alias

Models

Specify a custom alias for a model in your dbt_project.yml file, models/properties.yml file, or config block in a SQL file.

For example, if you have a model that calculates sales_total and want to give it a more user-friendly alias, you can alias it as shown in the following examples.

In the dbt_project.yml file, the following example sets a default alias for the sales_total model at the project level:

dbt_project.yml

models:
  your_project:
    sales_total:
      +alias: sales_dashboard

In the models/properties.yml file, the following specifies an alias as part of the model's metadata, useful for centralized configuration:

models/properties.yml

version: 2

models:
  - name: sales_total
    config:
      alias: sales_dashboard

In models/sales_total.sql file, the following assigns the alias directly in the model file:

models/sales_total.sql

{{ config(
    alias="sales_dashboard"
) }}

This would return analytics.finance.sales_dashboard in the database, instead of the default analytics.finance.sales_total.

Seeds

Configure a seed's alias in your dbt_project.yml file or a properties.yml file. The following examples demonstrate how to alias a seed named product_categories to categories_data.

In the dbt_project.yml file at the project level:

dbt_project.yml

seeds:
  your_project:
    product_categories:
      +alias: categories_data

In the seeds/properties.yml file:

seeds/properties.yml

version: 2

seeds:
  - name: product_categories
    config:
      alias: categories_data

This would return the name analytics.finance.categories_data in the database.

In the following second example, the seed at seeds/country_codes.csv will be built as a table named country_mappings.

dbt_project.yml

seeds:
  jaffle_shop:
    country_codes:
      +alias: country_mappings

Snapshots

Configure a snapshots's alias in your dbt_project.yml file or config block.

The following examples demonstrate how to alias a snapshot named your_snapshot to the_best_snapshot.

In the dbt_project.yml file at the project level:

dbt_project.yml

snapshots:
  your_project:
    your_snapshot:
      +alias: the_best_snapshot

In the snapshots/properties.yml file:

snapshots/properties.yml

version: 2

snapshots:
  - name: your_snapshot
    config:
      alias: the_best_snapshot

In snapshots/your_snapshot.sql file:

snapshots/your_snapshot.sql

{{ config(
    alias="the_best_snapshot"
) }}

This would build your snapshot to analytics.finance.the_best_snapshot in the database.

Tests

Configure a data test's alias in your dbt_project.yml file, properties.yml file, or config block in the model file.

The following examples demonstrate how to alias a unique data test named order_id to unique_order_id_test to identify a specific data test.

In the dbt_project.yml file at the project level:

dbt_project.yml

tests:
  your_project:
    +alias: unique_order_id_test

In the models/properties.yml file:

models/properties.yml

models:
  - name: orders
    columns:
      - name: order_id
        tests:
          - unique:
              alias: unique_order_id_test

In tests/unique_order_id_test.sql file:

tests/unique_order_id_test.sql

{{ config(
    alias="unique_order_id_test",
    severity="error",

When using store_failures_as, this would return the name analytics.finance.orders_order_id_unique_order_id_test in the database.

Definition

Optionally specify a custom alias for a model, data test, snapshot, or seed.

When dbt creates a relation (table/view) in a database, it creates it as: {{ database }}.{{ schema }}.{{ identifier }}, e.g. analytics.finance.payments

The standard behavior of dbt is:

• If a custom alias is not specified, the identifier of the relation is the resource name (i.e. the filename).
• If a custom alias is specified, the identifier of the relation is the {{ alias }} value.

Note With an ephemeral model, dbt will always apply the prefix __dbt__cte__ to the CTE identifier. This means that if an alias is set on an ephemeral model, then its CTE identifier will be __dbt__cte__{{ alias }}, but if no alias is set then its identifier will be __dbt__cte__{{ filename }}.

To learn more about changing the way that dbt generates a relation's identifier, read Using Aliases.