Introduction

Welcome to Snowflake SnowConvert for Teradata. Let us be your guide on the road to a successful migration.

This is a deprecated version of the SnowConvert documentation, please visit the official site HERE.

What is SnowConvert for Teradata?

SnowConvert is a software that understands Teradata SQL, BTEQ, and other Teradata-specific scripts (such as Fastload, Multiload, TPump, and TPT files) and converts this source code into functionally equivalent Snowflake code.

Conversion Types

Specifically, SnowConvert for Teradata performs the following conversions:

Teradata SQL to Snowflake SQL

SnowConvert understands the Teradata source code and converts the Data Definition Language (DDL), Data Manipulation Language (DML), and functions in the source code to the corresponding SQL in the target: Snowflake. SnowConvert can migrate the source code in any of these three extensions .sql, .dml, ddl

Teradata Stored Procedures to JavaScript Embedded in Snowflake SQL

SnowConvert takes Teradata stored procedures (usually written in SQL) and converts them to JavaScript embedded into Snowflake SQL. Teradata's CREATE PROCEDURE and REPLACE PROCEDURE language is replaced by Snowflake's CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE language. JavaScript is called as a scripting language, and all of the inner statements are converted to JavaScript.

Teradata BTEQ, Fastload, Multiload, and TPT to Python

Basic Teradata Query (BTEQ) is Teradata's proprietary scripting language. All BTEQ script files will be converted to Python scripts. A helper class will be called from the converted scripts to create the functional equivalence between the source and the target. More information about the Python Helpers can be found on our Translation Reference page. BTEQ can be batch run from outside the Snowflake environment. Learn more about how you can connect Python scripts directly to Snowflake.

BTEQ files are also the foundation for multiple other proprietary data types that Teradata has created:

• Fastload

• Multiload

• TPUMP

Each one of these file types are extensions of BTEQ. SnowConvert translates each one of these file types to Python.

Each of these conversions are optimized to give you the most functionally equivalent output ready for use in Snowflake. For more information on the power of the kind of conversion SnowConvert can provide, you can learn more about our tool by visiting our complete SQL reference guide.

SnowConvert Terminology

Before we get lost in the magic of these code conversions, here are a few terms/definitions so you know what we mean when we start dropping them all over the documentation:

• SQL (Structured Query Language): the standard language for storing, manipulating, and retrieving data in most modern database architectures.

• BTEQ (Batch Teradata Query): BTEQ was the first utility and query tool for Teradata.

• TPT (Teradata Parallel Transporter): TPT is a new generation utility tool that aims to create a one-stop tool for all the activities related to loading and exporting data from/to Teradata databases.

• SnowConvert: the software that converts securely and automatically your Teradata files to the Snowflake cloud data platform.

• Conversion rule or transformation rule: rules that allow SnowConvert to convert from a portion of source code to the expected target code.

• Parse: parse or parsing is an initial process done by SnowConvert to understand the source code and build up an internal data structure to process the conversion rules.

On the next few pages, you'll learn more about the kind of conversions that SnowConvert for Teradata is capable of. If you're ready to get started, visit the Getting Started page in this documentation. If you're interested in getting more information about SnowConvert in general, visit our SnowConvert for Teradata information page.

Translation Sample

Teradata SQL Statement

-- CREATE TABLE DDL
CREATE SET TABLE TABLE1
    NO BEFORE JOURNAL,
    NO AFTER JOURNAL,
    CHECKSUM = DEFAULT,
    DEFAULT MERGEBLOCKRATIO
(
    COL1 VARCHAR(15) CHARACTER SET LATIN NOT CASESPECIFIC,
    Col2 BYTEINT CHECK ( CurrentFlag  IN (0 ,1 ) ) NOT NULL,
    COL3 DATE FORMAT 'yyyy-mm-dd',
    COL4 BLOB(2097088000),
    COL5 BYTEINT,
    COL7 INTEGER NOT NULL COMPRESS (1 ,2 ,3 ,4),
    COL8 INTERVAL HOUR(2) TO MINUTE
);

-- REPLACE VIEW DDL
REPLACE VIEW VIEW1 AS
SELECT * FROM TABLE1
UNION ALL
SELECT MAX(COL1) FROM TABLE1;

The Converted Snowflake SQL Code:

-- Snowflake converted SQL
CREATE TABLE PUBLIC. TABLE1
(
    COL1 VARCHAR(15) COLLATE 'en-ci',
    Col2 BYTEINT NOT NULL,
    COL3 DATE,
    COL4 BINARY /**** WARNING: Column converted from BLOB data type ****/,
    COL5 BYTEINT,
    COL7 INTEGER NOT NULL,
    COL8 VARCHAR (20) COMMENT 'INTERVAL HOUR(2) TO MINUTE' /**** WARNING: INTERVAL DATA TYPE "INTERVAL HOUR(2) TO MINUTE" CONVERTED TO VARCHAR ****/
) ;

CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW PUBLIC. VIEW1
AS
    SELECT * FROM PUBLIC. TABLE1
    UNION ALL
    SELECT MAX(COL1) FROM PUBLIC. TABLE1 ;

In this converted SQL you will notice that we are converting many things such as:

• Adding PUBLIC Schema by default for all the Table and view names if the user doesn't specify one (see how to specify a Schema).

• CREATE SET TABLE to CREATE TABLE

• REPLACE VIEW to CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW

• Data Types: BLOB to BINARY and INTERVAL to VARCHAR

• Data Type Attributes: NOT CASESPECIFIC to COLLATE

• Removing pieces of the Teradata SQL that are not necessary in Snowflake due to Snowflake's architecture such as NO BEFORE JOURNAL, NO AFTER JOURNAL, CHECKSUM, COMPRESS, and DEFAULT MERGEBLOCKRATIO.