tools-only Installing dbt Fusion
PROBLEM
dbt Fusion (dbtf) must be installed and working before starting a cross-platform migration. Fusion provides the real-time compilation engine and rich error diagnostics that power the migration workflow.
SOLUTION
Check if Fusion is already installed
dbtf --version
If this returns a version number, Fusion is installed. Verify it can connect to your project:
dbtf debug
Install Fusion
If dbtf is not found, install it following the official instructions:
Using the install script:
curl -fsSL https://public.cdn.getdbt.com/fs/install.sh | bash
Verify installation:
dbtf --version
dbtf debug
Minimum requirements
- dbt Fusion must be able to connect to both the source and target platforms
- Run
dbtf debugwith each profile to verify connectivity before starting migration
CHALLENGES
Connection errors with dbtf debug
If dbtf debug fails to connect:
- Verify your
profiles.ymlhas the correct credentials - Check that the target warehouse/cluster is running and accessible
- Ensure any required drivers are installed (e.g., Databricks ODBC/Simba driver)
- Try the connection with standard
dbt debugfirst to isolate Fusion-specific issues
Fusion version compatibility
If you encounter unexpected parsing or compilation behavior, ensure you're running a recent version of Fusion:
dbtf --version
If Fusion is already installed, you can updated it to the latest version with
dbtf system update