How to run only one model and its dependencies in dbt (+model, model+)

--select, or -s, accepts graph operators. A + before the model name adds everything the model depends on, a + after it adds everything that depends on the model. With them you can rebuild one model together with its inputs, or check what a change breaks downstream, without running the whole project.

Copy and paste

dbt build -s customer_orders        # only the model, and its tests
dbt build -s +customer_orders       # the model and everything it depends on
dbt build -s customer_orders+       # the model and everything that depends on it
dbt build -s +customer_orders+      # both directions
dbt build -s 1+customer_orders      # the model and its direct parents only
dbt build -s @customer_orders       # the model, its children, and all their parents
dbt ls -s +customer_orders          # list the selection without running anything

What each operator selects

In the example project two staging views read the raw tables, customer_orders joins them, and revenue_by_country reads customer_orders and stg_customers:

A number sets the depth: 1+customer_orders stops at the direct parents, customer_orders+2 at the children of the children. @ adds the children and then every parent of those children, which is what you need to build revenue_by_country correctly after changing customer_orders.

Check the selection first

dbt ls prints what a selector picks without touching the warehouse:

dbt ls -s +customer_orders --resource-type model

shop.marts.customer_orders
shop.staging.stg_customers
shop.staging.stg_orders

Without --resource-type, the list also includes the sources (source:shop.raw.orders) and the tests of the selected models.

run, build or test

• dbt run builds only the models.
• dbt build builds models, seeds and snapshots and runs their tests, in dependency order. When a test fails, the models after it are skipped, so bad data does not travel downstream.
• dbt test -s +customer_orders runs only the tests.

Sources are never built: they are tables already in the warehouse. Ephemeral models are not built either, because dbt compiles them into the models that use them.

Combining selectors

• Union. Separate selectors with spaces: -s +customer_orders revenue_by_country.
• Intersection. Join them with a comma: -s marts,tag:daily selects the models that are in the marts folder and have the daily tag.
• Folders and tags. -s marts selects a folder, -s tag:daily a tag, and both accept the graph operators: -s +tag:daily.
• Exclusions. --exclude removes nodes from the selection; see how to exclude a folder or a tag.

Tested with dbt Core 1.12.