Configure Airbyte connections with custom normalization and dbt transformations using Airbyte's dbt runner integration
domain: docs.airbyte.com · 6 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
Set up an Airbyte source and destination connection in the Airbyte UI or via the API; enable the 'Normalized Tabular Data' normalization mode to have Airbyte run basic normalization after sync
For custom transformations, disable Airbyte's built-in normalization and point the connection to a dbt project by configuring the Transformation step in the connection settings
Provide the dbt project's Git URL, branch, and subfolder in the Airbyte connection's Transformation section; Airbyte will clone and run dbt after each sync
Ensure dbt models reference the raw Airbyte tables using the source() macro pointing to the Airbyte raw schema and stream name
Configure dbt profiles to connect to the same destination warehouse that Airbyte writes to; use environment variables for credentials rather than hardcoding them in profiles.yml
Monitor transformation runs in the Airbyte UI under Connection > Sync History; dbt run logs appear alongside the sync logs for each connection run
Known gotchas
Airbyte's built-in normalization uses its own opinionated dbt project; mixing it with a custom dbt project in the same connection can cause table naming conflicts in the destination schema
The dbt runner in Airbyte clones the project on every sync; large dbt projects or slow Git hosts can add significant overhead to sync duration
If dbt transformations fail, the Airbyte sync is marked as failed even if the raw data was loaded successfully — implement dbt tests cautiously to avoid blocking downstream consumers from accessing raw data
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