analytics-dictionary / term / transformation & metrics

dbt snapshot

A dbt snapshot records changes to a mutable table over time, producing a history of each row.

Written by Reflective Data experts · updated Oct 5, 2026

It implements type 2 slowly changing dimensions: each change creates a new row with validity dates. It is useful when the source overwrites values and you need to know what was true earlier.

Snapshots only start recording when you begin running them, so start early.

Data modeling dbt Slowly changing dimension (SCD)

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Semantic layer

A semantic layer defines your business metrics and dimensions once, so every tool and person gets…

star-schema.md

Star schema

A star schema organises data into a central fact table surrounded by descriptive dimension tables.

dbt-macro.md

dbt macro

A dbt macro is a reusable piece of SQL logic written with Jinja templating.

metric.md

Metric

A metric is a quantitative measure of performance, such as revenue, conversion rate or active users.

omni.md

Omni

Omni is a business intelligence platform that combines a governed semantic model with flexible exploration.

dataform.md

Dataform

Dataform is a Google Cloud service for developing and orchestrating SQL transformations in BigQuery.

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