Materializations strategy in dbt - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a materialization in dbt?

A materialization in dbt is a way to tell dbt how to build and store the results of a model, such as creating a table, view, or incremental load in the database.

beginner

Name three common materializations in dbt.

The three common materializations in dbt are: <br>1. Table - creates a physical table in the database.<br>2. View - creates a virtual table that runs the query on demand.<br>3. Incremental - updates only new or changed data in an existing table.

intermediate

Why would you choose an incremental materialization?

You choose incremental materialization to save time and resources by only processing new or changed data instead of rebuilding the entire table every time.

intermediate

What is the difference between a table and a view materialization?

A table materialization stores the data physically in the database, so queries are faster but use storage. A view materialization stores only the query logic, so it uses less storage but runs the query every time you access it.

beginner

How can you specify a materialization strategy in dbt?

You specify a materialization strategy in dbt by adding a config block in your model file or in the dbt_project.yml file using the 'materialized' key, for example: <br>config(materialized='table').

Which dbt materialization creates a physical table in the database?

A Table

B View

C Incremental

D Ephemeral

The 'table' materialization creates a physical table that stores data in the database.

What is the main benefit of using incremental materialization?

A It creates a virtual table without storing data

B It rebuilds the entire table every time

C It saves time by processing only new or changed data

D It deletes the table after each run

Incremental materialization updates only new or changed data, saving time and resources.

Which materialization runs the query every time you access the data without storing it?

A Table

B View

C Snapshot

D Incremental

A view materialization stores the query logic and runs it on demand without storing data.

How do you set a model to use a specific materialization in dbt?

A By editing the database directly

B By renaming the model file

C By changing the SQL query

D By adding a config block with 'materialized' in the model file

You specify materialization by adding a config block like config(materialized='table') in the model file.

Which materialization is best when you want to save storage space and don't need fast query speed?

A View

B Table

C Incremental

D Ephemeral

Views save storage by not storing data physically but run queries on demand, which can be slower.

Explain what a materialization strategy is in dbt and why it matters.

Think about how dbt decides to store or run your data models.

Describe when you would use incremental materialization instead of table or view.

Consider scenarios with frequent data updates.