What is the performance difference between using Snowflake vs BigQuery for Snowplow?

Performance differences between Snowflake and BigQuery for Snowplow data:

Snowflake Advantages:

  • Real-time Ingestion: Superior streaming capabilities with Snowpipe Streaming for sub-second data availability
  • Complex Queries: Better performance for complex joins and behavioral analysis with advanced SQL optimization
  • Flexibility: Independent compute and storage scaling provides better cost control for variable Snowplow workloads

BigQuery Advantages:

  • Analytical Queries: Optimized for large-scale analytical workloads with petabyte-scale scanning capabilities
  • Cost Model: Potentially more cost-effective for very large analytical queries with predictable patterns

For Snowplow Use Cases: Snowflake generally provides superior performance for real-time behavioral analytics, complex customer journey analysis, and mixed workloads that combine streaming ingestion with analytical processing.

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