In the final article in this series, we will dive into the world of selector methods for even more precision and flexibility in model selection during data transformations.

What are Selector Methods?

Selector methods in dbt™ allow you to filter resources based on specific properties using the method:value syntax giving you the power to target exactly what you need.

Wildcard Magic

Most selector methods support unix-style wildcards. Here's a quick rundown:

• *: Matches any number of characters (including none)
• ?: Matches any single character
• [abc]: Matches one character listed in the bracket
• [a-z]: Matches one character from the specified range in the bracket

Example:

dbt list --select "*.folder_name.*"
dbt list --select "model_[a-z].sql"

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The Selectors

1. Tag Selector

Use tag: to select models with a specific tag.

# Run all models with the 'hourly' tag
dbt run --select "tag:hourly"

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‍2. Source Selector

Use source: to select models that reference a specified source.

# Runs all models that reference the fivetran source
dbt run --select "source:fivetran+"

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3. Resource Type Selector

Use resource_type: to select nodes of a specific type.

# Runs all models and tasks related to exposures
dbt run --select "resource_type:exposure"

# Lists all tests in your project
dbt list --select "resource_type:test"

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4. Path Selector

Use path: to select models/sources defined at or under a specific path.

# Runs all models in the "models/marts" path
dbt run --select "path:models/marts"

# Runs a specific model, "customers.sql", in the "models/marts" path
dbt run --select "path:models/marts/customers.sql"

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5. File Selector

Use file: to select a model by filename:

# Runs the model defined in 'model_name.sql'
dbt run --select "file:model_name.sql"

# Note: Adding the file extension is optional
dbt run --select "file:model_name"

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6. FQN (Fully Qualified Name) Selector

Use fqn: to select nodes based on their fully qualified name:

# Runs the model named 'example_model'
dbt run --select "fqn:example_model"

# Runs 'example_model' in 'example_path' within 'project_name'
dbt run --select "fqn:project_name.example_path.example_model"

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7. Package Selector

Use package: to select models defined within the root project or an installed dbt™ package.‍

# Runs all models in the 'fivetran' package
dbt run --select "package:fivetran"

# Note: Adding "package" prefix is optional
dbt run --select "fivetran"
dbt run --select "fivetran.*"

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‍8. Config Selector

Use config: to select models that match a specified node config.

# Runs all models that are materialized as tables
dbt run --select "config.materialized:table"

# Runs all models clustered by 'zip_code'
dbt run --select "config.cluster_by:zip_code"

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9. Test Type Selector

Use test_type: to select tests based on type.

# Runs all generic tests
dbt test --select "test_type:generic"

# Runs all singular tests
dbt test --select "test_type:singular"

# Run all unit tests
dbt test --select "test_type:unit"

# Run all data tests
dbt test --select "test_type:data"

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10. Test Name Selector

Use test_name: to select tests based on the name of the test defined.

# Runs all instances of the 'not null' test
dbt test --select "test_name:not_null"

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11. State Selector

Use state: to select nodes by comparing them against a previous version of the project.

This is a pretty big topic in itself with many variants. For an in-depth understanding check the Paradime docs on state selector. It’s pretty intense 😀.

# Run all tests on new models + and new tests on old models
dbt test --select "state:new" --state path/to/artifacts

# Run all models that have been modified
dbt run --select "state:modified" --state path/to/artifacts

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12. Exposure Selector

Use exposure: to select the parent resources of an exposure.

# Tests all models that feed into the monthly_reports exposure
dbt test --select "exposure:monthly_reports"

# Runs all upstream resources of all exposures
dbt run --select "+exposure:*"

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13. Metric Selector

Use metric: to select parent resources of a metric.

# Runs all upstream resources of the monthly_qualified_leads metric
dbt run --select "+metric:monthly_qualified_leads"

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14. Results Selector

Use result: to select resources based on their results status from a previous execution.

