How to quickly set up Snowplow using their new quick start Terraform project
We’re always up for finding easier, better, and faster ways of collecting and organizing data. So when we learned that Snowplow had a new Quick Start Installation Guide that made setup in the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) a breeze, naturally we had to test it out.
But first, it’s important to know a little bit about the Snowplow platform, especially if you don’t spend your days knee-deep in data, like we do. So let’s take a look at what Snowplow is and how it allows you to track and manage your data so you can understand your audience on a deep level.
Table of content:
What is Snowplow?
How to perform your Snowplow setup in one hour
More ways to make your data work for you
Linkedin Remix
What is Snowplow?
Snowplow is an open-source platform for collecting and warehousing data, in real time and across multiple channels. It’s comprehensive and flexible, giving you the ability to track and analyze data, both at the granular level and the event level. This opens up a whole world of insights, allowing you to track individual users and events as well as observe behaviors over time and compare data between cohorts. It also functions as a hub, linking your web analytics to other data sets, such as CRMs and even offline data.
Now, there are lots of alternatives to Snowplow — Google Analytics, Segment, Mixpanel, Piwik, and Heap, just to name a few. But there are a few things about Snowplow that set it apart and make it unique. One of the most notable is that as a managed service (if you’d prefer for Snowplow to actively handle your analytics rather than managing them yourself), it does everything on your infrastructure.
It’s also important to note that Snowplow is nothing new. It’s been around since 2012, and as an open-source platform, it’s always been possible to set it up on GCP. However, it took a certain amount of expertise to do it manually. It was also pretty time-consuming. But what’s great is that now there is a Quick Start Installation Guide specifically for GCP that makes it much simpler and faster to get Snowplow set up and running.
Just how much faster and simpler is it? Before it used to take at least one to two days to read through all the documentation and set up each piece manually in the Google Cloud. Now, the same process can be completed in just one hour.
How to perform your Snowplow setup in one hour
To put this one-hour timeframe to the test, we recently did a live demo where we ran a Snowplow setup in GCP in real time. We didn’t do a ton of prep work or research before launching into the demo because we wanted to work without a safety net, making the experience as close as possible to what an actual user would encounter when running their own Snowplow setup for the first time.
We recommend watching the whole thing if you’d like to see how the process works, the different elements that are included, and other handy info — like what the Iglu server is and how to get yours up and running.
To get started, head to Snowplow’s Quick Start Guide for GCP and read through the steps, making sure to get your prerequisites squared away before you dive in. From there, our own Timo will walk you through the experience, providing useful tips, advice, and background info. You can use an old project as a test run, but we recommend starting a new one so you have maximum flexibility to play around with the options and the ability to kill the project right after.
This live demo is just the first of several resources we have in store for you about Snowplow. Stay tuned to our blog for more information on how you can harness this data tracking platform to simplify and streamline your analytics.
More ways to make your data work for you
Even though more data tools than ever are now at your fingertips, there’s no substitute for a dedicated data team that can provide custom solutions that power your business. If you need expert help tracking, managing, and leveraging your data, deepskydata has shortcut solutions that can help you create better products, enhance your growth, and reduce your costs. It’s easy to get started — simply choose from one of our popular packages or schedule a free consultation call to get started.
If you want to know more about the topic, check out this video where we explain everything in detail: https://youtu.be/hpLcF5u-2Hw
Linkedin Remix
Dear Data-Traveller, please note that the following text is a Linkedin-Remix.
I posted this content already on Linkedin in March 2022, but I want to make sure it doesn´t get lost in the social network abyss.
For your accessibility-experience and also for our own content backup, we repost the original text here.
Have a look, leave a like if you like it, and join the conversation in the comments if this sparks a thought!
Plain Text:
How to setup Snowplow in your Google Cloud, fast.
Do you want your own event collector, enricher, and DB loader?
Just right in your Google Cloud Project.
Yes, I am talking about your own Snowplow setup.
What usually took 1-2 days to read through the docs and set up all pieces manually in the Google cloud is now possible in just one h.
At least, this is my assumption.
On Friday, I will do a live demo of setting up Snowplow in one of my GCP projects using their new quick start Terraform project. No guardrails, no safety net.
The setup should give you the first idea of how easy it is to do a Snowplow setup (for testing).
You can learn about the different elements that are included. And you will also learn what the Iglu server is.
So please don’t wait and sign up for my live stream on Friday 01.04. It will be recorded, so you can watch it later when you can’t make it.