Snowflake Check

Snowflake Check

Identify the tests introduced by the current branch diff against main, separate live-applicable runtime checks from local-only unit tests, reproduce the runtime behavior against a real Snowflake account with isolated temporary objects, and report any divergence precisely.

Prefer reproducing the behavior in a small one-off script over patching the repo tests to force them through live credentials. Treat the repo tests as specifications to validate, not as the only executable surface.

Workflow

1. Inspect the current branch diff.

• Run git diff --stat --name-only main...HEAD to identify touched files.
• Run git diff main...HEAD -- <candidate test files> to isolate the exact newly added test bodies.
• Note that the review scope is main...HEAD in the final report.

2. Classify each added test before running anything live.

• Read tests/conftest.py and any local fixtures to see whether the default path is fake Snowflake, an embedded server, or a real account.
• Mark tests as one of:
  • live-runtime: Executes SQL or connector behavior that can be reproduced against a real Snowflake account.
  • local-only: Pure transform/parser/unit tests that are not meaningful to run on Snowflake directly.
  • mixed: Has both a live-relevant behavior and a local-only assertion surface.
• Search for repo-specific live connection patterns in files like tests/vcr/, notebooks, or docs before inventing credentials or account parameters.

3. Discover the real Snowflake connection path that already exists.

• Check the current shell environment for SNOWFLAKE_* variables and any repo-local .env files.
• Search for hard-coded or example live connection dictionaries in the repo.
• Reuse the repo's known account, role, warehouse, database, schema, and authenticator values when possible.
• If the repo uses externalbrowser, expect sandboxed runs to fail before reaching Snowflake because the connector needs a local callback socket.

4. Reproduce the added runtime behavior against real Snowflake.

• Use the project venv if present, for example .venv/bin/python.
• Create isolated object names with uuid and prefer temporary tables or similarly disposable objects.
• Keep the live probe minimal and targeted to the behavior under test.
• Reproduce the exact query shape from the added test first. If that fails, keep the failure text.
• If the failure suggests a type restriction or Snowflake-specific syntax rule, run one focused follow-up probe to isolate the actual behavioral difference.
• Do not edit repo tests just to execute them against live credentials unless the user explicitly asks for that.

5. Handle sandbox and auth constraints explicitly.

• First attempt the live command in the sandbox.
• If the connector fails because of network restrictions, local callback binding, browser launch, or similar sandbox issues, rerun the same command with escalation.
• Keep the escalated command narrow: one script, one probe, no unrelated changes.

6. Produce the report.

• Report that the review scope was main...HEAD and the exact added tests reviewed.
• For each added test, state one of:
  • passes on real Snowflake as written
  • fails on real Snowflake as written
  • not applicable to real Snowflake
• For failures, include:
  • the test function name
  • the failing query or behavior
  • the exact or near-exact Snowflake error text
  • the inferred cause
  • the follow-up probe result, if one was needed
  • the behavioral difference relative to the fake/local test expectation
• Reference the relevant test file and line numbers in the final response.

Command Pattern

Use this shape and adapt only the connection info and SQL:

.venv/bin/python - <<'PY'
import uuid
import snowflake.connector

conn_info = {
    "user": "...",
    "account": "...",
    "authenticator": "externalbrowser",
    "role": "...",
    "warehouse": "...",
    "database": "...",
    "schema": "...",
}

table = f"TMP_{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8].upper()}"
with snowflake.connector.connect(**conn_info) as conn:
    with conn.cursor(snowflake.connector.cursor.DictCursor) as cur:
        cur.execute(f"create temporary table {table} (...)")
        cur.execute("...")
        print(cur.fetchall())
PY

Heuristics

• A transform-only test, such as SQL rewrite assertions, is usually not applicable to real Snowflake.
• A fake-connector runtime test may still encode a live-relevant expectation; reproduce that expectation with a dedicated live query instead of trying to coerce pytest fixtures.
• When real Snowflake rejects the test's exact input, treat that as a real finding rather than silently adapting the test.
• Only run a second live probe when it sharpens the explanation of the failure.
• Prefer reporting one precise behavioral difference over a broad speculative explanation.

Output Template

• Diff scope: main...HEAD
• Added tests reviewed: <file:line> entries
• Live-applicable tests: short list
• Local-only tests: short list
• Findings: one flat item per failure or confirmed behavior difference, each beginning with the test function name such as test_object_agg: or test_object_agg_skips_nulls:
• Verification: what command or one-off script was run and whether escalation was required

Source: tekumara/fakesnow — distributed by TomeVault.