How to Automatically Export Snowflake Worksheets to PDF

How can I automatically export a Snowflake worksheet to PDF?

Automating the export of Snowflake worksheet results to PDF involves running the query outside the UI, formatting the data, rendering a PDF with a library or service, and scheduling the process.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

Overview

Snowflake’s web interface (Snowsight and the Classic Console) lets you run ad-hoc queries in worksheets, but it offers no built-in “Export to PDF” button. When teams need pixel-perfect, periodically refreshed PDFs—for board decks, executive reports, compliance archives, or client hand-offs—they must stitch together a workflow that:

Executes the worksheet's SQL on schedule
Collects and formats the result set (tables, charts, headers, footers, branding)
Generates a PDF file
Delivers or stores the file automatically

This article shows multiple production-ready approaches, explains best practices, highlights common pitfalls, and demonstrates how a modern SQL editor like Galaxy fits into the picture.

Why automate PDF exports?

Hand-rolling PDFs by clicking “Print > Save as PDF” works fine once—but reporting obligations rarely end after the first run. Automating PDF exports:

Guarantees consistency—the exact same query, filters, and layout every time
Eliminates human error—no forgotten clicks or outdated screenshots
Saves time—frees analysts and engineers for higher-value tasks
Meets audit & compliance requirements for immutable point-in-time reports
Facilitates non-technical consumption—executives generally prefer PDFs over SQL editors

4 Proven Approaches

1. Browser Print (not real automation)

Open the worksheet in Snowsight, click “Print” in the browser, save as PDF. Fast but manual. Good for one-offs or debugging, not for scheduled pipelines.

2. Snowsight Dashboards & Scheduled Reports

Snowsight allows dashboards to be emailed as PDF or image on a schedule. If your worksheet can be converted into a dashboard tile (table or chart widget), this is the easiest native solution:

Create a Snowsight dashboard
Add your query as a widget
Configure Schedule Delivery > PDF > frequency & recipients

Limitations:

Layout is constrained to Snowflake’s dashboard grid
No programmatic access to the generated PDF
No custom branding beyond logo & color theme

3. Python or Node Connector + PDF Engine

Control everything with code. Typical stack:

Snowflake Connector (snowflake-connector-python or snowflake-sdk)
Pandas or Apache Arrow for data frames
Render HTML with Jinja2 or React
Convert HTML to PDF with pdfkit (wkhtmltopdf), WeasyPrint, or puppeteer
Schedule via cron, Airflow, dbt, or Snowflake Tasks that call an External Function
Store the PDF in S3/Blob/GCS or email via SES/SendGrid

This approach offers full flexibility—charts, corporate fonts, cover pages—but requires infrastructure and maintenance.

4. Serverless External Function + Task

If you want end-to-end automation inside Snowflake, combine:

External Function in AWS Lambda, Azure Function, or Google Cloud Function that accepts a SQL result set and returns a presigned PDF URL
Snowflake Task scheduled to run the worksheet’s SQL, call the External Function, and insert the PDF metadata into a log table
Notification via Snowpipe Streaming or EventBridge to push the PDF link to Slack, Teams, or email

All scheduling and orchestration lives within Snowflake’s ecosystem.

Step-by-Step Guide (Python example)

Prerequisites

Snowflake user with USAGE and SELECT on the target database/schema
Python 3.8+
Packages: snowflake-connector-python, pandas, jinja2, pdfkit, schedule (for timing)
wkhtmltopdf installed on the server/CI runner

Workflow

Load your worksheet’s SQL from a file (or store it in Galaxy Collections for version control).
Run the query via the Snowflake Connector.
Transform to pandas DataFrame.
Render an HTML template (header, footer, DataFrame.to_html(), CSS).
Call pdfkit.from_string() to generate a PDF.
Upload the PDF to S3 (boto3) or attach to an email.
Schedule the script with schedule or cron.