# Runs all models that successfully ran on the previous execution of dbt run
dbt run --select "result:success" --state path/to/project/artifacts

# Runs all tests that issued warnings on the previous execution of dbt test
dbt test --select "result:warn" --state /path/to/project/artifacts

# Runs all seeds that failed on the previous execution of dbt seed
dbt seed --select "result:fail" --state /path/to/project/artifacts

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15. Source Status Selector

Use source_status: to select based on the freshness of sources.

dbt source freshness
dbt build --select "source_status:fresher+" --state path/to/prod/artifacts

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16. Group Selector

Use group: to select models defined within a specified group.

# Runs all models that belong to the marketing group
dbt run --select "group:marketing"

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17. Access Selector

Use access: to select models based on their access property.

# List all public models
dbt list --select "access:public"

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18. Version Selector

Use version: to select versioned models.

# Lists versions older than the 'latest' version
dbt list --select "version:old"

# Lists the 'latest' version
dbt list --select "version:latest"

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19. Semantic Model Selector

Use semantic_model: to select semantic models.

# Lists all the semantic model named "sales" and its dependencies
dbt ls --select "semantic_model:sales"

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20. Saved Query Selector

Use saved_query: to select saved queries.

# Lists all saved queries
dbt list --select "saved_query:*"

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21. Unit Test Selector

Use unit_test: to select dbt™ unit tests.

# List all unit tests
dbt list --select "unit_test:*"

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Pro Tips for Selector Mastery

Combine Selectors: Mix and match for precision targeting.

dbt run --select "tag:nightly,config.materialized:table"

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Use Graph Operators: Combine with + and @ for complex selections.

dbt run --select "source:raw_data+,@tag:critical"

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Exclude with Negation: Use --exclude to exclude certain models.

dbt run --select "path:models/mart" --exclude "tag:deprecated"

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Default Method: If you omit the method, dbt™ will default to one of path, file, or fqn.

Advanced uses

Combining selector functions with graph operators, analytics engineers can create complex dbt™ commands that execute exactly the models as needed. In this section, we share with you advanced use cases that you can use in your own dbt™ projects.

1. The Kitchen Sink

dbt run --select "tag:nightly,+final_model" --exclude "staging.excluded_model+"

What's happening here?

• tag:nightly: Selects all models tagged with 'nightly'
• +final_model: Adds final_model and all its upstream dependencies
• --exclude "staging.excluded_model+": Excludes excluded_model and all its downstream dependencies

Use case: Run nightly models and critical path, but skip a problematic staging model and its dependents.

2. The Wildcard Wizard

dbt run --select staging.* intermediate.* +analytics.critical_metric

What's the magic here?

• staging.*: All models in the staging directory
• intermediate.*: All models in the intermediate directory
• +analytics.critical_metric: The critical metric model and its dependencies

Use case: Refresh all staging and intermediate models, ensuring a critical metric is up-to-date.

3. The Exclusion Expert

dbt run --exclude tag:hourly tag:weekly

Let's decode:

• tag:hourly: Excludes models tagged as hourly
• tag:weekly: Excludes models tagged for weekly runs

Use case: Run everything except hourly models and weekly-only models.

4. The Intersection Inspector

dbt run --select tag:critical,tag:nightly,+final_dashboard

What's intersecting? Selects models that are:

• Tagged as 'critical'
• Tagged as 'nightly'
• Dependencies of final_dashboard

Use case: Run critical nightly models that affect the final dashboard.

5. The Path Prowler

dbt run --models path:models/staging/core path:models/mart/finance+

Path perfection:

• path:models/staging/core: All models in the core staging path
• path:models/mart/finance+: Finance mart models and their children

Use case: Refresh core staging and propagate changes through finance models.

Wrap Up

There you have it - these advanced graph operator techniques will let you slice and dice your dbt™ project with precision. You will be able to execute exactly the models you want in your production dbt™ pipelines.