Snowflake Masters

Introduction:

Snowflake, a modern cloud data platform, solves this problem with its powerful data sharing feature. It allows organizations to share live, governed, and ready-to-use data instantly without copying or moving it.

What is Data Sharing in Snowflake?

Data sharing in Snowflake is the process of providing secure and controlled access to datasets stored in Snowflake with other Snowflake accounts (or reader accounts) without physically moving or duplicating the data.

Instead of creating multiple copies, Snowflake uses its unique architecture to let consumers directly access shared data. This approach is often referred to as zero-copy data sharing, meaning the data remains in one place but can be viewed and queried by many.

Key Highlights:

• No need to transfer or duplicate data

• Real-time and live data access

• Full security and governance controls

• Works across regions and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Types of Data Sharing in Snowflake

Snowflake provides multiple methods of sharing depending on the use case.

1. Direct Data Sharing

• One Snowflake account shares data with another Snowflake account.

• Consumers can immediately query the shared data.

2. Reader Accounts

• Used when the consumer does not have a Snowflake account.

• The provider creates a managed reader account where consumers can securely access shared data.

3. Snowflake Data Marketplace

• A global platform within Snowflake where providers can publish datasets.

• Consumers across industries can discover and use live data sets, often for analytics or AI models.

4. Cross-Region and Cross-Cloud Data Sharing

• Snowflake enables sharing across different cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) and geographic regions.

• Ensures global collaboration without data movement.

Benefits of Data Sharing in Snowflake

Snowflake’s data sharing capabilities provide multiple advantages for both technical teams and business leaders:

1. Zero-Copy Architecture – Data stays in one place, ensuring consistency and eliminating duplication costs.

2. Real-Time Access – Consumers always access the most updated version of the data.

3. Secure Collaboration – Fine-grained access controls, role-based security, and governance.

4. Cross-Cloud and Cross-Region – Enables true global data collaboration.

5. Cost Efficiency – Since data is not copied, storage costs are reduced significantly.

6. Faster Decision-Making – Data consumers (partners, clients, departments) can run analytics instantly without waiting for manual transfers.

Step-by-Step Guide to Data Sharing in Snowflake

Here’s a simplified guide to set up data sharing in Snowflake:

Step 1: Create a Share

CREATE SHARE sales_data_share;

This creates a share object that will hold the datasets you want to share.

Step 2: Add Objects (Databases, Schemas, Tables)

GRANT USAGE ON DATABASE sales_db TO SHARE sales_data_share;
GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA sales_db.public TO SHARE sales_data_share;

This step grants permissions for specific objects.

Step 3: Add Consumer Accounts

ALTER SHARE sales_data_share ADD ACCOUNT = 'consumer_account_id';

Here, you provide access to another Snowflake account.

Step 4: Consumer Access

The consumer then creates a database from the share:

CREATE DATABASE shared_sales_db FROM SHARE provider_account.sales_data_share;

Now, consumers can query data in real time without data copies.

Best Practices for Data Sharing in Snowflake

To ensure security, performance, and governance, follow these best practices:

1. Always Use Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Grant access only to necessary objects.

2. Limit Data Exposure: Share only required tables or views, not entire databases.

3. Use Secure Views: Mask sensitive columns before sharing.

4. Monitor Usage: Track shared data usage through Snowflake’s ACCOUNT_USAGE views.

5. Test Cross-Cloud Sharing: Validate performance and latency before enterprise rollouts.

6. Apply Data Governance Policies: Ensure compliance with regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.).

Use Cases of Data Sharing in Snowflake

Data sharing in Snowflake is widely used across industries. Some examples include:

• Retail: Sharing real-time sales data with suppliers for inventory optimization.

• Finance: Securely collaborating with partners on fraud detection models.

• Healthcare: Exchanging anonymized patient data for research and analytics.

• Marketing: Sharing campaign performance data with agencies in real-time.

• Technology: Distributing open datasets through the Snowflake Marketplace.

FAQs about Data Sharing in Snowflake

1. What is Snowflake data sharing and why is it important?

It allows organizations to share live, governed, and secure data instantly without duplication. It reduces costs, improves efficiency, and enables real-time collaboration.

2. Can you share data with someone who doesn’t have a Snowflake account?

Yes. Snowflake supports reader accounts, which allow non-Snowflake users to access shared data securely.

3. Does Snowflake support cross-cloud and cross-region sharing?

Yes. You can share data across AWS, Azure, and GCP, and across global regions, without moving or copying it.

4. How secure is data sharing in Snowflake?

Very secure. It uses role-based access control, encryption, and governance policies to ensure only authorized users access the data.

5. What are the limitations of Snowflake data sharing?

• Consumers cannot modify shared data (read-only access).

• Data sharing requires Snowflake accounts or reader accounts.

• Performance depends on consumer’s compute resources.

6. What is Snowflake data sharing concept?

The Snowflake data sharing concept is the ability to provide real-time, secure, and controlled access to data stored in Snowflake without copying or moving it.

Instead of creating duplicate datasets, Snowflake uses a zero-copy architecture, which means the provider shares live data directly, and consumers can query it instantly.

This approach makes data sharing faster, cost-efficient, and more reliable compared to traditional methods like exporting files or building APIs.

7. What are the three types of data sharing?

Snowflake supports several data sharing methods, but the three primary types are:

1. Direct Data Sharing – Sharing data directly between Snowflake accounts.

2. Reader Accounts – For consumers who don’t have a Snowflake account; providers can create a managed reader account.

3. Snowflake Data Marketplace – A global exchange where providers publish datasets for others to access.

👉 Additionally, Snowflake also supports cross-cloud and cross-region sharing, which allows data sharing across AWS, Azure, and GCP.

9. How do I share the data in Snowflake?

To share data in Snowflake, follow these steps:

1. Create a Share object in your Snowflake account:

    CREATE SHARE sales_data_share;
   

2. Grant Permissions to the objects you want to share (tables, views, schemas):

    GRANT USAGE ON DATABASE sales_db TO SHARE sales_data_share;
    GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA sales_db.public TO SHARE sales_data_share;
   

3. Add Consumer Account that will access the shared data:

    ALTER SHARE sales_data_share ADD ACCOUNT = 'consumer_account_id';
   

4. Consumer Creates a Database from Share:

    CREATE DATABASE shared_sales_db FROM SHARE provider_account.sales_data_share;
   

Now the consumer can query shared data securely in real time.

10. What is the difference between data sharing and data replication in Snowflake?

The key difference lies in how data is accessed and stored:

• Data Sharing

  • Provides read-only, live access to existing data without duplication.

  • Consumers query the same data as the provider (zero-copy).

  • Best for collaboration, analytics, and real-time insights.

• Data Replication

  • Creates a physical copy of the data in another region or cloud provider.

  • Ensures data availability for disaster recovery, failover, or compliance needs.

  • Best for business continuity and backup.

👉 In short: Data sharing = live access; Data replication = duplicate copy for redundancy.

Conclusion

Data sharing in Snowflake is a game-changer for organizations looking to collaborate securely and efficiently.

With its zero-copy architecture, real-time access, cross-cloud capability, and marketplace ecosystem, Snowflake has transformed how companies exchange and consume data.

By following best practices and leveraging Snowflake’s built-in security, businesses can confidently share data with partners, customers, and teams accelerating insights and innovation in 2025 and beyond.