What causes MASKING_POLICY_CONFLICT?

A column already has a masking policy directly applied and a tag-based masking policy is also triggered on it. The same column is assigned two different tag-based masking policies through tag inheritance. A developer manually applied a masking policy to a column that was already covered by a schema-wide tag policy. A cloned table inherited masking policies that conflict with the policies set on the new schema

How do I fix MASKING_POLICY_CONFLICT?

Step 1: In Snowsight, navigate to the table's Columns tab and check for any Policy Error indicator on the conflicting column.. Step 2: Run SELECT * FROM TABLE(INFORMATION_SCHEMA.POLICY_REFERENCES(POLICY_NAME=>' ')) to see all objects the policy is applied to.. Step 3: Unset the directly applied masking policy from the column using ALTER TABLE MODIFY COLUMN UNSET MASKING POLICY.. Step 4: If the conflict is between two tag-based policies, remove one of the conflicting tag assignments from the column or object.. Step 5: Verify the column now has exactly one effective masking policy using SHOW MASKING POLICIES.

Medium severityconfiguration

Power BI Refresh Error:
MASKING_POLICY_CONFLICT

What does this error mean?

A column or table has two conflicting masking policy assignments — for example, a direct column-level policy and a tag-based policy — causing Snowflake to reject the duplicate assignment or report a policy error in Snowsight.

Common causes

1A column already has a masking policy directly applied and a tag-based masking policy is also triggered on it
2The same column is assigned two different tag-based masking policies through tag inheritance
3A developer manually applied a masking policy to a column that was already covered by a schema-wide tag policy
4A cloned table inherited masking policies that conflict with the policies set on the new schema

How to fix it

1Step 1: In Snowsight, navigate to the table's Columns tab and check for any Policy Error indicator on the conflicting column.
2Step 2: Run SELECT * FROM TABLE(INFORMATION_SCHEMA.POLICY_REFERENCES(POLICY_NAME=>'<policy_name>')) to see all objects the policy is applied to.
3Step 3: Unset the directly applied masking policy from the column using ALTER TABLE <t> MODIFY COLUMN <c> UNSET MASKING POLICY.
4Step 4: If the conflict is between two tag-based policies, remove one of the conflicting tag assignments from the column or object.
5Step 5: Verify the column now has exactly one effective masking policy using SHOW MASKING POLICIES.

Frequently asked questions

What is the priority order when a direct masking policy and a tag-based policy both apply to the same column?

Snowflake rejects the duplicate and marks it as a policy error rather than silently choosing one. The column access is blocked until the conflict is resolved, which is why the Snowsight UI shows a Policy Error label.

Can I use a single tag to apply masking policies across an entire database?

Yes. Apply the tag at the database level and configure the tag to trigger a masking policy on all columns matching certain data type or sensitivity criteria. This is more maintainable than column-by-column direct assignments.