dbt Labs (dbt Cloud)

What it does

dbt (data build tool) lets analysts and data engineers write modular SQL to transform raw data already loaded into a warehouse into clean, tested, version-controlled tables, treating data transformation like software development with git, testing, and documentation built in. dbt Core is the free, open-source command-line engine; dbt Cloud adds a hosted IDE, job scheduler, semantic layer, and governance features on top. It's the standard transformation layer paired with an ELT tool like Fivetran or Airbyte in the modern data stack — those tools load raw data, and dbt turns it into the clean tables that feed a BI dashboard.

Who this helps

• Data analysts who want to write and version-control SQL transformations instead of manual spreadsheet cleanup

• Data teams already using Fivetran or Airbyte that need a transformation layer between raw data and dashboards

• Companies wanting documented, tested data models instead of tribal-knowledge SQL scripts

• Analytics engineers building a semantic layer so metrics stay consistent across every dashboard