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Snapshot configurations

Available configurations​

Snapshot-specific configurations​

Resource-specific configurations are applicable to only one dbt resource type rather than multiple resource types. You can define these settings in the project file (dbt_project.yml), a property file (models/properties.yml for models, similarly for other resources), or within the resource’s file using the {{ config() }} macro.

The following resource-specific configurations are only available to Snapshots:

dbt_project.yml
snapshots:
  <resource-path>:
    +schema: <string>
    +database: <string>
    +alias: <string>
    +unique_key: <column_name_or_expression>
    +strategy: timestamp | check
    +updated_at: <column_name>
    +check_cols: [<column_name>] | all
    +snapshot_meta_column_names: {<dictionary>}

General configurations​

General configurations provide broader operational settings applicable across multiple resource types. Like resource-specific configurations, these can also be set in the project file, property files, or within resource-specific files.

dbt_project.yml
snapshots:
  <resource-path>:
    +enabled: true | false
    +tags: <string> | [<string>]
    +alias: <string>
    +pre-hook: <sql-statement> | [<sql-statement>]
    +post-hook: <sql-statement> | [<sql-statement>]
    +persist_docs: {<dict>}
    +grants: {<dict>}

Configuring snapshots​

Snapshots can be configured in multiple ways:

  1. Defined in YAML files using a config resource property, typically in your snapshots directory (available in Versionless or and dbt Core v1.9 and higher).
  2. From the dbt_project.yml file, under the snapshots: key. To apply a configuration to a snapshot, or directory of snapshots, define the resource path as nested dictionary keys.

Snapshot configurations are applied hierarchically in the order above with higher taking precedence.

Examples​

The following examples demonstrate how to configure snapshots using the dbt_project.yml file, a config block within a snapshot, and a .yml file.

  • Apply configurations to all snapshots​

    To apply a configuration to all snapshots, including those in any installed packages, nest the configuration directly under the snapshots key:

    dbt_project.yml

    snapshots:
      +unique_key: id

  • Apply configurations to all snapshots in your project​

    To apply a configuration to all snapshots in your project only (for example, excluding any snapshots in installed packages), provide your project name as part of the resource path.

    For a project named jaffle_shop:

    dbt_project.yml

    snapshots:
      jaffle_shop:
        +unique_key: id

    Similarly, you can use the name of an installed package to configure snapshots in that package.

  • Apply configurations to one snapshot only​

    snapshots/postgres_app/order_snapshot.yml
    snapshots:
     - name: orders_snapshot
       relation: source('jaffle_shop', 'orders')
       config:
         unique_key: id
         strategy: timestamp
         updated_at: updated_at
         persist_docs:
           relation: true
           columns: true

    Pro-tip: Use sources in snapshots: select * from {{ source('jaffle_shop', 'orders') }}

    You can also use the full resource path (including the project name, and subdirectories) to configure an individual snapshot from your dbt_project.yml file.

    For a project named jaffle_shop, with a snapshot file within the snapshots/postgres_app/ directory, where the snapshot is named orders_snapshot (as above), this would look like:

    dbt_project.yml
    snapshots:
      jaffle_shop:
        postgres_app:
          orders_snapshot:
            +unique_key: id
            +strategy: timestamp
            +updated_at: updated_at

    You can also define some common configs in a snapshot's config block. We don't recommend this for a snapshot's required configuration, however.

    dbt_project.yml
    version: 2

    snapshots:
      - name: orders_snapshot
        +persist_docs:
          relation: true
          columns: true
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