convert

name	convert
description	Convert source code to Snowflake SQL using SnowConvert. Transforms full-migration sources and code-conversion-only sources to Snowflake-compatible syntax, and optionally repoints Power BI reports. Triggers: convert, snowconvert, transform code, convert to snowflake, power bi.

Code Conversion

On Entry

Tell the user:

Code Conversion.

Here's what I'll do:

1. Run SnowConvert against your source SQL files, transforming each into Snowflake SQL syntax (optionally tailoring conversion settings to your source first, or going with defaults).
2. Generate reports flagging anything that needs manual review (EWIs, FDMs, performance remarks, out-of-scope items).
3. Save converted code under snowflake/ and reports under reports/SnowConvert/.

Convert source code to Snowflake SQL using SnowConvert.

Report the result from the --json envelope and hand off. Reading the generated reports, counting EWIs by severity or judging what needs fixing is the assessment's job — do that here only if the user asks a direct question.

Prerequisites

• Migration project initialized (scai init)
• Source code present in the project source/ directory, either from extraction or scai code add

Workflow

Step 1: Verify Source Code Exists

Confirm source/ contains .sql files (use whichever portable form fits the host).

If no files are found, the setup state machine should have already routed back to register-code-units before you got here. If somehow you arrived with an empty source/, return to the parent setup skill so it can re-query progress_setup().

Step 2: Check for ETL Code

Any ETL in this project was imported during register (scai code add), which arranges the packages into source/_etl/. That is where convert reads them from.

Check whether source/_etl/ exists and contains ETL files — .dtsx for SSIS, .xml for Informatica PowerCenter (use whichever portable form fits the host).

• If it is missing or empty, there is no ETL to convert; proceed to Step 3.

• If it contains SSIS packages only, no conversion-target prompt is needed; proceed to Step 3.

• If it contains Informatica PowerCenter XML, ask the remaining ETL questions up front, in one sequence, before running the conversion:

  1. Conversion target, via ask_user_question (multiSelect = false):

     "How should Informatica mappings be converted?

     1. dbt (default): each mapping becomes a dbt model orchestrated by Snowflake Tasks. Supports ETL stabilization and deploy.
     2. Snowflake Scripting (preview): each mapping becomes a standalone Snowflake stored procedure the Task graph calls. Stabilization and deploy are skipped for this preview flavor."

  2. If the answer is dbt, also ask (multiSelect = false): "Consolidate dbt model chains to reduce the number of generated model files?". On yes, set CONSOLIDATE_DBT = true for Step 4.
  3. If the answer is Snowflake Scripting, set SCRIPTING_MODE = true for Step 4.

  Persist the choice with the MCP configure tool: etl_informatica_target = "dbt" or "scripting". When the target is Snowflake Scripting, the --informatica-to-snowflake-scripting convert flag in Step 4 additionally records the project-level etl_target in project.yml that gates the scripting-preview routing.

These questions are still required: the conversion target is not something scai code add can infer from the imported files.

Step 3: Check for Power BI Reports

Ask the user:

"Do you have Power BI reports (.pbit files) you'd like to repoint to Snowflake?"

If yes, load ../powerbi-repointing/SKILL.md. It collects PBIT_PATH and tells you to append --powerbi-repointing <PBIT_PATH> to the convert command in Step 4. Return here when complete.

If no, proceed to Step 4. PBIT_PATH remains unset; do not pass --powerbi-repointing to scai.

Step 3.5: Offer Custom Conversion Settings

Keep this quick — most users just want defaults. Ask via ask_user_question (multiSelect = false):

"SnowConvert supports custom conversion settings tailored to your source language. Want to tailor them, or go with the defaults?"

1. Tailor settings — I'll suggest options based on your code; you confirm.
2. Go with defaults

• On Go with defaults: <SETTINGS_FLAGS> stays empty; proceed to Step 4.
• On Tailor settings: load ./recommend-settings/SKILL.md. It scans the source, proposes dialect-specific settings, and — after the user confirms — returns a flag string. Store it as <SETTINGS_FLAGS> for Step 4. If the user declines all suggestions or the catalog can't be loaded, <SETTINGS_FLAGS> stays empty. Return here when complete.

Step 4: Run Conversion

Before running, tell the user what the conversion will cover: the SQL and ETL already in the project (source/, plus source/_etl/ when present), and Power BI repointing if PBIT_PATH was set.

Start from the base command:

scai code convert <SETTINGS_FLAGS> --json

--json is always required so you can parse the result envelope. Substitute <SETTINGS_FLAGS> with the confirmed flags from Step 3.5 (or omit the token when empty). Then append one flag per decision already recorded in the steps above — nothing else. Do not pass --etl-replatform-sources-path; ETL already lives under source/_etl/ from register.

