# Snowflake: Managing Access to Tables

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to configure [#grant-kits](https://docs.abbey.io/how-abbey-works/concepts#grant-kits "mention") to automate access requests to a [Snowflake Table](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/Snowflake-Labs/snowflake/latest/docs/resources/table_grant).

We will be using the [Snowflake Starter Kit](https://github.com/abbeylabs/abbey-starter-kit-snowflake) as a base and replace configuration stubs for our use case.

## Before you start

1. **Make sure you have:**
   * An [Abbey account](https://app.abbey.so/sign-up)
   * An [Abbey API Token](https://docs.abbey.io/admin/managing-api-tokens#creating-new-api-tokens)
   * A Snowflake account
2. **Make sure you setup:**
   1. A [Snowflake Starter Kit](https://github.com/abbeylabs/abbey-starter-kit-snowflake) by following [get-a-starter-kit](https://docs.abbey.io/build-a-grant-kit/get-a-starter-kit "mention")
   2. A Connection to a repo by following [connect-a-repo](https://docs.abbey.io/build-a-grant-kit/connect-a-repo "mention")

## Step 1: Configure Your Grant Kit

### Configure Output

Grant Kits rely on your GitHub account and repository name to output access changes, which we'll set through Terraform local variables. Update the `locals` block in `main.tf` with your `account_name` and `repo_name`

{% code title="main.tf" %}

```hcl
 locals {
  account_name = "" #CHANGEME
  repo_name = "" #CHANGEME
  ...
}
```

{% endcode %}

### Configure Reviewers

Workflow defines who should approve an access request. 

Let's update the `reviewers` block by adding yourself as the reviewer by switching `replace-me@example.com` with the email address you use to sign into Abbey. 

{% code title="main.tf" %}

```diff
 resource "abbey_grant_kit" "..." {
   ...
   workflow = {
     steps = [
       {
         reviewers = {
-          one_of = ["replace-me@example.com"] # CHANGEME
+          one_of = ["alice@example.com"]
```

{% endcode %}

## Step 2: Link Snowflake with Abbey

Now you'll need to link [Snowflake with Abbey](https://developers.abbey.io/#operation/createAppData). 

{% code title="" %}

```diff
curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ABBEY_API_TOKEN" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  https://api.abbey.io/v1/users/<user_id>/apps \
  -d '{"type": "snowflake", "data": {"username": "<your Snowflake username>"}}'
```

{% endcode %}

## Step 3: Replace Snowflake Stubs

You'll need to log into your Snowflake account to get your database, role, user(s), table schema, and table name.

{% code title="main.tf" lineNumbers="true" %}

```diff
...

data "snowflake_database" "pii_database" {
-  name = "REPLACE_ME"
+  name = "PII_DATABASE" # Use your own name.
}

data "snowflake_role" "pii_readonly_role" {
-  name = "REPLACE_ME"
+  name = "PII_ROLE" # Use your own role.
}

data "snowflake_users" "my_snowflake_user" {
-  pattern = "REPLACE_ME"
+  pattern = "USERNAME" # Use your own username.
}

resource "snowflake_table_grant" "pii_readonly__can_read__pii__table" {
  database_name     = data.snowflake_database.pii_database.name
-  schema_name       = "REPLACE_ME"
+  schema_name       = "PII_SCHEMA" # Use your own schema.
-  table_name        = "REPLACE_ME"
+  table_name        = "PII_TABLE" # Use your own table.
  privilege         = "SELECT"
  roles             = [data.snowflake_role.pii_readonly_role.name]
  with_grant_option = false
}

...
```

{% endcode %}

## Step 4: Deploy Your Starter Kit

First, add your Snowflake-related secrets to your repo:

* `SNOWFLAKE_ACCOUNT`
* `SNOWFLAKE_PASSWORD`
* `SNOWFLAKE_USERNAME`

You can find this information in your Snowflake account.

<details>

<summary>What should it look like?</summary>

<img src="https://1502779850-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FudoTqG501gLo2MLzBG55%2Fuploads%2FpV39pLWfchwZ7pIQ597L%2Fabbey-snowflake-gh-secrets.png?alt=media&#x26;token=4635756f-39c1-4a46-82e1-f443b460e703" alt="" data-size="original">

</details>

To deploy your Starter Kit, follow instructions from [deploying-your-grant-kit](https://docs.abbey.io/build-a-grant-kit/deploying-your-grant-kit "mention").

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you received an error for `terraform plan` with the message:

```
Error: 260008 (08004): failed to connect to db. verify account name is correct. HTTP: 403
```

This means you didn't configure the correct Snowflake `account`, `username`, or `password`. The Snowflake Terraform Provider requires correct credentials.

Also keep in mind if Snowflake requires you to have a valid database name, otherwise you'll see the error message:

```
The argument "database_name" is required, but no definition was found.
```

{% endhint %}

## Step 5: Automate Access Management

:tada: Congratulations! Abbey is now managing permissions to your Snowflake Table for you. :tada:

You can now start requesting and approving access by following the [requesting-access](https://docs.abbey.io/build-a-grant-kit/requesting-access "mention") and [approving-or-denying-access-requests](https://docs.abbey.io/build-a-grant-kit/approving-or-denying-access-requests "mention") guides.

{% hint style="success" %}
Abbey strives to help you automate and secure access management without being intrusive.

To that end, this Pull Request contains native Terraform HCL code using normal open source Terraform Provider libraries. It represents the permissions change. In this case, it's just a simple creation of a new Terraform Resource.
{% endhint %}

## Next Steps

To learn more about what [resources](https://docs.abbey.io/resources "mention") you can configure, try one of our [](https://docs.abbey.io/getting-started/tutorials "mention").

For more information on how Abbey works, visit the [concepts](https://docs.abbey.io/how-abbey-works/concepts "mention") or [grant-kits](https://docs.abbey.io/reference/grant-kits "mention") page.