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dbt · dbt Fundamentals

dbt run vs dbt build

Easydbt-10
dbt rundbt buildclici

Question

What is the difference between dbt run and dbt build?

Solution

dbt run

Builds models (and related materializations like incremental tables). It does not run tests, seeds, or snapshots by itself.

dbt build

Runs a unified DAG of resources in dependency order: seeds, snapshots, models, and tests. A test that depends on a model runs after that model succeeds. If an upstream resource fails, downstream work for that branch is skipped.

dbt run   →  models (create/replace/merge SQL)

dbt build →  seed → snapshot → model → test (in DAG order)
             (and skip children when a parent fails)

When to use which

  • `dbt run`: quick iteration while developing a model; you will test separately.
  • `dbt build`: CI and production jobs where you want "build then prove quality" as one graph.
  • `dbt test`: run tests only (assumes models already exist).

Example

dbt run --select stg_orders+     # models only
dbt build --select stg_orders+   # models + their tests (and more if selected)

Interview tip: Prefer dbt build in pipelines: it fails fast on bad data and respects test nodes as first-class DAG citizens, not a separate afterthought script.

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