dbt Setup Guide

Codespaces and local environment

title: “dbt Setup Guide” subtitle: “Codespaces and local environment” —

Using GitHub Codespaces?

pyproject.toml installs dbt Core and optional lab packages in the devcontainer. Exercise: dbt covers .env, dbt debug, and the lab — Configure .env.

Lab: Exercise: dbt

Local install (no Codespaces)

Default path — you probably skip this section

Almost every trainee uses GitHub Codespaces (Prerequisites § Step 3). Python, uv, and dbt install automatically when the devcontainer builds — no manual uv install.

Read below only if you are not on Codespaces or a local Dev Container:

Situation	What to do
Normal — fork + Codespace	Stop here — use the Codespace terminal for Module 4
Local clone with GitHub — Option B Native Python (no Docker)	Install Python 3.13+ and `uv`, then commands below from your clone
No GitHub — facilitator-approved Lab source files emergency	Unzip the module bundle, install Python 3.13+ and `uv`, then run the commands below inside the unzipped folder (same `pyproject.toml`)

Environment	Install `uv` yourself?
GitHub Codespaces or Dev Container	No
Native Python (local clone or lab-source ZIP)	Yes — Python 3.13+ and uv first

If uv is not installed yet (native path only):

macOS or Linux

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
# Restart the terminal, or:
source $HOME/.local/bin/env
uv --version

Windows (PowerShell)

powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"
uv --version

More options: uv installation guide.

From your fork root or unzipped lab-source bundle root:

uv pip install --system ".[streaming,ml,notebook]"
dbt --version   # dbt-core 1.11.8+, adapters per pyproject.toml

Then follow Exercise: dbt § Configure .env and Exercise: dbt. Local machines: cp dbt_project/profiles.yml.example profiles.yml — see exercise.

Version pins: root pyproject.toml.

Troubleshooting Codespace · .env

Issue	Solution
`uv: command not found`	Native Python path only — install uv (see § Local install); Codespaces/Dev Container users should rebuild the container instead
`dbt` not found in Codespace	Rebuild container or `uv pip install --system ".[streaming,ml,notebook]"`
`.env` / `dbt debug` fails	Exercise: dbt § Configure `.env`
`dbt debug` fails on Databricks cross-platform run	Generated `profiles.yml` defaults to `snowflake` — use `dbt debug --target databricks` for the Databricks lab path
Model / test errors	Exercise: dbt · dbt troubleshooting