Turbo Transforms

Turbo Transforms

Write, understand, and debug SQL transforms for Turbo pipeline configurations.

Triggers

Invoke this skill when the user:

• Asks "how do transforms work" or "what can I do with transforms"
• Wants to decode raw EVM logs or contract events
• Needs to filter, reshape, or combine blockchain data
• Asks about evm_log_decode, _gs_log_decode, U256/I256 math, or other Goldsky SQL functions
• Wants to chain multiple transforms together
• Needs help writing SQL for a pipeline YAML
• Is debugging a transform that isn't producing expected results
• Wants to combine multiple event types into a single output
• Mentions /turbo-transforms

Agent Instructions

Step 1: Understand What the User Needs

Determine the transform goal:

• Decode raw logs → Guide them through ABI-based log decoding with evm_log_decode()
• Filter data → Help write WHERE clauses (address, event type, block range, etc.)
• Reshape columns → Help with SELECT, CAST, CASE WHEN, string manipulation
• Combine data → Help with UNION ALL across multiple event types or sources
• Chain transforms → Help build multi-step processing pipelines
• Understand existing transforms → Walk through the SQL and explain each part

Step 2: Write or Explain the Transform

Use the patterns and references below to help the user. Always ensure:

1. Every transform has type: sql and primary_key: id (or appropriate column)
2. SQL references source or transform names in the FROM clause
3. Column names match the source schema
4. CAST operations use correct target types (DOUBLE, VARCHAR, etc.)

Step 3: Validate

CRITICAL: After writing transforms, always validate the full pipeline YAML:

goldsky turbo validate <pipeline.yaml>

Transform Basics

YAML Structure

transforms:
  my_transform:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT id, block_number, address
      FROM my_source
      WHERE address = '0xabc...'

Required Fields

Referencing Data

• Reference sources by their YAML key name: FROM my_source
• Reference other transforms by their YAML key name: FROM my_transform
• No need for a from field in SQL transforms — the FROM clause in SQL handles it

SQL Streaming Limitations

Turbo SQL is powered by Apache DataFusion in streaming mode. The following are NOT supported:

• Joins — use dynamic_table transforms for lookup-style joins instead
• Aggregations (GROUP BY, COUNT, SUM, AVG) — use postgres_aggregate sink instead
• Window functions (OVER, PARTITION BY, ROW_NUMBER)
• Subqueries — use transform chaining instead
• CTEs (WITH...AS) are supported

The _gs_op Column

Every record includes a _gs_op column that tracks the operation type: 'i' (insert), 'u' (update), 'd' (delete). Preserve this column through transforms for correct upsert semantics in database sinks.

Goldsky SQL Functions

evm_log_decode() — Decode Raw EVM Logs

Decodes raw Ethereum log data into structured event fields using an ABI specification.

Aliases: _gs_log_decode and evm_decode_log also work. Existing pipelines using _gs_log_decode are valid.

Syntax:

evm_log_decode(abi_json, topics, data) -> STRUCT<name: VARCHAR, event_params: LIST<VARCHAR>>

Parameters:

• abi_json — JSON string containing the ABI event definitions (or full contract ABI)
• topics — The topics column from raw_logs
• data — The data column from raw_logs

Returns a struct with:

• decoded.name (or decoded.event_signature via alias) — Event name (e.g., 'OrderFilled', 'Transfer')
• decoded.event_params[N] — Positional event parameters (1-indexed, returned as strings)

Example — Decode ERC-20 Transfer events:

transforms:
  decoded_events:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT
        _gs_log_decode(
          '[{"anonymous":false,"inputs":[{"indexed":true,"name":"from","type":"address"},{"indexed":true,"name":"to","type":"address"},{"indexed":false,"name":"value","type":"uint256"}],"name":"Transfer","type":"event"}]',
          topics,
          data
        ) AS decoded,
        id,
        block_number,
        transaction_hash,
        address,
        block_timestamp
      FROM my_raw_logs

Then filter by event in a downstream transform:

  transfers:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT
        id,
        block_number,
        block_timestamp,
        transaction_hash,
        address AS token_address,
        decoded.event_params[1] AS from_address,
        decoded.event_params[2] AS to_address,
        (CAST(decoded.event_params[3] AS DOUBLE) / 1e18) AS amount
      FROM decoded_events
      WHERE decoded.event_signature = 'Transfer'

Tips for _gs_log_decode():

• The ABI JSON must be a single-line string or use YAML >- / | block syntax
• Include all event ABIs you want to decode in a single array — events not matching are ignored
• Multiple events with the same name but different signatures (e.g., from different contracts) can coexist
• Use the source's filter: field to pre-filter by contract address before decoding (more efficient)
• Backtick-escape reserved words: Several column names conflict with SQL reserved words and must be escaped with backticks: `data`, `decoded`, `balance`, `owner_address`, `id` (in some contexts). When in doubt, backtick-escape column names that could be keywords.

