Documentation Experience Platform Source Connectors Guide

Stream data from your Snowflake database to Experience Platform using the UI

Last update: April 15, 2025

Topics:
Sources

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Developer

Learn how to use the user interface to stream data from your Snowflake database to Adobe Experience Platform by following this guide.

Get started

This tutorial requires a working understanding of the following components of Experience Platform:

Experience Data Model (XDM) System: The standardized framework by which Experience Platform organizes customer experience data.
- Basics of schema composition: Learn about the basic building blocks of XDM schemas, including key principles and best practices in schema composition.
- Schema Editor tutorial: Learn how to create custom schemas using the Schema Editor UI.
Real-Time Customer Profile: Provides a unified, real-time consumer profile based on aggregated data from multiple sources.

Authentication

Read the guide on prerequisite setup for Snowflake streaming data for information on the steps that you need to complete before you can ingest streaming data from Snowflake to Experience Platform.

Use the Snowflake Streaming source to stream Snowflake data to Experience Platform

In the Experience Platform UI, select Sources from the left navigation to access the Sources workspace. You can select the appropriate category from the catalog on the left-hand side of your screen. Alternatively, you can find the specific source you wish to work with using the search option.

Under the Databases category, select Snowflake Streaming, and then select Add data.

TIP

Sources that do not have an authenticated account in the sources catalog display the Set up option. Once an authenticated account exists, this option changes to Add data.

The sources catalog in the Experience Platform UI, with the Snowflake Streaming source card selected.

The Connect Snowflake Streaming account page appears. On this page, you can either use new or existing credentials.

To create a new account, select New account and provide a name, an optional description, and your credentials.

When finished, select Connect to source and then allow some time for the new connection to establish.

The new account creation interface of the sources workflow.

Credential	Description
Account	The name of your Snowflake account. For conventions on account names, read the Snowflake Streaming authentication guide.
Warehouse	The name of your Snowflake warehouse. Warehouses manage the execution of queries in Snowflake. Each Snowflake warehouse is independent from one another and must be accessed individually to bring data to Experience Platform.
Database	The name of your Snowflake database. The database contains the data that you want to bring to Experience Platform.
Schema	(Optional) The database schema associated with your Snowflake account.
Username	The username of your Snowflake account.
Password	The password to your Snowflake account.
Role	(Optional) A custom-defined role that can be provided to a user, for a given connection. If unprovided, this value defaults to `public`.

For more information on account creation, read the section on configuring role settings in the Snowflake Streaming overview.

To use an existing account, select Existing account and then select the desired account from the existing account catalog.

Select Next to proceed.

The existing account selection page of the sources catalog.

Select data

IMPORTANT

A timestamp column must exist in your source table in order for a streaming dataflow to be created. The timestamp is required for Experience Platform to know when data will be ingested and when incremental data will be streamed. You can retroactively add a timestamp column for an existing connection and create a new dataflow.
Ensure that the case of the data fields in your sample source data file is in accordance with Snowflake’s guidance on case resolution for identifiers. Read the Snowflake document on identifier casing for more information.

The Select data step appears. In this step, you must select the data you want to import into Experience Platform, configure timestamps and timezones, and provide a sample source data file for the ingestion of raw data.

Use the database directory on the left of your screen and select the table that you want to import to Experience Platform.

The select data interface with a database table selected.

Next, select the timestamp column type of your table. You can select between two types of timestamp columns: TIMESTAMP_NTZ or TIMESTAMP_LTZ. If you select a column type of TIMESTAMP_NTZ, then you must also provide a timezone. Your columns should have a not null constraint. For more information, read the section on limitations and frequently asked questions.

You can also configure backfill settings during this step. Backfill determines what data is initially ingested. If backfill is enabled, all current files in the specified path will be ingested during the first scheduled ingestion. If not, then only the files that are loaded in between the first run of ingestion and the start time will be ingested. Files loaded prior to the start time will not be ingested.

Select the Backfill toggle to enable backfill.

The timestamp, timezone, and backfill configuration steps.

