Data teams today are under enormous pressure to deliver insights quickly, securely, and at scale. But one persistent bottleneck remains—even in the most modern cloud-native organizations: data access management. 

You’ve likely experienced it. A user needs access to a dataset. They send an email. Or submit a ticket. Or ping someone on Slack. Then they wait. And wait. 

Meanwhile, administrators are juggling priorities, unclear policies, and multiple tools—trying to answer the critical question: who should have access to what, and why? 

ALTR’s latest release addresses that challenge head-on.  

We’ve reimagined how access is requested, reviewed, granted, and tracked inside Snowflake—making it faster, more secure, and completely seamless. 

The Challenge: Why Data Access Slows Teams Down 

As organizations become more data-driven, they also become more risk-aware. That’s a good thing. But with growing data volumes, evolving compliance standards, and increasingly complex data environments, granting access isn’t as simple as flipping a switch.  

Most tools used for access management weren’t built for today’s cloud-first, fast-paced world. The result is fragmented workflows, lag time in access, and tension between security and speed.  

Common issues include: 

• Unstructured, inconsistent access requests 

• Manual review processes that burn admin hours 

• Limited visibility into why access was granted or denied 

• Scattered logs that complicate audits 

These inefficiencies slow down data usage, increase risk, and create friction across teams. 

ALTR offers a better way forward. 

The Solution: Native Data Access Requests Built for Snowflake 

ALTR’s new access request capabilities integrate directly within your Snowflake environment, thanks to our Snowflake Native App. That means no new infrastructure, no additional platforms, and no friction.  

Here’s how it works: 

Users Request Access, Seamlessly 

Need access to a specific data object? Users can easily submit a request within Snowflake using ALTR’s native app interface. No more guessing who to ask or where to go. The request is routed directly to the right reviewer. 

Admins Review and Respond with Context 

Admins receive requests through ALTR’s admin dashboard, where they can quickly evaluate: 

• The type of access requested 

• The user’s role and data sensitivity 

• Existing policies and compliance implications 

This centralized workflow gives reviewers all the context they need—without the usual back-and-forth. 

Policies Are Automatically Applied 

When access is approved, ALTR automatically generates and applies the appropriate Access Management policy within Snowflake. This ensures access is governed, specific, and fully auditable. 

No manual scripting. No over-permissioning. Just smart, scalable enforcement. 

>>> You Might Also Like: The Anatomy of a Good Data Access Policy

Why Being Native Makes All the Difference 

By building this as a Snowflake Native App, ALTR ensures that access workflows stay close to the data. There’s no external system to maintain, no risky data movement, and no delay between request and enforcement. 

A native approach means: 

• Zero data egress or duplication 

• Less operational overhead 

• Stronger security and compliance posture 

Everything lives inside your Snowflake environment, exactly where it belongs. 

Full Visibility Into Every Request 

Access control without transparency is a compliance risk. That’s why ALTR automatically logs every step of the request journey.  

>>> You Might Also Like: Why Query Audit Logs are Critical for Data Security and Governance

Need to understand who requested access to sensitive data? Want to validate that approvals followed policy? ALTR gives you a clear audit trail of: 

• The requester 

• The data requested 

• The reviewer and decision 

• Timestamps for every action 

This built-in visibility not only simplifies audits—it empowers better governance across the board. 

Scalable, Object- and Tag-Based Policies 

As data usage grows, so does the complexity of managing access. ALTR enables scalable controls by letting you set policies based on specific data objects (like databases or tables) or metadata tags (like “PII” or “Finance”). 

For example: 

• Want to give a marketing analyst access to all tables tagged “campaign_data”? Easy. 

• Need to restrict access to PII to a handful of cleared users? Done. 

This model makes access control flexible, efficient, and aligned with the way your teams already organize data.  

>>> You Might Also Like: Smarter Native Masking for Tagged-based Policies

What You Gain with ALTR 

This new workflow benefits every role in the data ecosystem: 

• Data users get faster access without unnecessary delays 

• Admins spend less time on manual reviews 

• Security teams get consistent enforcement and better oversight 

• Compliance officers gain a complete audit history 

• IT doesn’t have to manage another external tool 

It’s the speed business users want, with the control security teams require—all in one integrated solution. 

Wrapping Up 

Innovation depends on access. But too often, the systems designed to protect data end up slowing it down. ALTR removes that friction. 

With native integration in Snowflake, automated policy enforcement, and complete request transparency, ALTR ensures data users are empowered—not blocked—while administrators maintain tight control. 

No extra complexity. No added risk. Just the right access, at the right time, for the right people.