Passarelli
06/11/2026, 3:24 PMdefinitionId 4816b78f (legacy S3 destination, v1.9.8) — writes Airbyte metadata columns (_airbyte_meta, _airbyte_raw_id, _airbyte_extracted_at, _airbyte_generation_id) directly into Parquet files as data columns
• S3 → Snowflake: Source S3 v4.15.4 with delivery_type: use_records_transfer + Snowflake destination v4.x
Problem: The legacy S3 destination embeds Airbyte metadata columns into the Parquet files. When the S3 source reads these files using use_records_transfer mode, it passes all columns — including the embedded metadata — to the Snowflake destination v4.x. The Snowflake destination then tries to add its own _AIRBYTE_META column when creating the table, causing:
SQL compilation error: duplicate column name '_AIRBYTE_META'
Proposed fix being evaluated: Change delivery_type from use_records_transfer to use_file_transfer in the S3 source configuration, which bypasses record deserialization and passes Parquet files directly to Snowflake without adding metadata columns.kapa.ai
06/11/2026, 3:24 PM_airbyte_meta, _airbyte_raw_id, etc.) as data columns in the Parquet files, and when Snowflake destination v4.x reads those records, it attempts to add its own reserved metadata columns — resulting in the duplicate column name SQL compilation error.
What the Knowledge Sources Confirm There is a known bug in the Bulk CDK's ColumnNameResolver where user columns whose names collide with Airbyte-reserved names (_airbyte_raw_id, _airbyte_extracted_at, _airbyte_meta, _airbyte_generation_id) were not detected as conflicts, causing duplicate column names in CREATE TABLE DDL — crashing destinations like Snowflake. [CDK fix PR]
The fix (pre-seeding the processed column names set with Meta.COLUMN_NAMES) was released in bulk-cdk-core-load v1.0.14, and the Snowflake destination picked it up in v4.0.44. [Snowflake CDK bump]
> If your Snowflake destination is already on v4.0.44 or later, user columns named _airbyte_meta etc. will be auto-renamed to _airbyte_meta_1 instead of crashing. This may be the cleanest fix without changing your pipeline architecture.
Evaluating Your Proposed Fix (use_file_transfer) The knowledge sources confirm that use_file_transfer copies raw files without parsing their contents — Airbyte passes the Parquet bits directly to the destination without deserializing records or adding metadata columns. [Delivery methods]
However, there are important caveats the knowledge sources highlight:
• use_file_transfer is only supported on specific file-based connectors and requires the destination to also support file transfers. The only destination listed as supporting file transfers is S3 — not Snowflake. [File transfers]
• This means switching S3 source to use_file_transfer mode with a Snowflake destination may not be a supported configuration.
Recommended Path The knowledge sources do not contain enough detail about your specific use_records_transfer vs use_file_transfer behavior with Snowflake as a destination to fully validate the proposed fix. I'd strongly recommend verifying whether use_file_transfer is even a valid option for an S3→Snowflake pipeline before pursuing it, and checking whether upgrading the Snowflake destination to v4.0.44+ resolves the collision directly. 👍 0 button 👎 0 button ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help., with interactive elementsPassarelli
06/11/2026, 3:27 PMPassarelli
06/11/2026, 3:29 PMkapa.ai
06/11/2026, 3:29 PMPassarelli
06/11/2026, 3:30 PMkapa.ai
06/11/2026, 3:31 PMCHECK phase completed successfully — Snowflake destination v4.0.43 can connect, create tables, stage, copy, and drop test tables without issue.
⚠️ The Critical Version Detail Your sync is running:
[destination] image: airbyte/destination-snowflake:4.0.43
This is one version behind the fix. The _airbyte_meta / reserved column name collision fix was released in v4.0.44, which bumped the Bulk CDK from 1.0.13 → 1.0.14. [Snowflake CDK bump]
The fix in v4.0.44 pre-seeds the collision detection set with all reserved Airbyte column names, so a user column named _airbyte_meta (coming from your legacy S3 Parquet files) would be auto-renamed to _airbyte_meta_1 instead of crashing with a duplicate column error. [CDK fix PR]
What the Logs Show About the Sync Start The replication pod launched successfully with:
• source-s3:4.15.4
• destination-snowflake:4.0.43
The log cuts off at Reading messages from protocol... — this is where the actual record flow (and the duplicate column crash) would occur.
Recommendation Upgrade destination-snowflake to v4.0.44 or later. This is the most direct fix for your duplicate _AIRBYTE_META column error, requiring no pipeline architecture changes. [Snowflake CDK bump]
The knowledge sources do not contain enough information to confirm whether v4.0.44 is available on your Airbyte v1.8.5 instance or whether it requires upgrading to Airbyte v2.x first — you may need to verify connector version availability in your deployment. 👍 0 button 👎 0 button ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.Passarelli
06/11/2026, 3:33 PMkapa.ai
06/11/2026, 3:33 PMdestination-snowflake from 4.0.43 → 4.0.44 and updates docs/integrations/destinations/snowflake.md with a changelog entry. [Snowflake CDK bump]
• That PR was merged and contains the reserved column name collision fix.
It's possible that v4.0.44 exists in the codebase but hasn't yet been rolled out to your Airbyte Cloud/self-managed instance — the PR itself notes an active progressive rollout warning for destination-snowflake, meaning the version may be deployed gradually rather than immediately to all users. [Snowflake CDK bump]
What you can do in the meantime Since upgrading to v4.0.44 may not yet be available to you, the most practical workarounds are:
1. Pre-process your Parquet files to strip the embedded _airbyte_* metadata columns before they reach the S3 source → Snowflake pipeline.
2. Rename the conflicting columns at the S3 source level using stream field remapping if your Airbyte version supports it.
3. Monitor the rollout — once v4.0.44 reaches your instance, the fix will auto-rename colliding columns (e.g. _airbyte_meta → _airbyte_meta_1) without any pipeline changes.
I'd recommend checking Airbyte Community Slack or opening a support ticket to confirm the rollout timeline for v4.0.44 on your specific deployment. 👍 0 button 👎 0 button ℹ️ Tip: Mention @kapa.ai in the thread for follow-ups or DM the app for 1-to-1 help.