> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.paradime.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Model Materializations

> Covers dbt's model materialization strategies, including table, view, incremental, and ephemeral, and how to configure materializations at the project and individual model level.

Materializations are strategies that determine how dbt™ persists your models in the data warehouse. Think of them as different ways to store and update your transformed data.

### Available Materialization Types

| Type                                                                                             | Description                                | Best For                                     |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------- |
| [View](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/model-materializations/view-materialization)                     | A saved query that runs on-demand          | Simple transformations, real-time data needs |
| [Table](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/model-materializations/table-materialization)                   | A physically stored copy of your data      | BI tools, complex queries, frequent access   |
| [Incremental](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/model-materializations/incremental-materialization/index) | A table that updates only new/changed data | Large datasets, frequent updates             |
| [Ephemeral](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/model-materializations/ephemeral-materialization)           | Code that's injected into dependent models | Large datasets, frequent updates             |

<Info>
  If you don't specify a materialization, dbt™ will create your model as a [view](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/model-materializations/view-materialization) by default.
</Info>

***

### Configuring Materializations

You can configure materializations in two ways:

#### 1. Project Level (dbt\_project.yml)

```yaml title="dbt_project.yml" theme={"system"}
models:
  your_project:
    finance:
      +materialized: table    # All finance models as tables
    staging:
      +materialized: view     # All staging models as views
```

#### 2. Model Level (in .sql files)

```sql theme={"system"}
{{ 
  config(
    materialized='table'
  )
}}

select * from ...
```

***

### Choosing the Right Materialization

Consider these factors when selecting a materialization:

| Factor              | Consideration                              |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| 🔄 Data Freshness   | How current does the data need to be?      |
| ⚡ Query Performance | How current does the data need to be?      |
| 📊 Data Volume      | How much data are you transforming?        |
| 💰 Resource Cost    | What are your compute/storage constraints? |

***

<Info>
  Learn more about each materialization type in their dedicated documentation pages:

  * [View Materialization](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/model-materializations/view-materialization)
  * [Table Materialization](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/model-materializations/table-materialization)
  * [Incremental Materialization](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/model-materializations/incremental-materialization/index)
  * [Ephemeral Materialization](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/model-materializations/ephemeral-materialization)
</Info>


## Related topics

- [Model Materializations](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/model-materializations/index.md)
- [dbt™ Model Checks](/integrations/pre-commit/dbt-tm-checkpoint-hooks/dbt-tm-model-checks.md)
- [dbt™ fundamentals](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/index.md)
- [Project Strucuture](/guides/dbt-fundamentals/getting-started-with-dbt/project-strucuture.md)
- [dbt™-checkpoint Hooks](/integrations/pre-commit/dbt-tm-checkpoint-hooks/index.md)