Using .dinorules to Tailor Your AI Experience

When working with dbt™ projects, teams often establish standards for SQL formatting, naming conventions, documentation, and modeling patterns. Ensuring all team members follow these standards consistently can be challenging.

DinoRules allow you to configure how DinoAI Agent operates within your project by establishing standards that it will automatically follow when generating or modifying code.

Benefits of Using DinoRules

• Consistency: Ensure all AI-generated code follows your team's standards

• Automation: Implement best practices without manually specifying them each time

• Customization: Tailor DinoAI's behavior to your specific project needs

• Efficiency: Reduce the need for post-generation editing and formatting

• Standardization: Help new team members adopt your conventions automatically

How to Create a DinoRules File

Simply add a file named .dinorules to the root of your dbt™ project repository. The file uses natural language instructions and doesn't require any specific formatting, structure, or syntax. You can edit it just as you would a regular text document - use paragraphs, bullet points, or any organization that makes sense to you.

1. From the Code IDE, Click the DinoAI icon (🪄) icon on the left-side panel. 2. Click the settings icon (⚙️) at the top right of the DinoAI panel. This automatically creates a new file named .dinorules.

Make sure the .dinorules file is placed in the root directory of your repository

your-repository
├── dbt_project/
│   ├── staging/
│   └── marts/
├── macros/
├── seeds/
├── .dinorules              # .dinorules file location
├── README.md

1. Add your custom instructions to the file. These can be general or highly specific - there's no set syntax required.

Example DinoRules File

SQL Formatting
- Keyword capitalization (uppercase/lowercase)
- Comma style (leading/trailing)
- Indentation (spaces vs. tabs, amount)
- Aliasing conventions
- CTEs vs. subqueries preferences
- Comment requirements for complex logic

Naming Conventions
- Model naming patterns
- Column naming standards
- Test naming formats
- Documentation file naming

Documentation Standards
- Documentation file organization (single file vs. multiple files)
- Required column descriptions
- Standard test applications
- Metadata requirements

Modeling Patterns
- Dimensional modeling preferences
- Materialization defaults by folder
- Incremental model patterns
- Custom configurations

Visualization Standards
- When to include mermaid diagrams
- What elements to include in visualizations
- Visualization formatting