dbt: reliable, tested and documented data transformations
Discover dbt, the tool that industrialises your data transformations
dbt (data build tool) is a data transformation tool that lets you model, test and document your data in SQL, directly inside your warehouse.
In practice, dbt applies software engineering best practices to data preparation: every transformation is versioned, tested and documented. No more scattered SQL scripts nobody dares to touch: your KPIs rest on reliable, traceable models.
dbt is built around four pillars:
A structured transformation layer between your raw data and your analytics.
1. SQL modelling: your transformations as building blocks
Everything is done in SQL, the language your data teams already know.
- Write your transformations in SQL, dbt handles the execution order
- Reuse your models as modular building blocks
- Target Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks or PostgreSQL
- Standardise business logic in a single layer
2. Testing and quality: data you can trust
Every model can be tested automatically, on every run.
- Test uniqueness, null values and referential integrity in a few lines
- Catch anomalies before they reach your dashboards
- Add custom tests for your business rules
- Make data quality a daily habit, not a one-off project
3. Documentation and lineage: know where the numbers come from
Documentation is generated from the code, so it stays up to date.
- Generate documentation for your models automatically
- Visualise full lineage, from source to dashboard
- Help every team understand where each metric comes from
- Make auditing your data estate easier
4. Industrialisation: data managed like code
Version control, environments, deployments: the developer workflow, applied to data.
- Version your transformations with Git and GitHub
- Separate development, staging and production
- Automate your runs with CI/CD or an orchestrator
- Collaborate on the same project without conflicts
What about the ecosystem?
dbt sits between your ingestion tools such as Fivetran or Airbyte and your BI tools such as Looker or Power BI. It is the centrepiece of the modern data stack; explore the other building blocks in our data tools category.
Planning a dbt project? turnK structures your transformation layer and trains your teams on best practices. Take a look at our Data and AI services or contact us: our consultants reply within 48 hours.
Les questions les plus fréquentes
dbt (data build tool) is a data transformation tool that lets you model, test and document data directly in the warehouse, in SQL. It applies software engineering best practices (version control, testing, modularity) to data preparation.
Data teams working on a cloud warehouse such as Snowflake, BigQuery or Databricks who want reliable, maintainable transformation pipelines. Knowing SQL is enough to be productive, which makes it accessible to analysts.
Modular SQL modelling with automatic dependency management, data quality tests, auto-generated documentation and lineage, and Git integration for version control and environment-based deployment.
dbt Core is open source and free. dbt Cloud, the managed version, is billed as a subscription based on the number of users and feature level. Up-to-date pricing is available on the official dbt website.
dbt Core suits teams comfortable with the command line who already have an orchestrator. dbt Cloud adds scheduling, a web development environment and built-in collaboration. turnK helps you choose and set up the stack that matches your data maturity.
