How to Fix Snowflake Syntax Error in PostgreSQL

Galaxy Glossary

How do I fix a Snowflake syntax error when running SQL in PostgreSQL?

Detects and resolves Snowflake-specific SQL that fails in PostgreSQL.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

What causes a Snowflake syntax error in PostgreSQL?

PostgreSQL rejects Snowflake-only keywords, data types, and functions. Common offenders are QUALIFY, TO_VARIANT(), and the $ identifier escape. When these appear, the parser raises a syntax error before execution.

How to identify incompatible clauses quickly?

Run EXPLAIN or click the Galaxy linter. The first unexpected token in the stack trace pinpoints the Snowflake clause.Remove or rewrite from that token onward to continue parsing.

Which Snowflake clauses have no PostgreSQL equivalent?

SAMPLE, QUALIFY, and MINUS lack native support. Substitute with CTEs, subqueries, or EXCEPT in PostgreSQL.

How to rewrite identifier quoting?

Snowflake allows "My Column$". PostgreSQL supports double quotes but not trailing $ in identifiers. Rename the column or alias it without the symbol.

Why remove double dollar-quoted identifiers?

PostgreSQL treats $$ as a string delimiter, not an identifier wrapper, leading to misaligned tokens.Switch to single quotes for strings or double quotes for identifiers.

How to replace Snowflake functions with PostgreSQL equivalents?

Map each function: TO_DATE() → DATE(), TO_VARIANT() → JSONB_BUILD_OBJECT(), IFF() → CASE WHEN. Validate output with SELECT samples.

Best practices to avoid future Snowflake syntax errors?

Adopt ANSI-compliant SQL. Enable Galaxy’s dialect hints set to PostgreSQL. Keep a migration cheat-sheet listing Snowflake-only features and their PostgreSQL counterparts.

Why How to Fix Snowflake Syntax Error in PostgreSQL is important

How to Fix Snowflake Syntax Error in PostgreSQL Example Usage


-- Problem: Snowflake's IFF and TO_VARIANT cause syntax error
SELECT IFF(stock = 0, 'out', 'in')   AS stock_status,
       TO_VARIANT(price)             AS price_json
FROM Products;

-- Fix for PostgreSQL
SELECT CASE WHEN stock = 0 THEN 'out' ELSE 'in' END          AS stock_status,
       to_jsonb(price)                                        AS price_json
FROM Products;

How to Fix Snowflake Syntax Error in PostgreSQL Syntax


-- Snowflake style that fails in PostgreSQL
SELECT *
FROM Orders
QUALIFY ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY customer_id ORDER BY order_date) = 1;

-- PostgreSQL-compliant rewrite
WITH ranked AS (
  SELECT *,
         ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY customer_id ORDER BY order_date) AS rn
  FROM Orders
)
SELECT *
FROM ranked
WHERE rn = 1;

Common Mistakes

Using QUALIFY directly. PostgreSQL lacks the QUALIFY clause; rewrite with a CTE and WHERE filter on ROW_NUMBER().
Keeping the $ symbol in identifiers. PostgreSQL treats $ oddly in identifiers; rename or alias columns without it to avoid parser errors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I enable Snowflake compatibility mode in PostgreSQL?

No. PostgreSQL does not offer a compatibility mode. You must rewrite syntax to ANSI or PostgreSQL-specific equivalents.

Is there a tool that auto-converts Snowflake SQL to PostgreSQL?

Galaxy’s AI copilot suggests PostgreSQL-friendly rewrites. For batch conversion, use open-source transpilers like SQLGlot with the target dialect set to postgres.