# Dbt Best Practices > dbt best practices for SQL modeling, testing, and analytics engineering workflows Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/dbt-best-practices` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/dbt-best-practices` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/dbt-best-practices/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Data & Analytics - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/dbt-best-practices --- # dbt Best Practices ## Project Structure ### Layer Organization (CRITICAL) - **Staging**: 1:1 with source tables (`stg_{source}__{entity}`) - **Intermediate**: Business logic composition (`int_{entity}_{verb}`) - **Marts**: Final consumption models (`fct_{entity}`, `dim_{entity}`) ### Materialization Strategy - Staging: `view` (lightweight, always fresh) - Intermediate: `ephemeral` or `view` - Marts: `table` or `incremental` ## Modeling Patterns ### Naming Conventions - Staging: `stg_source__table` - Intermediate: `int_entity_verb` - Facts: `fct_entity` - Dimensions: `dim_entity` ### Incremental Models - Use `is_incremental()` macro - Define `unique_key` for merge strategy - Choose strategy: append, merge, delete+insert ## Testing ### Schema Tests - `unique`, `not_null` for primary keys - `relationships` for foreign keys - `accepted_values` for enums - Custom data tests ### Source Freshness - Configure `loaded_at_field` - Set freshness thresholds ## Documentation - Add descriptions to models - Document column definitions - Use `doc` blocks for reusable text - Generate and host dbt docs ## References - [dbt Best Practices](https://docs.getdbt.com/guides/best-practices) --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/baekenough) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.