# Data Validation Setup

> One-time infrastructure setup for cloud data validation — verify the orchestrator service is ready after the shared infrastructure step.

- Skill: `snowflake-labs/data-validation-setup` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add snowflake-labs/data-validation-setup`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/snowflake-labs/data-validation-setup/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- License: Proprietary. See License-Skills for complete terms
- Author: snowflake-labs (https://skillmd.com/u/snowflake-labs)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/snowflake-labs/data-validation-setup

---


# Cloud Data Validation Setup

One-time infrastructure setup for validating migrated data between a source database and Snowflake using the **Cloud Data Validation** feature via the **scai CLI**.

> **Supported sources**: SQL Server, Redshift, Oracle, Teradata, PostgreSQL, Snowflake
> **Supported target**: Snowflake

## Prerequisite

Load `../../data-infrastructure/SKILL.md` first. It handles shared prerequisites, compute pool registration, and worker config (source host/port/credentials, source database, source schema). Return here after it completes.

> For migration-source projects, validation requires target tables to already
> be deployed to Snowflake. For Snowflake-to-Snowflake validation, the source
> and target objects must already exist; do not run deployment or data
> migration first.

---

## Step 1: Verify Orchestrator Service

After the shared infrastructure step has registered the compute pool, confirm the orchestrator service started:

```sql
SELECT SYSTEM$GET_SERVICE_STATUS('SNOWCONVERT_AI.DATA_MIGRATION.DATA_MIGRATION_SERVICE');
```

If it returns `[]` (suspended/not started), resume it manually:

```sql
ALTER SERVICE SNOWCONVERT_AI.DATA_MIGRATION.DATA_MIGRATION_SERVICE RESUME;
```

Wait 30-60s and re-check until status shows `READY`.

This completes infrastructure setup. The actual validation is started later by the `validate-objects` skill via:

1. `progress_setup(mode="data_validation")` — choose full vs incremental (+ sync strategy).
2. `validate_data(mode="setup", where=..., validation_type=..., sync_strategy=...)` — generates `artifacts/data_validation/workflows/<hash>.yaml` and patches known toggles / sync strategy.
3. `data_infrastructure(mode="up")` — bring the shared orchestrator + worker up once. Snowflake-source projects bring up only the orchestrator (`start_worker=false`).
4. Agent edits (e.g. `watermarkColumn`, partition columns) then `validate_data(mode="run", workflow_path=...)` — pure dispatch (`scai data validate create-workflow`) against the already-running infrastructure.

**Do not run `scai data validate create-workflow` directly** — use `validate_data` for dispatch and `data_infrastructure` for the orchestrator/worker lifecycle. **Do not write ad-hoc comparison scripts** — use the validation workflow YAML and `validate_data` instead.

When editing validation workflows, load [Workflow Config Reference](./references/workflow-config-reference.md) for camelCase field names (`sourceWhereClause`, `targetWhereClause`, `indexColumnList`, …) and accepted snake_case/legacy aliases. See common edit scenarios there (including excluding drift-prone timestamp columns from row compare **before** `validate_data(mode="run")`). For task-level debugging, see [Task model reference](../../migrate-objects/actions/data-migration/references/task-model-reference.md).

---

## Checklist

Shared infrastructure checklist is owned by `../../data-infrastructure/SKILL.md`. Validation-specific items:

```
- [ ] Compute pool passed to data_infrastructure(mode="up", compute_pool=...) — SPCS only
- [ ] Worker config has no remaining <placeholder> values — unless pure Iceberg or Snowflake-to-Snowflake validation
- [ ] Level 1 scai data doctor — no Fail checks (see data-infrastructure skill)
- [ ] Data Validation Service running (READY)
```

Return control to the parent skill.

---

## Reference

- [Advanced operations reference](../../data-infrastructure/references/advanced-operations-reference.md) — rate limiting, incremental DV, revalidate (when the customer asks)
- [Workflow Config Reference](./references/workflow-config-reference.md) — field-by-field reference for the per-call validation workflow YAML (`validationConfiguration`, per-table overrides, mappings, advanced). Load this when editing the file generated by `validate_data(mode="setup")`.
- [Task Model Reference](../../migrate-objects/actions/data-migration/references/task-model-reference.md)
- [Data Doctor reference](../../data-infrastructure/references/data-doctor-reference.md)
- [Teardown (cost-saving suspend)](../../data-infrastructure/teardown/SKILL.md)