All Data and AI Weekly #239-27April2026
( AI, Data, Agentic AI, Cortex Code, NiFi, Iceberg, Polaris, Streamlit, Python, Java, SQL, MCP, LLM, RAG, Cortex AI, AISQL, Search, Unstructured Data )
Tim's Corner: The Agentic Enterprise Goes GA
Welcome to issue 239 - our biggest AI-focused edition yet! Snowflake went all-in on agentic AI this week with a wave of announcements that collectively define what the Agentic Enterprise looks like in production. Snowflake Intelligence evolved into a personal work agent that turns insights into action. Cortex Code expanded into a governed agent for your entire data stack with desktop, CLI, and Snowsight availability. Cortex Agents became the platform powering it all - orchestrating multi-step work across data, workflows, and external systems. Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.7 landed on Cortex AI as a same-day launch partner. Cortex AI Guardrails went GA to protect against prompt injection and jailbreak attacks. Kafka Connector v4 went GA with a ground-up rewrite delivering 10 GB/s throughput on Snowpipe Streaming. Fine-tuning Arctic Extract models went GA. Cortex AI Function Studio entered preview - turning optimized AI logic into reusable governed SQL functions. Iceberg tables with Snowflake storage entered preview - no external volumes needed. And Snowflake Documentation got agent-friendly with hierarchical llms.txt and markdown rendering. Plus Capital One published a deep hands-on review of Cortex Code CLI, and the community delivered guides on MCP Connectors, guardrails, skills, agent teams, and cost management. Summit 2026 announced Anthropic's Daniela Amodei as keynote speaker. I'm heading to Tysons Corner this week for a hands-on lab. Let's dig in.
Snowflake Summit 2026 - Tim is Speaking!
I'll be speaking at Snowflake Summit 2026 on NiFi and Agents. Check the session catalog:
New SNACK-AI Repositories
| Repository | Description |
|---|---|
| SNACKAI-CoCo-SnowflakeSummit2026Agenda | Summit 2026 session agenda explorer built with Cortex Code |
| SNACKAI-CoCo-CortexAITraining | Cortex AI training materials and examples built with SNACK-AI |
| SNACKAI-CoCo-AIGovernance | AI governance patterns built with Cortex Code and SNACK-AI |
| SNACKAI-CoCo-FindDataNearby | Location-aware data discovery built with Cortex Code |
| SNACKAI-CoCo-SpringSnowGhost | Spring ghost detection with Cortex Code and SNACK-AI |
| SNACKAI-CoCo-AIQueries | AI query builder with Cortex Code |
| SNACKAI-CoCo-PolyMarket | Prediction market analytics with Cortex Code |
| SNACKAI-CoCo-VPSCalculator | VPS cost calculator with Cortex Code |
Upcoming Events: Catch Tim Live!
- April 29: Tysons Corner Hands-On Lab: Automate Data Workflows with Cortex Code and Evolv - Tysons Corner, VA
- April 30: Snowflake Accelerate - Virtual
- May 6: Philly Hands-On Lab: Automate Data Workflows with Cortex Code and Evolv - Philadelphia, PA
- May 13: Snowflake NoCode Live (SNL) - Virtual Hands-On Lab
- May 14: From Raw Data to a Conversational AI Agent with Snowflake in 90 Minutes - Virtual
- May 20: Budapest Data and AI - Budapest, Hungary - Tim Virtual speaking
- May 21: Data for Breakfast Encore - Virtual
- May 27: From Raw to Reliable: Build AI-Powered Data Quality Pipelines with Cortex Code - Virtual Hands-On Lab
- June 2-5: Snowflake Summit 2026 - San Francisco, CA - Join me, I will be speaking on NiFi and Agents.
Snowflake Dev Day (In-Person): https://www.snowflake.com/en/dev-day/in-person/
All Snowflake Events: https://www.snowflake.com/about/events/
Payers AI Summit Workshop (Apr 23): https://www.snowflake.com/webinars/payers-ai-snowflake-summit-workshop-20260423/
Snowflake Summit 2026 - San Francisco, June 2-5
The biggest event of the year is coming! Snowflake Summit 2026 returns to San Francisco June 2-5. Snowflake announced that Anthropic's Co-Founder and President Daniela Amodei will join the keynote, along with 500+ sessions, 200+ on-site partners, and new AI-powered experiences.
