dbt metadata reference

A dbt sync reads metadata from your dbt project and adds it to the matching Omni views. This page lists the metadata a sync can include, what each item becomes in Omni, and what a sync does not read. Omni includes some metadata in every sync, while the rest depends on the connection’s dbt settings.

Default dbt metadata

Every time Omni performs a , the following metadata is included by default:

From dbt	In Omni
Model, seed, or snapshot description	View description
Column description	Description on the matching dimension
Model SQL	`code` in the view’s `dbt` block
materialized config	`config.materialized` in the view’s `dbt` block
Model-level tags config	`config.tags` in the view’s `dbt` block
Custom schema config	`config.schema` in the view’s `dbt` block. Also names the virtual schema
Downstream models	`referenced_by` in the view’s `dbt` block
accepted_values test values	`all_values` on the dimension, which Omni uses for filter suggestions and AI context. If the test has a `where:` config, the values map to `sample_values`.

Omni matches dbt column names to dimension names without case sensitivity. Only columns that exist in the warehouse table are updated — documenting a column in dbt does not create a dimension in Omni.

Constraints

If you have native dbt primary_key and foreign_key constraints defined in your dbt project, you can include them in by enabling Auto-generate primary keys and relationships from dbt constraints in the connection’s dbt settings. When this setting is enabled, dbt syncs include the following:

From dbt	In Omni
primary_key constraints	View primary keys. Note: Omni only applies a primary key from dbt when the view does not already have one.
foreign_key constraints	Relationships. Note: Foreign key constraints must use a single column on each side.

Only native dbt constraints are supported. Constraints defined through a package (e.g., Snowflake-Labs/dbt_constraints) or constraints based on data tests are not supported.

Semantic layer

If you use dbt’s semantic layer, you can include the semantic layer’s metadata in in a few short steps. See Integrating dbt’s semantic layer with Omni for more information. When the semantic layer is enabled, dbt syncs include the following:

From dbt	In Omni
Semantic layer dimensions	View dimensions. Includes metadata for descriptions, expressions, and labels.
Semantic layer entities	Dimensions that are used to create relationships between tables mapped to their respective models
Measures	View measures
Simple metrics	Measures in the view that the table of the underlying expression is based on
Ratio metrics	Measures in the view that the denominator is based on
Derived metrics	Measures in the view that the first metric is based on
Semantic view labels	Labels on the corresponding `dbt_models` table

Metrics with filters will have dimensions created as those filters in Omni. These dimensions are automatically hidden and applied to the corresponding Omni measure for an equivalent calculation.

Next steps

Troubleshoot and resolve dbt sync issues
Learn more about dbt syncs in Omni
Integrate dbt’s semantic layer with Omni
Generate exposures in Omni and push to dbt

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dbt metadata reference

Default dbt metadata

Constraints

Semantic layer

Next steps

​Default dbt metadata

​Constraints

​Semantic layer

​Next steps

Default dbt metadata

Constraints

Semantic layer

Next steps