Snowflake editions and pricing - Commands & Configuration

Introduction

Snowflake offers different editions to fit various business needs and budgets. Each edition provides a set of features and pricing options to help you choose what works best for your data and workload.

When you want to start with a basic data warehouse and pay only for what you use.

When you need advanced security features for sensitive data.

When your business requires high availability and disaster recovery.

When you want to share data easily with other Snowflake users.

When you need support for large-scale data processing and performance optimization.

Commands

This command lists the available Snowflake editions and their key features.

Terminal

SHOW EDITIONS;

Expected Output

name       | description

Standard   | Basic edition with core features

Enterprise | Adds advanced security and compliance

Business Critical | Includes data sharing and performance features

Virtual Private Snowflake | Dedicated infrastructure for high security

This command shows the current Snowflake account name to confirm which account you are using.

Terminal

SELECT CURRENT_ACCOUNT();

Expected Output

CURRENT_ACCOUNT()

myaccount123

This command returns the edition of Snowflake your account is currently using.

Terminal

SELECT SYSTEM$GET_EDITION();

Expected Output

SYSTEM$GET_EDITION()

Enterprise

This command shows recent credit usage for a specific warehouse to help understand pricing based on usage.

Terminal

SELECT WAREHOUSE_SIZE, CREDITS_USED FROM SNOWFLAKE.ACCOUNT_USAGE.WAREHOUSE_METERING_HISTORY WHERE WAREHOUSE_NAME = 'COMPUTE_WH' ORDER BY START_TIME DESC LIMIT 5;

Expected Output

WAREHOUSE_SIZE | CREDITS_USED

X-Small       | 0.5

Small         | 1.0

X-Small       | 0.4

Small         | 1.1

Medium        | 2.0

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else, remember: Snowflake editions differ by features and pricing, so choose the edition that fits your data needs and budget.

Common Mistakes

Assuming all Snowflake accounts have the same features regardless of edition.

Different editions unlock different features and security options, so using the wrong edition can limit your capabilities.

Check your account's edition with SYSTEM$GET_EDITION() and review the features before planning your data strategy.

Ignoring credit usage and costs when running warehouses.

Snowflake charges based on compute credits used, so running large warehouses without monitoring can lead to unexpected bills.

Regularly check warehouse credit usage with ACCOUNT_USAGE views to manage costs effectively.

Summary

Use SHOW EDITIONS to see available Snowflake editions and their features.

Use SYSTEM$GET_EDITION() to find out which edition your account uses.

Monitor warehouse credit usage to understand pricing and control costs.