Informatica adds Snowflake governance tools for AI
Mon, 25th May 2026 (Today)
Informatica has introduced four new data management and governance features for Snowflake, covering agentic AI integration, access controls and open data formats.
The additions deepen the companies' existing partnership and target customers building AI systems and analytics workloads on Snowflake.
Among the announcements, Informatica is one of the first Snowflake partners to offer headless data management integration with Snowflake Cortex AI. The setup allows developers building agents in Cortex AI to call Informatica's Headless Intelligent Data Management Cloud from Cloud Data Governance and Catalog within agent workflows.
That includes Metadata Search and Address Verification, allowing customers to use governed data services in agent development without building custom connectors.
The headless integration is in private preview, with broader access expected as it moves toward general availability.
Access controls
Another part of the rollout focuses on data access governance. Row-level access policy management for Snowflake Tables is now generally available through Informatica's Cloud Data Access Management framework.
Under this model, access policies created in Cloud Data Access Management can be pushed automatically to Snowflake Tables, removing the need to recreate the same rules manually inside Snowflake.
The move addresses a common challenge for large organisations trying to apply consistent governance standards across multiple data environments. Row-level controls are often used to restrict record visibility based on a user's role, geography or business function.
Open formats
Informatica has also made generally available scanners in Cloud Data Governance and Catalog for Snowflake Managed Iceberg Tables. The scanners are designed to extract technical metadata, map lineage and profile data to identify sensitive information.
Managed Iceberg Tables are part of a broader shift toward open table formats in enterprise data estates. By linking those assets to business glossaries and governance policies, Informatica aims to extend oversight across data held in open formats as well as in more conventional warehouse structures.
Rik Tamm-Daniels, vice president of ecosystems and technology at Informatica, outlined the rationale for the changes.
"Enterprises don't just need fast AI - they need AI they can trust," said Tamm-Daniels. "The exciting innovations we're announcing today for Snowflake helps to ensure that agents built in Cortex AI and analytics workloads run by our joint customers are powered by governed, high-quality data and Trusted Context."
Snowflake likewise framed the updates around governance as companies adopt AI more widely across business operations.
"Snowflake is committed to helping enterprises build and scale AI apps and agents on a trusted, governed, data foundation. Informatica is an important partner in helping us make that vision real for the enterprise," said Chris Child, vice president of product, data engineering at Snowflake. "From one of our ecosystem's first MCP integrations with Cortex AI to unified governance for open-data, these capabilities enable joint customers to move faster with AI without compromising on governance or openness."
The announcements reflect a wider market trend as software suppliers try to connect AI development tools with data catalogues, governance systems and access controls. Businesses deploying AI agents have faced scrutiny over data quality, security and the traceability of source information, particularly where models and agents interact directly with operational data.
By tying metadata search, verification services and policy enforcement more closely to Snowflake, Informatica is positioning its software around those concerns. The emphasis on Iceberg governance also points to growing demand from companies seeking to avoid locking data into a single format or platform.
A customer using both suppliers said the updates would help extend governance across a broader estate.
"As we continue to expand analytics use cases leveraging Informatica and Snowflake, having row-level access controls and visibility into Snowflake Managed Iceberg Table metadata and lineage are exactly what we need to extend our 'govern once, enforce everywhere' approach across our entire data estate," said Gro Kamfjord, head of data at Jotun. "These innovations give us confidence to scale our governance standards and build a context-rich metadata system of intelligence as our data and AI landscape evolves."