What is a Reader Account? Snowflake Shared-Account Management

A Reader Account is a Managed Account used to share data with an external organization that does not have its own Snowflake account. The Provider creates and operates it via CREATE MANAGED ACCOUNT and grants read-only access to shared data.

This article walks through a Regular Account vs Reader Account comparison table, the creation SQL, the cost model, and the full list of limitations. It is a frequently tested topic in the Data Sharing section of the SnowPro Core exam.

Where Reader Accounts Fit In

Snowflake's Secure Data Sharing lets you share data with other Snowflake accounts without making physical copies. However, if the recipient does not have a Snowflake account, they cannot read the data directly. Reader Accounts solve exactly that problem.

The Provider creates a Reader Account (Managed Account) from its own account and attaches a SHARE to it. Reader Account users log in via a dedicated Snowsight URL and read the shared data with SELECT statements.

Regular Account vs Reader Account Comparison

Reader Account Creation SQL

-- Create a Reader Account (Managed Account)
-- Requires the ACCOUNTADMIN role
CREATE MANAGED ACCOUNT partner_reader
  ADMIN_NAME = 'partner_admin',
  ADMIN_PASSWORD = 'SecureP@ss123!',
  TYPE = READER,
  COMMENT = 'Reader Account for an external partner';

-- Information returned on creation
-- accountName: partner_reader
-- loginUrl: https://partner_reader.snowflakecomputing.com

-- Create the SHARE
CREATE SHARE sales_data_share;
GRANT USAGE ON DATABASE sales_db TO SHARE sales_data_share;
GRANT USAGE ON SCHEMA sales_db.public TO SHARE sales_data_share;
GRANT SELECT ON TABLE sales_db.public.monthly_report TO SHARE sales_data_share;

-- Attach the SHARE to the Reader Account
ALTER SHARE sales_data_share ADD ACCOUNTS = partner_reader;

Cost Model

The Reader Account cost model is a frequently tested exam topic.

To control cost, Providers are recommended to assign a Resource Monitor to every Reader Account and cap credit consumption. When the cap is hit, the Reader Account's Warehouse is suspended and further query execution is blocked.

-- Resource Monitor for a Reader Account
CREATE RESOURCE MONITOR reader_cost_monitor
  WITH CREDIT_QUOTA = 100
  FREQUENCY = MONTHLY
  START_TIMESTAMP = IMMEDIATELY
  TRIGGERS
    ON 80 PERCENT DO NOTIFY
    ON 100 PERCENT DO SUSPEND;

-- Apply the Resource Monitor to the Reader Account's Warehouse
ALTER WAREHOUSE reader_wh SET RESOURCE_MONITOR = reader_cost_monitor;

Reader Account Limitations

• Write operations (INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE) are not allowed at all
• Cannot create your own databases, schemas, or tables
• Cannot load data from external stages (COPY INTO / Snowpipe)
• Cannot use Snowflake Marketplace (Data Marketplace)
• Cannot receive SHAREs from other Providers (only from the creating Provider)
• Cannot use Snowpark
• Cannot create tasks or streams
• Cannot create UDFs or Stored Procedures
• Only the Provider can drop the account

Managing Reader Accounts

-- List Reader Accounts
SHOW MANAGED ACCOUNTS;

-- Drop a Reader Account
DROP MANAGED ACCOUNT partner_reader;

-- Check SHARE grants
SHOW GRANTS OF SHARE sales_data_share;

SHOW MANAGED ACCOUNTS returns the list, status, and login URLs of the Reader Accounts you have created. Dropping a Reader Account is performed by the Provider's ACCOUNTADMIN role.

Use Cases

Sharing Reports with External Partners

When a customer or partner organization does not have a Snowflake account, you can create a Reader Account so they can read monthly reports and analytics results directly. This removes the need to exchange CSV/Excel files and ensures they always see the latest data.

Auditors and Compliance

Create a Reader Account for an external audit firm so they can directly access the in-scope log and transaction data. Because no physical copy of the data is made, you minimize data-leak risk while preserving transparency.

Sample Question

Frequently Asked Questions