Transform & Model¶

Run dbt transformations, manage models, snapshots, and dev workflows from the CLI.

Overview¶

Transform your raw data into analytics-ready models using dbt, manage custom models, capture change history with snapshots, and iterate safely with the dev workflow.

Commands covered on this page:

• dango run — Run dbt models
• dango generate — Generate staging models
• dango docs — Generate dbt documentation
• dango model add/remove — Create or remove custom models
• dango dev / dango dev clean — Development workflow
• dango snapshot add/list/run/db — SCD Type 2 snapshots and DuckDB snapshots

Running Transformations¶

dango run¶

Run dbt models and tests. Wraps dbt build — all dbt arguments are passed through.

dango run [DBT_ARGS]...

This command works from anywhere within your project directory — it automatically finds the dbt project.

Examples:

# Run all models
dango run

# Run a specific model
dango run --select my_model

# Run model and all downstream dependents
dango run --select my_model+

# Run model and all upstream dependencies
dango run --select +my_model

# Run all models in a directory
dango run --select marts.*

# Run models by tag
dango run --select tag:daily

# Full refresh of incremental models
dango run --full-refresh

# Exclude specific models
dango run --exclude staging.*

Any dbt build option is supported — see dbt build --help for the complete list.

dango generate¶

Generate dbt staging models and schema definitions from data in DuckDB.

dango generate [OPTIONS]

dango generate --models     # Staging SQL files only
dango generate --all        # Models + schema definitions

dango docs¶

Generate dbt documentation.

dango docs

After generation, view docs at http://localhost:<port>/catalog if the platform is running.

Model Management¶

dango model add¶

Create a new dbt model (intermediate or marts layer) via interactive wizard.

dango model add

The wizard helps you create:

• Intermediate models — Reusable business logic that combines staging models
• Marts models — Final business metrics for dashboards and reporting

dango model remove¶

Remove a custom dbt model and cascade cleanup.

dango model remove MODEL_NAME [OPTIONS]

Removes the model SQL file, schema.yml entry, monitors.yml references, and optionally drops the DuckDB table and refreshes Metabase schema.

dango model remove fct_daily_sales
dango model remove int_orders --yes
dango model remove fct_daily_sales --dry-run

Dev Workflow¶

dango dev¶

Run dbt against a copy of the production database. The production database is never modified.

dango dev [OPTIONS]

How it works:

1. Copies data/warehouse.duckdb to .dango/dev/warehouse_dev.duckdb
2. Runs dbt against the copy
3. Shows results (and optionally a row-count diff)

The dev database persists after the run so you can inspect it with DuckDB tools.

# Run all models against dev copy
dango dev

# Run specific model(s)
dango dev -s stg_orders

# Show row-count diff after run
dango dev --diff

dango dev clean¶

Remove the dev database and related artifacts.

dango dev clean

Deletes the .dango/dev/ directory created by dango dev.

Snapshots¶

dbt snapshots capture SCD Type 2 change history — tracking how rows change over time. Dango also provides DuckDB-level snapshots for notebook use.

dango snapshot add¶

Interactive wizard to create a dbt snapshot (SCD Type 2).

dango snapshot add

The wizard walks through:

1. Selecting a source table
2. Detecting the primary key
3. Choosing a snapshot strategy
4. Generating the snapshot SQL file

dango snapshot list¶

List configured dbt snapshots.

dango snapshot list

dango snapshot run¶

Execute dbt snapshot to capture SCD Type 2 change history.

dango snapshot run [OPTIONS]

# Run all snapshots
dango snapshot run

# Run a specific snapshot
dango snapshot run -s snap_shopify_orders

This acquires a DuckDB write lock before running dbt snapshot.

dango snapshot db¶

Create a DuckDB read-only snapshot for notebook use.

dango snapshot db [OPTIONS]

Creates a copy of the warehouse database that notebooks can read without blocking writes.

Common Workflows¶

Iterating on a Model¶

# Edit your model SQL
vim dbt/models/marts/fct_daily_sales.sql

# Test against dev copy first
dango dev -s fct_daily_sales --diff

# Happy with results? Run against production
dango run --select fct_daily_sales

Adding a New Model¶

# Use the wizard
dango model add

# Or create manually, then run
dango run --select my_new_model

# Refresh Metabase to see new table
dango metabase refresh

Full Pipeline¶

# Sync data, generate staging, run all models
dango sync && dango generate --all && dango run

Troubleshooting¶

Related Pages¶

• CLI Reference — Quick reference for all commands
• Source & Sync — Load data before transforming
• Schedule Commands — Automate sync + transform schedules
• Other Commands — Governance commands for schema drift and PII