Better Data Engineering Part 4: Performance & Optimization

Why?

Because slow pipelines cost money and break trust.

Introduction

dbt gives you the structure, but performance is your responsibility.

Rule 1: Materialize Wisely

Choose the right materialization:

• view for lightweight logic
• table for heavy transformations
• incremental for large datasets
• ephemeral for CTE-like logic

Rule 2: Optimize SQL

Focus on:

• reducing scans
• pruning columns
• avoiding unnecessary joins
• using warehouse-native functions

Rule 3: Monitor & Observe

Use:

• warehouse query history
• dbt artifacts
• data quality tools (Elementary, Great Expectations)

Observability is not optional.

Rule 4: Keep Models Small & Modular

Small models:

• are easier to debug
• are easier to test
• are easier to optimize

Break complexity into layers.

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This concludes the series!