Group-based ownership in dbt - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Group-based ownership

Define Groups

↓

Assign Owners to Groups

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Assign Models to Groups

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Set Group Permissions

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Users inherit Group Permissions

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Access Control Enforced

This flow shows how groups are defined, assigned owners and models, permissions set, and users inherit access in dbt.

Execution Sample

dbt

groups:
  - name: analytics_team
    owners:
      - alice
      - bob
    models:
      - sales_data
      - customer_data

Defines a group 'analytics_team' with owners and assigns models to the group for ownership.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Input	Result	Notes
1	Define group	Name: analytics_team	Group 'analytics_team' created	Group container ready
2	Assign owners	Owners: alice, bob	Owners linked to group	Owners can manage group's models
3	Assign models	Models: sales_data, customer_data	Models linked to group	Group owns these models
4	Set permissions	Default group permissions	Permissions set for group	Controls access for group members
5	User joins group	User: charlie	User inherits group permissions	User can access group's models
6	Access check	User requests model access	Access granted if in group	Enforces group-based ownership
7	Exit	No more actions	Process complete	Ownership and access established

💡 All groups defined, owners and models assigned, permissions set, and users inherit access accordingly.

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 5	Final
groups	empty	['analytics_team']	['analytics_team' with models]	['analytics_team' with models, user charlie added]	Final group ownership and user access

Key Moments - 2 Insights

How does a user get access to models owned by a group?

Users inherit permissions by being members of the group owning the models, as shown in step 5 and 6 of the execution table.

Can a model be owned by multiple groups?

Typically, a model is assigned to one group owner to avoid permission conflicts, as shown in step 3 where models are linked to a single group.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, at which step are owners assigned to the group?

A Step 1

B Step 2

C Step 3

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Check the 'Action' column for 'Assign owners' in the execution table.

According to the variable tracker, what is the state of 'groups' after step 3?

A Empty list

B List with group but no models

C List with group and models assigned

D List with group and users assigned

💡 Hint

Look at the 'After Step 3' column for 'groups' in the variable tracker.

If a user is not added to any group, what happens when they request access to a model?

A Access denied because no group membership

B Access granted by default

C Access granted if model is public

D Access granted if user is owner

💡 Hint

Refer to step 6 in the execution table about access checks.

Concept Snapshot

Group-based ownership in dbt:
- Define groups with names
- Assign owners to groups
- Assign models to groups
- Set permissions at group level
- Users inherit permissions by group membership
- Access controlled by group ownership

Full Transcript

Group-based ownership in dbt means you create groups, assign owners and models to these groups, and set permissions for the group. Users who belong to a group inherit the permissions of that group. When a user requests access to a model, dbt checks if the user is in the group that owns the model. If yes, access is granted. This way, managing access is easier by controlling group membership instead of individual users.