dbt-best-practices

name	dbt-best-practices
description	dbt data modeling best practices following Kimball/dimensional modeling. Use when writing or reviewing dbt models, adding tests, choosing materializations, or following SQL/YAML/Jinja style conventions. Covers architecture layers, naming conventions, testing strategy, SQL style, and BigQuery optimization.

dbt Best Practices

Approach: Kimball / dimensional modeling (star schema).

Creating New Models

Step 1: Decide what to build

Read Architecture to determine:

• Which models to create (layer, prefix, naming convention)
• What each model queries (flow rules)
• Where to place files (folder structure)

Step 2: Write the .sql and .yml files

Read these three references, then create the files:

1. General Rules — key rules, BigQuery optimization, testing by column pattern, severity, useful packages
2. Naming & Style — column naming conventions, SQL/YAML/Jinja style
3. The corresponding layer file:

Model prefix	Layer file
seed_, raw_	Raw
snp_, stg_	Staging
int_	Intermediate
dim_, fct_, brg_, mart_, agg_, rpt_, retl_, util_	Datamart

Editing Existing Models

Identify the layer from the model's prefix, then read:

1. General Rules
2. Naming & Style
3. The corresponding layer file (see table above)