dbt (data build tool)
The T in ELT.
Overview
dbt is a data transformation tool that enables data analysts and engineers to transform data in their warehouse more effectively. It allows you to write, document, test, and version control your data transformation code using SQL. While not a full orchestrator, it is a key component in many data orchestration workflows.
✨ Key Features
- SQL-based data transformation
- Data testing and documentation
- Version control with Git
- Incremental models
- Package manager for reusing code
🎯 Key Differentiators
- Empowers analytics engineers with SQL
- Brings software engineering best practices to data transformation
- Large and active community
Unique Value: Enables data teams to build reliable, high-quality data transformation pipelines using SQL and software engineering best practices.
🎯 Use Cases (4)
✅ Best For
- Transforming raw data into analytics-ready datasets within a data warehouse
- Building modular, reusable, and testable data transformation pipelines
💡 Check With Vendor
Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:
- Data extraction and loading (EL) from source systems.
- Orchestrating workflows outside of the data warehouse.
🏆 Alternatives
Provides a more structured, collaborative, and maintainable way to write data transformations compared to custom scripts, and has a larger community and ecosystem than its direct competitors.
💻 Platforms
🔌 Integrations
🛟 Support Options
- ✓ Email Support
- ✓ Live Chat
- ✓ Dedicated Support (Enterprise tier)
🔒 Compliance & Security
💰 Pricing
✓ 14-day free trial
Free tier: dbt Core is open source. dbt Cloud has a free developer tier.
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