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The Create View transformation component lets you output an SQL view to your cloud data warehouse. The SQL view is a virtual table based on the dataset passed to the component by the upstream input—it doesn’t store data itself but represents a saved query that can be reused. In some circumstances, creating a view may be preferable to writing the dataset to a physical table. For a description of SQL views, consult the appropriate documentation for your cloud data warehouse, or read View (SQL). This component performs the equivalent of the SQL CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW operation. If you give the view the name of an existing view or table, be aware of the following:
  • If a view of the same name already exists, it will be replaced when the component runs.
  • If a table of the same name already exists, the component will fail to run. The Create View component can’t replace an existing table, only an existing view.
Views created by this component won’t be dropped when the transformation pipeline is revalidated. However, the views will be recreated at runtime (when the transformation pipeline is executed).

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Use case

Some common uses for SQL views include:
  • Reusing complex logic across pipelines. Instead of duplicating the pipeline logic, you can encapsulate it in a view for consistent reuse and easier maintenance.
  • Simplifying access for BI tools or analysts. You can choose to expose just the relevant fields and pre-aggregated data as a clean, user-friendly view.
  • Creating fast, queryable access to subsets of data for exploration or reporting. Views are performant, easy to create, and don’t consume storage.

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Properties

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Name
string
required
A human-readable name for the component.
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Database
drop-down
required
The Snowflake database that the newly created view will belong to. The special value [Environment Default] uses the schema defined in the environment. Read Database, Schema, and Share DDL to learn more.
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Schema
drop-down
required
The Snowflake schema that the newly created view will belong to. The special value [Environment Default] uses the schema defined in the environment. Read Database, Schema, and Share DDL to learn more.
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View Name
string
required
The name of the view to be created.
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Secure View
boolean
required
When Yes, the view definition and details are only visible to authorized users, i.e. users who are granted the role that owns the view. Default is No. Snowflake advises that views should be defined as secure when they are specifically designated for data privacy. For more information about secure views, read the Snowflake documentation.
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View Type
drop-down
required
Select the view type:
  • Materialized: A materialized view is a pre-computed data set derived from a query specification and stored for later use. Since the data is pre-computed, querying a materialized view is faster than executing the original query. Materialized views are advised when:
    • Query results contain a small number of rows and/or columns relative to the base table.
    • Query results contain results that require significant processing.
  • Standard: (default setting) Create standard views when:
    • The results of the view change often.
    • The results are not used often (relative to the rate at which the results change).
    • The query is not resource intensive, so it is not costly to re-run it.