dbt-tester 0.2.0

Static analysis and health report generator for dbt projects

dbt-tester

A powerful static analysis tool for dbt projects that scans models, schemas, and sources to find issues like missing tests, undocumented columns, hardcoded references, and more.

What is dbt-tester?

DBT TESTER helps you:

• Find models without tests
• Identify undocumented columns
• Catch hardcoded table references
• Verify data quality rules
• Generate reports for team review

Quick Start (5 minutes)

Step 1: Install

# Create virtual environment (recommended)
python -m venv .venv

# Activate (Linux/Mac)
source .venv/bin/activate

# Activate (Windows)
.venv\Scripts\activate

# Install
pip install -e .

Step 2: Run Your First Scan

# Scan a dbt project
dbt-tester run /path/to/your/dbt/project

# Or scan current folder
dbt-tester run .

Step 3: Understand Results

DBT TESTER v0.1.0
Version: 0.1.0 | Created by: VINOTH J

SYSTEM STATUS: X CRITICAL
Models: 354 | Sources: 0

ISSUE MATRIX:
  ERROR: 100
  WARN:  50

DASHBOARD:
  Models Scanned: 354
  Total Issues: 150
  Status: CRIT

Command Options

Basic Options

Command	What it does
dbt-tester run .	Scan current directory
dbt-tester run /path/to/project	Scan specific folder
dbt-tester run . -v	Show fix instructions

Output Formats

Format	Command	Best for
Terminal	--format console	Quick review
HTML	--format html --output report.html	Share with team
JSON	--format json --output report.json	CI/CD automation

Exit Control

Option	When it exits with code 1
--fail-on error	If any ERROR found
--fail-on warning	If any WARNING or ERROR found

Example for CI:

dbt-tester run . --format html --output report.html --fail-on warning

Understanding Output

Status Types

• X CRITICAL = Must fix (will break builds)
• ! WARNING = Should fix (data quality risk)
• OK HEALTHY = No issues found

Common Issues

Issue	Meaning	How to Fix
ERROR: Model has no tests	Add tests in schema.yml	Add tests: - not_null
ERROR: Missing description	Add doc in schema.yml	Add description: "..."
ERROR: Hardcoded table ref	Use ref() instead	Replace db.table with {{ ref('model') }}
WARN: Column missing not_null	Add not_null test	Add test for *_id columns

Installation for Distribution

If you want to share the package:

# Build
python -m build

# Upload to PyPI (need account)
twine upload dist/*

Then anyone can install:

pip install dbt-tester
dbt-tester run .

For Developers

# Run tests
pytest

# Test with sample project
dbt-tester run tests/fixtures/basic_project --format console

Troubleshooting

"No matching distribution found"

Your Python is too old. Use Python 3.9+:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install dbt-tester

"externally-managed-environment"

Use virtual environment:

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .

Examples

Basic Scan

dbt-tester run ./my_dbt_project

With HTML Report

dbt-tester run ./my_dbt_project --format html --output report.html

CI/CD Integration

# Exit 1 if any error
dbt-tester run . --fail-on error

# Create report for artifacts
dbt-tester run . --format html --output dbt-report.html --fail-on warning

License

MIT License