SQLMesh
the six Ws · specification
Data engineers who manage SQL transformation pipelines and want faster iteration than dbt provides.
A scalable data transformation framework that is backwards compatible with dbt projects and adds virtual data environments, automatic column-level lineage, and built-in testing.
Runs as a CLI and Python library against warehouses like Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, and DuckDB.
Use when a dbt-based pipeline needs cheaper, faster environment previews or stronger change-impact analysis before deploying.
It reduces the cost and risk of iterating on SQL transformations by virtualizing environments instead of rebuilding tables.
Interoperates with existing dbt projects and common cloud data warehouses via SQLGlot for dialect translation.
Open source, Apache 2.0 licensed, maintained by Tobiko Data with an optional paid managed offering.