DBT DBT Snapshots & Incremental Models 1

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of a dbt snapshot?

Accepted Answer

To capture and track slowly changing dimension (SCD) history in a source table

Answer

dbt snapshots implement Type 2 SCD logic, appending new rows when source data changes so you can query historical states.

Question 2

Which directory stores dbt snapshot files by default?

Accepted Answer

snapshots/

Answer

Snapshot `.sql` files are placed in the top-level `snapshots/` directory of a dbt project.

Question 3

What command runs all dbt snapshots?

Accepted Answer

dbt snapshot

Answer

`dbt snapshot` executes all snapshot files, applying the configured strategy to detect and record changes.

Question 4

Which snapshot strategy compares a hash of all specified columns to detect row changes?

Accepted Answer

check

Answer

The `check` strategy hashes the values of listed columns and records a new snapshot row when the hash changes, useful when no reliable updated_at column exists.

Question 5

Which snapshot strategy relies on an `updated_at` timestamp column to detect changes?

Accepted Answer

timestamp

Answer

The `timestamp` strategy compares the `updated_at` value between runs and creates new snapshot rows for records with a newer timestamp.

DBT - Certified Data Build Tool Developer Practice Test

DBT - Certified Data Build Tool Developer Practice Test

DBT DBT Snapshots & Incremental Models 1