TL;DR

This can be done by building a data pipeline manually, usually a Python script (you can leverage a tool as Apache Airflow for this). This process can take more than a full week of development. Or it can be done in minutes on Airbyte in three easy steps:

1. set up Teradata source as a source connector (using Auth, or usually an API key)
2. set up Snowflake destination as a destination connector
3. define which data you want to transfer and how frequently

You can choose to self-host the pipeline using Airbyte Open Source or have it managed for you with Airbyte Cloud.

This tutorial’s purpose is to show you how.

What is Teradata source

Teradata is a data management and analytics platform that helps businesses to collect, store, and analyze large amounts of data. It provides a range of tools and services that enable organizations to make data-driven decisions and gain insights into their operations. Teradata's platform is designed to handle complex data sets and support advanced analytics, including machine learning and artificial intelligence. It also offers cloud-based solutions that allow businesses to scale their data management and analytics capabilities as needed. Overall, Teradata helps businesses to unlock the value of their data and drive better outcomes across their operations.

What is Snowflake destination

A cloud data platform, Snowflake Data Cloud provides a warehouse-as-a-service built specifically for the cloud. The Snowflake platform is designed to empower many types of data workloads, and offers secure, immediate, governed access to a comprehensive network of data. Snowflake’s innovative technology goes above the capabilities of the ordinary database, supplying users all the functionality of database storage, query processing, and cloud services in one package.

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Prerequisites

1. A Teradata source account to transfer your customer data automatically from.
2. A Snowflake destination account.
3. An active Airbyte Cloud account, or you can also choose to use Airbyte Open Source locally. You can follow the instructions to set up Airbyte on your system using docker-compose.

Airbyte is an open-source data integration platform that consolidates and streamlines the process of extracting and loading data from multiple data sources to data warehouses. It offers pre-built connectors, including Teradata source and Snowflake destination, for seamless data migration.

When using Airbyte to move data from Teradata source to Snowflake destination, it extracts data from Teradata source using the source connector, converts it into a format Snowflake destination can ingest using the provided schema, and then loads it into Snowflake destination via the destination connector. This allows businesses to leverage their Teradata source data for advanced analytics and insights within Snowflake destination, simplifying the ETL process and saving significant time and resources.

Methods to Move Data From Teradata to snowflake

• Method 1: Connecting Teradata to snowflake using Airbyte.
• Method 2: Connecting Teradata to snowflake manually.

Method 1: Connecting Teradata to snowflake using Airbyte

Step 1: Set up Teradata source as a source connector

1. First, navigate to the Airbyte website and create an account.
2. Once you have logged in, click on the ""Sources"" tab on the left-hand side of the screen.
3. Scroll down until you find the Teradata source connector and click on it.
4. You will be prompted to enter your Teradata database credentials, including the host, port, username, and password.
5. After entering your credentials, click on the ""Test"" button to ensure that the connection is successful.
6. If the test is successful, click on the ""Save"" button to save your Teradata source connector settings.
7. You can now use the Teradata source connector to extract data from your Teradata database and load it into your destination of choice.
8. To set up a destination connector, navigate to the ""Destinations"" tab on the left-hand side of the screen and select the destination you want to use.
9. Follow the prompts to enter your destination credentials and configure your destination settings.
10. Once you have set up both your source and destination connectors, you can create a new pipeline to move data from your Teradata database to your destination.

Step 2: Set up Snowflake destination as a destination connector

1. First, navigate to the Airbyte website and log in to your account.

2. Once you are logged in, click on the "Destinations" tab on the left-hand side of the screen.

3. Scroll down until you find the Snowflake Data Cloud destination connector and click on it.

4. You will be prompted to enter your Snowflake account information, including your account name, username, and password.

5. After entering your account information, click on the "Test" button to ensure that the connection is successful.

6. If the test is successful, click on the "Save" button to save your Snowflake Data Cloud destination connector settings.

7. You can now use the Snowflake Data Cloud destination connector to transfer data from your Airbyte sources to your Snowflake account.

