What Is the Default Data Type in Snowflake?

In Snowflake, the default data type is VARIANT.

What is VARIANT?

VARIANT is a flexible data type in Snowflake that can store various types of data. It is similar to the JSON and XML data types in other databases.

Key Features of VARIANT:

Dynamic Structure: VARIANT allows you to store semi-structured and unstructured data without defining a fixed schema.
Data Flexibility: It can hold different types of values such as numbers, strings, booleans, arrays, and even complex nested structures.
No Schema Evolution: With VARIANT, you don’t need to alter the table schema if the structure of your data changes. You can simply insert new attributes or modify existing ones within the same column.
Ease of Use: VARIANT simplifies working with diverse and evolving datasets by providing a single column type for all types of data.

VARIANT Usage Examples:

Storing JSON Data:

If you have JSON documents, you can directly load them into a VARIANT column without any preprocessing or transformation. This makes it easy to work with JSON data in Snowflake.

<pre><code>CREATE TABLE my_table (
    id INTEGER,
    json_data VARIANT
);

INSERT INTO my_table (id, json_data)
VALUES (1, '{ "name": "John", "age": 30 }');
</code></pre>

Nested Data Structures:

You can store complex nested structures within a VARIANT column. This is useful when dealing with hierarchical or deeply nested data.

<pre><code>CREATE TABLE my_table (
    id INTEGER,
    nested_data VARIANT
);

INSERT INTO my_table (id, nested_data)
VALUES (1, '{ "name": "John", "address": { "city": "New York", "state": "NY" } }');
</code></pre>

Handling Varying Data Types:

VARIANT allows you to handle columns with varying data types in the same table. This flexibility is valuable when dealing with datasets that have inconsistent or changing data types.

<pre><code>CREATE TABLE my_table (
    id INTEGER,
    data VARIANT
);

INSERT INTO my_table (id, data)
VALUES (1, 'Hello');

INSERT INTO my_table (id, data)
VALUES (2, 42);

INSERT INTO my_table (id, data)
VALUES (3, true);
</code></pre>

Conclusion:

In Snowflake, the VARIANT data type provides a versatile solution for handling semi-structured and unstructured data. With its dynamic structure and flexibility, it simplifies working with diverse datasets and eliminates the need for frequent schema modifications.