DBT manages dependencies between models through a directed acyclic graph (DAG). The DAG determines the order in which models should be built and ensures that models are built in the correct sequence. When you use the ref function, dbt automatically infers the dependencies between models. There’s no need to explicitly define these dependencies,
Example:
- Model A is the source data model and is required to build Model B.
- Model B is required to build Model C.
- Model C is required to build the final model, Model D.
- When the final model is built, DBT will automatically build the dependencies in the correct order: Model A, Model B, Model C, and finally Model D.
- This ensures that the final model has the correct data inputs and avoids errors due to missing dependencies.
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