Databricks vs Snowflake reminds me of Oracle vs SQL Server.
Although I hugely enjoyed working with Oracle – it was so “mechanical” and had so many controls to balance, ultimately I went where the work was – and that was with SQL Server.
Oracle was the database of big-tech companies. SQL Server – with its automated controls set to “average” – was the choice of most regular businesses. And there were a lot more of those.
Today, Databricks is highly configurable, deeply technical, and favored by data engineers and BI teams who want pin-point control. Snowflake is automated, SQL-centric, and designed to “just work” for businesses that just want answers, without a team managing the infrastructure.
Ultimately, choosing with my head and not my heart was the right move then – and I suspect it will be again.
Database Consultant 