Four Snowflake DevOps Tools for Database Change Management (With Sample Flows)

Where to start with Snowflake data platform management

Picture this: you’ve just started using Snowflake.You’re excited about its potential. But soon you find yourself buried in a messof SQL scripts. Every time you think you’ve got it under control, another issue pops up. You’re feeling the growing pains of managing your Snowflake envionments, and you’re looking for a better way of doing things. Sound about right?
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Managing your Snowflake environment efficiently is crucial for data governance, scalability, and smooth workflows. Here, we’ll explore the best Snowflake DevOps tools available to streamline your change management process and to put some governance around your data platform.
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All the tools we’ll discuss are free to use and highly recommended for both Snowflake beginners and advanced users seeking improved Snowflake data management solutions. We’ll explore each of these tools in greater depth in our upcoming series, so stay tuned.

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Snowflake platform management tools we’ll cover

• schemachange –  A Snowflake open-source change management tool
• Snowflake DevOps –  Built-in tools designed to enable seamless Gitversion control, Python APIs, declarative object management, and CI/CDautomation.
• Terraform – A popular open-source Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tool with a Snowflake provider
• SnowDDL – An open-source declarative-style object management too
  

Snowflake tools not covered

We won’t cover the below products in this blog, either because they’re a commercial product with features beyond database change management or they’re relatively new players in the market.

• Bytebase– Commercial
• DataOps.live– Commercial
• Redgate Flyway –Commercial
• dbt
  • dbt core– Open source
  • dbt Cloud– Commercial
  • SQLMesh
• Tobika Cloud – Commercial
• SQLMesh – Open source
• Titan Core – Open source

First of all, what are the benefits of data change management?

Adopting the right tools for Snowflake database change management is crucial for maintaining efficiency, reducing errors, and really enabling seamless collaboration across teams. We think of the benefits in three main buckets, which we’ll look at in more detail in each assessment: Governance, automation, and quality and resilience: 

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 Improved data governance

• Version control for SQL scripts
• Streamlined approval processes
• Enhanced security and access control

Automation

• Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) processes
• Easier environment synchronization
• Reliable,repeatable CI/CD deployment

Quality and resilience

• Improvements in data quality and testing
• Robust rollback and recovery options
• Comprehensive change auditing and compliance

Snowflake change management tools overview

schemachange

Quick start on Snowflake website

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DevOps: Database Change Management with schemachange and GitHub

schemachange is a lightweight Imperative-style Snowflake change management tool. With schemachange, users can easily leverage Git and CI/CD best practices for managing database changes. In general, you’ll develop the SQL statements and schemachange will orchestrate the execution – with some bells and whistles like Jinja templating and change history.

Sample DevOps process flow in schemachange

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Pros of schemachange

• Easy to get up and running
• Jinja templating available
• Tracks change history

Cons of schemachange

• File-name-based execution order
• Lacks dependency management, apart from file naming conventions that drive the execution order

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Our verdict: A great starting point for Snowflake users, best paired with another tool

Our take on the tool’s possibilities: A great starting point for Snowflake users looking to integrate Git workflows and best practices, as well as CI/CD, into their deployments. We see it as a viable tool that follows a migration paradigm. There’s minimal lift to go from zero-to-100 in schemamanage; the nature of the tools makes it easy to adopt, even when you’re not using any tool to begin with. In some cases, you can view schemachange as an orchestrator of SQL scripts stored in Git during a CI/CD pipeline.

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However, due to the nature of its file conventions and execution order, schemachange is best paired with another tool that manages Tables and Views, such as dbt or SQLMesh, both of which can natively determine dependencies and derive the correct execution order. Without these additional tools, you may find yourself spending more time fighting to fit within  schemachange’s conventions than you’d like, taking away from development time.

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Snowflake Git integration: Snowflake DevOps

Quick Start for Snowflake DevOps‍

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Infrastructure-as-code meets the natural advantages of Snowflake

Snowflake DevOps is a collection of native features that, when paired with Git and a CI/CD platform, can be used to manage your Snowflake data platform in declarative style. These tools promote infrastructure-as-code practices while benefitting from the unique advantages of Snowflake.

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Building Blocks‍

• Git Integration – Enables Snowflake to see code that’s versioned in your Git provide
• EXECUTE IMMEDIATE FROM – Enables snowflake to execute from a file stored in a stage, such as a Git integration
• CREATE OR ALTER <OBJECT> - Declarative syntax of object definitions
• Interfaces – Enables CI/CD pipelines to interact with Snowflake
  • Snowflake CLI
  • Python API

Pros of Snowflake DevOps‍

• Built-in features of Snowflake
• GA features are supported by Snowflake

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Cons of Snowflake DevOps ‍

• Some features are still in preview as of February 2025
• Jinja2 Templating
• CREATE or ALTER
• Snowflake DevOps requires you to establish a framework for your own processes that leverage its features
• Users need to develop each deployment script to roll out changes

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Our verdict: Exciting features in Snowflake DevOps on an upward trajectory (but still in preview)

Snowflake has released exciting features that really speak to their trajectory toward enabling declarative-style management. However, at this point its features don’t seem robust enough for an organization to manage their entire platform; it would require significant development effort to build a framework around its features. On top of its complications, a good portion of its features are still in preview and have significant limitations.

