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PySparkSnowflakeDatabricks

Secure Views & Secure Data Sharing Between Teams

✨ Story Time — “Sharing Without Risk”​

Meet Priya, a data engineer.

Her company wants the sales team and marketing team to access customer data:

  • Sales team: Needs contact info + last purchase
  • Marketing team: Needs demographics + campaign history

But the company also needs to protect sensitive info like emails, credit card data, and personal identifiers.

The solution? Secure Views and Snowflake Secure Data Sharing.

🧩 What are Secure Views?​

A Secure View is a view that:

  • Hides sensitive columns
  • Prevents underlying table access
  • Enforces row- or column-level security

Key features:

  • Data in secure views cannot be bypassed
  • Queries on secure views cannot be modified to reveal hidden data
  • Works seamlessly with roles and access policies

Example:​

CREATE SECURE VIEW marketing_customers AS
SELECT customer_id, campaign_id, age_group
FROM customers;
  • Sensitive columns like email, phone, or credit_card are hidden
  • Users can query only allowed columns

🔍 How Secure Views Work​

  1. Secure Views mask underlying data
  2. Users query the view instead of the table
  3. Snowflake ensures no access to hidden columns or underlying table
  4. Ideal for cross-team data access and compliance

Analogy: Think of a curtain in front of sensitive info — everyone sees only what they’re allowed.

🎯 What is Secure Data Sharing?​

Secure Data Sharing allows you to share Snowflake data with other accounts or teams without copying or moving data:

  • No ETL needed
  • No file exports
  • Immediate access to shared data
  • Works with Secure Views to enforce access policies

Example:

CREATE SHARE marketing_share;
GRANT USAGE ON DATABASE marketing_db TO SHARE marketing_share;
GRANT SELECT ON SECURE VIEW marketing_customers TO SHARE marketing_share;
  • Marketing team in a different account can query the secure view
  • Sensitive data is protected automatically

🧪 Real-World Use Case​

Scenario: Cross-department collaboration

  1. Finance team shares transaction summary with auditing team
  2. Auditing team gets read-only access
  3. Sensitive info like customer PII is never exposed
  4. Updates in the original table are immediately visible to auditors

Result: Collaboration without compromising security or compliance.

⚡ Benefits​

BenefitExplanation
Secure accessProtect sensitive columns and rows
Real-time sharingNo need to copy/export data
Compliance-readySupports GDPR, HIPAA, and internal policies
Simplified governanceUse roles and shares instead of separate pipelines
Cost-effectiveNo extra storage required

🧠 Best Practices​

  • Always use Secure Views when exposing sensitive data
  • Combine with roles and RBAC for fine-grained control
  • Use Secure Data Sharing for cross-account or cross-team collaboration
  • Avoid giving direct table access unless necessary
  • Monitor shares and view usage regularly for auditing

📘 Summary​

  • Secure Views hide sensitive data while allowing safe queries.
  • Secure Data Sharing enables teams or accounts to access data without moving or copying it.
  • Together, they allow collaboration, compliance, and real-time data access.
  • Snowflake ensures data privacy, governance, and minimal storage overhead.
  • Ideal for companies needing cross-team access with strict security rules.

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