In companies, data teams and analytics engineers are often stretched thin. There are so many moving parts, and it’s easy to get distracted by working on things that data tools should already be doing for them. This is where dbt Cloud comes in. The new cloud infrastructure, dbt, stands for the data build tool, and it’s here to give your data team the ability to focus on what is necessary without being distracted by other tedious tasks. With dbt Cloud, your data teams have access to a production environment tool that allows them to focus on other things that can add value to the company.
Run Queries As You Go
When building a dbt project, engineers may use a text editor and build models. Then, once the SQL is compiled, the engineer will run the models to the data warehouse. Although this has been the traditional method, there is no way to preview query results during the development process. As one develops, they must copy the compiled code to the query runner and check to ensure it works. With dbt Cloud, its integrated development environment (IDE) will compile the query, send it to the data warehouse, and show the results in the same browser tab. When you run queries as you go, you can easily build even the most complex models more quickly and accurately. The IDE also helps with writing dbt code by giving quick access to code snippets that keep you from making mistakes and having to go back line by line to find the error. This can save your data team time, giving them more availability to work on what matters.
Scheduled Running
After creating dbt models, they have to run for updated data continuously. Runs often have to be triggered manually to receive fresh and timely data. However, dbt Cloud allows you to do scheduled running, so your data team doesn’t have to waste time watching the process and triggering it manually. This makes running jobs easy to do during the day, or even in the middle of the night, so your team sees new data at the start of each day. Your data team is “hands off” in running jobs and more “hands-on” working on other projects that need their expertise.
Reduce Build Times
Reducing build times by using dbt Cloud can free your data team from distractions. By using continuous integration (CI), your team can save time on projects. Dbt Cloud offers “Slim CI” that allows your data team only to build and test the modified parts of a dbt project instead of having to build an entire project. These slashes build time and costs while giving your engineers the tools they need to succeed.
Easy Access for Everyone
One of the biggest distractions from work is getting sidetracked with questions from someone else. Your data team may be working on a project when a colleague messages them and asks them questions or information related to the data warehouse. Your data team could spend all their time answering questions and passing along information instead of working on their data projects. With dbt Cloud, a built-in documentation viewer can allow anyone access to data reports and what is going on in the centralized data warehouse. This keeps your team hyper-focused while making information accessible to those needing it.
Exposure to Source Data
Along with access to information, dbt Cloud provides workflows that contribute to inter-app communication. It provides metadata APIs, allowing third parties to showcase the freshness of dbt’s data sources. This allows stakeholders and other necessary people to see that your data is up to date and successful tests are being run. Dbt Cloud can add a “metadata tile” to other products or apps and help gain exposure. This is another way for necessary people to see that data is fresh and that models are precisely what they should be. This way, your data team isn’t left to explain what is happening in your data warehouse to your stakeholders. Information is transformed into easy-to-read material for them or anyone else to access when necessary. Your data team and engineers can stay hyper-focused on their current projects, giving the company a competitive advantage. And at the same time, dbt Cloud is working to share information with the people who need it.
Free From Distraction
By giving your data team the tools they need, you can free them from distractions and keep them focused on what matters most. With dbt Cloud, your data team can run queries live, schedule runs, reduce build times, and give access to people who need updates on the source data. This way, your data team can do what they know best and make the most of your company’s data.
