Manage Snowflake Data Sources

ALTR must be connected to a Snowflake data source to enforce data access controls and advanced data protection on it. Connecting a data source requires a service user already created in Snowflake and registered with ALTR.

Key-pair authentication is the recommended authentication type for the service user — see Service User Authentication for details.

Register a Service User

Before connecting a Snowflake data source, create the service user in Snowflake (see Create a Service User), then register it with ALTR.

To register a service user:

1. Select Data Configuration > Service Users in the navigation menu.
2. Click Register Service User.
3. Enter a Display Name (can be anything), the Hostname for your Snowflake account, and the Login Name for the service user. The login name is typically the same as the Snowflake object name, though Snowflake supports a different login name if you want to use one — this is the name ALTR authenticates with. See Snowflake’s CREATE USER documentation.
4. Click Register.
5. Set authentication. For key-pair authentication, ALTR generates a key and provides the SQL you run in Snowflake to save the public key to the service user.
6. Click Finish.

Connect a Snowflake Data Source

To connect a Snowflake data source:

1. Select Data Configuration > Data Sources in the navigation menu.
2. Click Add Data Source.
3. For the Snowflake connection type, click Select.
4. Enter a Display Name to identify the data source.
5. Select the Service User you registered above.
6. Enter your Database Name exactly as it appears in Snowflake.
7. (Optional) Click Advanced Settings to set a Warehouse or Role other than the service user’s default. Contact ALTR Support before changing these.
8. Click Next.
9. Click Connect Data Source.

Note

If your database name is case-sensitive, enclose it in double quotation marks.

Next, connect tags or columns to bring the data you want to protect under ALTR — see Manage Tags or Manage Columns. Then create Access Management or Row Access policies to protect the connected tags or columns.

Check a Data Source Connection

Check a data source’s connection if you suspect an issue, such as an error or a change to the data source.

To check a data source connection:

1. Select Data Configuration > Data Sources in the navigation menu.
2. Click the data source to test.
3. Click the Connection Details tab.
4. Click Check Connection.

Remove a Snowflake Data Source

Removing a data source disconnects it from ALTR.

Note

Disconnect any connected columns before removing the data source.

To remove a data source:

1. Select Data Configuration > Data Sources in the navigation menu.
2. Select the data source to remove.
3. Click Remove Data Source. Removal can take several minutes to complete.

Force Remove a Data Source

Danger

Consult ALTR Support before force removing a data source. This action cannot be undone.

Force removing a data source clears the data source’s record from ALTR only — it does not remove anything from Snowflake itself. Artifacts such as masking policies and schema objects can remain in Snowflake after a force remove.

Use force remove if a standard remove doesn’t complete as expected. Force remove ignores any errors encountered during removal.

Note

Disconnect all columns from the data source and ensure it has no active row policies before force removing it.

To force remove a data source:

1. Select the data source to remove.
2. Click Remove Data Source.
3. Click Trouble Removing?; a confirmation modal displays.
4. Click Force Remove Data Source; a confirmation modal displays.
5. Click Yes, Force Remove Data Source.
6. Review your Snowflake account and clear any remaining objects.