Data test configurations

Related documentation

• Data tests

Data tests can be configured in a few different ways:

1. Properties within .yml definition (generic tests only, see test properties for full syntax)
2. A config() block within the test's SQL definition
3. In dbt_project.yml

Data test configs are applied hierarchically, in the order of specificity outlined above. In the case of a singular test, the config() block within the SQL definition takes precedence over configs in the project file. In the case of a specific instance of a generic test, the test's .yml properties would take precedence over any values set in its generic SQL definition's config(), which in turn would take precedence over values set in dbt_project.yml.

Available configurations

Click the link on each configuration option to read more about what it can do.

Data test-specific configurations

Resource-specific configurations are applicable to only one dbt resource type rather than multiple resource types. You can define these settings in the project file (dbt_project.yml), a property file (models/properties.yml for models, similarly for other resources), or within the resource’s file using the {{ config() }} macro.

The following resource-specific configurations are only available to Data tests:

Project file

dbt_project.yml

tests:
  <resource-path>:
    +fail_calc: <string>
    +limit: <integer>
    +severity: error | warn
    +error_if: <string>
    +warn_if: <string>
    +store_failures: true | false
    +where: <string>

Config block

{{ config(
    fail_calc = "<string>",
    limit = <integer>,
    severity = "error | warn",
    error_if = "<string>",
    warn_if = "<string>",
    store_failures = true | false,
    where = "<string>"
) }}

Property file

version: 2

<resource_type>:
  - name: <resource_name>
    tests:
      - <test_name>: # # Actual name of the test. For example, dbt_utils.equality
          name: # Human friendly name for the test. For example, equality_fct_test_coverage
          <argument_name>: <argument_value>
          config:
            fail_calc: <string>
            limit: <integer>
            severity: error | warn
            error_if: <string>
            warn_if: <string>
            store_failures: true | false
            where: <string>

    columns:
      - name: <column_name>
        tests:
          - <test_name>:
              name: 
              <argument_name>: <argument_value>
              config:
                fail_calc: <string>
                limit: <integer>
                severity: error | warn
                error_if: <string>
                warn_if: <string>
                store_failures: true | false
                where: <string>

This configuration mechanism is supported for specific instances of generic tests only. To configure a specific singular test, you should use the config() macro in its SQL definition.

General configurations

General configurations provide broader operational settings applicable across multiple resource types. Like resource-specific configurations, these can also be set in the project file, property files, or within resource-specific files.

Project file

dbt_project.yml

tests:
  <resource-path>:
    +enabled: true | false
    +tags: <string> | [<string>]
    +meta: {dictionary}
    # relevant for store_failures only
    +database: <string>
    +schema: <string>
    +alias: <string>

Config block

{{ config(
    enabled=true | false,
    tags="<string>" | ["<string>"]
    meta={dictionary},
    database="<string>",
    schema="<string>",
    alias="<string>",
) }}

Property file

version: 2

<resource_type>:
  - name: <resource_name>
    tests:
      - <test_name>: # Actual name of the test. For example, dbt_utils.equality
          name: # Human friendly name for the test. For example, equality_fct_test_coverage
          <argument_name>: <argument_value>
          config:
            enabled: true | false
            tags: <string> | [<string>]
            meta: {dictionary}
            # relevant for store_failures only
            database: <string>
            schema: <string>
            alias: <string>

    columns:
      - name: <column_name>
        tests:
          - <test_name>:
              name: 
              <argument_name>: <argument_value>
              config:
                enabled: true | false
                tags: <string> | [<string>]
                meta: {dictionary}
                # relevant for store_failures only
                database: <string>
                schema: <string>
                alias: <string>

This configuration mechanism is supported for specific instances of generic data tests only. To configure a specific singular test, you should use the config() macro in its SQL definition.

Examples

Add a tag to one test

If a specific instance of a generic data test:

models/<filename>.yml

models:
  - name: my_model
    columns:
      - name: id
        tests:
          - unique:
              tags: ['my_tag']

If a singular data test:

tests/<filename>.sql

{{ config(tags = ['my_tag']) }}

select ...

Set the default severity for all instances of a generic data test

macros/<filename>.sql

{% test my_test() %}

    {{ config(severity = 'warn') }}

    select ...

{% endtest %}

Disable all data tests from a package

dbt_project.yml

tests:
  package_name:
    +enabled: false