---
title: Databricks dbt - Target environment
description: Prepare a Databricks workspace and a dbt installation to run the dbt project that a Databricks dbt generator creates.
---

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# Databricks dbt - Target environment

**Applies to**  
Platform: Databricks dbt

Prepare a Databricks workspace and a dbt installation to run the dbt project that a Databricks dbt generator creates. Do this once per environment, before the first run. Afterwards `dbt debug` connects from the artifacts folder to your workspace.

A Databricks dbt project has no deployment scripts and no load control: dbt creates and loads the tables itself. The native Databricks generators use the environment described in [Databricks Unity - Target environment](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-unity-target-environment?hsLang=en) instead.

### Prerequisites

- A Databricks workspace with Unity Catalog and a catalog for the target tables. The generated materializations read the columns and constraints of the target tables from `information_schema` of this catalog.
- The source tables in a catalog and schema of the workspace. To create the source model objects from them, see [Discover a Databricks Unity Catalog](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/discover-a-databricks-unity-catalog?hsLang=en).
- An identity for dbt, for example a personal access token of a user or a service principal. It creates schemas and tables in the target catalog and reads the source tables.
- Python with pip on the machine that runs dbt.
- With [Apply Sensitivity Level Tags](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/apply-sensitivity-level-tags-project?hsLang=en) on: the tag exists in Unity Catalog. The generator does not create it.

Runtime requirements of the generated statements, for example for unique constraints, are listed in [Generators Release - 2.4.0](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/generators-release-2.4.0?hsLang=en) and [Use Unique Constraints (Project)](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/use-unique-constraints-project?hsLang=en).

### Install dbt

1. Run `pip install dbt-databricks`. pip installs the adapter dbt-databricks together with dbt Core.
2. Run `dbt --version`. The output lists the version of Core and, under Plugins, the version of `databricks`.

dbt 2 is not supported with Databricks dbt.

### Create the connection profile

1. Open `profiles.yml` in the `.dbt` folder of your user profile, or create it there.
2. Add a profile with `type: databricks` and the values below. The [Databricks setup](https://docs.getdbt.com/docs/core/connect-data-platform/databricks-setup) page of the dbt documentation lists the other authentication methods.
3. Enter the profile name as `profile` in `dbt_project.yml` of the artifacts, together with the other values of [dbt - Placeholder values](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/dbt-placeholder-values?hsLang=en).

The values of the profile:

- `host`: the host name of the workspace, without `https://`.
- `http_path`: the HTTP path of the Databricks compute that runs the SQL, from its connection details.
- `token`: the access token of the identity.
- `catalog`: the target catalog.
- `schema`: the first part of every target schema. dbt creates the models of a layer in the schema `<profile schema>_<layer schema>`, for example `analytics_rawvault`.
- `threads`: the number of models that dbt runs at the same time.

### Example

A profile `dwh` for the target catalog `dwh_dev`. The values in angle brackets are those of your workspace:

```
dwh:
  target: dev
  outputs:
    dev:
      type: databricks
      host: <workspace host>
      http_path: <http path>
      token: <access token>
      catalog: dwh_dev
      schema: analytics
      threads: 4
```

With `profile: 'dwh'` and the layer schema `rawvault` in `dbt_project.yml`, dbt writes the Hub `common_customer` to ``dwh_dev`.`analytics_rawvault`.`rdv_hub_common_customer``.

### Check the result

This check needs the downloaded artifacts with `profile` set, see [dbt - Placeholder values](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/dbt-placeholder-values?hsLang=en). Open a terminal in the artifacts folder, the folder that contains `dbt_project.yml`, and run `dbt debug`. dbt checks `profiles.yml`, `dbt_project.yml` and the connection. The output ends with:

```
All checks passed!
```

### Failure symptoms and recovery

#### dbt does not find the profile

Message: `Could not find profile named '<profile name>'`  
Cause: `profile` in `dbt_project.yml` names a profile that `profiles.yml` does not contain. In downloaded artifacts it is `<placeholder>`.  
Fix: Enter the name of your profile as `profile` in `dbt_project.yml` and run `dbt debug` again.

For failures in other steps, see [Troubleshoot generation, deployment and load failures](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/troubleshoot-generation-deployment-and-load-failures?hsLang=en).

### Related articles

- Next: [Generate artifacts](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/generate-artifacts?hsLang=en), [Download generated artifacts](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/download-generated-artifacts?hsLang=en), [dbt - Placeholder values](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/dbt-placeholder-values?hsLang=en), [dbt - Deployment](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/dbt-deployment?hsLang=en)
- Reference: [Databricks dbt - DataVault](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-dbt-datavault?hsLang=en), [Use Unique Constraints (Project)](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/use-unique-constraints-project?hsLang=en), [Apply Sensitivity Level Tags (Project)](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/apply-sensitivity-level-tags-project?hsLang=en), [Databricks dbt - Datamart](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-dbt-datamart?hsLang=en), [Databricks dbt - DataVault and Mart](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-dbt-datavault-and-mart?hsLang=en)
- See also: [dbt - Artifacts](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/dbt-artifacts?hsLang=en), [Discover a Databricks Unity Catalog](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/discover-a-databricks-unity-catalog?hsLang=en), [Databricks Unity - Target environment](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/databricks-unity-target-environment?hsLang=en), [Generators Release - 2.4.0](https://knowledge.bigenius-x.com/generators-release-2.4.0?hsLang=en)

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