Reader accounts for non-Snowflake users - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Reader accounts for non-Snowflake users

Create Reader Account

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Grant Access to Data

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Share Data with Reader Account

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Non-Snowflake User Connects

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Access Shared Data

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Use Data Without Full Snowflake Account

This flow shows how a reader account is created and shared with non-Snowflake users so they can access data without needing a full Snowflake account.

Execution Sample

Snowflake

CREATE READER ACCOUNT reader_acc;
CREATE SHARE my_share;
GRANT USAGE ON DATABASE shared_db TO SHARE my_share;
GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA shared_db.public TO SHARE my_share;
ALTER READER ACCOUNT reader_acc ADD SHARE my_share;

This code creates a reader account, creates a share, grants usage on the database to the share, grants select permissions on tables, and links the share to the reader account.

Process Table

Step	Action	Result	Notes
1	CREATE READER ACCOUNT reader_acc	Reader account 'reader_acc' created	Reader account is a special Snowflake account for external users
2	CREATE SHARE my_share	Share 'my_share' created	Share is container for data to share
3	GRANT USAGE ON DATABASE shared_db TO SHARE my_share	my_share can use shared_db	Allows access to database objects
4	GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA shared_db.public TO SHARE my_share	Select granted on all tables	Allows read access to tables
5	ALTER READER ACCOUNT reader_acc ADD SHARE my_share	my_share linked to reader_acc	Reader account can now access shared data
6	Non-Snowflake user connects using reader_acc	User accesses shared data	No full Snowflake account needed
7	User queries data	Data returned	Read-only access confirmed
8	End	Process complete	Reader account enables external data access

💡 Reader account setup complete; non-Snowflake users can now access shared data read-only

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 5	Final
reader_acc	None	Created	Created	Created	Linked to share	Active with share access
my_share	None	None	Created	Database added	Linked to reader_acc	Active and shared
shared_db	Exists	Exists	Exists	Added to share	Added to share	Shared with reader_acc

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does the reader account not need a full Snowflake license?

Because the reader account is a special account type that only allows read-only access to shared data, it does not require a full Snowflake user license. This is shown in execution_table rows 1 and 6.

How does the reader account get access to the data?

The share is granted usage on the database and the reader account is linked to the share. This is shown in execution_table rows 3 and 5.

Can the reader account modify the data it accesses?

No, the reader account only has SELECT permissions on the shared tables, so it can only read data, not modify it. This is shown in execution_table row 4.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, at which step is the share linked to the reader account?

A Step 5

B Step 3

C Step 2

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Check the 'Action' column for 'ALTER READER ACCOUNT' in the execution_table.

According to variable_tracker, what is the state of 'reader_acc' after Step 2?

A Linked to share

B Only created

C Created and granted DB usage

D Inactive

💡 Hint

Look at the 'reader_acc' row and the 'After Step 2' column in variable_tracker.

If SELECT permission was not granted on the tables, what would happen when the non-Snowflake user queries data?

A User would get read-only access anyway

B User could modify data

C User would get an error due to lack of permissions

D User would create a new share

💡 Hint

Refer to execution_table row 4 about granting SELECT permissions.

Concept Snapshot

Reader accounts let non-Snowflake users access shared data without full accounts.
Create a reader account.
Create a share, grant USAGE on database and SELECT on tables to the share.
Link the share to the reader account.
Users connect via reader account for read-only access.

Full Transcript

This visual execution trace shows how to set up a Snowflake reader account for non-Snowflake users. First, a reader account is created. Then, a share is created. Usage on the database is granted to the share. SELECT permissions are granted on all tables in the schema to the share. The share is then linked to the reader account. Non-Snowflake users connect using this reader account and can query the shared data with read-only access. The variable tracker shows the state changes of the reader account, share, and database through these steps. Key moments clarify why reader accounts do not need full licenses, how access is granted, and that data modification is not allowed. The quiz questions test understanding of the linking step, variable states, and permission effects.