8. To set up a data transfer, navigate to the "Sources" tab on the left-hand side of the screen and select the source you want to transfer data from.

9. Click on the "Create New Connection" button and select the Snowflake Data Cloud destination connector as your destination.

10. Follow the prompts to set up your data transfer, including selecting the tables or data sources you want to transfer and setting up any necessary transformations or mappings.

11. Once you have set up your data transfer, click on the "Run" button to start the transfer process.

Step 3: Set up a connection to sync your Teradata source data to Snowflake destination

Once you've successfully connected Teradata source as a data source and Snowflake destination as a destination in Airbyte, you can set up a data pipeline between them with the following steps:

1. Create a new connection: On the Airbyte dashboard, navigate to the 'Connections' tab and click the '+ New Connection' button.
2. Choose your source: Select Teradata source from the dropdown list of your configured sources.
3. Select your destination: Choose Snowflake destination from the dropdown list of your configured destinations.
4. Configure your sync: Define the frequency of your data syncs based on your business needs. Airbyte allows both manual and automatic scheduling for your data refreshes.
5. Select the data to sync: Choose the specific Teradata source objects you want to import data from towards Snowflake destination. You can sync all data or select specific tables and fields.
6. Select the sync mode for your streams: Choose between full refreshes or incremental syncs (with deduplication if you want), and this for all streams or at the stream level. Incremental is only available for streams that have a primary cursor.
7. Test your connection: Click the 'Test Connection' button to make sure that your setup works. If the connection test is successful, save your configuration.
8. Start the sync: If the test passes, click 'Set Up Connection'. Airbyte will start moving data from Teradata source to Snowflake destination according to your settings.

Remember, Airbyte keeps your data in sync at the frequency you determine, ensuring your Snowflake destination data warehouse is always up-to-date with your Teradata source data.

Method 2: Connecting Teradata to snowflake manually

To move data from Teradata to Snowflake without using third-party connectors or integrations, you can follow these steps. This guide assumes you have the necessary permissions and access to both the Teradata and Snowflake environments.

Step 1: Extract Data from Teradata

1. Connect to Teradata

Use Teradata SQL Assistant, BTEQ, or any preferred SQL execution tool.

Connect using your credentials and select the database containing the data you wish to export.

2. Prepare Data for Export

• Identify the tables or data you want to move.
• Cleanse and transform the data as necessary to ensure compatibility with Snowflake.

3. Export Data to a File

• Execute a query to export the data to a flat file (CSV, TSV, etc.).
• You may use the `EXPORT` command or any other method provided by Teradata for data extraction.
• Ensure you include headers in the export if you want to use them in Snowflake for column mapping.

```sql

.EXPORT DATA FILE = <file_path>

SELECT * FROM <your_table>;

```

Step 2: Transfer Data to a Staging Area

1. Choose a Staging Area

You can use an internal stage in Snowflake or a cloud storage service such as Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, or Google Cloud Storage.

2. Transfer Files to Staging Area

• If using cloud storage, upload the files using the service's web interface, CLI, or SDKs.
• Ensure the files are in a secure location and that Snowflake has the necessary permissions to access them.

Step 3: Create File Format in Snowflake

1. Login to Snowflake

Use the Snowflake web interface or connect using SnowSQL.

2. Create a File Format

Define a file format that matches the format of the exported data from Teradata.

```sql

CREATE OR REPLACE FILE FORMAT my_file_format

TYPE = 'CSV'

FIELD_DELIMITER = ','

SKIP_HEADER = 1

FIELD_OPTIONALLY_ENCLOSED_BY = '"'

ERROR_ON_COLUMN_COUNT_MISMATCH = TRUE

NULL_IF = ('\\N');

```

Step 4: Create a Stage in Snowflake

1. Create a Stage

Define a stage that references the location of the uploaded data files.

```sql

-- For an internal stage:

CREATE OR REPLACE STAGE my_internal_stage

FILE_FORMAT = my_file_format;

-- For an external stage (e.g., Amazon S3):

CREATE OR REPLACE STAGE my_external_stage

URL = 's3://mybucket/myfolder/'

CREDENTIALS = (AWS_KEY_ID = 'myKeyId' AWS_SECRET_KEY = 'mySecretKey')

FILE_FORMAT = my_file_format;

