secret_key = "ziG...="
}

# Create Snowflake resource
resource "sdm_snowflake" "snowflake_prod" {
  name             = "snowflake-prod"
  hostname         = "myaccount.snowflakecomputing.com"
  port             = 443
  database         = "ANALYTICS_DB"
  schema           = "PUBLIC"
  username         = "sdm_user"
  password         = "secret"

  bind_interface   = "127.0.0.1"
  egress_filter    = "tag:env=prod"
  port_override    = 15443
  proxy_cluster_id = "n-1a2b345c67890123"

  secret_store_id  = "se-e1b2"
  subdomain        = "snowflake-prod"
  tags = {
    env  = "production"
    team = "data"
  }
}
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="SDKs" %}
**Set up and manage with SDKs**

In addition to the Admin UI, CLI, and Terraform, you may configure and manage your resource with any of the following SDK options: Go, Java, Python, and Ruby. Please see the following references for more information and examples.

| Language      | Reference                                                                | GitHub                                                                 | Examples                                                                        |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Go            | [pkg.go.dev](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/strongdm/strongdm-sdk-go/v16) | [strongdm-sdk-go](https://github.com/strongdm/strongdm-sdk-go)         | [Go SDK Examples](https://github.com/strongdm/strongdm-sdk-go-examples)         |
| Java          | [javadoc](https://strongdm.github.io/strongdm-sdk-java-docs/)            | [strongdm-sdk-java](https://github.com/strongdm/strongdm-sdk-java)     | [Java SDK Examples](https://github.com/strongdm/strongdm-sdk-java-examples)     |
| Python        | [pdocs](https://strongdm.github.io/strongdm-sdk-python-docs/)            | [strongdm-sdk-python](https://github.com/strongdm/strongdm-sdk-python) | [Python SDK Examples](https://github.com/strongdm/strongdm-sdk-python-examples) |
| Ruby          | [RubyDoc](https://www.rubydoc.info/gems/strongdm)                        | [strongdm-sdk-ruby](https://github.com/strongdm/strongdm-sdk-ruby)     | [Ruby SDK Examples](https://github.com/strongdm/strongdm-sdk-ruby-examples)     |
| {% endtab %}  |                                                                          |                                                                        |                                                                                 |
| {% endtabs %} |                                                                          |                                                                        |                                                                                 |

## **Configuration Properties**

The following configuration properties are required to define a Snowflake datasource in StrongDM. These settings control how StrongDM connects to the database, authenticates the connection, and optionally uses encryption or secret management. Each property must be correctly configured to ensure connectivity and access enforcement through StrongDM.

