ACCOUNTADMIN

As explained in Snowflake Data Engineering

ACCOUNTADMIN is Snowflake's top-level built-in role for account configuration, monitoring, and maintenance.

ACCOUNTADMIN is Snowflake’s top-level built-in role for account configuration, monitoring, and maintenance. Its privileges cannot be revoked, so reserve it for administration rather than routine development or pipeline object creation. section 10.1.1 section 2.1

Use ACCOUNTADMIN selectively:

• Use it to obtain Snowflake Marketplace data when CREATE DATABASE and IMPORT SHARE privileges are required. section 8.1
• Do not create objects or issue grants with it; ownership can make later management through another role difficult. section 10.1.1
• Prefer SYSADMIN for databases, schemas, warehouses, and other account objects, or use a custom role with narrowly assigned privileges. section 8.1 section 2.1

Getting Marketplace data

In Snowsight, select ACCOUNTADMIN, open Data Products > Marketplace, filter for “Instantly Accessible,” and search for “retail.” Select “Sample Harmonized Data for Top CPG Retailers and Distributors,” specify a database name such as CPG_RETAILERS_AND_DISTRIBUTORS, and choose additional roles that may access it. section 8.1

Figure 8.1 Search screen on the Snowflake Marketplace, displaying listings after filtering for “Instantly Accessible” and typing “retail” in the search box

Use the Marketplace search view to locate instantly accessible listings before configuring database access. section 8.1

Figure 8.2 Snowflake Marketplace window where we specify the database name and the roles that can access the database before clicking the Get button to get the data into our Snowflake account

Use the listing configuration view to specify the destination database and roles that can access the imported data. section 8.1

How Snowflake Data Engineering covers it

How deep it goes

Defines the role hierarchy and privilege boundary, then gives Marketplace and object-ownership guidance without detailing internal authorization mechanics.

Examples

Demonstrates Marketplace listing retrieval and contrasts it with SYSADMIN-created bakery databases, schemas, and warehouses.

What it assumes

Assumes familiarity with Snowflake roles and Snowsight, while establishing the administrative boundary from built-in roles.

What you can do after

Operate/configure Marketplace imports with ACCOUNTADMIN while assigning routine pipeline objects and grants to less-privileged roles.

How it connects

Contrasts ACCOUNTADMIN with SYSADMIN, SECURITYADMIN, USERADMIN, custom roles, and Snowflake Marketplace access.

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Related concepts

• custom rolealternative to · A custom role is a user-defined authorization role with an explicitly selected set of permissions or privileges.
• USERADMINcontrasts with · USERADMIN is Snowflake's administrative role for managing users and creating roles when granted the relevant privileges.
• SYSADMINcontrasts with · SYSADMIN is Snowflake's built-in administrative role for creating and managing many account objects and accessing data through granted roles.
• SECURITYADMINcontrasts with · SECURITYADMIN is Snowflake's built-in administrative role for managing grants and administering users and roles.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Snowflake Data Engineering. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.