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In virtual mode, sqb diff compares VDE ref sets within the same physical target. It shows which models have different version hashes and, for changed models, reports schema and row-level differences.

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Basic usage

sqb diff dev:pr_123
The format is <left_vde>:<right_vde>. Both VDEs must exist in the active physical target’s state store.

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What diff shows

  1. Ref comparison - which models have different version hashes between the two VDEs
  2. Schema differences - column additions, removals, and type changes for changed models
  3. Row differences - row counts, matched/unmatched rows, and changed column values
Identical refs are skipped by default so the output focuses on models that actually differ. A model with a different version hash is included in the comparison even if its resulting data happens to be identical.

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Options

# Schema differences only (no row comparison)
sqb diff dev:pr_123 --schema-only

# Full row-level comparison
sqb diff dev:pr_123 --full

# Compare specific models
sqb diff dev:pr_123 --select fact_orders

# No color output
sqb --no-color diff dev:pr_123

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Working VDE guard

If either VDE is working (has stale models that haven’t been built yet), diff is blocked by default because the comparison may be incomplete: 
# Blocked
sqb diff dev:pr_123

# Allowed with explicit override
sqb diff dev:pr_123 --allow-partial-diff
This guard prevents misleading diff output when one VDE has pending changes that haven’t been materialized yet.

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Comparison with standard-mode diff

In standard mode, sqb diff prod:dev compares physical target schemas and data directly in the warehouse. In virtual mode, sqb diff dev:pr_123 compares VDE pointer sets within a single physical target, then inspects the physical versions those pointers reference. The output format is the same - schema diffs, row counts, changed columns, and example rows. The difference is what is being compared: physical targets vs virtual pointer sets.