Creating your own dbt package - Practice Exercises

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

What is the primary purpose of a dbt package?

In dbt, why do we create packages?

A To share reusable models, macros, and analyses across multiple dbt projects

B To store raw data files for ingestion into the warehouse

C To schedule dbt runs automatically on a server

D To create dashboards and visualizations directly within dbt

💡 Hint

Think about code reuse and sharing in software projects.

dbt packages allow you to bundle and share reusable SQL models and macros, making it easier to maintain and reuse code across projects.

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

Output of dbt package.yml dependencies snippet

Given this snippet in packages.yml:

packages:
  - package: fishtown-analytics/dbt_utils
    version: 0.8.0

What does this configuration do when you run dbt deps?

A Uploads the current project as a package to the dbt hub

B Runs all models in the dbt_utils package automatically

C Deletes existing packages and resets the project

D Downloads the dbt_utils package version 0.8.0 into the project’s packages directory

💡 Hint

Consider what dbt deps does with the packages.yml file.

The dbt deps command downloads the specified package version into the project, making its macros and models available.

❓ data_output

advanced

Result of running a custom macro from a dbt package

Assume you have a dbt package with this macro:

{% macro multiply_by_two(value) %}
  {{ value * 2 }}
{% endmacro %}

In your model, you run:

select {{ multiply_by_two(5) }} as result

What will be the output of this model?

A An empty table with no rows

B A table with one column 'result' and one row with value 10

C A syntax error because macros cannot be used in select statements

D A table with one column 'result' and one row with value 25

💡 Hint

Macros return SQL expressions that get rendered into the model SQL.

The macro multiplies the input value by 2, so 5 * 2 = 10. The model selects this value as 'result'.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Identify the error in this dbt package manifest snippet

Given this packages.yml snippet:

packages:
  - package: dbt-labs/dbt_utils
    version: 0.8.0
  - package: fishtown-analytics/dbt_utils
    version: 0.7.0

What error will dbt raise when running dbt deps?

A Error due to conflicting package names for dbt_utils with different versions

B No error; both packages will be installed side by side

C Error because version numbers must be strings, not numbers

D Error because the packages.yml file is missing a required 'name' field

💡 Hint

Think about package naming conflicts in dependency management.

dbt cannot install two packages with the same name but different versions simultaneously, causing a conflict error.

🚀 Application

expert

How to make your dbt package reusable by others

You created a dbt package locally and want others to use it easily. Which step is essential to make your package publicly reusable?

A Include your package code directly inside every user’s dbt project

B Send your package files via email to each user

C Publish your package to a public Git repository and register it on the dbt Hub

D Run <code>dbt run</code> on your local machine and share the compiled SQL files

💡 Hint

Think about how open source packages are shared and discovered.

Publishing to a public Git repo and registering on dbt Hub allows others to add your package as a dependency easily.