How to Integrate SQL Server with dbt

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How do I integrate SQL Server with dbt for repeatable SQL transformations?

SQL Server integration with dbt lets you run repeatable, version-controlled transformations directly in your Microsoft SQL Server warehouse.

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Why integrate SQL Server with dbt?

dbt automates SQL Server transformations, adds version control, testing, and documentation. It eliminates fragile Excel scripts and manual T-SQL, letting teams ship analytics like software.

What drivers and adapter are required?

Install Microsoft ODBC Driver 18 (or higher) and the open-source dbt-sqlserver adapter (pip install dbt-sqlserver). Ensure the driver appears in odbcinst -j.

How to create the `profiles.yml` entry?

Place profiles.yml in ~/.dbt/. Provide server, port, database, schema, and authentication. Encrypt passwords with environment variables for security.

How to test the connection?

Run dbt debug --target prod. All connectivity checks must return OK. Connection errors usually stem from firewall rules or incorrect driver names.

How to model ecommerce data?

Create a model like stg_customers.sql that selects and renames columns from dbo.Customers. Reference it in higher-level models such as fct_order_revenue.sql.

How to run, test, and deploy?

Use dbt run for builds, dbt test for assertions, and dbt docs generate for documentation. Schedule with cron, Airflow, or GitHub Actions.

Best practices for SQL Server in dbt

Set quoted_identifiers: true to preserve camelCase, prefer CTEs over temp tables, and isolate each dbt environment in its own schema (dbt_dev, dbt_prod).

Common mistakes and fixes

Using Windows auth over VPN often fails—switch to SQL auth or Azure AD tokens. Forgetting to set the driver key in profiles.yml causes ODBC errors.

FAQ

Does dbt support SQL Server stored procedures?

Not natively. Convert logic into dbt models or run procedures in post-hook blocks.

Can I use Azure SQL Database the same way?

Yes. Point server to mydb.database.windows.net and use port 1433.

How do I seed reference tables?

Add CSVs to the data/ folder and run dbt seed. dbt creates permanent tables in your target schema.

Why How to Integrate SQL Server with dbt is important

How to Integrate SQL Server with dbt Example Usage


-- models/fct_order_revenue.sql
with orders as (
    select id, customer_id, order_date, total_amount
    from dbo.Orders
),
order_items as (
    select order_id, product_id, quantity
    from dbo.OrderItems
),
revenue as (
    select o.id as order_id,
           o.customer_id,
           o.order_date,
           sum(oi.quantity * p.price) as order_revenue
    from orders o
    join order_items oi on oi.order_id = o.id
    join dbo.Products p   on p.id = oi.product_id
    group by o.id, o.customer_id, o.order_date
)
select * from revenue;

How to Integrate SQL Server with dbt Syntax


profiles.yml syntax:

my_sqlserver_profile:
  target: prod
  outputs:
    prod:
      type: sqlserver
      driver: ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server   # exact driver name
      server: my-sql-prod.company.com
      port: 1433
      database: ecommerce_dw
      schema: dbt_prod
      user: 
      password: 
      encrypt: true
      trust_cert: false
      timeout: 30

Common Mistakes

Mistake: Omitting the exact ODBC driver name in profiles.yml. Why wrong: dbt cannot locate the driver, leading to "Data source name not found". Fix: Copy the driver name from <code>odbcinst -j</code> and paste into the <code>driver</code> key.
Mistake: Running dbt in the master schema. Why wrong: Models overwrite production tables. Fix: Set <code>schema: dbt_dev</code> (or prod) and grant scoped permissions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Windows authentication supported?

Yes, set authentication: windows and omit user/password, but corporate VPNs may block Kerberos tickets.

How do I speed up large model builds?

Enable threads: 8 in profiles.yml and add clustered columnstore indexes in a post-hook.

Can I snapshot slowly changing dimensions?

Absolutely. Create a snapshot YAML file, specify keys and strategy, and run dbt snapshot.

Want to learn about other SQL terms?

dbt tests

dbt tests are declarative assertions in dbt that automatically validate data quality during model builds.

dbt utils

dbt utils is a community-maintained dbt package that adds time-saving utility macros for analytics engineers, such as generating surrogate keys, safely unioning models, and automating date spines.

dbt Tutorial Glossary: Build, Test & Deploy SQL Models

dbt is an open-source framework that lets data teams transform raw warehouse tables into tested, documented, production-ready datasets using version-controlled SQL.

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