Correct escaping example:

SELECT
  _gs_log_decode('[...]', topics, `data`) AS `decoded`,
  id, block_number, transaction_hash, address, block_timestamp
FROM my_raw_logs

fetch_abi() — Fetch ABI/IDL from URL

Fetch an ABI or IDL from a remote URL. Cached internally for performance.

fetch_abi(url, format) -> VARCHAR
-- format: 'raw' for plain JSON, 'etherscan' for Etherscan API responses

Aliases: _gs_fetch_abi

Example:

evm_log_decode(
  fetch_abi('https://example.com/erc20.json', 'raw'),
  topics, data
) AS decoded

_gs_keccak256() — Keccak256 Hash

Compute Keccak256 hash (same as Solidity's keccak256). Returns hex with 0x prefix.

_gs_keccak256('Transfer(address,address,uint256)')
-- 0xddf252ad1be2c89b69c2b068fc378daa952ba7f163c4a11628f55a4df523b3ef

xxhash() — Fast Non-Cryptographic Hash

xxhash(concat(transaction_hash, '_', log_index::VARCHAR)) AS unique_id

U256/I256 — 256-bit Integer Math

For precise token amount arithmetic without JavaScript precision loss.

-- Convert to/from U256
to_u256(value)              -> U256
u256_to_string(u256_value)  -> VARCHAR

-- Arithmetic (also available: u256_sub, u256_mul, u256_div, u256_mod)
u256_add(a, b) -> U256

-- Automatic operator rewriting: once values are cast to U256/I256,
-- standard operators (+, -, *, /, %) are auto-rewritten to function calls
to_u256(value) / to_u256('1000000000000000000')  -- same as u256_div(...)

I256 (signed): to_i256, i256_to_string, i256_add, i256_sub, i256_mul, i256_div, i256_mod, i256_neg, i256_abs

Example — Convert wei to ETH:

u256_to_string(
  to_u256(evt.event_params[3]) / to_u256('1000000000000000000')
) AS amount_eth

Solana Decode Functions

-- Decode instruction data using IDL (returns STRUCT<name, value>)
_gs_decode_instruction_data(idl_json, data)

-- Decode program log messages using IDL
_gs_decode_log_message(idl_json, log_messages)

-- Program-specific decoders:
gs_solana_decode_token_program_instruction(data)
gs_solana_decode_system_program_instruction(data)
gs_solana_get_accounts(transaction_data)
gs_solana_get_balance_changes(transaction_data)
gs_solana_decode_associated_token_program_instruction(data)
gs_solana_decode_stake_program_instruction(data)
gs_solana_decode_vote_program_instruction(data)

-- Base58 decoding
_gs_from_base58(base58_string) -> BINARY

Array Functions

-- Filter array elements by struct field matching a list of values
-- (prevents overflow panics by filtering BEFORE unnest)
array_filter_in(array, field_name, values_list) -> LIST

-- Convert list to large-list (i64 offsets) for very large arrays
to_large_list(array) -> LARGE_LIST

-- Filter array by field value
array_filter(array, field_name, value) -> LIST

-- Get first matching element
array_filter_first(array, field_name, value) -> STRUCT

-- Add index to each element
array_enumerate(array) -> LIST<STRUCT<index, value>>

-- Combine multiple arrays element-wise
zip_arrays(array1, array2, ...) -> LIST<STRUCT>

JSON Functions

json_query(json_string, path) -> VARCHAR       -- Query JSON by path
json_value(json_string, path) -> VARCHAR       -- Extract scalar value
json_exists(json_string, path) -> BOOLEAN      -- Check path exists
is_json(string) -> BOOLEAN                     -- Validate JSON
parse_json(json_string) -> JSON                -- Parse (errors on invalid)
try_parse_json(json_string) -> JSON            -- Parse (NULL on invalid)
json_object(key1, val1, ...) -> JSON           -- Construct JSON object
json_array(val1, val2, ...) -> JSON            -- Construct JSON array

Time Functions

to_timestamp(seconds) -> TIMESTAMP
to_timestamp_micros(microseconds) -> TIMESTAMP
now() -> TIMESTAMP                              -- volatile, current time
date_part('hour', timestamp) -> INT             -- extract timestamp parts

dynamic_table_check() — Lookup Table Check

Check if a value exists in a dynamic table (async). Used with dynamic_table transforms.

