--- title: "Setup guide" slug: "snowflake-setup-guide" updated: 2026-03-11T01:18:52Z published: 2026-03-11T01:18:52Z canonical: "bobsled.com/snowflake-setup-guide" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://bobsled.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Setup guide This article will describe the steps for a Provider to configure Bobsled access to a **Snowflake** to be used as a **source** in **Bobsled**. --- ## Prerequisites - To configure Bobsled access to your source, access to the `ACCOUNTADMIN` role is required. --- ## Setup instructions ### Step 1: Grant access to your Snowflake account Bobsled supports two modes of Snowflake source setup: - **Standard setup** and, - **Advanced setup**. In the Bobsled app: 1. Navigate to **Data sources** 2. Select **Snowflake**, the **cloud,** and the **region** of your Snowflake account. Click **Continue** to move to the next step 3. Choose your setup mode: **Standard** or **Advanced,** and follow the steps on the screen to run the associated script or adapt to your needs. #### Option 1: Standard setup ![](https://cdn.document360.io/87a415ff-4d6a-4c0c-adbb-26c563a2d9a8/Images/Documentation/snw1.png) This is the easiest way to set up a Snowflake Source. This requires running a script to grant the correct access to your Snowflake account. The script does the following: - Creates a **user** - Creates a **role** for that **user** to use - **Grants** the **role** the ability to: - Create integrations - Create warehouses - Creates a **security integration** for **authentication** assigned to the role - Creates a **database for Bobsled** to use - Creates a stored procedure to be used for granting proper access to the databases that Bobsled needs to access (Bobsled can access multiple databases within one source). When using the stored procedure, the user needs to enter the databases that Bobsled should have access to. The stored procedure does the following: - Grants the role usage to **all current and future schemas** and selects all current and future tables and views - **Turns change tracking on** for all tables and views in those databases. Bobsled uses change tracking for efficient extracts. #### Option 2: Advanced setup Advanced setup can be chosen by a Snowflake account admin who wants more control over Bobsled's access and footprint within their Snowflake account. Instead of granting Bobsled the ability to create the required infrastructure, all infrastructure can be created, and then access granted to Bobsled. Bobsled **provides a script**—accessible via the source setup page—, available in **SQL** or **Terraform**, to run for setting up the required Bobsled infrastructure or adapting per your needs. The terraform script is generated specifically to your Bobsled deployment and the specific source setup. 1. Select **advanced setup**, 2. Use Bobsled default values, or adapt and replace them to your needs. 3. **Run** the script. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/87a415ff-4d6a-4c0c-adbb-26c563a2d9a8/Images/Documentation/sn2.png) --- ### Step 2: Finish Bobsled configuration Depending on the route chosen to set up Bobsled access, you need to finish configuring the source in the Bobsled App after running the relevant scripts. #### Option 1: For standard setup After you’ve run the script: ![](https://cdn.document360.io/87a415ff-4d6a-4c0c-adbb-26c563a2d9a8/Images/Documentation/sn3.png) 1. Provide your `Snowflake Organization name`, `Account name` (as `org_name.account_name`) and `Account locator`. All values must be entered **UPPERCASE**. - Easily obtain these values in Snowflake with the following script: `SELECT CURRENT_ORGANIZATION_NAME() || '.' || CURRENT_ACCOUNT_NAME() as "ORG.ACCOUNT",  CURRENT_ACCOUNT() as LOCATOR;` - Learn how to access these [account identifiers ↗](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/admin-account-identifier) 2. Choose your **Scale Snowflake Warehouse Source Computing** sizes for Incremental Loading and Backfill loading. Note that in the standard setup, Bobsled sets these values by default. Learn more about the [scaling strategy](/v2/docs/snowflake-setup-guide#warehouse-compute-scaling) for your use case. 3. Once you’ve entered all the information, click **Save.** #### Option 2: For advanced setup After you’ve run the script: ![](https://cdn.document360.io/87a415ff-4d6a-4c0c-adbb-26c563a2d9a8/Images/Documentation/sn4.png) 1. Provide your: - `Snowflake Organization name`, `Account name` (as `org_name.account_name`) and `Account locator`. Learn more on how to access these [account identifiers ↗](https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/admin-account-identifier) 2. Enter the integration details, running the **SQL** command to fetch the details for the following: - `Snowflake storage integration IAM User Role` - `Snowflake storage integration AWS External ID` - And confirm the following: - `Snowflake storage integration AWS Role ARN` - `Snowflake storage allowed locations` 3. Once you’ve entered all the information, click **Save.** --- Once you’ve successfully configured your Source, you can add it to a [Share](https://docs.bobsled.co/docs/configure-share) or start syncing [Sledhouse Tables](/v2/docs/create-and-manage-sledhouse-tables) and defining [Data Products](/v2/docs/create-and-manage-data-products). --- ## Warehouse compute scaling ### Scaling Strategy Bobsled aims to complete data unloads within 30 minutes. This is because Snowflake can scale unloads linearly, allowing us to provide data to our customers quickly and facilitating fast feedback loops for delivery teams. Snowflake's performance allows it to unload 100 GB on an XS (one compute node) in approximately 10 minutes. This linear scalability results in the following performance metrics: - **10 GB**: Approximately **1 minute** on **XS** - **100 GB**: Approximately **10 minutes** on **XS** - **500 GB**: Approximately **10 minutes** on **Medium** - **1 TB**: Approximately 1**5 minutes** on **Large** - **8 TB:** Approximately **30 minutes** on **2XLarge** ### Configuration Options Bobsled offers support for both a backfill-focused warehouse and an incremental warehouse. This configuration enables small incremental syncs on a small warehouse while using a large warehouse for substantial initial loads and backfills. For clients utilizing the standard setup, Bobsled will create the necessary warehouses in your Snowflake account. Collaborate with your account team to ensure the warehouses are appropriately sized. For clients using the advanced setup, you are required to create two warehouses for Bobsled to utilize. Provide the names of each warehouse and their respective roles to your account team for correct account configuration. In the advanced setup, warehouses should be configured with multi-clustering enabled, standard scaling mode, and allow up to 10 clusters. This configuration allows unloads to scale out as the number of tables unloaded increases. --- ## Secure Views When using secure views as a source, bobsled monitors the `LAST_DDL` timestamp from the `INFORMATION_SCHEMA` to determine when a view has been restated. When Bobsled determines a change to a View’s `LAST_DDL`, Bobsled will mark the table for backfill on the next transfer.