Press Release: Snowflake Makes AI Real at Summit 26
Register now: https://www.snowflake.com/summit/
Cortex Code CLI Developer Trial: https://signup.snowflake.com/
Featured: Snowflake Expands Intelligence and Cortex Code for the Agentic Enterprise
Snowflake made three landmark announcements this week that define the Agentic Enterprise platform:
Snowflake Intelligence: Personal Work Agent
Snowflake Intelligence is now a personalized, context-aware AI agent that transforms how business users turn insights into action. It connects data, workflows, and external systems so users can move from questions to decisions to actions - all within a single experience grounded in enterprise data.
Read more: Snowflake Intelligence: From Answers to Action with Your Personal Work Agent
Cortex Code: One Governed Agent for Your Entire Data Stack
Cortex Code expands into a governed agent that works across your entire data stack - warehouse, transformation tools, and orchestration layers. Available as Desktop, CLI, and in Snowsight. Unlike general-purpose coding assistants, Cortex Code understands data context: your schemas, lineage, governance policies, and query patterns.
Read more: Cortex Code Expands: One Governed Agent for Your Entire Data Stack
Cortex Code Desktop: https://www.snowflake.com/en/product/cortex-code-desktop/
Cortex Agents: The Enterprise AI Agent Platform
Cortex Agents is the platform powering Snowflake Intelligence and enterprise AI agents. It orchestrates multi-step work across data, workflows, and external systems, with governance built in. Teams can build custom agents or use Snowflake Intelligence as a turnkey solution.
Read more: Cortex Agents: The Platform Powering Snowflake Intelligence and Enterprise AI Agents
Press Release: Snowflake Expands Intelligence and Cortex Code to Power the Agentic Enterprise
Investors: Investor Press Release
Featured: Claude Opus 4.7 on Snowflake Cortex AI
Claude Opus 4.7, Anthropic's latest flagship model, is available on Snowflake Cortex AI as a same-day launch partner. Available in public preview in US and EU within the secure Snowflake perimeter for use with Cortex Code, Cortex AI Functions, Cortex REST API, and Snowflake Intelligence.
Read more: Announcing Claude Opus 4.7 on Snowflake Cortex AI
Cortex AI & Agents
Cortex AI Guardrails (GA - Apr 20)
Cortex AI Guardrails are now Generally Available. Part of Snowflake Horizon Catalog, they provide run-time protection against prompt injection and jailbreak attacks on Cortex Code.
Release Notes: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-20-cortex-ai-guardrails-ga
Documentation: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/snowflake-cortex/cortex-ai-guardrails
Cortex AI Function Studio (Limited Access)
Cortex AI Function Studio lets teams turn optimized AI logic (model, prompt, and evaluation) into reusable, governed SQL functions callable from queries and pipelines like any other Snowflake function.
Documentation: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/LIMITEDACCESS/snowflake-cortex/cortex-ai-function-studio
Improved SQL Generation in Cortex Agents (Apr 13)
Cortex Agents that use Cortex Analyst semantic views as tools now generate SQL directly rather than delegating to the Cortex Analyst service. This results in improved accuracy and lower latency for analytical queries. No changes to agent configuration or semantic views required.
Read more: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-13-cortex-agents-agentic-analyst
Cortex Search Monitoring (Preview - Apr 14)
Cortex Search request monitoring is now in public preview. Enable request logging to collect detailed information about search requests including query patterns, response times, and request details. Logs are stored in the SNOWFLAKE.LOCAL.AI_OBSERVABILITY_EVENTS event table.
Read more: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-14-cortex-search-monitoring
Cortex Search Replication (GA - Apr 14)
Cortex Search Service replication is now GA. Replicate Cortex Search Services from a source account to one or more target accounts using replication or failover groups.
Read more: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-14-cortex-search-replication-ga
Auto-Generated Data Agents
Auto-generated data agents documentation for creating agents automatically from your data assets.
Documentation: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/collaboration/auto-generated-data-agents
Cortex Agents Sharing
Documentation for sharing Cortex Agents across accounts and organizations.
Documentation: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/snowflake-cortex/cortex-agents-sharing
AI Function Cost Management
Documentation for managing and monitoring AI function credit consumption across Cortex AI services.
