Configuring Snowflake via a Generic JDBC Datasource
Snowflake is sunsetting legacy service accounts that authenticate with a username and password, and requires key pair authentication or OAuth instead. Informer connects to Snowflake through a Generic JDBC Datasource, and supports key pair authentication as of Informer 2026.1.1. OAuth support is planned for a future release.
This article covers standing up a new Snowflake Datasource and moving an existing one from basic to key pair authentication. For the Generic JDBC options themselves, see Creating a SQL Datasource. Snowflake's own JDBC parameter reference documents every property the driver accepts.
Creating the key pair, registering the public key on the Snowflake user, and granting that user the permissions it needs all happen in Snowflake, not Informer. Snowflake's documentation and support cover those steps. Complete them before you start here.
Encode the private key as Base64
Informer takes the private key as a Base64 string, not as the raw key text. The header and footer lines of the key file cannot be pasted in directly, so encode the whole file first.
Any Base64 file encoder works. In an elevated PowerShell window:
[Convert]::ToBase64String([System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes("<path\to\file>"))
Replace <path\to\file> with the path to the private key file, and keep the single-line string it prints. That string is the private_key_base64 value below.
Fill out the connection details
From Datasources, choose New, then SQL, and select Generic JDBC.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | The Datasource name shown in Informer. |
| Connection String | jdbc:snowflake://<HostEndPointHere>, replacing <HostEndPointHere> with your Snowflake host or account URL. |
| Driver Class | net.snowflake.client.jdbc.SnowflakeDriver |
| Schema Name | The default schema or schemas for the connection. Add as many as you need. |
Then add the Connection Properties, one row at a time:
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
user | The login name of the Snowflake user for the connection. |
db | The default database. |
role | The access control role the driver uses for the Snowflake session. |
warehouse | The virtual warehouse to use once connected. |
CLIENT_METADATA_REQUEST_USE_CONNECTION_CTX | true. This changes the default search scope from all databases and schemas to the current database and schema. |
Key pair authentication adds three more:
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
authenticator | snowflake_jwt. This is what switches the connection to key pair authentication. |
private_key_pwd | The password used to encrypt the RSA key. Informer encrypts and hides this value once saved. |
private_key_base64 | The Base64 string produced above. Informer encrypts and hides this value once saved. |
Test the connection to verify access, then save it.
Moving an existing Datasource off basic authentication
An existing Snowflake Datasource keeps its Queries and Datasets when you change how it authenticates. Edit the Datasource, add the three key pair properties above, remove the password property the basic connection used, and test before saving.