10.6 Release Notes: Feb 23, 2026-Feb 27, 2026¶

Apache Iceberg™ tables: Partitioned writes with hierarchical paths (Preview)¶

You can now use Snowflake to write to partitioned Iceberg tables by using a hierarchical path layout. This layout is also called “Hive-style” partitioning.

This update lets Snowflake write to Iceberg tables by using the same hierarchical path layout for partitions that some external engines support.

This feature is supported for both Snowflake-managed and externally managed Iceberg tables. To use a hierarchical path layout for partitioned writes, set the new PATH_LAYOUT parameter to HIERARCHICAL when you create a table. If you don’t specify this parameter, Snowflake uses the existing layout for partitioned writes, which is a flat file structure.

For more information, see Partitioning with hierarchical paths.

Data quality: Non-owners can associate a data metric function with an object (General availability)¶

Users with the SELECT privilege on a table or view can now associate it with a data metric function (DMF) to set up a data quality check. Previously, only the owner of the table or view could associate a DMF.

As part of this change, an association between a DMF and an object has a new property: EXECUTE AS ROLE. This property specifies which role the DMF runs with.

For more information, see Required privilege on the table or view.