Documentation: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/snowflake-cortex/ai-func-cost-management
Snowflake Documentation for AI Agents and LLMs (Apr 15)
Snowflake documentation is now agent-friendly. Hierarchical llms.txt at docs.snowflake.com/llms.txt follows a structured format so agents can fetch only the sections they need. Markdown rendering ensures clean consumption by LLMs. Reduces token usage and improves relevance.
Read more: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-15-agent-friendly-docs
Fine-Tuning Arctic Extract Models (GA - Apr 20)
Fine-tuning arctic-extract models is now GA. Adapt the model to your documents and domains for more consistent structured extraction, then run inference with AI_EXTRACT using your fine-tuned model. Now includes the max_epochs option.
Snowflake Platform Updates
Kafka Connector v4 (GA - Apr 20)
The Snowflake Connector for Kafka version 4.0 is now GA. A ground-up rewrite built on Snowpipe Streaming architecture delivering up to 10 GB/s throughput per table with 5-10 second end-to-end latency and exactly-once ordered delivery semantics.
Release Notes: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-20-kafka-connector-v4-ga
Documentation: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/kafka-connector/index
Storage Lifecycle Policies: Google Cloud Support (Apr 24)
Storage lifecycle policies now support archival on Google Cloud with COOL and COLD storage tiers. Archival policies are now available on all three major cloud providers.
Read more: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-24-storage-lifecycle-policies-gcp
Performance Explorer Usability (Apr 17)
Performance Explorer in Snowsight gets tabs, filter presets, CSV export, and keyword search in side panels.
Read more: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-17-performance-explorer-usability
Alerts UI
Updated documentation for the Alerts UI in Snowsight for monitoring and managing alert configurations.
Documentation: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/alerts-ui
Data Clean Rooms Updates (Apr 16)
Snowflake Data Clean Rooms API Version 14.4 with general performance improvements and bug fixes.
Read more: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-16-dcr
Cortex Code Agent SDK
Documentation for the Cortex Code Agent SDK for building custom agents programmatically.
Documentation: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/cortex-code-agent-sdk/cortex-code-agent-sdk
Snowflake Accelerate
Snowflake Accelerate - virtual event for accelerating your data and AI initiatives.
Register: https://www.snowflake.com/accelerate/
Cortex REST API Guides
Integrating Fluentd with Snowflake
Guide for integrating Fluentd log collection with Snowflake for centralized log analytics.
Guide: https://www.snowflake.com/en/developers/guides/integrating-fluentd-with-snowflake/#0
Apache Iceberg Updates
Iceberg Tables with Snowflake Storage (Preview - Apr 14)
Create Apache Iceberg tables that use Snowflake storage - no external volumes needed. Snowflake stores and manages the Iceberg table files, with Fail-safe data protection just like standard Snowflake tables.
Read more: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-14-iceberg-snowflake-storage
Dynamic Iceberg Tables: Partition, File Size, Path Layout (GA - Apr 13)
Dynamic Iceberg tables now support PARTITION BY (identity, bucket, truncate, year, month, day, hour), TARGET_FILE_SIZE, and PATH_LAYOUT properties in General Availability.
Iceberg Description Propagation from External Catalogs (GA - Apr 20)
Snowflake bidirectionally syncs table and column descriptions between your external Iceberg REST catalog and catalog-linked database.
Read more: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-06-iceberg-description-propagation
Iceberg Tables with External Query Engines
Access Iceberg tables managed by Snowflake Horizon using external query engines (Spark, Trino, etc.).
Sync Data from Postgres to Snowflake with Iceberg and pg_lake
Guide for syncing data from PostgreSQL to Snowflake using Iceberg and pg_lake for real-time replication.
Dynamic Tables
Dynamic Table Primary Keys (GA - Apr 16)
Primary key support in dynamic tables is GA. Enables row-level change tracking and incremental refresh downstream of full-refresh tables.
MIN_BY and MAX_BY with Incremental Refresh (GA - Mar 19)
MIN_BY and MAX_BY aggregate and window functions now supported with dynamic table incremental refresh.
