Environment:TobikoData Sqlmesh Snowflake Connection

Knowledge Sources	TobikoData/sqlmesh
Domains	Snowflake, Data Warehouse, Cloud
Last Updated	2026-02-07 21:00 GMT

Overview

Snowflake engine adapter connection environment enabling SQLMesh to execute transformations on Snowflake data warehouse.

Description

The Snowflake connection environment provides SQLMesh integration with Snowflake's cloud data platform. It includes the official Snowflake connector with pandas integration and secure local storage capabilities, plus Snowpark Python for advanced DataFrame operations. The adapter manages Snowflake-specific features including catalog management with SQLMESH_MANAGED comment tags and Iceberg table support.

Usage

This environment is required when using Snowflake as the execution engine for SQLMesh models, for state synchronization stored in Snowflake, or when running engine-specific tests against Snowflake. Configure connection details through SnowflakeConnectionConfig or environment variables.

System Requirements

Category	Requirement	Notes
Network	Access to Snowflake account	HTTPS connectivity required
Authentication	Valid Snowflake credentials	User/password or key-based auth
Snowflake Account	Active account with warehouse	Warehouse must be running
Database	Existing database	Must have CREATE SCHEMA permissions

Dependencies

System Packages

OpenSSL libraries (for cryptography package)
System CA certificates

Python Packages

cryptography<46.0.0 - Cryptographic operations for secure connections
snowflake-connector-python[pandas,secure-local-storage] - Official Snowflake connector with pandas and secure storage
snowflake-snowpark-python - Snowpark DataFrame API

Credentials

Required environment variables for Snowflake connection:

SNOWFLAKE_ACCOUNT - Snowflake account identifier (e.g., xy12345.us-east-1)
SNOWFLAKE_WAREHOUSE - Warehouse name for query execution
SNOWFLAKE_DATABASE - Database name for SQLMesh operations
SNOWFLAKE_USER - Username for authentication
SNOWFLAKE_PASSWORD - Password for authentication

Optional configuration:

SNOWFLAKE_ROLE - Role to assume after connection
SNOWFLAKE_SCHEMA - Default schema name
SNOWFLAKE_AUTHENTICATOR - Authentication method (default: snowflake)

Quick Install

# Install SQLMesh with Snowflake support
pip install "sqlmesh[snowflake]"

# Set environment variables
export SNOWFLAKE_ACCOUNT="your_account"
export SNOWFLAKE_WAREHOUSE="your_warehouse"
export SNOWFLAKE_DATABASE="your_database"
export SNOWFLAKE_USER="your_user"
export SNOWFLAKE_PASSWORD="your_password"

# Or configure in config.yaml
cat > config.yaml << EOF
gateways:
  snowflake:
    connection:
      type: snowflake
      account: your_account
      warehouse: your_warehouse
      database: your_database
      user: your_user
      password: your_password
EOF

Code Evidence

# File: pyproject.toml:122-126
snowflake = [
    "cryptography<46.0.0",
    "snowflake-connector-python[pandas,secure-local-storage]",
    "snowflake-snowpark-python",
]

# File: sqlmesh/core/engine_adapter/snowflake.py:161
# Snowflake adapter manages catalogs with SQLMESH_MANAGED comment tag
def _create_catalog_if_not_exists(
    self,
    catalog_name: str,
    properties: t.Dict[str, exp.Expression] = None,
) -> None:
    """Creates a catalog (database) if it doesn't exist with SQLMESH_MANAGED tag."""
    properties = properties or {}
    properties[exp.Properties.COMMENT] = exp.Literal.string("SQLMESH_MANAGED")
    # ... implementation

# File: sqlmesh/core/config/connection.py (SnowflakeConnectionConfig class)
class SnowflakeConnectionConfig(ConnectionConfig):
    """Configuration for Snowflake connections."""
    account: str
    warehouse: str
    database: str
    user: str
    password: t.Optional[str] = None
    role: t.Optional[str] = None
    authenticator: t.Optional[str] = None
    # ... additional fields

Common Errors

Error Message	Cause	Solution
250001: Could not connect to Snowflake backend	Invalid account identifier or network issue	Verify SNOWFLAKE_ACCOUNT format (include region if needed)
390114: Authentication token expired	Session expired or invalid credentials	Re-authenticate with fresh credentials
002003: Database does not exist	Target database not found	Create database or verify SNOWFLAKE_DATABASE value
090105: Cannot perform CREATE SCHEMA	Insufficient permissions	Grant CREATE SCHEMA privilege to user/role
cryptography version conflict	cryptography >= 46.0.0 installed	Pin to cryptography<46.0.0

Compatibility Notes

Cryptography package must be < 46.0.0 due to breaking changes
Supports both Snowflake native tables and Iceberg tables
SQLMESH_MANAGED comment tag used to identify SQLMesh-created catalogs
Warehouse must be active during operations (costs apply)
Multi-cluster warehouses supported for parallel execution
Supports Snowflake's TRANSIENT tables for temporary data
Role-based access control (RBAC) fully supported
Key-pair authentication supported as alternative to password

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