To streamline data management, data synchronization between different tools has become a common practice for organizations. One classic example of this is a connection between Freshdesk and Snowflake. Both tools differ from each other and have very specific use cases, features, and functionalities. While Freshdesk is a customer support tool, Snowflake is a modern storage system.

You might want to migrate from Freshdesk to Snowflake to perform advanced analysis on your customer support data. This includes predictive modeling, more comprehensive reporting, and integration with machine learning and BI tools to gain deeper insights into customer data for enhancing your products and services.

In this article, we will discuss two easy methods to integrate data from Freshdesk to Snowflake.

Freshdesk Overview

Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer support platform that provides help desk support with automation to get things done faster. With over 60,000 clients, Freshdesk has become one of the leading customer support tools. It offers many services that meet the requirements of data-driven organizations, including multi-channel support, gamification within customer support teams, and self-service portals. Some huge organizations that use Freskdesk for automated customer support include Bridgestone, Pearson, Decathlon, and Henkel.

Key features of Freshdesk include: 

• Multi-channel support: Freshdesk creates an instant support service across multiple communication channels, such as chats, emails, phone calls, AI bots, and social networks like Facebook and Twitter, all in one platform. ‍
• Productivity Hacks: As a unified platform, Freshdesk offers many features to increase productivity in the customer support team. It allows you to use tags to classify tickets so agents can find issues, notify automatically if changes happen in tickets, create reply templates for specific situations, and more.‍
• Reporting & Analytics: Freshdesk provides excellent reporting and analytics capabilities for help desk support. Using its default dashboard, you can view metrics like ticket trends, performance distribution, ticket lifecycle, recent activities, and customer satisfaction.

Snowflake Overview

Snowflake is a widely used cloud-based data warehousing platform. Its storage system leverages a shared architecture that allows you to store and manage huge databases in real-time. Besides data warehousing, it provides a unified platform for many data management services, including data engineering, data science, and data analytics. Organizations leveraging its wide variety of services in their tech stack include Adobe, Sony, Capital One, and Tech Mahindra.

Some of the key features of Snowflake are mentioned below:

• Semi-structured Data Support: Snowflake natively supports data formats like JSON, Avro, Parquet, and XML. Using the VARIANT data type, you can store and manage semi-structured data in its relational tables.‍
• Dynamic Resource Management: The unique architecture of Snowflake does the dynamic modification of configurations and independent scaling of resources for you. This means you don't have to manage resources manually. The platform adapts to each usage scenario, ensuring efficient allocation of IO memory, CPU, and IO resources.‍
• Elastic Scalability: Snowflake offers you the ability to scale on demand. Whether you're dealing with interactive analytics, batch data processing, or complex data pipelines, it can adjust its performance and capacity to meet varying workloads. Therefore, you don't have to worry about upfront capacity planning and maintenance of underutilized resources.

Methods to Load Data from Freshdesk to Snowflake

• Method 1: Using Airbyte for Freshdesk to Snowflake Data Synchronization
• Method 2: Using custom coding for moving data from Freshdesk to Snowflake

Method 1: Using Airbyte for Freshdesk to Snowflake Data Synchronization

Airbyte is a widely known data integration tool that automates the connection between Freshdesk and Snowflake. With its rich features and functionalities like extensive pre-built connectors, open-source nature, and intuitive user interface, you can streamline every complex task moving data between both systems.

Here's a detailed guide to using Airbyte for synchronizing Freshdesk and Snowflake: 

Step 1: Configure Freshdesk as a Source

• Create an account or log in to Airbyte. 
• Click the Sources tab on the left navigation bar of the home page. 

• Look for the search field at the top of the Sources page and type in Freshdesk. 
• Click on the Freshdesk connector card. 

• You will see the Create a source page where you must fill in the API Key, Domain, and other Optional fields as per your requirements.

• Click on Set up source.

Step 2: Configure Snowflake as a Destination

• After configuring Freshdesk as the source, click on the Destinations tab from the left navigation bar.
• On the Destinations page, look for the search field and type in Snowflake.

