FactorPrism®
Comparison

Already on Snowflake? You Have Two Free Ways to Ask "Why." Here's When You Need a Third.

Snowflake ships a key-driver SQL function (TOP_INSIGHTS) and a conversational agent (Snowflake Intelligence). Both are genuinely useful — and your data team should try them first. This page shows precisely where each one stops, so you know when the question calls for FactorPrism®.

The SQL Function

What TOP_INSIGHTS Does Well — and Where It Stops

SNOWFLAKE.ML.TOP_INSIGHTS is a decision-tree key-driver function: give it dimensions, a metric, and a control/test label, and it returns segments with contribution scores. For an analyst exploring a one-off question in a worksheet, it's a solid first pass — and it's included with your account.

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Flat, overlapping segments Results don't respect your business hierarchy and don't sum to the change you're explaining. There's no bridge from baseline to actual — you reconcile by hand, and the overlaps usually mean you can't.
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Control/test framing with a non-negative metric Natural for "this quarter vs last," awkward-to-impossible for metrics that cross zero (margin, net flows) or "explain the shape of the last 12 weeks."
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It's a function, not a product Tabular output in a worksheet. No waterfall, no drill-down, no narrative, no way to hand it to the CFO.
The Agent

What Snowflake Intelligence Does Well — and Where It Stops

Snowflake Intelligence answers questions conversationally over a semantic model: "what was revenue by region last quarter?" works beautifully, and it will even tell you which region fell most.

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"Why" is a multi-step computation, not a retrieval A complete answer means checking every level of region × product × channel space, separating broad-based forces from localized ones, and making the pieces reconcile. Multi-step reasoning is the documented weak spot of text-to-SQL agents — you get an answer, not the complete, mutually-consistent set.
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Semantic-model authoring Good answers require a maintained semantic layer — real data-team work before business users get value.
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Unpredictable cost Consumption-priced chat means the bill scales with curiosity.
The Finished Analysis

What FactorPrism® Adds

FactorPrism® is a Native App that computes the complete answer in one pass — no SQL, no semantic model, no prompt engineering.

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Reconciles exactly A waterfall bridge from baseline to actual where ranked factors sum to precisely the change. Every dollar of movement accounted for — the standard a finance audience already holds you to.
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Finds where causes live Hierarchy-aware: a broad-based force acting across the whole business is reported once, at the top — not smeared across every leaf segment. A localized problem is pinned to the exact segment where it acts, with when it started ("step change beginning March 12").
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Handles real finance metrics Movement across all periods (not just endpoints) and sign-crossing metrics like margin and net adds.
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Knows when not to speak A significance gate validated against ground-truth simulations keeps the list short and trustworthy — the documented failure mode of this category is alert fatigue, and we built against it.
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Stays in your account Same as the built-ins: it runs on your warehouse, under your governance. Your data never leaves Snowflake.
Side by Side

The Ingredients vs the Finished Dish

The Built-ins

  • TOP_INSIGHTS: SQL function, segment table output
  • Intelligence: chat agent over a semantic model
  • Flat segments — no hierarchy, results don't sum to the change
  • Non-negative metrics only (function); answers vary (agent)
  • Audience: SQL-writing analysts
  • Great first pass; you assemble the story

FactorPrism®

  • Native App with a business-user interface
  • Reconciled waterfall + ranked factors + narrative
  • Hierarchy-aware: broad-based vs localized, split explicitly
  • Movement shapes, sign-crossing metrics, dated onsets
  • Setup: read-only grant on one table
  • One reconciled answer, ready for the CFO
FAQ

Honest Answers

Should we try TOP_INSIGHTS first?

Yes, honestly. If a flat list of contributing segments answers your question, you're done — it's included with Snowflake. Teams come to FactorPrism® when the segments don't add up to the change, when the cause is a broad-based force no single segment explains, or when the audience is a CFO who needs a bridge that ties out.

Is this competing with Snowflake?

No — FactorPrism® exists because of Snowflake's platform. It's a capability you add to your account, reviewed through the Marketplace security process, billed through your Snowflake relationship.

What does FactorPrism® need access to?

A read-only grant on one table or view. Optionally CORTEX_USER (AI-written explanations) and CREATE DATABASE (saving sessions in your own account).

Can I see it without connecting data?

Yes — the in-app demo replays a complete analysis on a realistic retail dataset, instantly.

See the difference on your own numbers

Install from the Snowflake Marketplace and run the built-in demo in under two minutes.

Get it on Snowflake Marketplace