Inefficient Snowpipe Usage Due to Small File Ingestion

Simar Arora

Service Category

Networking

Cloud Provider

Snowflake

Service Name

Snowpipe

Inefficiency Type

Inefficient Data Ingestion

Explanation

Ingesting a large number of small files (e.g., files smaller than 10 MB) using Snowpipe can lead to disproportionately high costs due to the per-file overhead charges. Each file, regardless of its size, incurs the same overhead fee, making the ingestion of numerous small files less cost-effective. Additionally, small files can increase the load on Snowflake's metadata and ingestion infrastructure, potentially impacting performance.

Relevant Billing Model

Detection

Analyze the average file size being ingested via Snowpipe; identify if many files are below the recommended size threshold (e.g., under 10 MB).
Review the total number of files ingested over a period to assess the impact of per-file overhead charges.
Evaluate the frequency of file arrivals; high-frequency ingestion of small files may indicate an opportunity for batching.
Consult with data engineering teams to understand the source systems and whether file batching is feasible without impacting data freshness requirements.

Remediation

Implement batching mechanisms to aggregate small files into larger ones before ingestion, aiming for file sizes between 10 MB and 250 MB for optimal cost-performance balance.

Adjust data pipeline configurations to stage data at regular intervals (e.g., every few minutes) to allow for file aggregation.

Explore using Snowpipe Streaming for real-time ingestion scenarios, as it may offer more cost-effective options for high-frequency, small data loads.
Monitor Snowpipe usage and costs regularly to identify and address inefficiencies promptly.

Relevant Documentation