Append	When
--informatica-to-snowflake-scripting	SCRIPTING_MODE was set in Step 2 (Informatica target is Snowflake Scripting)
--consolidate-dbt-model-chains	CONSOLIDATE_DBT was set in Step 2 (Informatica target is dbt and the user chose to consolidate model chains)
--powerbi-repointing <PBIT_PATH>	PBIT_PATH was set in Step 3

The two Informatica flags are mutually exclusive — they come from the same single-select answer, so at most one can apply. Either combines with --powerbi-repointing. If none of the conditions hold, run the base command as-is.

Substitute <PBIT_PATH> with the actual path you stored. Do not emit literal placeholder tokens to the shell.

Step 5: Read the Result Envelope

--json returns the result. That envelope is the whole story for this step — don't open the reports, the CSVs or the logs to work out what happened.

Conversion writes:

• Converted code in snowflake/
• Reports in reports/SnowConvert/
• Logs in logs/

Name those locations so the user knows where to look. Reading them is the assessment's job, or something to do later if the user asks a question the envelope can't answer.

Conversion Options

Option	Description
-x, --show-ewis	Show detailed EWI breakdown
--overwrite-working-directory	Overwrite output files in snowflake/ and registry
--informatica-to-snowflake-scripting	Convert Informatica mappings to standalone Snowflake stored procedures (Snowflake Scripting) instead of dbt projects. Preview flavor; ETL stabilization and deploy are skipped for these units.
--consolidate-dbt-model-chains	Consolidate Informatica dbt model chains to reduce the number of generated model files. Applies when the Informatica target is dbt.

For Power BI options, see ../powerbi-repointing/SKILL.md.

Example with options:

scai code convert --show-ewis --overwrite-working-directory --json

Understanding EWIs

Reference for answering a question the user asks — not a prompt to go analyze the run. EWIs (Early Warning Issues) indicate conversion items needing attention:

Severity	Action Required
Critical	Must fix before deployment
High	Should fix, may cause runtime errors
Medium	Review recommended
Low	Minor issues, optional fixes

Common EWI codes:

• SSC-EWI-0030: Dynamic SQL (requires manual review)
• SSC-FDM-*: Functional differences (behavior may differ)
• SSC-PRF-*: Performance remarks (optimization suggested)

Output Structure

snowflake/
├── <database>/
│   └── <schema>/
│       ├── table/
│       ├── view/
│       ├── procedure/
│       └── function/
└── _etl/                              # Converted ETL code (Task graph + stored procedures for scripting; dbt models for dbt)
    └── <package_name>/
        ├── <package_name>.sql         # Snowflake Task graph
        └── <data_pipeline>/
            └── models/                # dbt models (staging, intermediate, marts) when target is dbt
reports/
├── SnowConvert/
│   ├── TopLevelCodeUnits.*.csv
│   ├── Issues.*.csv
│   ├── ObjectReferences.*.csv
│   ├── Assessment.*.json
│   ├── ETL.Elements.*.csv             # ETL elements processed (packages, tasks, data flows)
│   └── ETL.Issues.*.csv               # ETL-specific conversion issues
├── ArrangeReports/
└── GenericScanner/
logs/

For Power BI output paths, see ../powerbi-repointing/SKILL.md.

CHECKPOINT

The envelope's own status is the check — don't go looking for corroboration.

• The convert command exited successfully and the envelope reports no conversion errors
• If Power BI reports were included, follow the CHECKPOINT addendum in ../powerbi-repointing/SKILL.md

If the envelope reports errors, surface them verbatim and stop. Otherwise move on — don't ask the user to review EWI counts or confirm that files landed.

On Completion

Show the JSON envelope from scai code convert --json as-is, in a fenced json block, under one line:

Conversion complete. Converted code is in snowflake/, reports in reports/SnowConvert/.

Then one line on what's next, and move on:

Next, we'll run an assessment to plan your migration: dependency waves, object categorization, and a deployment plan.

Do not restate the envelope's numbers in prose, break issues down by severity, rank them, or say which ones need fixing — the assessment does that with the full picture, and a summary here is one more thing that can disagree with it. If the user asks about a number, an EWI code, or a specific file, dig in then; the reference sections above are for that.

If SCRIPTING_MODE was set, also tell the user:

Informatica mappings were converted to Snowflake Scripting stored procedures (preview). ETL Stabilization is not supported for Snowflake Scripting conversions (dbt only), and deploy is not part of this preview flow - both are skipped for these ETL units. The generated procedures and Task graph are under snowflake/_etl/ for review.

There is now enough converted code for the local dashboard to be worth looking at. If configure reported a dashboard URL at session start, mention it once:

You can watch progress at <url> — read-only, and only on your machine.

Skip the line if no URL came back (the user opted out, or the port was busy). Don't guess a URL, and don't repeat this every step.

Then return to the calling skill.