The Data Cloud: Getting Started
The Snowflake Data Cloud is a global network connecting you to the most relevant content, powered by a single platform.
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OVERVIEW
The Data Cloud is a secure, scalable and feature-rich platform that delivers new opportunities for organizations to prepare, analyze, enrich, develop and collaborate on their data.
A single platform for data storage, integration, advanced analytics, app development and AI and machine learning (ML) innovation, the Data Cloud is a global network joining data and workloads across multiple clouds and regions. Here’s how your organization can get started with the Data Cloud — for free.
Customer Account Creation
Creating a customer account provides immediate access to the Data Cloud. Organizations new to the Data Cloud can get started with a free, 30-day trial.
To begin, select your preferred region, usually based on where your data is stored, as well as your favorite cloud platform. Snowflake regions are divided into three global geographic segments: North/South America, Europe/Middle East and Asia Pacific. Snowflake-supported cloud platforms include Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure.
When additional Snowflake accounts are created, Snowflake automatically joins them together, allowing you to replicate data between accounts, enable secure collaboration across geographic regions, and create a global network that connects business-critical data and applications.
Data Loading
Loading data into Snowflake makes it available for analysis and sharing.
The Data Cloud supports a wide range of data formats, including structured, semi-structured and unstructured data. Business data can be loaded from one of the three cloud storage services mentioned above or brought in from an on-premises data store such as a SQL server.
The bulk loading option can be used to bring in large batches of data from files already available in cloud storage or by copying data files from a local machine. For more time-sensitive use cases, continuous data loading via Snowpipe makes data available for analysis, reporting and integration with other business systems soon after it has been created.
Security and Governance
Organizations that handle sensitive data have an obligation to ensure that data remains secure, usable and trusted.
Designating ownership of data security and governance tasks is essential to ensure data remains fit for purpose, secure and compliant with regulatory standards. Snowflake provides a suite of industry-leading features that ensure the highest levels of security and governance.
These include security controls such as dynamic data masking and end-to-end encryption for data in transit and at rest, and data governance features such as fine-grained access controls, data classification for categorizing sensitive data, and the ability to audit access histories to support compliance and privacy regulations.
Data Sharing and Collaboration
Data-driven organizations collaborate on shared data resources, using them to make more-informed decisions. Deciding how and with whom to share data resources are important parts of building a culture of data sharing and collaboration.
Snowflake eliminates the roadblocks that prevent the free exchange of information, making it possible to connect your business ecosystems across regions and clouds without the risks and costs of traditional ETL and data pipelines. With direct access to live, ready-to-query data across clouds and regions, businesses can realize the full potential of their data assets.
Workloads
With all data residing on a single platform, you can bring all of your workloads directly to your data, enhancing AI and ML projects, application development, cybersecurity solutions and more. The Data Cloud makes data silos a thing of the past, allowing your teams to work more efficiently and uncover valuable insights that are impossible to see when data is spread across disparate systems.
Growth Across Clouds and Regions
Snowflake keeps organizations and their data connected, bringing data and workloads together across borders.
Snowflake’s unique architecture allows you the flexibility to choose where your data is geographically stored and where compute resources are provisioned. With the ability to expand organically from your original Snowflake account, you can organically expand your global footprint while remaining compliant with data residency constraints.
Marketplace
Snowflake Marketplace provides opportunities to discover, evaluate and purchase data, data services and applications. Live, ready-to-query data sets offer opportunities to enrich your own data with third-party data.
The Snowflake Marketplace also provides opportunities to monetize your own data assets, giving you a secure platform to sell data and data services to other Snowflake customers if you choose.
Get Started Today Tap Into the Power of the Snowflake Data Cloud
Data-driven growth begins with Snowflake. Break down data silos, securely collaborate over content, and incorporate external data for deeper, data-driven insights.