Getting Started with dbt

Core Argument

Teaching analysts to level up and use the dbt stack. Lots of tools to configure, so let’s show them how to do it.

The Modern Analytics Stack

What do you need for a modern analytics stack?

• A data store — likely a MPP DB (Snowflake)
• A loading tool — how to get data into your data store (Fivetran)
• A transformation tool — how to blend and prep your data (dbt)
• A visualization tool — the last mile (Power BI)
• An orchestration tool — how do we keep it all up to date (dbt Cloud)
• A version control tool — keeping up with your changes (Git and GitHub)

Structure

The article follows a three-act teaching pattern:

1. Show them what you’ll do
2. Show them
3. Show them what you did

Why It Matters

This is a practical onboarding guide to the modern data stack as the founder saw it in early 2021. The tool choices reflect the Ray Data Co perspective at the time — notably Power BI over Looker/Mode, which reflects the founder’s enterprise consulting background. The “show, do, review” teaching pattern is a hallmark of the founder’s approach to analytics-engineering education.