WHERE dynamic_table_check('tracked_wallets', from_address)

String & Encoding Functions

_gs_hex_to_byte(hex_string) -> BINARY
_gs_byte_to_hex(bytes) -> VARCHAR
string_to_array(string, delimiter) -> LIST<VARCHAR>
regexp_extract(string, pattern, group_index) -> VARCHAR
regexp_replace(string, pattern, replacement) -> VARCHAR

Standard SQL Functions

All Apache DataFusion SQL functions are also available: lower, upper, trim, substring, concat, replace, reverse, COALESCE, CASE WHEN, CAST, etc.

-- Common patterns
lower('0xABC...')                              -- case-insensitive address
CONCAT('base', '-', COALESCE(addr, ''))        -- composite keys
COALESCE(balance.contract_address, '')         -- null-safe values
to_timestamp(block_timestamp) AS block_time    -- timestamp conversion

Common Transform Patterns

1. Table Aliasing

Use table aliases to reference columns clearly, especially when column names are ambiguous:

SELECT
  balance.token_type,
  balance.owner_address,
  contract_address AS token_address,
  CAST(`balance` AS STRING) AS balance_amount
FROM my_balances_source balance
WHERE balance.token_type = 'ERC_20'
  AND balance.balance IS NOT NULL

Null checks: Use IS NULL and IS NOT NULL to filter on nullable columns:

WHERE balance.token_type IS NULL    -- native token (no token type)
WHERE balance.balance IS NOT NULL   -- only rows with a balance value

2. Simple Filtering (WHERE)

Filter rows from a source by column values:

transforms:
  usdc_transfers:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT *
      FROM base_transfers
      WHERE address = lower('0x833589fCD6eDb6E08f4c7C32D4f71b54bdA02913')

3. Column Projection and Aliasing

Select and rename specific columns:

transforms:
  clean_transfers:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT
        id,
        block_number,
        to_timestamp(block_timestamp) AS block_time,
        address AS token_address,
        sender,
        recipient,
        amount
      FROM my_source

4. Type Casting and Numeric Scaling

Cast values between types. Supported CAST targets include DOUBLE, STRING, VARCHAR, DECIMAL(p,s), INT, BIGINT.

-- Convert from raw uint256 to human-readable amounts
(CAST(decoded.event_params[3] AS DOUBLE) / 1e6) AS amount_usdc    -- 6 decimals (USDC)
(CAST(decoded.event_params[3] AS DOUBLE) / 1e18) AS amount_eth    -- 18 decimals (ETH, most ERC-20s)
(CAST(decoded.event_params[3] AS DOUBLE) / 1e8) AS amount_btc     -- 8 decimals (WBTC)

-- Cast to STRING to preserve precision for very large numbers (e.g., raw balances)
CAST(`balance` AS STRING) AS balance_amount

Common decimal places by token:

5. Conditional Logic with CASE WHEN

Derive new columns based on conditions:

-- Determine trade side based on asset type
CASE WHEN decoded.event_params[4] = '0' THEN 'BUY' ELSE 'SELL' END AS side

-- Conditional amount extraction
(CASE
  WHEN decoded.event_params[4] = '0'
  THEN CAST(decoded.event_params[6] AS DOUBLE)
  ELSE CAST(decoded.event_params[7] AS DOUBLE)
END / 1e6) AS amount_usdc

-- Classify transaction types
CASE
  WHEN decoded.event_params[3] = '0x4bfb...' THEN 'taker'
  WHEN decoded.event_params[3] = '0xc5d5...' THEN 'taker'
  ELSE 'maker'
END AS order_type

6. String Manipulation

-- Prepend '0x' to hex values from decoded params
'0x' || decoded.event_params[4] AS condition_id

-- Static string values
'TRADE' AS tx_type
'' AS placeholder_field

7. Exclusion Filters

Exclude known contract/system addresses from user-facing data:

WHERE decoded.event_params[1] NOT IN (
  '0x4bfb41d5b3570defd03c39a9a4d8de6bd8b8982e',
  '0xc5d563a36ae78145c45a50134d48a1215220f80a',
  '0x4d97dcd97ec945f40cf65f87097ace5ea0476045'
)

