Does STX Next Support Snowflake and Databricks Together for a Lakehouse Setup?

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As enterprises accelerate their journey to modern data architectures in 2026, the concept of a lakehouse architecture—a combination of data lakes and data warehouses—is gaining momentum. For organizations eyeing a multi-platform environment leveraging both Snowflake and Databricks, the question arises: Does STX Next support Snowflake and Databricks together for a lakehouse setup? In this comprehensive blog post, we explore STX Next's capabilities, its standing among Snowflake partner tiers, how it compares to other key players like phData and NTT DATA, and essential considerations around governance, security, and end-to-end migration delivery models.

The Lakehouse Revolution: Why Multi-Platform Matters

The lakehouse architecture combines the best of data lakes (flexibility, scale) and data warehouses (performance, governance) enabling organizations to break down data silos and accelerate analytics. In practice, many companies are today adopting a hybrid approach utilizing platforms like Snowflake for scalable data warehousing and Databricks for advanced data engineering and machine learning workloads.

This multi-platform architecture introduces complexity around integration, governance, and delivery. Hence choosing a partner who can navigate both Snowflake and Databricks ecosystems cohesively is crucial.

STX Next: Who Are They?

STX Next is Europe’s largest Python software house, recognized for delivering data engineering, data science, and analytics solutions. With an emphasis on agile delivery and robust code quality, STX Next has increasingly expanded its footprint into enterprise data platforms and modern cloud data architectures.

But does STX Next support full, integrated lakehouse delivery using both Snowflake and Databricks? The short answer is yes, and here’s how they position themselves.

STX Next Snowflake Databricks Support in Multi-Platform Lakehouse Delivery

STX Next offers a multi-platform architecture consulting and implementation service where Snowflake and Databricks coexist as integrated components within a lakehouse architecture. Key aspects include:

Snowflake: Leveraging Snowflake's cloud data warehouse capabilities as the single source of governed truth, STX Next implements data ingestion pipelines and transformations tuned for high scalability and concurrency. Databricks: Utilizing Databricks for data engineering, stream processing, and machine learning workloads—especially leveraging Apache Spark and MLflow for model lifecycle management. Snowpark ML: This is a game-changer in embedding machine learning workloads directly within Snowflake’s environment. STX Next’s expertise extends to implementing Snowpark ML to enable predictive analytics seamlessly, reducing data movement between platforms. Integration & Orchestration: STX Next designs workflows where Snowflake and Databricks communicate via APIs and data connectors, orchestrated via tools like Airflow or Prefect.

This integrated approach ensures the advantages of both platforms are realized while mitigating the complexity of a dual-platform landscape.

Partner Selection Criteria for 2026: What To Look For

Choosing the right delivery partner for lakehouse projects in 2026 hinges on several criteria:

Multi-Platform Expertise: Confirm the partner’s experience with simultaneous Snowflake and Databricks implementations. Partner Tier & Recognition: Vendors with higher Snowflake partner tiers have proven capabilities and access to dedicated resources. STX Next’s partner status compared to phData and NTT DATA matters here. End-to-End Delivery Model: Seek partners providing comprehensive services from consulting, migration, data engineering, governance, security, to post-migration support. Security & Governance Capabilities: With increasing regulatory demands, the ability to configure fine-grained access controls, implement data masking, and automate compliance checks is fundamental. Agile and Scalable Methodology: Ability to implement iterative delivery pipelines and automate testing ensures quicker time-to-value.

Snowflake Partner Tiers and Recognition: Where STX Next Stands

Snowflake partners are categorized into tiers—Registered, Select, Premier, and Elite—based on their technical expertise, customer success stories, and certifications.

Partner Tier Key Benefits Typical Partner Examples Registered Basic partnership, limited engagement and support Smaller consultancies or newer market entrants Select Verified technical skills, moderate customer references, some Snowflake support access Mid-tier implementers like STX Next Premier Advanced certifications, a breadth of successful projects, prioritized support phData Elite Top-tier strategic partners with maximum Snowflake collaboration and extensive global delivery NTT DATA

As of 2026, STX Next resides at the Select tier, delivering solid technical expertise and proven Snowflake delivery with growing Databricks integration capabilities. Meanwhile, phData and NTT DATA maintain higher tiers due to larger global footprints and expansive client bases.

End-to-End Migration Delivery Models: How STX Next Approaches Lakehouse Projects

Migration to a lakehouse combining Snowflake and Databricks demands a structured delivery model encompassing:

Assessment & Strategy: Evaluating existing data estate and defining the target state architecture. Proof-of-Concept: Establishing working examples integrating Snowflake with Databricks using Snowpark ML and Spark pipelines. Data Migration: Automating ETL/ELT pipelines with orchestration tools, validating data quality and transformations. Governance & Security Configuration: Implementing role-based access controls, data classification, and policy enforcement. Testing & Validation: Leveraging CI/CD pipelines for data and ML model testing, including compliance audits. Go-Live & Support: Transitioning into production with monitoring, incident response, and continuous optimization.

STX Next’s agile methodology enables tight collaboration with enterprise teams, iterative development cycles, and rapid adaptation to business needs.

Governance and Security Configuration: Addressing Compliance & Data Protection

The multi-platform lakehouse introduces governance complexity—multiple platforms, each with different security models. STX Next excels at designing unified governance frameworks that include:

Centralized Identity and Access Management (IAM): Integrating cloud IAM (e.g., Azure AD, Okta) to control Snowflake and Databricks permissions uniformly. Data Classification & Masking: Automating sensitive data detection in Snowflake and enforcing masking or tokenization as per policy. Audit & Monitoring: Implementing real-time monitoring dashboards covering queries, data access, pipeline runs, and anomalies. Policy Automation: Using Infrastructure-as-Code to enforce security policies consistently across Snowflake and Databricks environments.

Such configurations are critical in regulated industries like finance and healthcare, where STX Next has extensive delivery experience.

Comparing STX Next with phData and NTT DATA

While STX Next is a rising star in European data delivery services, phData and NTT DATA bring different strengths:

Aspect STX Next phData NTT DATA Snowflake Tier Select Premier Elite Geographic Focus Europe (DACH, Central EU) North America, Global Global, Enterprise-scale Databricks Expertise Growing, integrated lakehouse Strong focus on data engineering with Spark Extensive with managed services Industry Focus Finance, Healthcare, SaaS Financial Services, Retail Government, Telecom, Healthcare Delivery Model Agile, collaborative End-to-end large-scale Global, multi-service

For organizations prioritizing a personalized, developer-friendly approach with strong Python heritage and European data sensitivities, STX Next is an excellent choice for lakehouse delivery.

Conclusion

To answer the key question plainly: Yes, STX Next supports Snowflake and Databricks together for a lakehouse setup. Their multi-platform architecture competencies, combined with competent governance and security frameworks, agile delivery models, and growing Snowflake partner recognition position them well for enterprises targeting 2026 and beyond data platform landscapes.

While not yet occupying the top Snowflake partner tiers like phData or NTT DATA, STX Next fills an important niche for organizations looking for flexible, collaborative European partners with strong Python engineering culture and modern ML integrations through tools like Snowpark ML.

As you evaluate partners for your lakehouse delivery, assess their capabilities around multi-platform architecture, governance, security, and comprehensive migration strategies alongside certifications and partner tiers. STX Next deserves a serious look NTT DATA Snowflake for integrated Snowflake and Databricks lakehouse deployments.

Interested in learning more about multi-platform lakehouse architectures with STX Next or comparing implementation strategies across providers like phData and NTT DATA? Feel free to reach out for a detailed consultation tailored to your enterprise needs.

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