6 Snowflake Cortex Use Cases to Drive Innovation in Data and AI Analytics

Updated November 26th, 2024

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By integrating advanced AI capabilities into the Snowflake platform, Snowflake Cortex drives the use of LLMs and machine learning for data and analytics. Snowflake Cortex use cases range from analyzing customer feedback and forecasting sales to building interactive chatbots.
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This article dives into the key use cases of Snowflake Cortex and how enterprises can benefit from them.

Table of contents #

  1. 6 Key Snowflake Cortex use cases to explore
  2. Generative AI applications
  3. Text analysis
  4. Predictive modeling
  5. Document processing
  6. Custom text generation
  7. Safe content creation using generative AI
  8. Related reads

6 Key Snowflake Cortex use cases to explore #

Snowflake Cortex powers several use cases across industries. Some of the most prominent use cases include:

  1. Generative AI applications to create conversational AI and document chatbots
  2. Text analysis that includes performing sentiment analysis, summarization, translation, and more
  3. Predictive modeling to forecast demand and identify anomalies in data
  4. Document processing to extract structured data from unstructured content
  5. Custom text generation to automate text generation and provide a stateful, conversational experience
  6. Safe content creation using generative AI

Let’s break each use case down further.

1. Generative AI applications #

Cortex helps you build conversational AI applications, such as document-based chatbots. By leveraging retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), Cortex combines keyword and vector search with LLMs to deliver contextual, highly relevant responses.

Consider a healthcare provider that needs to streamline patient inquiries. With Cortex, the provider can build a chatbot capable of retrieving information from medical documents, such as appointment schedules or medication guidelines.

Patients can ask questions like, “When is the next available appointment with Dr. Smith?” or “What are the side effects of this medication?” and receive precise answers in seconds.

Once you get started, consider integrating Cortex chatbots with existing workflows to enhance user experience and ensure scalability across different domains.

2. Text analysis #

Cortex offers various capabilities for processing unstructured text, enabling organizations to conduct tasks such as sentiment analysis, summarization, translation, and more.

For companies inundated with data, Cortex simplifies text processing tasks that would otherwise require significant time and effort. For instance, summarization features allow businesses to condense lengthy reports or emails into concise summaries, ensuring decision-makers have the information they need without wading through pages of text.

The syntax for Cortex’s SUMMARIZE function is:

SELECT SNOWFLAKE.CORTEX.SUMMARIZE(review_content) FROM reviews LIMIT 10;

Similarly, sentiment analysis can be used to gauge customer satisfaction by analyzing reviews or social media comments, helping teams identify areas for improvement.

Here’s the syntax for Cortex’s SENTIMENT function:

SELECT SNOWFLAKE.CORTEX.SENTIMENT(review_content), review_content FROM reviews LIMIT 10;

You can also extract precise details from large documents through the EXTRACT_ANSWER function. For example, a legal team can use Cortex to identify contract end dates from lengthy legal documents, saving hours of manual review.

Here’s the syntax for the EXTRACT_ANSWER function:

SELECT SNOWFLAKE.CORTEX.EXTRACT_ANSWER(end_date, 'What is the contract end date?')
FROM legal_documents;

Translation features further enhance global operations by enabling seamless communication across markets.

A multinational organization, for example, can use Cortex to translate survey responses from customers in different regions, ensuring no valuable insights are lost due to language barriers.

Here’s the syntax for Cortex’s TRANSLATE function, translating content from English to German:

SELECT SNOWFLAKE.CORTEX.TRANSLATE(review_content, 'en', 'de') FROM reviews LIMIT 10;

3. Predictive modeling #

Predictive modeling is essential for making informed business decisions, and Cortex offers tools for analyzing time-series data, forecasting trends, and detecting anomalies.

For instance, a retailer can use Cortex to forecast product demand during the holiday season. By analyzing past sales data and external factors like weather or promotions, Cortex provides accurate predictions that help the retailer optimize inventory levels and reduce stockouts.

Meanwhile, a tech company can use anomaly detection to monitor system performance metrics, quickly identifying and addressing potential issues before they escalate into outages.

4. Document processing #

Managing and extracting data from documents is time-consuming and Snowflake Cortex can simplify the inherent processes with its Document AI capabilities.

For businesses dealing with high volumes of documents, Cortex automates data extraction from invoices, receipts, forms, and reports. You can use Cortex to process handwritten forms and convert them to digital documents.

Document AI in Snowflake Cortex

Document AI in Snowflake Cortex - Source: Snowflake.

Meanwhile, with Cortex Search, you can combine semantic and keyword-based methods to enhance document retrieval.

Snowflake Cortex Search for RAG

Snowflake Cortex Search for RAG - Source: Snowflake.

For example, a legal team can use Cortex Search to locate clauses in contracts by simply typing natural language queries like, “Find all contracts with non-compete agreements.” This streamlines document reviews and ensures no critical details are overlooked.

5. Custom text generation #

The COMPLETE function automates text generation for tasks like drafting responses, creating marketing content, or completing code snippets.

For instance, an e-commerce business can use Cortex to generate auto-replies for common customer queries, ensuring quick and consistent communication.

Here’s an example of the syntax for Cortex’s COMPLETE function:

SELECT SNOWFLAKE.CORTEX.COMPLETE(
'mistral-large',
CONCAT('Critique this review in bullet points: <review>', content, '</review>')
) FROM reviews LIMIT 10;

6. Safe content creation using generative AI #

Cortex Guard addresses the need for AI safety and compliance by filtering harmful content generated by LLMs. This allows you to ensure alignment with organizational policies and ethical standards.

For example, a media company using generative AI for content creation can rely on Cortex Guard to ensure that AI-generated text aligns with editorial guidelines and avoids offensive or inappropriate material.

Once you get started, consider setting Cortex Guard rules to reflect organizational policies and ensure seamless integration with your compliance workflows.

Bottomline #

Snowflake Cortex offers a wide range of use cases, from text analysis and predictive modeling to document processing and custom LLM development. By simplifying complex AI workflows and ensuring data security, Cortex enables organizations to focus on delivering value while leveraging the full potential of AI.

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