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Using the + prefix

Use the + prefix to help clarify the difference between resource paths and configs in dbt_project.yml files.

The + prefix is a dbt syntax feature which helps disambiguate between resource paths and configs in dbt_project.yml files.

  • It is not compatible with dbt_project.yml files that use config-version 1.
  • It doesn't apply to:
    • config() Jinja macro within a resource file
    • config property in a .yml file.

For example:

dbt_project.yml
name: jaffle_shop
config-version: 2

...

models:
  +materialized: view
  jaffle_shop:
    marts:
      +materialized: table

Throughout this documentation, we've tried to be consistent in using the + prefix in dbt_project.yml files.

However, the leading + is in fact only required when you need to disambiguate between resource paths and configs. For example, when:

  • A config accepts a dictionary as its inputs. As an example, the persist_docs config.
  • Or, a config shares a key with part of a resource path. For example, if you had a directory of models named tags.

dbt has deprecated specifying configurations without the + prefix in dbt_project.yml. Only folder and file names can be specified without the + prefix within resource configurations in dbt_project.yml.

dbt_project.yml
name: jaffle_shop
config-version: 2

...

models:
  +persist_docs: # this config is a dictionary, so needs a + prefix
    relation: true
    columns: true

  jaffle_shop:
    schema: my_schema # a plus prefix is optional here
    +tags: # this is the tag config
      - "hello"
    config:
      tags: # whereas this is the tag resource path
        # changed to config in v1.10
        # The below config applies to models in the
        # models/tags/ directory.
        # Note: you don't _need_ a leading + here,
        # but it wouldn't hurt.
        materialized: view


Note: The use of the + prefix in dbt_project.yml is distinct from the use of + to control config merge behavior (clobber vs. add) in other config settings (specific resource .yml and .sql files). Currently, the only config which supports + for controlling config merge behavior is grants.

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