How to Share Data with Your Clients: sFTP, Databricks Delta Share, and Snowflake Data Sharing on AWS

In today's data-driven business landscape, sharing data securely and efficiently with clients has become a critical capability. Whether you're a SaaS provider delivering analytics dashboards, a financial services firm sharing market data, or a healthcare organization providing research datasets, choosing the right data sharing method can make or break your client relationships.

This comprehensive guide examines three leading approaches to client data sharing: traditional sFTP transfers, modern Databricks Delta Sharing, and Snowflake's native data sharing capabilities. We'll explore how each works on AWS, their pros and cons, and help you determine which approach best fits your needs.

The Client Data Sharing Challenge

Before diving into specific solutions, let's understand what makes client data sharing complex:

Common Requirements

• Security: Data must be encrypted in transit and at rest
• Compliance: Meet industry standards like SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA
• Scalability: Handle growing data volumes and client numbers
• Reliability: Ensure consistent, timely data delivery
• Flexibility: Support different client technical capabilities
• Monitoring: Track access, usage, and delivery success

Business Considerations

• Client preferences: Some clients have specific technology requirements
• Cost efficiency: Balance infrastructure costs with service quality
• Operational overhead: Minimize manual maintenance and support
• Time to market: Quick client onboarding and deployment

Method 1: sFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol)

sFTP remains one of the most widely adopted methods for client data sharing due to its simplicity and universal compatibility.

How sFTP Works

sFTP transfers files over SSH (Secure Shell), providing encryption and authentication. The typical workflow involves:

1. Data preparation: Export data from your warehouse to files (CSV, JSON, Parquet)
2. File staging: Place files in designated directories
3. Client access: Clients connect using sFTP clients to download files
4. Cleanup: Remove old files based on retention policies

AWS Implementation

A typical sFTP setup on AWS uses AWS Transfer Family to provide managed sFTP servers backed by S3 storage. The architecture includes:

• AWS Transfer Family: Managed sFTP service with built-in encryption
• S3 Bucket: Secure storage for client data files with lifecycle policies
• IAM Roles: Fine-grained access control for each client
• CloudWatch: Logging and monitoring for all file transfers

The setup process involves creating an sFTP server endpoint, configuring S3 buckets for each client, and establishing secure user credentials with appropriate permissions.

sFTP Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Universal compatibility: Works with any sFTP client
• Simple setup: Minimal client-side technical requirements
• Cost-effective: Low infrastructure costs for small to medium volumes
• Familiar technology: Most IT teams understand sFTP
• Flexible formats: Support any file format (CSV, JSON, Parquet, etc.)
• Offline access: Clients can download and store files locally

Cons:

• Manual processes: Clients must actively download files
• No real-time data: Batch-oriented, not suitable for live data
• Storage overhead: Duplicate data storage increases costs
• Limited metadata: Minimal schema or lineage information
• Scaling challenges: Performance degrades with many concurrent clients
• Security concerns: Files exist on disk, potential for data leakage

Method 2: Databricks Delta Sharing

Delta Sharing is an open protocol for secure data sharing, developed by Databricks but supported across multiple platforms.

How Delta Sharing Works

Delta Sharing enables direct access to data stored in Delta Lake format without data movement:

1. Data preparation: Store data in Delta Lake tables
2. Share creation: Define what data to share and with whom
3. Recipient setup: Provide clients with share credentials
4. Direct access: Clients query data directly using various tools

AWS Implementation

Delta Sharing on AWS typically runs on Databricks deployed in your AWS account. The implementation involves:

• Databricks Workspace: Hosted on AWS with Unity Catalog enabled
• S3 Storage: Delta Lake tables stored in your S3 buckets
• Unity Catalog: Manages shares, recipients, and permissions
• Delta Sharing Protocol: Open standard for secure data access

The setup process includes creating Delta tables with appropriate governance rules, defining shares that specify which data to share, creating recipients for each client, and generating secure credentials for data access.

Delta Sharing Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Real-time access: Clients get live data without delays
• No data duplication: Zero-copy sharing reduces storage costs
• Open standard: Not vendor-locked, works across platforms
• Rich metadata: Schema evolution and lineage information
• Scalable: Handles concurrent access efficiently
• Query pushdown: Filters applied at source for performance
• Version control: Access to historical data versions

Cons:

• Technical complexity: Requires more sophisticated client setup
• Platform dependency: Best experience requires Databricks/Spark ecosystem
• Limited format support: Primarily for structured data in Delta format
• Network dependency: Requires stable internet for real-time access
• Cost model: Can be expensive for high-query-volume clients
• Learning curve: Clients need familiarity with modern data tools

Method 3: Snowflake Data Sharing

Snowflake's native data sharing enables zero-copy data sharing within the Snowflake ecosystem.

