Selector Methods

Selector methods in dbt allow you to filter resources based on specific properties using the method:value syntax. This gives you the power to target exactly what you need during your data transformations.

Wildcard Magic

Most selector methods support Unix-style wildcards, which can help you target a broader set of resources:

• *: Matches any number of characters (including none)

• ?: Matches any single character

• [abc]: Matches one character listed in the bracket

• [a-z]: Matches one character from the specified range in the bracket

For example:

dbt list --select "*.folder_name.*"
dbt list --select "model_[a-z].sql"

The Selectors

Tag Selector

Use tag: to select models with a specific tag.

dbt run --select "tag:hourly"

Source Selector

Use source: to select models that reference a specified source.

dbt run --select "source:fivetran+"

Resource Type Selector

Use resource_type: to select nodes of a specific type (e.g., model, test, exposure).

dbt run --select "resource_type:exposure"
dbt list --select "resource_type:test"

Path Selector

Use path: to select models/sources defined at or under a specific path.

dbt run --select "path:models/marts"
dbt run --select "path:models/marts/customers.sql"

File Selector

Use file: to select a model by filename.

dbt run --select "file:model_name.sql"

FQN (Fully Qualified Name) Selector

Use fqn: to select nodes based on their fully qualified name.

dbt run --select "fqn:example_model"
dbt run --select "fqn:project_name.example_path.example_model"

Package Selector

Use package: to select models defined within the root project or an installed dbt package.

dbt run --select "package:fivetran"

Config Selector

Use config: to select models that match a specified node config.

dbt run --select "config.materialized:table"
dbt run --select "config.cluster_by:zip_code"

Test Type Selector

Use test_type: to select tests based on type (generic, singular, unit, data).

dbt test --select "test_type:generic"
dbt test --select "test_type:singular"

Test Name Selector

Use test_name: to select tests based on the name of the test defined.

dbt test --select "test_name:not_null"

State Selector

Use state: to select nodes by comparing them against a previous version of the project.

dbt test --select "state:new" --state path/to/artifacts
dbt run --select "state:modified" --state path/to/artifacts

Exposure Selector

Use exposure: to select the parent resources of an exposure.

dbt test --select "exposure:monthly_reports"
dbt run --select "+exposure:*"

Metric Selector

Use metric: to select parent resources of a metric.

dbt run --select "+metric:monthly_qualified_leads"

Results Selector

Use result: to select resources based on their results status from a previous execution.

dbt run --select "result:success" --state path/to/project/artifacts
dbt test --select "result:warn" --state /path/to/project/artifacts

Source Status Selector

Use source_status: to select based on the freshness of sources.

dbt source freshness
dbt build --select "source_status:fresher+" --state path/to/prod/artifacts

Group Selector

Use group: to select models defined within a specified group.

dbt run --select "group:marketing"

Access Selector

Use access: to select models based on their access property.

dbt list --select "access:public"

Version Selector

Use version: to select versioned models.

dbt list --select "version:old"
dbt list --select "version:latest"

Semantic Model Selector

Use semantic_model: to select semantic models.

dbt ls --select "semantic_model:sales"

Saved Query Selector

Use saved_query: to select saved queries.

dbt list --select "saved_query:*"

Unit Test Selector

Use unit_test: to select dbt unit tests.

dbt list --select "unit_test:*"

Pro Tips

• Combine selectors for laser-focused selection:

dbt run --select "tag:nightly,config.materialized:table"

• Use graph operators like + and @ for complex selections:

dbt run --select "source:raw_data+,@tag:critical"

• Exclude models using the --exclude flag:

dbt run --select "path:models/mart" --exclude "tag:deprecated"

• If you omit the method, dbt will default to one of path, file, or fqn.

Remember, the more targeted your selector methods, the more precisely you can execute your dbt transformations.