How to Share Data Products from Snowflake to Microsoft Azure Blob Storage

One of the most common data integration needs we see today is sharing data products from Snowflake to Microsoft Azure Blob Storage. Whether you're building data lakes, powering machine learning pipelines, or distributing datasets to partners, getting Snowflake data into Azure Blob is a critical step in many modern data architectures.

But here's the catch: while the use case is common, the implementation can be surprisingly technical.

Setting up credentials, configuring external stages, managing formats, automating exports, and ensuring secure delivery: all of it adds friction to what should be a straightforward process. And if you're working across teams or supporting multiple stakeholders, things get even more complex.

‍

🚀 Skip the Complexity with Amplify

If you're looking to skip these manual steps entirely and just share Snowflake data to Azure Blob with a few clicks, you're in luck.

Amplify makes this process seamless. With Amplify, you can:

• Connect your Snowflake account and Azure Blob destination
• Select the data product you want to share
• Let Amplify handle the rest - securely, reliably, and at scale

No scripts, no pipelines, no YAML files, just fast and secure data sharing.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the traditional technical steps for exporting Snowflake data to Azure Blob Storage so you understand how it works under the hood. But if you'd rather focus on what matters and let the plumbing be someone else’s problem, you can skip ahead and try it with Amplify.

‍

🧭 Technical Guide to Sharing Data from Snowflake to Microsoft Azure Blob Storage

To share data products from Snowflake to Microsoft Azure Blob Storage, you typically need to extract data from Snowflake and stage it in Azure Blob Storage, as Snowflake does not directly support sharing data to Blob Storage like it does with other Snowflake accounts (via Secure Data Sharing).

‍The basic steps are: Snowflake → Export data → Stage or stream → Azure Blob Storage

1. Prepare Your Azure Blob Storage

• Set up a Storage Account and create a Blob Container.
• Create a Shared Access Signature (SAS) or use Azure Active Directory credentials for authentication.

‍

2. Export Data from Snowflake & Unload to External Stage (Azure Blob)

You can export Snowflake data in one of the following ways:

‍

Snowflake supports unloading data directly to Azure Blob Storage via external stages.

‍

1. Create an External Stage in Snowflake:

sql
CopyEdit
CREATE STAGE azure_stage
 URL='azure://<your-storage-account>.blob.core.windows.net/<container>'
 CREDENTIALS=(AZURE_SAS_TOKEN='<your-sas-token>');



2. Export Data from a Table to Azure Blob Storage:

sql
CopyEdit
COPY INTO @azure_stage/your_folder/
 FROM my_table
 FILE_FORMAT = (TYPE = CSV FIELD_OPTIONALLY_ENCLOSED_BY = '"' COMPRESSION = GZIP);



3. Verify Files in Blob Storage:

Use Azure Storage Explorer or SDK to verify the exported files.

‍

4. Automate with Snowflake Tasks (Optional)

Use Snowflake Tasks to schedule regular exports.

sql
CopyEdit
CREATE TASK export_task
 WAREHOUSE = my_wh
 SCHEDULE = 'USING CRON 0 * * * * UTC'
AS
 COPY INTO @azure_stage/hourly_export/
 FROM my_table;



‍

5. Use a Middleware/Data Pipeline (Optional)

Instead of exporting directly, use tools like:

• Apache Airflow, dbt, or Azure Data Factory
• These tools can:
  • Query Snowflake
  • Transform data
  • Push it to Azure Blob (e.g., via Python, Azure SDK, or ADF pipeline)

🔐 Security Considerations

• Use short-lived SAS tokens or Managed Identities for Azure access.
• Encrypt data in transit (enabled by default) and at rest (configure blob container settings).

‍

🛠️ The Manual Way: Powerful, but Technical

Exporting data from Snowflake to Azure Blob Storage manually gives you full control, but it comes at a cost. You’ll need to:

• Set up Azure Blob containers and permissions (SAS tokens or service principals)
• Configure external stages in Snowflake
• Write and manage COPY INTO SQL commands
• Handle file formats, compression, and naming
• Schedule and monitor exports with Snowflake Tasks or orchestration tools
• Troubleshoot permissions, data types, and cloud storage quirks

This approach is flexible, but it can take hours (or days) to set up, test, and maintain, especially if you're not deeply familiar with both Snowflake and Azure.

‍

⚡ The Amplify Way: Simple, Secure, and Scalable

With Amplify, sharing data from Snowflake to Azure Blob is effortless:

• No coding, no staging, no infrastructure
• Connect Snowflake and Azure once with a few clicks
• Select the data product or table you want to share
• Set up refresh schedules and permissions through the UI
• Done. Data flows automatically and securely to your Blob container

‍

‍

Amplify abstracts the complexity so you can focus on delivering value - not managing pipelines. It’s built for teams that want speed, security, and scalability - without getting bogged down in cloud plumbing.

‍