```

Step 5: Copy Data into Snowflake

1. Create a Target Table

Define a table in Snowflake that matches the schema of the Teradata source data.

```sql

CREATE OR REPLACE TABLE my_table (

    column1 datatype1,

    column2 datatype2,

    ...

);

```

2. Copy Data into the Table

Use the `COPY INTO` command to load data from the stage into the Snowflake table.

```sql

-- For an internal stage:

COPY INTO my_table

FROM @my_internal_stage

FILE_FORMAT = (FORMAT_NAME = my_file_format);

-- For an external stage:

COPY INTO my_table

FROM @my_external_stage

FILE_FORMAT = (FORMAT_NAME = my_file_format);

```

3. Monitor the Load Process

Check the load process for errors and ensure that the data is loaded correctly.

```sql

SELECT * FROM TABLE(INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COPY_HISTORY(TABLE_NAME => 'my_table', START_TIME => dateadd(hours, -1, current_timestamp())));

```

4. Validate the Data:

Query the Snowflake table and validate that the data has been loaded correctly and completely.

Step 6: Clean Up

1. Remove Temporary Files

Delete the exported data files from the staging area to prevent storage clutter and maintain security.

2. Review and Optimize

Review the entire process for optimizations such as automating repetitive tasks, improving data transformation, or refining the Snowflake table design for better performance.

By following these steps, you can manually move data from Teradata to Snowflake without the use of third-party connectors or integrations. Remember to handle sensitive data with care throughout the process and to comply with data governance and security policies.

Use Cases to transfer your Teradata source data to Snowflake destination

Integrating data from Teradata source to Snowflake destination provides several benefits. Here are a few use cases:

1. Advanced Analytics: Snowflake destination’s powerful data processing capabilities enable you to perform complex queries and data analysis on your Teradata source data, extracting insights that wouldn't be possible within Teradata source alone.
2. Data Consolidation: If you're using multiple other sources along with Teradata source, syncing to Snowflake destination allows you to centralize your data for a holistic view of your operations, and to set up a change data capture process so you never have any discrepancies in your data again.
3. Historical Data Analysis: Teradata source has limits on historical data. Syncing data to Snowflake destination allows for long-term data retention and analysis of historical trends over time.
4. Data Security and Compliance: Snowflake destination provides robust data security features. Syncing Teradata source data to Snowflake destination ensures your data is secured and allows for advanced data governance and compliance management.
5. Scalability: Snowflake destination can handle large volumes of data without affecting performance, providing an ideal solution for growing businesses with expanding Teradata source data.
6. Data Science and Machine Learning: By having Teradata source data in Snowflake destination, you can apply machine learning models to your data for predictive analytics, customer segmentation, and more.
7. Reporting and Visualization: While Teradata source provides reporting tools, data visualization tools like Tableau, PowerBI, Looker (Google Data Studio) can connect to Snowflake destination, providing more advanced business intelligence options. If you have a Teradata source table that needs to be converted to a Snowflake destination table, Airbyte can do that automatically.

Wrapping Up

To summarize, this tutorial has shown you how to:

1. Configure a Teradata source account as an Airbyte data source connector.
2. Configure Snowflake destination as a data destination connector.
3. Create an Airbyte data pipeline that will automatically be moving data directly from Teradata source to Snowflake destination after you set a schedule

With Airbyte, creating data pipelines take minutes, and the data integration possibilities are endless. Airbyte supports the largest catalog of API tools, databases, and files, among other sources. Airbyte's connectors are open-source, so you can add any custom objects to the connector, or even build a new connector from scratch without any local dev environment or any data engineer within 10 minutes with the no-code connector builder.

We look forward to seeing you make use of it! We invite you to join the conversation on our community Slack Channel, or sign up for our newsletter. You should also check out other Airbyte tutorials, and Airbyte’s content hub!