Where Galaxy Fits In

Galaxy is a developer-centric SQL editor with AI copilot and query sharing. While Galaxy doesn’t render PDFs itself, it simplifies two critical pieces of the workflow:

Authoring & version control: Write the worksheet SQL in Galaxy’s desktop app, get AI autocompletion, and store it in a Collection so every teammate calls the same, endorsed query.
Programmatic access: Galaxy stores queries in plaintext files (or via API in the roadmap). Your automation script can pull the latest SQL directly from the repository, ensuring the PDF always reflects the most up-to-date business logic.

Best Practices

Parameterize dates—use bindings like {{ ds }} or Snowflake session variables so the same SQL works daily.
Separate logic from presentation—keep SQL in Galaxy/SCM; keep HTML/CSS templates in your app.
Include metadata—timestamp, Snowflake role, warehouse, and row count in the PDF footer for auditability.
Monitor failures—emit metrics to CloudWatch/Stackdriver; alert on missing PDFs.
Secure secrets—store Snowflake keys in AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, or GCP Secret Manager.

Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Relying on manual browser export

Why it’s wrong: Doesn’t scale, prone to human error.
Fix: Adopt programmatic or Snowsight scheduled approaches.

Ignoring pagination & styling

Why it’s wrong: Long tables overflow pages; unreadable reports.
Fix: Use CSS page-break rules, responsive fonts, and table stripes when rendering HTML.

Hard-coding credentials

Why it’s wrong: Security risk, painful rotations.
Fix: Store secrets in a vault; read them at runtime.

Conclusion

Snowflake doesn’t hand you a “Download PDF” button for worksheets, but combining native features (Snowsight scheduled dashboards) or code-based workflows (Python + PDF generator + task scheduler) yields reliable, production-grade exports. Tools like Galaxy ensure your SQL remains maintainable and discoverable as the backbone of the reporting pipeline.

Why How to Automatically Export Snowflake Worksheets to PDF is important

Engineering and analytics teams often require fixed, point-in-time PDF reports for executives, auditors, or clients. Manual browser exports don’t scale and are error-prone. Automating the process saves time, guarantees consistency, meets compliance standards, and delivers data in a universally accepted, non-editable format.

How to Automatically Export Snowflake Worksheets to PDF Example Usage


-- Monthly revenue summary for board report
SELECT month,
       SUM(revenue) AS total_revenue,
       SUM(cost)    AS total_cost,
       SUM(revenue) - SUM(cost) AS gross_profit
FROM   finance.monthly_financials
GROUP  BY month
ORDER  BY month DESC;

How to Automatically Export Snowflake Worksheets to PDF Syntax

Common Mistakes

Depending on manual browser “Print to PDF” steps. This is fragile and cannot be integrated into CI/CD or task schedulers. Fix by using Snowsight scheduled dashboards or code-based PDF generation.
Assuming table output will fit on a single page. Large datasets spill over or become unreadable. Fix by limiting rows, summarizing data, or adding pagination via CSS page-breaks when rendering HTML.
Embedding Snowflake credentials in the script. This violates security policies and complicates rotations. Fix by retrieving secrets from a vault (AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, HashiCorp Vault) at runtime.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can Snowflake export worksheets to PDF natively?

Not directly. Snowflake’s Snowsight can email dashboards as PDFs, but worksheets in the SQL editor lack a “Download PDF” button. You need to convert the query into a dashboard tile or use external automation.

What’s the easiest no-code option?

Create a Snowsight dashboard with your query, then schedule it to email a PDF. This requires zero external infrastructure but offers limited layout control.

How does Galaxy help with automated PDF exports?

Galaxy centralizes and versions your SQL. Your automation script can pull the latest endorsed query from Galaxy Collections, ensuring the PDF always reflects the current business logic without hard-coded SQL strings.

Is it better to store the PDF in Snowflake stages or cloud object storage?

Storing in a cloud bucket (S3, GCS, Blob) is common because PDF generation often occurs outside Snowflake. You can still reference the object via an external stage if you need to keep metadata inside Snowflake.