8. Price Calculations

Derive price from filled amounts:

-- price = cost / quantity
(CASE
  WHEN decoded.event_params[4] = '0'
  THEN CAST(decoded.event_params[6] AS DOUBLE)
  ELSE CAST(decoded.event_params[7] AS DOUBLE)
END / CASE
  WHEN decoded.event_params[4] = '0'
  THEN CAST(decoded.event_params[7] AS DOUBLE)
  ELSE CAST(decoded.event_params[6] AS DOUBLE)
END) AS price

Advanced Patterns

Decode Once, Filter Many

When working with raw logs from multiple contract events, decode all events in a single transform and then create separate downstream transforms that filter by decoded.event_signature. This is more efficient than creating multiple decode transforms.

transforms:
  # Single decode step — include ALL event ABIs
  all_decoded:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT
        _gs_log_decode('[...full ABI with all events...]', topics, `data`) AS `decoded`,
        id, block_number, transaction_hash, address, block_timestamp
      FROM raw_logs_source

  # Downstream: each transform filters for one event type
  transfers:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT id, block_number, decoded.event_params[1] AS from_addr, ...
      FROM all_decoded
      WHERE decoded.event_signature = 'Transfer'

  approvals:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT id, block_number, decoded.event_params[1] AS owner, ...
      FROM all_decoded
      WHERE decoded.event_signature = 'Approval'

Even if you only need one event type downstream, it's fine to include the full ABI — unmatched events are simply ignored by the downstream WHERE filter.

Transform Chaining

Build multi-step pipelines where each transform reads from the previous one:

transforms:
  # Step 1: Decode raw logs
  decoded:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT
        _gs_log_decode('[...]', topics, data) AS decoded,
        id, block_number, transaction_hash, address, block_timestamp
      FROM raw_logs_source

  # Step 2: Extract specific event fields
  transfers:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT
        id, block_number, block_timestamp, transaction_hash,
        decoded.event_params[1] AS from_address,
        decoded.event_params[2] AS to_address,
        (CAST(decoded.event_params[3] AS DOUBLE) / 1e18) AS amount
      FROM decoded
      WHERE decoded.event_signature = 'Transfer'

  # Step 3: Add computed columns
  enriched_transfers:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: SELECT *, 'ethereum' AS chain FROM transfers

UNION ALL — Combining Multiple Event Types

Combine multiple transforms with identical schemas into a single output. Every SELECT in the UNION must have the exact same columns in the same order.

transforms:
  # Individual event transforms (each with identical output columns)
  transfers:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT id, block_number, block_timestamp, transaction_hash,
        decoded.event_params[1] AS user_id,
        (CAST(decoded.event_params[3] AS DOUBLE) / 1e18) AS amount,
        'TRANSFER' AS event_type
      FROM decoded_events
      WHERE decoded.event_signature = 'Transfer'

  approvals:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT id, block_number, block_timestamp, transaction_hash,
        decoded.event_params[1] AS user_id,
        (CAST(decoded.event_params[3] AS DOUBLE) / 1e18) AS amount,
        'APPROVAL' AS event_type
      FROM decoded_events
      WHERE decoded.event_signature = 'Approval'

  # Combined output
  all_events:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT * FROM transfers
      UNION ALL
      SELECT * FROM approvals

UNION ALL rules:

• All SELECTs must produce the same number of columns with compatible types
• Use empty strings ('') or zero (0) as placeholders for columns that don't apply to a particular event type
• UNION ALL keeps duplicates (use UNION to deduplicate, but UNION ALL is preferred for performance)
• You can UNION as many transforms as needed

Normalizing Disparate Events to a Common Schema

When different events have different fields, map them all to a unified schema using placeholder values:

transforms:
  trades:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT id, block_number, block_timestamp, transaction_hash, address,
        decoded.event_params[2] AS user_id,
        decoded.event_params[4] AS asset,
        '' AS condition_id,                    -- not applicable for trades
        (CAST(decoded.event_params[6] AS DOUBLE) / 1e6) AS amount_usdc,
        'TRADE' AS tx_type,
        CASE WHEN decoded.event_params[4] = '0' THEN 'BUY' ELSE 'SELL' END AS side,
        (CAST(decoded.event_params[8] AS DOUBLE) / 1e6) AS fee
      FROM decoded_events
      WHERE decoded.event_signature = 'OrderFilled'

  redemptions:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT id, block_number, block_timestamp, transaction_hash, address,
        decoded.event_params[1] AS user_id,
        '' AS asset,                           -- not applicable for redemptions
        '0x' || decoded.event_params[4] AS condition_id,
        (CAST(decoded.event_params[6] AS DOUBLE) / 1e6) AS amount_usdc,
        'REDEEM' AS tx_type,
        '' AS side,                            -- not applicable for redemptions
        0 AS fee                               -- no fee for redemptions
      FROM decoded_events
      WHERE decoded.event_signature = 'PayoutRedemption'

  all_activities:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: |
      SELECT * FROM trades
      UNION ALL
      SELECT * FROM redemptions