• Click on the connector card that appears in the search results.
• You'll see a Create a destination page where you must fill in the following fields: Host, Role, Warehouse, Database, Default_Schema, and Username.
• Choose the appropriate Authorization Method between OAuth2.0, Key Pair Authentication, Username, and Password.

• Click Set up destination.

Step 3: Connect Source and Destination

• Now that you have configured a source and destination in the cloud application of Airbyte, you must establish a connection between the tools. To perform this task, simply click the Connections tab from the left navigation bar.

• On the Connections page, click on the Create a connection button.
• Add Freshdesk as a source and Snowflake as the destination.
• Configure the other connection details and provide a unique Connection Name. You can tweak details, including Sync mode, Streams section, and Replication frequency.
• Lastly, click on Set up connection > Sync now to start synchronization.

That's all it takes to successfully move data from Freshdesk to Snowflake in just a few clicks.

Method 2: Using Custom Coding for Moving Data from Freshdesk to Snowflake

In this method, we will manually export the data from Freshdesk in CSV file format and copy it into the Snowflake warehousing platform. Here is a detailed guide:

Step 1: Export Freshdesk Data in a CSV file

• Log in to your existing Freshdesk account. You can perform this task by entering yourcompanyname.freshdesk.com in the input box of the login page. 
• On your Freshdesk dashboard, click on the Contacts tab in the navigation bar.
• In the Contacts section, click Export.
• A window pops up. Select the fields you wish to export.
• Optionally, click on the Details button to get all the details about the export. Here, you'll see information like selected time periods, contact fields, ticket fields, and other information.
• Click on the Export button at the bottom.
• A file containing your selected data will be downloaded in CSV format.

Step 2: Import Freshdesk Data CSV File into Snowflake

For this step, we will use Snowsight to import the CSV file because of its ease of use.

• Login to Snowsight.
• You'll be directed to the home page. Create a database for your Freskdesk data by selecting Data > +Database from the top left navigation bar.
• Give your database a unique name, such as Freshdesk_data.
• Select the database you just created and click the +Schema button. Give your schema a unique name.
• Create a table inside that schema by clicking Create > Table > Standard. 
• You'll be navigated to the interface where you write SQL queries to create your table. Use the CREATE TABLE statement and make a table that matches your CSV file's columns and names.
• Click Create to run the SQL query and create the table.
• Select the table you just created and click the Load Data button. A pop-up will appear to upload a file from your system; select the CSV file you downloaded from Freshdesk in Step 1.
• Set the file format as CSV and configure other settings according to your requirements.
• Click on Next.
• You can preview the data from your Data Preview pane on the Snowsight interface.

Note: Ensure the structure of your Snowflake database table matches the CSV file's structure; otherwise, the data will not be formatted correctly. 

That concludes the manual method to successfully replicate Freshdesk data to Snowflake by exporting and importing CSV files between both systems.

Limitations of Using the Manual Method

• Latency: The manual Freshdesk to Snowflake data integration introduces delay as it relies on human intervention to initiate and complete the process. This delay can impact data availability in Snowflake, particularly for reporting requirements.‍
• Time and Expertise Requirement: Connecting Freshdesk and Snowflake can be time-consuming and complicated, especially for huge datasets. In addition, it requires a deep level of expertise and a thorough understanding of how both systems work.

Conclusion

You have explored two straightforward ways to integrate data from Freshdesk to Snowflake. The first method uses Airbyte to streamline the data migration process. All it takes are a few clicks to connect Freshdesk to Snowflake using this method. On the other hand, the manual method requires considerable effort. First, you must export the CSV file from Freshdesk, create a database on Snowflake, configure the database schema to match CSV, and then import the CSV file successfully. Consider using Airbyte to perform the Freshdesk to Snowflake integration, as you automate almost every aspect of the data pipeline process. Using its pre-built connectors and easy-to-use interface, you not only streamline the connection between Freshdesk and Snowflake but also any source or destination of your choice.