Why In‑Person Snowflake Training Drives Better Team Performance and Results

Introduction

I’ve just delivered a three-day on-site Snowflake training course during which one candidate dialled in and everyone else attended in person and it got me thinking – does online (remote) training really work?

In this article I’ll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both options and indicate how you can get the best of both options.

Snowflake Training Vs. Education

Snowflake is incredible technology and it’s revolutionised the data and analytics industry, but there’s a clear skills gap with 76% of IT leaders struggling to build the skills needed.

I would argue however, we don’t just need training (what buttons to press), but education. This means developing a full understanding of Snowflake technology and helping build critical thinking. It means understanding not just how to do something, but the Best Practices to achieve the best outcome.

Given the way AI tools are transforming coding, testing, debugging, and shifting software engineers toward higher-level design and architecture work, it’s no longer sufficient to simple train individuals to complete tasks, we need to educate them on the overall process and build foundational knowledge for the future.

Why Has Remote Technical Learning Skyrocketed?

Clearly the Global Pandemic led to a seismic shift from in-person to online training and a recent McKinsey report indicated that “More than 80% of corporate learning leaders say they will continue using digital learning post-pandemic.”.

I myself lived in hotels across Europe for nearly two years before being home-based, and even after the pandemic subsided, both customers and Snowflake realised the significant benefits of remote learning.

For Snowflake it accelerated sales, delivering cost-effective, scalable delivery and we could support multiple teams from across multiple time-zones. For customers, likewise, it reduces the cost and inconvenience of travel and expenses and employees are still at their desks and able to respond to emails.

Of course, some of this was always the case, but the fact the world didn’t stop during the pandemic proved face-to-face interaction wasn’t mandatory.

The Disadvantages of Online Learning

While it’s clear that online learning is here to stay, and 70% of corporate training is delivered online, it can be a remote and lonely experience.

I’ve often delivered remote Snowflake learning to teams of 16 people, and I’ve struggled to get any form of interaction. I’ve been greeted by total silence when asking if there are any questions. Compare that to my in-person experience, where people are more open to asking questions and interacting with both the instructor and one another.

It became obvious when just one attendee dialled in, and everyone in the room was open to discuss the subject, but the remote person was disconnected.

When everyone is online, there’s zero group cohesion and almost no peer learning or team building, a vital aspect to build confidence and ask questions.

My training course includes over 1,000 images and drawings, and 21 hands-on exercises to avoid the dreaded “Death by PowerPoint,” and you can see an example of my style on YouTube. However, keeping learners engaged is just half the problem. You need people to think and to get them to talk. Only then will you achieve education.

The Disadvantages of In-Person Learning

Let’s be clear, the main disadvantage of in-person learning is the cost. You’ve got two options:

1. Send your team to the instructor.

2. Get the instructor to come to you.

Sending your team to a group session with an instructor is often the only feasible option, but you need to factor in the additional cost of travel, accommodation, and meals, which for larger teams can be significant.

Getting the instructor to come to you is often only an option if you have a team of fifteen or more attendees, and it’s not always feasible for an entire team to take time off to attend training at the same time.

Given these two constraints, it’s hardly surprising that 94% of companies say online learning is a permanent part of their training strategy.

The Advantages of In-Person Education

In my experience, in-person training is far more valuable than remote learning. It leads to higher engagement, stronger interaction, and more questions. The more I can get the learners to ask questions, the more I can get them to think.

It’s only when people start to think that education really takes place. I know I’ve hit the sweet spot when I leave the presentation and need to go to the whiteboard to drill down into a technical Snowflake topic, and that’s simply not possible online.

I find that active engagement leads to a stronger understanding and better retention, and my feedback reflects this. Because people are more engaged, I’m able to tailor the subject to the knowledge and experience of the audience. It’s also a lot easier to see when people fully understand the subject, as I can pick up visual clues from body language.

In-Person Vs. Remote Training: The Constraints

The diagram below illustrates the challenge for technical teams. While we’d love to have the benefits of in-person training, the potentially significant cost simply outweighs the benefits.

The team can get by with remote learning, and unless you’ve got very deep pockets or a huge team (and a huge budget), it’s simply not feasible to have an instructor come to you to deliver in-person training.

In-Person Snowflake Training Without the High Cost? Think about it

After an entire lifetime (nearly 40 years) in designing and building data warehouses, including five years at Snowflake UK, I’ve decided to give something back to the industry. I’ve therefore designed and constructed a Snowflake training course: Snowflake Fundamentals, Insights and Best Practices.

My objective is to educate people, not just train them to do a job that will become obsolete in a couple of years. Unlike almost every other Snowflake training course that teaches what’s in the manual, I teach what’s not in the manuals. Best Practices based upon real-world experience with over fifty massive Snowflake customers.

I’ll explain how Snowflake works under the hood, and I’ll back it up with multiple examples, case studies, and benchmarks.

While I’m happy to deliver training online and self-paced, I’m so convinced of the value of in-person training that I’m willing to come to your team, anywhere in Europe, to teach as few as just three people.

Want to know more? Drop me an email (john.ryan@Analytics.Today) or see my website at www.Analytics.Today.