Snowpark for Python extends Snowflake's Snowpark developer framework by allowing users to write code in Python.
It includes a secure Python sandbox, and runs on the same Snowflake compute infrastructure as Snowflake pipelines and applications written in other languages.
Among the related new features are Snowflake Worksheets for Python (currently in private preview) for developing pipelines, ML models, and applications directly in the Snowsight user interface; Streamlit integration (currently in development) for sharing, iterating and collaborating with business users; large memory warehouses (currently in development) for executing memory-intensive operations such as feature engineering and model training on large datasets; and SQL Machine Learning, starting with time-series forecasting (currently in private preview) for embedding ML-based predictions into BI and and analytics applications.
"We are heavily investing in Python to make it easier for data scientists, data engineers, and application developers to build even more in the data cloud, without governance trade-offs," said Snowflake senior vice president Christian Kleinerman.
"Our latest innovations extend the value of our customers' data-driven ecosystems, enabling them with more access to data and new ways to develop with it directly in Snowflake. These capabilities, paired with Snowflake's best of class data security and privacy, are changing the way teams experiment, iterate, and collaborate with data to drive value."
Unistore provides a simpler way to use the Snowflake data cloud for transactional applications such as those involving application state and data serving.
Its Hybrid Tables feature (in private preview) offers fast single-row operations, allowing swift analytics on transactional data for immediate context. Hybrid Tables can be used in conjunction with existing Snowflake Tables.
Adobe is an early adopter of Unistore, and is using it in the Adobe Campaigns application.
"Running Adobe Campaign on Snowflake has enabled us to offer unparalleled speed and scale to our customers, who can now leverage our best-in-class cross-channel campaign management functionality with performance that can't be matched." said Adobe Campaign and managed cloud services senior director Nick Hall.
"Our teams already love the improvements we're seeing, including 50x improvement in delivery preparation time. We look forward to seeing how Unistore will enhance the ability of Adobe Campaign to unlock even more possibilities for our customers to do personalisation at scale."
Kleinerman said "Unistore is the foundation for another wave of innovation in the Snowflake data cloud. Similar to how we redefined data lakes and data warehouses for our customers, Unistore is ushering in a renaissance of building and deploying a new generation of applications in the data cloud."
Snowflake's Native Application Framework (currently in private preview) allows developers to build applications and make them available in Snowflake Marketplace so customers can install and run them in their Snowflake instances, reducing the need to move data.
Capabilities include stored procedures, user-defined functions, user-defined table functions, with Streamlit integration and telemetry under development.
"Applications have been a part of Snowflake's DNA from day one," said Snowflake senior director of product management Chris Child.
"The Snowflake Native Application Framework enables every customer to step into the future with a seamless way to build, distribute, and use applications natively in the data cloud."
