Snowflake classifies columns into semantic and privacy categories

The guide states organizations must know where sensitive data lives and whether it is protected for regulatory compliance. Snowflake’s solution discovers sensitive data automatically and eases applying tags and masking policies. Native categories cover attributes like name and national identifier; custom categories cover org- or domain-specific types. Configuration and result viewing use Trust Center; phased Snowsight recommendations flag databases via table metadata with one-click enablement.

Security, governance, and data teams get a consistent labeling of column sensitivity rather than ad hoc inventories. Classification tags are Snowflake objects assigned as part of that workflow; the extract also names classification profiles among core concepts.

Semantic plus privacy categories are governed shared meaning about columns: what kind of personal attribute, and how sensitive. Masking and tags then enforce that meaning across consumers and tools that read the warehouse.