How Snowflake Data Sharing Works

Snowflake data sharing allows you to share live data without copying or moving it:

1. Create share: Define tables and views to share
2. Grant access: Provide access to specific consumer accounts
3. Consumer setup: Clients access data through their Snowflake accounts
4. Query execution: Clients query shared data as if it were their own

AWS Implementation

Snowflake data sharing on AWS leverages Snowflake's cloud-native architecture. The implementation includes:

• Snowflake Account: Hosted on AWS with compute and storage separation
• Secure Views: Client-specific views with built-in governance and masking
• Share Objects: Snowflake's native sharing mechanism for zero-copy access
• Reader Accounts: Managed accounts for external clients without Snowflake

The setup process involves creating secure views with client-specific data filtering, defining share objects that grant access to specific views, configuring reader accounts for external clients, and establishing automated governance policies for data access control.

Snowflake Sharing Pros and Cons

Pros:

• True zero-copy: No data movement or duplication
• Real-time access: Instant access to live data updates
• Native integration: Seamless experience within Snowflake ecosystem
• Secure sharing: Row-level security and dynamic masking
• Cost-effective: No additional storage costs for shared data
• Query performance: Leverages Snowflake's optimized engine
• Governance built-in: Native support for data governance policies

Cons:

• Snowflake dependency: Both parties must use Snowflake
• Cross-cloud limitations: Sharing across cloud regions can be complex
• Reader account costs: Additional costs for external clients
• Limited to structured data: Best for tabular data in Snowflake format
• Query complexity: Advanced analytics may require Snowflake expertise
• Vendor lock-in: Significant switching costs once adopted

Implementation Comparison on AWS

Cost Analysis

Method	Setup Cost	Operational Cost	Scaling Cost
sFTP	Low	Medium	High
Delta Sharing	Medium	Medium	Low
Snowflake	High	Low	Very Low

Technical Complexity

Aspect	sFTP	Delta Sharing	Snowflake
Provider Setup	Simple	Medium	Complex
Client Setup	Very Simple	Medium	Simple
Maintenance	High	Medium	Low
Troubleshooting	Simple	Complex	Medium

Use Case Recommendations

Choose sFTP when:

• Clients have limited technical capabilities
• Data volumes are small to medium
• Real-time access is not required
• Maximum compatibility is needed
• Budget constraints are tight

Choose Delta Sharing when:

• Clients are technically sophisticated
• Real-time or near-real-time access is needed
• Data volumes are large
• Open standards are preferred
• Multi-platform flexibility is important

Choose Snowflake Sharing when:

• Both parties already use Snowflake
• Maximum performance is required
• Zero data movement is critical
• Advanced governance features are needed
• Long-term partnership with technical clients

Hybrid Approach: Best of All Worlds

Many successful data providers use a hybrid approach, offering multiple sharing methods based on client preferences and technical capabilities. This strategy allows you to:

• Meet diverse client needs: Some clients prefer simple file transfers, others want real-time data access
• Optimize costs: Use the most cost-effective method for each client's usage patterns
• Reduce onboarding friction: Let clients choose their preferred integration method
• Future-proof relationships: Easily migrate clients to more advanced methods over time

The key is maintaining consistent data governance and quality across all sharing methods while providing flexibility in delivery mechanisms.

The DataPorto Solution

Managing multiple data sharing methods, ensuring consistent governance, and scaling to hundreds of clients quickly becomes a complex operational challenge. This is where DataPorto provides significant value.

How DataPorto Simplifies Client Data Sharing

Unified Control Plane: DataPorto provides a single interface to manage all your client data sharing needs, regardless of the underlying technology. You can offer sFTP, Delta Sharing, and Snowflake sharing from one platform.

Automated Governance: Apply consistent data governance policies across all sharing methods. Define rules once, and DataPorto automatically enforces them whether data goes via sFTP files, Delta shares, or Snowflake shares.

Client Self-Service: Give your clients a portal where they can choose their preferred sharing method, configure delivery schedules, and monitor data quality—reducing your support overhead.

Monitoring and Alerting: Get comprehensive visibility into all data deliveries, with alerts for failures, SLA breaches, and usage anomalies across all sharing methods.

Rapid Onboarding: Onboard new clients in minutes rather than weeks, with automated provisioning of sharing infrastructure and governance policies.

Benefits for Your Business

• Reduce Engineering Overhead: Eliminate the need to build and maintain custom sharing infrastructure
• Accelerate Client Onboarding: Deploy new clients 10x faster with automated provisioning
• Ensure Compliance: Built-in governance ensures consistent policy enforcement
• Scale Effortlessly: Handle hundreds of clients without linear scaling of operational complexity
• Improve Reliability: Enterprise-grade monitoring and alerting prevent data delivery failures

Ready to Streamline Your Client Data Sharing?

Don't let complex data sharing infrastructure slow down your business growth. Whether your clients prefer the simplicity of sFTP, the power of Delta Sharing, or the performance of Snowflake sharing, DataPorto can help you deliver data reliably and securely at scale.

Connect with Our Team Today and see how DataPorto can transform your client data sharing operations. Our team will show you how to:

• Set up all three sharing methods in one unified platform
• Implement consistent governance across all delivery channels
• Automate client onboarding and reduce time-to-value
• Monitor and optimize your data sharing operations

Ready to get started? Contact our team at hello@dataporto.com or schedule a technical deep-dive session to discuss your specific requirements.

Transform your client data sharing from a technical challenge into a competitive advantage with DataPorto.