DBT Sources & Seeds Flashcards

How do you reference a seed table inside a dbt model?

Answer: {{ ref('seed_name') }}

Seeds are treated like models in the DAG, so you reference them with `{{ ref('seed_name') }}` just like any model.

Where are source definitions typically stored in a dbt project?

Answer: In YAML files within the models/ directory

Sources are declared in any YAML file inside the models/ directory tree (e.g., sources.yml or staging/sources.yml).

What does the `loaded_at_field` property on a source table specify?

Answer: The column that holds the row's creation timestamp for freshness checks

`loaded_at_field` points to a timestamp column that dbt checks to determine how recently data was loaded.

Which config key in dbt_project.yml sets the schema for all seed tables?

Answer: seeds > +schema

Under the `seeds:` block in dbt_project.yml, `+schema` overrides the default schema for seed output tables.

What happens when you run `dbt seed --full-refresh`?

Answer: The seed table is dropped and recreated from scratch

`--full-refresh` causes dbt to drop the existing seed table before recreating it, ensuring a clean load.

Which dbt source property lets you override the actual database table name that a source points to?

Answer: identifier

The `identifier:` property under a source table lets you specify the real table name in the warehouse when it differs from the dbt source name.