Adding Columns to an Existing Transform

Extend a transform's output without rewriting it:

  activities_v2:
    type: sql
    primary_key: id
    sql: SELECT *, '' AS builder FROM all_activities

Source-Level Filtering

For efficiency, filter data at the source before it reaches transforms. Use the filter: field on dataset sources to reduce the volume of data processed:

sources:
  my_logs:
    type: dataset
    dataset_name: matic.raw_logs
    version: 1.0.0
    start_at: earliest
    filter: >-
      address IN ('0xabc...', '0xdef...')
      AND block_number > 50000000

This is significantly more efficient than filtering in a transform because it reduces data at the ingestion layer.

Bounded Historical Backfill

To process historical data starting from a specific block (not genesis), combine start_at: earliest with a block_number floor in the filter:

sources:
  poly_logs:
    type: dataset
    dataset_name: matic.raw_logs
    version: 1.0.0
    start_at: earliest
    filter: >-
      address IN ('0xabc...', '0xdef...')
      AND block_number >= 82422949

This processes all data from block 82422949 onward, rather than from genesis or only latest. Useful when:

• A contract was deployed at a known block
• You only need data from a certain date forward
• You want to avoid processing irrelevant ancient blocks

Combine source filtering with transform filtering:

• Source filter: → coarse pre-filtering (contract addresses, block ranges)
• Transform WHERE → fine-grained filtering (event types, parameter values, exclusions)

Debugging Transforms

Common Errors

"Unknown source reference" The FROM clause references a name that doesn't match any source or transform key in the YAML. Check for typos.

"Missing primary_key" Every transform needs primary_key. Almost always use id (carried from the source data).

"Column not found" Column name doesn't exist on the source. Use goldsky turbo inspect <pipeline> -n <source_node> to see actual column names.

Empty results from decoded events

• Verify the ABI JSON matches the actual contract events
• Check decoded.event_signature matches the event name exactly (case-sensitive)
• Ensure address filter matches the correct contract
• Check decoded.event_params[N] indexing — parameters are 1-indexed

Type mismatch in UNION ALL All branches of a UNION ALL must have identical column counts and compatible types. Add placeholder columns ('', 0) where needed.

Inspecting Transform Output

Use the TUI inspector to see data at any node in the pipeline:

# Inspect a specific transform's output
goldsky turbo inspect <pipeline-name> -n <transform_name>

This helps verify that decoded fields, casts, and filters are producing expected results.

Complete Example: Multi-Event Activity Feed

This end-to-end example shows how to build a unified activity feed from raw logs. See the template file templates/multi-event-activity-feed.yaml for the full working YAML.

Pattern:

1. Source raw logs filtered by contract addresses
2. Decode all events with _gs_log_decode()
3. Create individual transforms per event type, each mapping to a common schema
4. Combine with UNION ALL
5. Sink to a database

Sink Batching Configuration

Database and streaming sinks support batching to tune latency vs throughput:

sinks:
  my_sink:
    type: clickhouse
    from: my_transform
    table: my_table
    secret_name: MY_SECRET
    primary_key: id
    batch_size: 1000           # rows per batch
    batch_flush_interval: 300ms # max time before flushing

Guidelines:

• Latency-sensitive (real-time dashboards): batch_flush_interval: 300ms, batch_size: 1000
• Moderate throughput (trade data, events): batch_flush_interval: 1000ms, batch_size: 1000
• High-volume streaming (balance snapshots): batch_flush_interval: 10s, batch_size: 100000

Related Skills

• /turbo-pipelines — Full pipeline creation, deployment, and configuration
• /turbo-architecture — Pipeline architecture decisions (source types, data flow patterns, resource sizing)
• /goldsky-datasets — Discover available datasets and their schemas
• /turbo-monitor-debug — Inspect transform output and debug pipeline issues