Snowflake Shapes the Future of Data Science with Python Support

Rhea-AI Summary

Snowflake has announced native support for Python in its Snowpark developer framework, enhancing productivity and performance for data scientists and engineers. This integration allows Python users to access Snowflake's platform while leveraging its security features and governance. The partnership with Anaconda provides seamless access to popular Python libraries without manual installations. Snowpark facilitates innovation, optimizes development time, and improves data security by running code in a secure environment. The update marks a significant step in Snowflake's evolution in the data cloud space.

Positive

• Introduction of native Python support in Snowpark enhances developer productivity.
• Partnership with Anaconda simplifies access to Python libraries, boosting productivity.
• Snowpark allows simultaneous use of Python, Java, and Scala, improving collaboration.
• Improved security and governance by eliminating ungoverned data copies.

Negative

• None.

Native support in Snowflake’s developer framework, Snowpark, boosts productivity while enhancing governance, security, and performance

No-Headquarters/BOZEMAN, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW), the Data Cloud company, today announced at its Snowday event that data scientists, data engineers, and application developers can now use Python - the fastest growing programming language¹- natively within Snowflake as part of Snowpark, Snowflake’s developer framework. With Snowpark for Python, developers will be able to easily collaborate on data in their preferred language. At the same time, they can leverage the security, governance, and elastic performance of Snowflake’s platform to build scalable, optimized pipelines, applications, and machine learning workflows. Snowpark for Python is currently in private preview.

Snowflake Shapes the Future of Data Science with Python Support (Graphic: Business Wire)

Developers want flexibility when working with data, simpler environments that require less administrative work and maintenance, and immediate access to the data they need. Snowpark brings the programming languages of choice for data to Snowflake. With Snowpark, developers can unlock the scale and performance of Snowflake’s engine and leverage native governance and security controls built-in to Snowflake’s easy-to-use platform. In addition to Java and Scala, Snowpark now supports Python, allowing users to have different languages and different users all working together against the same data with one processing engine, without needing to copy or move the data.

As a result of the recently announced partnership with Anaconda, Snowflake users can now seamlessly access one of the most popular ecosystems of Python open source libraries, without the need for manual installs and package dependency management. The integration can fuel a productivity boost for Python developers. Snowflake’s recently launched Snowpark Accelerated Program also supports customers with access to numerous pre-built partner capabilities and integrations, from directly within their Snowflake account.

With Snowpark for Python, data teams can:

• Accelerate their pace of innovation using Python’s familiar syntax and thriving ecosystem of open-source libraries to explore and process data where it lives.
• Optimize development time by removing time spent dealing with broken Python environments with an integrated Python package dependency manager.
• Operate with improved trust and security by eliminating ungoverned copies of data with all code running in a highly secure sandbox directly inside Snowflake.

Novartis, the multi-national healthcare company that provides solutions to address the evolving needs of patients worldwide, needed a way to empower their global team of analysts and data scientists with a powerful data platform that would reduce data preparation time and provide self-service capabilities for building models and running analytics.

“Novartis’ mission is to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people's lives, and to do so successfully today we need to leverage digital technologies that continue to put data and data science at the center of our transformation,” said Loic Giraud, Global Head of Digital Platform & Product Delivery at Novartis. “As a progressive, data-driven life-science organization, the flexibility and scale of Snowflake’s Data Cloud allows us to accelerate our pace of knowledge through data interpretation and insight generation, bringing more focus and speed to our business. Bringing together all available data ultimately unlocks more value for our employees, patients, and health care providers, and data science innovations help us realise this goal."

“Snowflake has long provided the building blocks for pipeline development and machine learning workflows, and the introduction of Snowpark has dramatically expanded the scope of what’s possible in the Data Cloud,” said Christian Kleinerman, SVP of Product at Snowflake. “As with Snowpark for Java and Scala, Snowpark for Python is natively integrated into Snowflake’s engine so users can enjoy the same security, governance, and manageability benefits they’ve come to expect when working with Snowflake. As we continue to focus on mobilizing the world’s data, Python broadens even further the choices for programming data in Snowflake, while streamlining data architectures.”

Learn More:

• Sign up for Snowflake’s SnowDay event to hear about the latest advancements in the Data Cloud in keynotes, expert deep dives, and customer sessions.
• Read more about the Snowday announcements on the blog.
• Learn how Snowpark Accelerated partners have been democratizing data in the areas of data science, data engineering, data governance, and security.
• Stay on top of the latest news and announcements from Snowflake on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains express and implied forwarding-looking statements, including statements regarding the availability of Snowpark for Python. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2021 that Snowflake has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. As a result, you should not rely on any forwarding-looking statements as predictions of future events.

About Snowflake

Snowflake enables every organization to mobilize their data with Snowflake’s Data Cloud. Customers use the Data Cloud to unite siloed data, discover and securely share data, and execute diverse analytic workloads. Wherever data or users live, Snowflake delivers a single data experience that spans multiple clouds and geographies. Thousands of customers across many industries, including 212 of the 2021 Fortune 500 as of July 31, 2021, use Snowflake Data Cloud to power their businesses. Learn more at snowflake.com.

¹According to SlashData, Developer Economics: State of the Developer Nation 20th Edition.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211116005602/en/

Danica Stanczak

Sr. PR Manager, Snowflake

press@snowflake.com

Source: Snowflake Inc.

FAQ

What is the significance of Snowflake's announcement about Python support?

The announcement signifies enhanced productivity for developers by allowing them to use Python natively in Snowpark, facilitating better data handling and collaboration.

When was Snowpark for Python announced?

Snowpark for Python was announced during Snowflake's Snowday event.

How does the Snowpark for Python integration affect Snowflake users?

It allows users to leverage Python's ecosystem seamlessly while utilizing Snowflake’s security and governance features.

What benefits does Snowpark offer to data teams?

Snowpark enables faster innovation, optimized development time, and improved data security for data teams.