Credit usage monitoring in Snowflake - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Credit usage monitoring

Start Monitoring

↓

Query Credit Usage Table

↓

Fetch Current Credit Usage

↓

Compare Usage to Threshold

Yes No↓

Alert Admin

↓

End or Continue Monitoring

The flow shows how Snowflake credit usage is monitored by querying usage data, checking thresholds, and alerting if limits are exceeded.

Execution Sample

Snowflake

SELECT WAREHOUSE_NAME, SUM(CREDITS_USED) AS TOTAL_CREDITS
FROM SNOWFLAKE.ACCOUNT_USAGE.WAREHOUSE_METERING_HISTORY
WHERE START_TIME >= DATEADD(day, -1, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP())
GROUP BY WAREHOUSE_NAME;

This query sums credits used by each warehouse in the last day to monitor credit consumption.

Process Table

Step	Action	Query/Check	Result	Next Step
1	Start Monitoring	N/A	Monitoring started	Query credit usage
2	Query Credit Usage Table	Run SELECT on WAREHOUSE_METERING_HISTORY	Returns credits used per warehouse	Fetch current usage
3	Fetch Current Credit Usage	Sum credits for last 24 hours	Warehouse A: 50, Warehouse B: 30	Compare usage to threshold
4	Compare Usage to Threshold	Is any usage > 40 credits?	Warehouse A: Yes, Warehouse B: No	Alert admin for Warehouse A
5	Alert Admin	Send alert for Warehouse A	Alert sent	Wait and repeat monitoring
6	Wait and Repeat	Pause for monitoring interval	Wait complete	Start Monitoring again
7	End Monitoring	Condition to stop monitoring met	Monitoring stopped	N/A

💡 Monitoring stops when manual stop or condition met; otherwise repeats.

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 3	After Step 4	Final
Warehouse A Credits	0	50	50	50
Warehouse B Credits	0	30	30	30
Alert Sent	No	No	Yes	Yes

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why do we sum credits used over the last 24 hours instead of total credits?

Summing credits over the last 24 hours (see execution_table step 3) helps monitor recent usage and detect spikes quickly, rather than looking at all-time totals which may hide current trends.

What happens if no warehouse exceeds the threshold?

If no warehouse exceeds the threshold (execution_table step 4 shows 'No' for Warehouse B), no alert is sent and the system waits before checking again, ensuring no false alarms.

How often should the monitoring repeat?

The monitoring repeats after a pause (step 6), which can be set based on business needs, e.g., every hour or day, to balance timely alerts and resource use.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table at step 4, which warehouse triggers an alert?

A Both Warehouse A and B

B Warehouse B

C Warehouse A

D No warehouse triggers alert

💡 Hint

Check the 'Result' column at step 4 showing usage compared to threshold.

At which step does the system send an alert to the admin?

A Step 5

B Step 2

C Step 4

D Step 6

💡 Hint

Look for the step labeled 'Alert Admin' in the execution_table.

If Warehouse B's credits increased to 45, how would the execution_table change at step 4?

A Alert would be sent only for Warehouse B

B Warehouse B would also be marked 'Yes' for exceeding threshold

C No change, only Warehouse A triggers alert

D Monitoring would stop immediately

💡 Hint

Refer to step 4 where usage is compared to threshold for each warehouse.

Concept Snapshot

Credit Usage Monitoring in Snowflake:
- Query WAREHOUSE_METERING_HISTORY for credits used
- Sum credits over recent period (e.g., last 24 hours)
- Compare usage to alert threshold
- Send alert if usage exceeds threshold
- Repeat monitoring at set intervals

Full Transcript

Credit usage monitoring in Snowflake involves running a query on the warehouse metering history to sum credits used by each warehouse over a recent time frame, such as the last 24 hours. The system then compares these sums to a predefined threshold. If any warehouse exceeds the threshold, an alert is sent to notify administrators. If not, the system waits for a set interval before repeating the monitoring process. This cycle continues until monitoring is stopped manually or by condition.