How to Get the Most from Snowflake: 10 Tips and Tricks

Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, this blog will make it much easier for you to work in Snowflake’s Data Cloud. Before starting this guide, make sure that you’re familiar with the Snowflake UI and the names of its components. The below graphic highlights the key ones to know:

1. Find database objects easily

The search bar has built-in functionality that can help you filter down to your desired database and schema, which is a fantastic feature when looking for tables. Whenever you type the database into the search bar, press Tab instead of Enter. This will lock the database into the search, and you can easily search for the table you need. Moreover, the schema can also be locked in by repeating the schema name and pressing Tab again. To undo, just hover over the locked-in object, and a cross will appear. Click on it to remove the item.

2. Preview data in table

After the table has been found, you can have a quick glimpse of the contents by right-clicking it and selecting Preview Data. This will display 100 rows of data from that table. Once the  preview appears, you can also see the structure of the data in the Result pane by pressing the detail button.

3. Speed up your query writing

This is a great trick to save yourself time when writing out longer queries. Right-click on the database or schema you want to use. Now, click on Set as Context and all queries on your selected worksheet will use that selection for any query you write. If you know the exact table you want to use, you can right-click and select Place Name in SQL to save your having to write the table out in its entirety!

4. Use highlighting to know which SQL query you are about to run

If you have many SQL statements on the same worksheet, you can use code highlighting as a quick visual reference, especially when there are multiple queries to show. Press CTRL+SHIFT+K to quickly highlight all code in the query where the cursor is currently located. This lets you check that you’re only running what you want to run. You can turn off the highlight by pressing that key combo a second time.

5. Easily find and replace unwanted words or characters:

Most people are familiar with the Find function: [CTRL]+[F] (or [CMD]+[F] on Mac), but the Find and Replace feature is much more powerful. Hold down the [CMD]+[OPT]+[F] (Mac) or [SHIFT]+[CTRL]+[F] (Windows) keys. A Replace field is displayed. The above will replace strings one at a time. To replace all instances of a text string, hold down the [CMD]+[OPT]+[SHIFT]+[F] (Mac) or [SHIFT]+[CTRL]+[SHIFT]+[F] (Windows) keys.

6. Commenting code the easy way

This can be a good tip for you If you don’t want to comment out multiple lines of code one by one. Highlight the code you want to comment out and then press [CTRL]+ [/] to do it automatically. Use the same combo again to uncomment the code.

7. Updating multiple lines of code

Sometimes you may need to update multiple lines of code simultaneously. Take your cursor to the point on the first line of code you want to update, left-click and press and hold the [ALT] key, then drag your cursor down to the last line you want to update. A flashing black line will appear to the left of your lines of code as you do this. Now any changes will be applied to where you specified.

8. Moving and copying code

If you want to move a piece of code, simply highlight the code, press [ALT] and drag it to where you want the code to be pasted. If you’d rather copy the code, making a duplicate and leaving the original in place, press [CTRL] instead before dragging to the new code’s location..

9. Monitoring query history

If you’re a beginner, you should always keep the History tab open so you can keep an eye on your query performance and record selections. This can help you ensure the numbers are where they should be after every execution.

10. Easily sift through results with filters

When you first look at a big table, you may suddenly realise that you’re getting back more columns than you need, and you may need to filter to get the records you want. You can use two functions on the Results pane to make your selections quickly.
  • Use the Filter Result box in the Results pane to find specific data quickly. You don’t even have to stipulate the field it comes from.
  • You can also select only the desired fields just by clicking on the Columns button and making your selections there.
Remember that when you run your next query, any filters you’ve applied to the Results pane are reset. Learn how Atrium can help you get the most value out of Snowflake.
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