trellis-datamodel 0.15.0

Visual data model editor for dbt projects

trellis Data

trellis is a lightweight, local-first app that connects conceptual and logical data modeling with how you actually build the warehouse today—dbt-core first, with a live canvas that stays aligned to your project.

Why trellis

Typical pain

• ERDs live in separate tools and go stale on real projects.
• Transformations drift from the story the business understands.
• Stakeholders can’t see structure without wading through SQL and YAML.
• “All-in-one” warehouse designers rarely meet teams where they are (dbt, git, the modern stack).

What you get with trellis

• Small PyPI install, local web app — run it beside your dbt project; the canvas and model files (data_model.yml, dbt YAML) stay in version control, so names, relationships, and descriptions evolve like the rest of your code—not a one-off diagram export.
• One place to see entities, fields, relationships, and descriptions—tied to your repo, not a dead export.
• Conceptual view for names and meaning; Logical view for columns, types, and materialization detail—switch without losing context.
• Greenfield: sketch entities and attributes, then push structured artifacts into dbt.
• Brownfield: load what you already modeled in dbt, infer links from relationship tests, and push descriptions and tags back into the project.

What you can do

• Visualize your data model — canvas layout, conceptual vs logical views, less manual “diagram maintenance.”
• Work with your dbt project — point at manifest.json / catalog.json, keep the diagram honest, round-trip descriptions and tags, and generate relationship tests from drawn links.
• Optional — Kimball-style modeling — classify facts and dimensions, sensible default placement, and a Bus Matrix when your team thinks in stars/snowflakes; you can stay on plain entities if you prefer.
• Optional — business events & processes — capture events with 7W-style annotations and group them into processes; most useful for greenfield and dimensional workflows. Skip this entirely if it’s not your methodology.

Getting started

Install

pip install trellis-datamodel
# or: uv pip install trellis-datamodel

Run next to your dbt project

1. cd /path/to/your/dbt-project
2. trellis init — creates trellis.yml (point it at your dbt paths and artifacts).
3. trellis run — opens http://localhost:8089 (use trellis run --help for port and config path).

Generate manifest.json and catalog.json with dbt docs generate in your dbt project so trellis can load models; without them, the UI may start but show no dbt-backed entities.

Install from source or hack on the app: see CONTRIBUTING.md.

Examples & walkthroughs

Short video walkthroughs:

Getting started	Init, settings in the UI, conceptual vs logical, relationships, push to dbt.
dbt integration	Link a project, mock data, bind entities to models, stay in sync with artifacts.
Documenting business processes	Optional / experimental: events, 7Ws, processes—enable in config or UI first.

More narrative walkthroughs and context: full tutorial · general information.

Configuration

After trellis init, edit trellis.yml. Annotated options and defaults live in trellis.yml.example (paths, modeling style, optional lineage/exposures, entity guidance, prefixes, etc.).

You can also open /config in the app to edit settings in the browser (validated saves; see example file for field meanings).

Vision

trellis is built and tested around dbt-core today. The longer-term idea is to stay tool-agnostic—concepts outlive any one framework. Possible directions include dbt Fusion, Pydantic-flavored exports, or adapters for tools like SQLMesh or Bruin where it makes sense. For now, the focus is a great experience with dbt-core.

Contributing

Contributions welcome. Workflow, local dev, tests, and packaging: CONTRIBUTING.md. All contributors sign the CLA once per GitHub account—see CLA.md and the bot on your PR.

Acknowledgments

• dbt-colibri for lineage-related capabilities that support trellis visualization.

License

trellis Datamodel is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. See NOTICE for a short summary of copyright and licensing.