dbt project structure - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

What is the purpose of the 'models' directory in a dbt project?

In a dbt project, the 'models' directory is a key folder. What is its main purpose?

A It stores SQL files that define transformations and create tables or views in the data warehouse.

B It contains configuration files for database connections and credentials.

C It holds documentation files describing the project goals and team members.

D It stores raw data files imported directly into the data warehouse.

💡 Hint

Think about where you write the SQL code that builds your data models.

The 'models' directory contains SQL files that define how raw data is transformed into clean, usable tables or views in your warehouse.

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What does the 'dbt_project.yml' file configure?

Given a dbt project, what is the main role of the dbt_project.yml file?

A It defines project-level configurations like model paths, version, and materializations.

B It contains SQL queries for data transformations.

C It stores user credentials for the data warehouse connection.

D It holds the compiled data models after dbt runs.

💡 Hint

Think about where you set project-wide settings in dbt.

The dbt_project.yml file sets configurations that apply to the whole project, such as where models live and how they build.

❓ data_output

advanced

How many SQL model files are in this 'models' directory structure?

Suppose your dbt project has this 'models' folder structure:

models/
├── staging/
│   ├── customers.sql
│   └── orders.sql
├── marts/
│   ├── sales.sql
│   └── inventory.sql
└── README.md

How many SQL model files will dbt compile and run?

A 5

B 3

C 2

D 4

💡 Hint

Count only the .sql files inside the 'models' folder and its subfolders.

dbt compiles all .sql files inside the 'models' directory and its subdirectories. Here, there are 4 SQL files.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does dbt fail to find models in this project?

You have this dbt_project.yml snippet:

name: my_project
version: '1.0'
model-paths: ['sql_models']

But your models are inside a folder named models. What is the cause of the problem?

A The <code>version</code> number must be an integer, not a string.

B The <code>model-paths</code> setting points to 'sql_models', but the actual folder is named 'models'.

C The <code>name</code> field should be inside the 'models' folder.

D The <code>dbt_project.yml</code> file must be named <code>project.yml</code>.

💡 Hint

Check if the folder path matches the actual folder name.

The model-paths setting tells dbt where to look for models. If it points to a folder that doesn't exist, dbt won't find any models.

🚀 Application

expert

Which folder should you place test SQL files in a dbt project?

You want to add custom data quality tests using SQL in your dbt project. Where should you place these test files?

A Inside the 'models' directory alongside your model SQL files.

B Inside the 'data' directory used for seed files.

C Inside the 'tests' directory at the root of the dbt project.

D Inside the 'macros' directory because tests are macros.

💡 Hint

Think about where dbt expects test files to be stored.

Custom test SQL files should be placed in the 'tests' directory at the root of the project. This keeps tests organized and separate from models.