dbt

dbt (data build tool) is an open-source command-line tool that enables data analysts and engineers to transform data in their data warehouse by writing modular SQL. It applies software engineering best practices like version control, testing, and documentation to the analytics workflow,…

Key facts

First appeared: 2016
Category: technology
Problem solved: dbt was created to address the chaos, inconsistency, and lack of governance in data transformation workflows that relied on brittle, undocumented SQL scripts or rigid, expensive traditional ETL tools. It aimed to bring software engineering rigor—modularity, testing, documentation, and version control—directly to the process of transforming data within modern cloud data warehouses using familiar SQL.
Platforms: macOS, Cloud Data Warehouses (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, etc.), Windows, Linux

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