Read more: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-03-19-min-max-incremental-dynamic-table
Primary Keys in Dynamic Tables: The Smallest Change with the Biggest Impact
Community deep dive on how primary keys in dynamic tables transform pipeline performance.
OpenFlow
OpenFlow Connector for HubSpot (Preview - Apr 15)
The Openflow Connector for HubSpot is now in preview. Ingests HubSpot CRM data into Snowflake with initial full load followed by incremental updates using timestamps.
Read more: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/other/2026-04-15-openflow-hubspot-pupr
Debugging OpenFlow with Event Tables and Cortex Code CLI
How to debug Snowflake OpenFlow pipelines using event tables and Cortex Code CLI for observability.
Powering Data Integration with AI: Mastering OpenFlow with Cortex Code (Apr 28)
Upcoming webinar on using OpenFlow with Cortex Code for AI-powered data integration.
MCP & Agent Tooling
Getting Started with MCP Connectors
Hands-on guide for configuring and using MCP Connectors to connect Cortex Agents with external tools through the standardized Model Context Protocol.
Guide: https://www.snowflake.com/en/developers/guides/sfguide-getting-started-with-mcp-connectors/
Best Practices for Building Cortex Agents
Official Snowflake guide on best practices for building production-ready Cortex Agents.
Guide: https://www.snowflake.com/en/developers/guides/best-practices-to-building-cortex-agents/
Getting Started with Snowflake Agents API and React
Build a React frontend for Snowflake Cortex Agents using the Agents API.
Integrate Cortex Agents with Slack
Connect Cortex Agents to Slack for AI-powered data workflows in your team's communication hub.
Guide: https://www.snowflake.com/en/developers/guides/integrate-snowflake-cortex-agents-with-slack/#0
Context Hub (Andrew Ng)
Context Hub by Andrew Ng - a framework for managing and providing context to AI agents.
GitHub: https://github.com/andrewyng/context-hub#quick-start
Google Skills
Google Skills - a collection of reusable skill definitions for AI agents.
GitHub: https://github.com/google/skills/
Semantic Views & Intelligence
Self-Service Report Mart with Snowflake Semantic View
Build a self-service report mart using Snowflake Semantic Views and Streamlit for business users to create their own reports.
Code: https://github.com/sabrinazhengliu/code-examples/tree/master/streamlit/self-service-report-mart
From the Community: Medium & Blogs
| Article | Description |
|---|---|
| Capital One: Cortex Code CLI Hands-On Review (TPC-DS 10TB) | Capital One's deep hands-on review of Cortex Code CLI on a TPC-DS 10TB benchmark |
| How to Manage Cortex Code Cost Without Slowing Engineers Down | Seemore Data on separating warehouse compute from AI token credits for cost management |
| Build Custom Skills in Cortex Code CLI | How to build custom skills for extending Cortex Code capabilities |
| Add Guardrails with Hooks in Cortex Code CLI (Part 5) | Adding safety guardrails to AI agents using hooks in Cortex Code |
| Build and Run Agent Teams in Cortex Code CLI (Part 4) | Multi-agent team coordination in Cortex Code CLI |
| Build Custom Subagent in Cortex Code CLI (Part 3) | Advanced subagent delegation and multi-agent coordination |
| Snowflake Validated the Agentic Data Engineering Stack | What Snowflake's agentic AI announcements mean for data engineering |
| Debugging OpenFlow with Event Tables and Cortex Code | Debug OpenFlow pipelines with event tables and observability |
| Never Lose a Row Again: Production DML Error Logging in Snowflake | Production-grade DML error logging patterns for zero data loss |
| Primary Keys in Dynamic Tables: Smallest Change, Biggest Impact | How primary keys transform dynamic table pipeline performance |
| Self-Service Report Mart with Semantic View | Build self-service reporting with Snowflake Semantic Views and Streamlit |
| How to Build Enterprise-Grade skill.md for Cortex Code (Part 1) | Enterprise patterns for building production skill definitions |
