sqb dag

Compiles the project and outputs the static DAG artifact. The artifact contains every node (source, seed, model, function), dependency edge, and check (test, audit, scenario) in your project as structured JSON. It is the bridge between SQLBuild and external orchestrators like Dagster. This artifact describes resource dependencies, not column-level lineage. Use sqb lineage to inspect or export column traces.

Usage

sqb --project-dir <path> dag [flags]

Flags

Flag	Description
`--json`	Print the full DAG artifact as JSON to stdout
`--no-sql-validation`	Skip compile-time SQL syntax validation
`--vars`	JSON object of project variable overrides

Without --json, the command prints a summary:

DAG ready (24 nodes, 18 edges, 15 checks)

Generating via compile

You can also generate the DAG artifact as part of a compile:

# Write to default location (target/sqlbuild_dag.json)
sqb compile --dag

# Write to a specific path
sqb compile --dag target/my_dag.json

This is useful when you want to compile and generate the DAG in one step. The SqlBuildProject.prepare() method in the Dagster integration uses this path.

Output format

The JSON artifact has this structure:

{
  "version": 1,
  "project_name": "waffle_shop",
  "nodes": [...],
  "edges": [...],
  "checks": [...]
}

Nodes

Each node represents a source, seed, model, or function:

{
  "id": "model:fact_orders",
  "kind": "model",
  "name": "fact_orders",
  "asset_key": ["dev", "fact_orders"],
  "target": {
    "database": null,
    "schema": "dev",
    "name": "fact_orders",
    "qualified_name": "dev.fact_orders"
  },
  "path": "models/marts/fact_orders.sql",
  "description": "Order fact table with waffle and payment details.",
  "tags": ["marts"],
  "columns": [
    {"name": "order_id", "type": "INTEGER"},
    {"name": "customer_id"}
  ],
  "materialization_type": "table"
}

Field	Description
`id`	Unique identifier (`{kind}:{name}`)
`kind`	`source`, `seed`, `model`, or `function`
`name`	Resource name
`asset_key`	Tuple used as the Dagster asset key (typically `[schema, name]` or `[database, schema, name]`)
`target`	Warehouse identity (database, schema, name, qualified_name)
`path`	Relative file path in the project
`description`	Model or source description, if declared
`tags`	Model tags
`columns`	Column metadata (name, type, nullable, description)
`materialization_type`	For models: `view`, `table`, `incremental`, or custom name
`language`	For functions: `sql` or `python`
`return_kind`	For functions: `scalar` or `table`
`arguments`	For functions: argument name and type pairs

Edges

Each edge is a dependency between two nodes:

{
  "from_id": "model:stg_orders",
  "to_id": "model:fact_orders"
}

Checks

Each check represents a test, audit, or scenario:

{
  "id": "audit:not_null:model:fact_orders:order_id",
  "kind": "audit",
  "name": "not_null",
  "checked_asset_ids": ["model:fact_orders"],
  "path": "audits/generic/not_null.sql",
  "severity": "error",
  "attached_target_name": "fact_orders",
  "attached_column_name": "order_id"
}

Field	Description
`id`	Unique check identifier
`kind`	`sql_test`, `audit`, or `scenario`
`name`	Check name
`checked_asset_ids`	Node IDs this check is attached to
`path`	Relative file path
`severity`	For audits: `error` or `warn`
`mode`	For tests: `model`, `macro`, `udf`, or `table_fn`
`assertion_names`	For scenarios: names of `__assert__` CTEs
`expected_model_names`	For scenarios: names of `__expected__` models
`fixture_refs`	For scenarios: names of fixture sources, refs, and seeds

Examples

# Summary output
sqb dag

# Full JSON to stdout
sqb dag --json

# Generate as part of compile
sqb compile --dag

# Generate to a specific path
sqb compile --dag target/sqlbuild_dag.json

# Pipe to jq for inspection
sqb dag --json | jq '.nodes | length'

Getting Started

dbt Compatibility

Concepts

Python Nodes

Virtual Environments (Alpha)

Integrations

CLI Reference

dag

sqb dag

Usage

Flags

Generating via compile

Output format

Nodes

Edges

Checks

Examples

​sqb dag

​Usage

​Flags

​Generating via compile

​Output format

​Nodes

​Edges

​Checks

​Examples

sqb dag

Usage

Flags

Generating via compile

Output format

Nodes

Edges

Checks

Examples