---
title: Creating a Certificate Data Block
description: "This article shows how to create a Configuration Data Block and use the resulting certificate to access resources. This tutorial will use Assette's Snowflake Demo Database as an example— creating a Certificate Data Block follows the same basic steps regardless…"
url: "https://learn.assette.com/docs/creating-a-certificate-data-block/"
updated: "2024-09-30"
category: Developers / Tutorials / Data Block Tutorials
---

# Creating a Certificate Data Block

This article shows how to create a Configuration Data Block and use the resulting certificate to access resources. This tutorial will use Assette's Snowflake Demo Database as an example— creating a Certificate Data Block follows the same basic steps regardless of source.

![Creating a Certificate Data Block 1](https://learn.assette.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image-1-1024x207.png)

## Prerequisites

1. Understanding of Data Blocks
2. Data Block Editor role assigned to user
3. Data Block Admin role assigned to user (Optional)

To create a Certificate Data Block, begin by [creating a new Data Block](https://learn.assette.com/docs/creating-editing-data-blocks/), or optionally, create a copy of the [Assette Snowflake Demo Certificate Data Block](https://learn.assette.com/docs/snowflake-demo-certificate-data-block/). Ensure that the Data Block has been a unique name and that the fields in the General Info tab of the Data Block Editor have been set up as shown below.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Block Category | Certificate |
| Block Type | Settings |
| Data Category | None |
| Output Type | Settings |

![Creating a Certificate Data Block 2](https://learn.assette.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image-127-1024x374.png)

On the Definition Tab of the Data Block Editor, enter the Certificate's Private Key as shown below. If creating a copy of the Assette Snowflake Demo Certificate, be sure to replace the entire key. Be sure to keep the first and last rows (e.g., "-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----" and "-----END PRIVATE KEY-----").

```
-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----

ENTER PRIVATE KEY HERE

-----END PRIVATE KEY-----
```

![Creating a Certificate Data Block 3](https://learn.assette.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/image-128-1024x353.png)

Since this is a Certificate Data Block, there is no need to edit the Metadata Tab or Dependencies Tab. Additionally, if a user attempts to preview the Data Block's response on the Preview Tab, the expected response will be an error, as shown below— Configuration Data Blocks are read-only and only ever expected to be used as a dependency for another Data Block.

## Example Request

```
{}
```

## Example Response

```
{
    "errors": [
        {
            "block_name": "DemoCertificate",
            "errors": [
                "Unsupported block type '<class 'type'>'"
            ]
        }
    ],
    "success": false,
    "logs": []
}
```