The modern data stack needs clean, tested, and modular transformations. That’s where dbt (data build tool) comes in. At Essid Solutions, we use dbt to make data transformation scalable, maintainable, and accessible to analytics teams.

📊 What Is dbt?

dbt is an open-source framework that lets analysts and engineers:

• Transform data using version-controlled SQL
• Test and document models like code
• Automate builds and dependency management
• Generate clean, self-service analytics layers

It’s like Git + SQL + CI/CD for your data warehouse.

⚖️ dbt Key Features

1. SQL-Based Modeling – Build models as modular SQL files
2. Data Testing – Built-in assertions to validate assumptions
3. Documentation – Auto-generates lineage diagrams and model descriptions
4. Version Control – Store all logic in Git
5. Incremental Loads – Speed up pipelines by transforming only new data
6. CI/CD Ready – Integrates with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps

🔧 Example: dbt Model Workflow

-- models/staging/stg_orders.sql
SELECT * FROM raw.orders

-- models/marts/fact_orders.sql
SELECT order_id, customer_id, total_amount
FROM {{ ref('stg_orders') }}
WHERE status = 'completed'

This modular approach improves transparency and reusability.

💼 Use Case: Finance Dashboard for SaaS Company

A finance team wanted clean reporting on customer churn and ARR. We:

• Built a dbt layer with staging and marts
• Added tests to validate ARR calculations
• Integrated Metabase with the transformed data layer

Result: Finance team created dashboards without SQL or engineering help.

📅 Let’s Build Your dbt Layer

We help teams set up dbt from scratch or scale existing projects with best practices.

👉 Book a dbt strategy session
Or email: hi@essidsolutions.com