Terminology FAQs

The meta-data repository tables are organized as View Definitions. A View definition consists of all of the rows in the table with the same value for the repository’s VIEW_NAME column. View Definitions are also referred to as Query Containers. The rows in the View Definition are either used to generate SQL statements or contain AltaSQL Tags.

SELECT statements can be generated directly from any View Definition without having CREATED a Snowflake Object, as all of its source object meta-data is in the View Definition. The SELECT has all of the column names and transformations in the generated statement. The statement can be edited as needed. Virtual Views eliminate the problems and issues of SELECT *.

View Definitions provide comments and AltaSQL tags for Virtual View columns, including expressions.

A “View Column” is a row in a View Definition used to create columns in generated SQL.

AltaSQL Tags are rows in a VIEW Definition that provide AltaSQL’s meta-data catalog feature. AltaSQL Tags do not require special privileges; only INSERT and UPDATE privileges on the repository. AltaSQL Tags may be organized by AltaSQL Tag classes defined by the user. Uses include:

• Enhanced documentation
• FROM_CLAUSE and POST_FROM clause definitions for use in “plug and play” generation
• SQL expressions and fragments
• Usage instructions such as appropriate warehouses and roles
• Defined execution environment session variables

• Generate SELECT statements
• Create and manage AltaSQL Tags for storing FROM_CLAUSEs, POST_FROM_CLAUSEs and other code pieces
• Enhance documentation such as appropriate warehouse and ROLE usage, detailed descriptions and other information
• Use session variables for defining virtual environments used by AltaSQL functions
• Create Snowflake objects; AltaSQL CREATE full automate generation of Snowflake VIEWs and CTAS structures

• Renaming a source column to the VIEW_COLUMN in SQL statements
• Using column aliases to create multiple names for the same underlying column, e.g. upper case key columns and natural language names for the same column
• SQL Expressions
• Snowflake UDF calls
• Type CASTing
• Qualified UDF calls from a library of UDFs
• String and numeric constants

AltaSQL’s RMMS consists of Meta-data Repositories and AltaSQL provided User Defined Functions (UDF) that mirror Snowflake’s UDFs.

The VIEW_NAME, VIEW_COLUMN and the SOURCE_COLUMN_DATA_TYPE in the table form a logical primary key. Each row used in transformations use either the source column meta-data from different VIEW definition or a SQL expression.

A Virtual Transformation Pipeline builds sophisticated analytic semantic and business structures by creating and managing Snowflake VIEWs using AltaSQL extensive CREATE VIEW automation features. See Case Studies

AltaSQL enables the construction of “Query Only” databases in Snowflake, which are databases primarily composed of SQL VIEWs for querying data without storing or duplicating it physically. This approach is particularly useful for data abstraction, consolidation, and security.