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We’re keeping an eye on its progression. Some orgs may consider eventually porting over when the tool becomes more of a viable solution.

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Terraform

Quick start from Snowflake‍
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Consistent workflow for managing Snowflake resources

HashiCorp Terraform is an open-source IaC tool for dynamically provisioning and managing infrastructure. It uses configuration files to define the desired state, which it then compares it to the current state. From there, Terraform generates a plan for users to create, update, or delete resources. Terraform executes changes using a directed acyclic graph (DAG) to handle dependencies.

The Snowflake Terraform provider enables a consistent workflow for managing Snowflake resources such as warehouses, databases, schemas, tables, roles, and grants.

Pros of Terraform

• Terraform is an IaC industry standard
• Infrastructure teamsare likely already using it
• Wider community than Snowflake alone
• Easy to setup and use
• Easy to create environment separation
• Maintained by Snowflake Labs

Cons of Terraform

• Leverages a state file, which can become out of sync with the platform if changes are made outside of its process
• Not ideal to use in managing DB-level objects
• State comparison for Roles and Objects can take a long time as the environment scales
• A significant number of objects are still in Preview in the provider
• Can be destructive if used improperly (learning curve)
• More complex at scale

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Our verdict: Proven technology, somewhat of a learning curve

Terraform is a proven technology that many companies are already using to manage their cloud infrastructure. It’s a great choice for account management, paired with a secondary tool like dbt or SQLMesh to manage Tables and Views. However, many object types are still in preview and Terraform state management can become cumbersome at scale, so its sweeter spot is really in account-level objects.

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Of those assessed in this guide, Terraform is the solution best suited for the enterprise level in most cases, since it extends a well-known and accepted technology in the DevOps space. As Snowflake evolves and more objects become stable, Terraform will likely become the standard for companies that use IaC. However, we’ll keep a close eye on the provider for breaking news of major changes among versions that may be more intense to migrate.

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SnowDDL

Quick start guide from SnowDDL

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Small but mighty declarative-style Snowflake change management system

SnowDDL is a community-built declarative-style Snowflake change management system. It’s a robust and opinionated solution that covers most Snowflake object types. One major difference between Terraform and SnowDDL is that SnowDDL does not manage a state file but instead compares against the metadata of existing objects in the Snowflake directly. Though SnowDDL was created by one individual – and that individual continues to single-handedly manage the solution – enterprises like Bumble have leveraged it as a database change management solution.

Pros of SnowDDL‍

• No state management
• Built in RBAC role hierarchy
• Extendable
• Safe vs unsafe operation categorization and handling
• Configurable dependencies

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Cons of SnowDDL‍

• Opinionated
• Role hierarchy
• Folder structure
• Maintained by a single individual (Vitaly Markov)

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Our verdict: SnowDDL is comprehensive, but opinionated

SnowDDL is a comprehensive option and a great choice for a declarative-style change management approach. Its role hierarchy feature could be a downside. If you’ve developed your own approach or don’t agree with its design, integrating another design will add overhead and complexity.

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However, the role hierarchy follows Snowflake’s best practice of functional and access roles and provides enough flexibility to create technical and business roles for most use cases. It can be seen as an accelerator to a role-based access control (RBAC) framework within Snowflake for organizations whose requirements fit within the model. Another potential downside is that the project is maintained by an individual rather an organization, which risks the solution becoming inactive. However, it is an active project, and your org (or others) can always fork it if it were to become inactive.

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Every change management tool has its trade-offs

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When you’re choosing a tool, your best option depends on your organization’s specific requirements, technical expertise, and governance needs. Each of the tools covered here – schemachange, Snowflake Git Integration, Terraform, and SnowDDL – offer unique advantages and trade-offs, meaning some are better suited for particular use cases than others.  

• If you need a simple, lightweight way to introduce version control and CI/CD for Snowflake, schemachange is a great starting point, particularly when paired with a tool like dbt or SQLMesh for managing table dependencies.
• If you want to leverage Snowflake’s built-in capabilities, the Snowflake Git Integration is worth exploring, though it currently requires significant customization and development effort.
• For enterprise-scale infrastructure management with strong governance and automation, Terraform is a well-established solution, but its state management complexity makes it better suited for account-level objects rather than database objects.
• For a declarative approach with built-in RBAC management, SnowDDL is a compelling option, though its opinionated design and single maintainer may impact long-term adoption.

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Ultimately, many organizations will find that a hybrid approach, combining multiple tools based on their strengths, delivers the best results. However, to be successful you must have clear lines of ownership and responsibility for any tools. As soon as two tools are trying to manage the same object, conflicts and issues are bound to occur.

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Regardless of tool choice, implementing governance, automation, and quality controls will help ensure that your Snowflake environment remains scalable, secure, and maintainable as your data platform grows.

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DI Squared is here to support your data journey.

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You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Whether you’re dipping your toes into new change management tools or working on the first steps toward improving your data infrastructure, we’re here to help. Drop us a line to book your 1:1.

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