| Property               | Requirement | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| ---------------------- | ----------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Display Name**       | Required    | Meaningful name to display the resource throughout StrongDM; exclude special characters like quotes (") or angle brackets (< or >)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| **Resource Type**      | Required    | **Snowflake**                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| **Proxy Cluster**      | Required    | Defaults to "None (use gateways)"; if using [proxy clusters](https://docs.strongdm.com/admin/networking/proxy-clusters), select the appropriate cluster to proxy traffic to this resource                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| **Hostname**           | Required    | Hostname for your resource; [must be accessible](#prerequisites) to a gateway or relay                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| **Connectivity Mode**  | Required    | Select either **Virtual Networking Mode**, which lets users connect to the resource with a software-defined, IP-based network; or **Loopback Mode**, which allows users to connect to the resource using the local loopback adapter in their operating system; this field is shown if [Virtual Networking Mode](https://docs.strongdm.com/admin/clients/client-networking/virtual-networking-mode) enabled for your organization                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| **IP Address**         | Optional    | If **Virtual Networking Mode** is the selected connectivity mode, an IP address value in the configured Virtual Networking Mode subnet in the organization network settings; if **Loopback Mode** is the selected connectivity mode, an IP address value in the configured Loopback IP range in the organization network settings (by default, `127.0.0.1`); if not specified, an available IP address in the configured IP address space for the selected connectivity mode will be automatically assigned; this field is shown if [Virtual Networking Mode](https://docs.strongdm.com/admin/clients/client-networking/virtual-networking-mode) and/or [multi-loopback mode](https://docs.strongdm.com/admin/clients/client-networking/loopback-ip-ranges) is enabled for your organization |
| **Port Override**      | Optional    | If **Virtual Networking Mode** is the selected connectivity mode, a port value between 1 and 65535 that is not already in use by another resource with the same IP address; if **Loopback Mode** is the selected connectivity mode, a port value between 1024 to 64999 that is not already in use by another resource with the same IP address; when left empty with Virtual Networking Mode, the system assigns the default port to this resource; when left empty for Loopback Mode, an available port that is not already in use by another resource is assigned; preferred port also can be modified later from the [Port Overrides settings](https://docs.strongdm.com/admin/resources/port-overrides)                                                                                  |
| **DNS**                | Optional    | If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a unique hostname alias for this resource; when set, causes the desktop app to display this resource's human-readable DNS name (for example, `k8s.my-organization-name`) instead of the bind address that includes IP address and port (for example, `100.64.100.100:5432`)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| **Database**           | Required    | Name of the database you will be connecting to with this datasource                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| **Secret Store**       | Optional    | Credential store location; defaults to none (credentials are stored in StrongDM resource configuration); learn more about [Secret Store](#secret-store-options) options                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| **Username**           | Required    | Username to utilize when connecting to this datasource; displays when Secret Store integration is not configured for your organization or when StrongDM serves as the secret store                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| **Password**           | Read only   | Password for the user connecting to this datasource; displays when Secret Store integration is not configured for your organization or when StrongDM serves as the secret store                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| **Username (path)**    | Required    | Path to the secret in your Secret Store location (for example, `path/to/credential?key=optionalKeyName` where key argument is optional); required when using a non-StrongDM Secret Store type                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| **Private Key**        | Required    | Private key in either plaintext or Base64 encoding; this field is shown when Secret Store integration is not configured for your organization, or when it is and StrongDM is the selected Secret Store type                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| **Private Key (path)** | Required    | Path to the secret in your Secret Store (for example, `path/to/credential?key=optionalKeyName`); the key argument is optional; this field is shown when Secret Store integration is configured for your organization *and* you selected a Secret Store type that is *not* StrongDM                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| **Schema**             | Optional    | Name of the schema, if the user has a particular schema that should be used upon logging in                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| **Resource Tags**      | Optional    | Resource [Tags](https://app.gitbook.com/s/4XOJmXFslCMVCzIG2rKp/cli/tags "mention") consisting of key-value pairs `<KEY>=<VALUE>` (for example, `env=dev`)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |

### Secret Store options

By default, datasource credentials are stored in StrongDM. However, these credentials can also be saved in a secrets management tool.

Non-StrongDM options appear in the **Secret Store** dropdown if they are created under **Network** > **Secret Stores**. When you select another Secret Store type, its unique properties display. For more details, see [Configure Secret Store Integrations](https://docs.strongdm.com/admin/access/secret-stores).

### Resource status

After a resource is created, the Admin UI displays that resource as unhealthy until the healthchecks run successfully. When the resource is ready, the **Health** icon indicates a positive, green status.

When the resource does not display a positive status, click the resource name to go to the **Diagnostics** tab and check for errors.

## Test the Connection

After you have added your resource in StrongDM, follow these steps to verify that it’s working correctly.

1. Assign yourself access by ensuring that your user or role has access to the resource. In the StrongDM Admin UI, go to **Access** > **Roles**, and verify that the resource is attached to a role you’re in.
2. In the CLI, run `sdm status` to list the available datasources. Confirm that the resource is available.
3. Start a session. For example:

   ```bash
   sdm connect snowflake-prod
   ```
4. Connect using a Snowflake SQL client (for example, `SnowSQL`, JDBC driver, or BI tool). Use the configured hostname, port, database, schema, username/password (or private key) to authenticate. For example:

   <pre class="language-bash" data-overflow="wrap"><code class="lang-bash">snowsql -a myaccount -u sdm_user -d ANALYTICS_DB -s PUBLIC -h localhost -p 14443
   </code></pre>
5. In the StrongDM Admin UI, check **Logs > Queries** (and **Logs > Connections**) to verify session was captured.

When these steps succeed, you’re ready to connect to your resource through StrongDM.

### Help

If you encounter issues, please consult the [StrongDM Help Center](https://help.strongdm.com/hc/en-us).

Be prepared to provide the following information to StrongDM Support, so that they can inspect logs and confirm node and resource health:

* Resource name or ID
* CLI error output or logs
* Node name and region


---

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