alias

Models

Specify a custom alias for a model in your dbt_project.yml file or config block.

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 like this:

dbt_project.yml

models:
  your_project:
    sales_total:
      +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 config block.

For example, if you have a seed that represents product_categories and want to alias it as categories_data, you would alias like this:

dbt_project.yml

seeds:
  your_project:
    product_categories:
      +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.

For example, if you have a snapshot that is named your_snapshot and want to alias it as the_best_snapshot, you would alias like this:

dbt_project.yml

snapshots:
  your_project:
    your_snapshot:
      +alias: the_best_snapshot

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

Tests

Configure a test's alias in your schema.yml file or config block.

For example, to add a unique test to the order_id column and give it an alias unique_order_id_test to identify this specific test, you would alias like this:

schema.yml

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

When using --store-failures, 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.