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No, Data Engineers Don’t NEED dbt.
But It Sure Does Solve a Lot of Problems
Do I need to learn dbt? I see this question a lot on Reddit and it confuses me. It sounds simple. Does your company use dbt? If yes, then yes. If no, then no. Like anything else, dbt is a tool that is best used in scenarios where it is a good fit. At the same time, I often read people who say dbt doesn’t add value. Then, they go on to explain the ten tools they use in place of it. There has to be a middle ground.
You see, it’s the good-fit part that is important here, not the need. We use tools to solve problems. Let me repeat that. We use tools to solve problems. Not because they are cool or we want to add them to our skillset or everyone else is using them. Tools help us solve problems. Let’s take a look at the problems dbt helps us solve and the use cases where it is a good fit. What the heck. Let’s also talk about scenarios where it is not a good fit.
Do you often get stuck gathering requirements? Many data engineers find this primer useful.