Finally, select Choose file to upload a sample source data to help create the mapping set, which will be used in a later step to map your original data to Experience Data Model (XDM).

When finished, select Next to proceed.

The preview of the source sample data.

Provide dataset and dataflow details

Next, you must provide information on your dataset and your dataflow.

Dataset details

A dataset is a storage and management construct for a collection of data, typically a table, that contains a schema (columns) and fields (rows). Data that is successfully ingested into Experience Platform is persisted within the data lake as datasets. During this step, you can create a new dataset or use an existing dataset.

To use a new dataset, select New dataset, then provide a name, and an optional description for your dataset. You must also select an Experience Data Model (XDM) schema that your dataset adheres to.

The new dataset selection interface.

New dataset details	Description
Output dataset name	The name of your new dataset.
Description	(Optional) A brief overview of the new dataset.
Schema	A dropdown list of schemas that exist in your organization. You can also create your own schema prior to the source configuration process. For more information, read the guide on creating an XDM schema in the UI.

If you already have an existing dataset, select Existing dataset and then use the Advanced search option to view a window of all datasets in your organization, including their respective details, such as whether they are enabled for ingestion into Real-Time Customer Profile.

The existing dataset selection interface.

Select for steps to enable Profile ingestion, error diagnostics, and partial ingestion.

If your dataset is enabled for Real-Time Customer Profile, then during this step, you can toggle Profile dataset to enable your data for Profile-ingestion. You can also use this step to enable Error diagnostics and Partial ingestion.

Error diagnostics: Select Error diagnostics to instruct the source to produce error diagnostics that you can later reference when monitoring your dataset activity and dataflow status.
Partial ingestion: Partial batch ingestion is the ability to ingest data containing errors, up to a certain configurable threshold. This feature allows you to successfully ingest all of your accurate data into Experience Platform, while all of your incorrect data is batched separately with information on why it is invalid.

Dataflow details

Once your dataset is configured, you must then provide details on your dataflow, including a name, an optional description, and alert configurations.

The dataflow details configuration step.

Dataflow configurations

Description

Dataflow name

The name of the dataflow. By default, this will use the name of the file that is being imported.

Description

(Optional) A brief description of your dataflow.

Alerts

Experience Platform can produce event-based alerts that users can subscribe to. These options require a running dataflow to trigger them. For more information, read the alerts overview

Sources Dataflow Run Start: Select this alert to receive a notification when your dataflow run begins.
Sources Dataflow Run Success: Select this alert to receive a notification if your dataflow ends without any errors.
Sources Dataflow Run Failure: Select this alert to receive a notification if your dataflow run ends with any errors.

When finished, select Next to proceed.

Map fields to an XDM schema

The Mapping step appears. Use the mapping interface to map your source data to the appropriate schema fields before ingesting that data into Experience Platform, then select Next. For an extensive guide on how to use the mapping interface, read the Data Prep UI guide for more information.

The mapping interface of the sources workflow.

Review your dataflow

The final step in the dataflow creation process is to review your dataflow before executing it. Use the Review step to review the details of your new dataflow before it runs. Details are grouped in the following categories:

Connection: Shows the source type, the relevant path of the chosen source file, and the number of columns within that source file.
Assign dataset & map fields: Shows which dataset the source data is being ingested into, including the schema that the dataset adheres to.

Once you have reviewed your dataflow, select Finish and allow some time for the dataflow to be created.

The Review step of the sources workflow.

Next steps

By following this tutorial, you have successfully created a streaming dataflow for Snowflake data. For additional resources, read the documentation below.

Monitor your dataflow

Once your dataflow has been created, you can monitor the data that is being ingested through it to view information on ingestion rates, success, and errors. For more information on how to monitor streaming dataflows, visit the tutorial on monitoring streaming dataflows in the UI.

Update your dataflow

To update configurations for your dataflows scheduling, mapping, and general information, visit the tutorial on updating sources dataflows in the UI.

Delete your dataflow

You can delete dataflows that are no longer necessary or were incorrectly created using the Delete function available in the Dataflows workspace. For more information on how to delete dataflows, visit the tutorial on deleting dataflows in the UI.

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