| Lakehouse SQL Identifier Rules | InfoQ on SQL identifier rules across lakehouse platforms |
| Snowflake Innovator Spotlight (Cyber Defense Magazine) | Snowflake recognized as innovator in cybersecurity |
GitHub: Snowflake Labs & Community
| Repository | Description |
|---|---|
| Usage_History_Examples | Snowflake usage history query examples and dashboards |
| Cortex_Agent_Evaluation | Cortex Agent evaluation examples and test datasets |
| self-service-report-mart | Streamlit self-service report mart with Semantic Views |
| context-hub | Andrew Ng's framework for managing AI agent context |
| google/skills | Google's reusable skill definitions for AI agents |
| DinoBase | Open source database management platform |
| FinceptTerminal | Financial data terminal and analytics platform |
| gr3ml1n-cyberdeck | Cyberdeck hardware project for portable computing |
| SNACKAI-CoCo-SnowflakeSummit2026Agenda | Summit 2026 agenda explorer with Cortex Code |
| SNACKAI-CoCo-CortexAITraining | Cortex AI training with SNACK-AI |
| SNACKAI-CoCo-AIGovernance | AI governance patterns with Cortex Code |
| SNACKAI-CoCo-FindDataNearby | Location-aware data discovery with Cortex Code |
Video Content
| Video | Description |
|---|---|
| Snowflake Cortex Agents Overview | Video walkthrough of Cortex Agents capabilities |
| Snowflake Intelligence Demo | Demo of Snowflake Intelligence personal work agent |
| Cortex Code Desktop & CLI | Cortex Code Desktop and CLI capabilities walkthrough |
| Snowflake AI Playlist | Complete Snowflake AI video playlist |
AI Research & Benchmarks
Token Leaderboard
Token cost leaderboard comparing AI model pricing and performance.
Leaderboard: https://tokens.billchambers.me/leaderboard
Snowflake BCR 2026-10_14
Snowflake Behavior Change Release 2026-10_14 documentation.
Release Notes: https://docs.snowflake.com/en/release-notes/2026/10_14
ROI of Generative & Agentic AI
Snowflake published extensive research demonstrating the radical ROI organizations are seeing from generative and agentic AI implementations.
Resources:
SNACK-AI: The 2026 Pattern
As we look forward in 2026, SNACK-AI is the architectural pattern for powering AI applications at any scale - from mobile phones and robots to massive enterprise clusters.
SNACK-AI integrates:
- Snowflake Platform
- NiFi (Apache)
- Apache Iceberg
- Cortex AI (Agents/Search/MCP)
- Kafka (Apache Kafka)
Deep Dive into SNACK-AI:
- Read: SNACK-AI: The 2026 Pattern (Medium)
- Code: Official SNACK-AI GitHub Repository
- Weekly Context: SNACK-AI Overview
Thanks
https://github.com/timothyspann
Snowflake Shutdown SQL — Stop All Running Items
Use these SQL commands to suspend all active Snowflake resources and minimize credit consumption:
-- ============================================
-- STOP ALL SNOWFLAKE ITEMS
-- Run as ACCOUNTADMIN in Snowsight or SnowSQL
-- ============================================
-- 1. Suspend all warehouses
ALTER WAREHOUSE IF EXISTS GHOST_DETECT_WH SUSPEND;
ALTER WAREHOUSE IF EXISTS INGEST SUSPEND;
-- 2. Suspend Cortex Search services
ALTER CORTEX SEARCH SERVICE IF EXISTS GHOST_DETECTION.APP.SPIRIT_BOX_SEARCH SET TARGET_LAG = 'DOWNSTREAM';
-- 3. Suspend all tasks
ALTER TASK IF EXISTS GHOST_DETECTION.APP.REFRESH_GHOST_STATS SUSPEND;
-- 4. Suspend dynamic tables (already suspended, but verify)
-- ALTER DYNAMIC TABLE <db>.<schema>.<table> SUSPEND;
-- 5. Verify nothing is running
SELECT 'Warehouses' AS type, NAME, STATE
FROM SNOWFLAKE.ACCOUNT_USAGE.WAREHOUSES
WHERE DELETED IS NULL AND STATE = 'STARTED';
SHOW CORTEX SEARCH SERVICES IN GHOST_DETECTION.APP;
SELECT 'Tasks' AS type, NAME, STATE
FROM GHOST_DETECTION.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TASK_HISTORY
WHERE STATE = 'STARTED'
LIMIT 10;
Also available via shell: ./manage.sh snowflake-stop
Generated with Cortex Code for All Data and AI Weekly - April 27, 2026
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