Semantic Layer APIs

The rapid growth of different tools in the modern data stack has helped data professionals address the diverse needs of different teams. The downside of this growth is the fragmentation of business logic across teams, tools, and workloads.

The dbt Semantic Layer allows you to define metrics in code (with MetricFlow) and dynamically generate and query datasets in downstream tools based on their dbt governed assets, such as metrics and models. Integrating with the dbt Semantic Layer will help organizations that use your product make more efficient and trustworthy decisions with their data. It also helps you to avoid duplicative coding, optimize development workflow, ensure data governance, and guarantee consistency for data consumers.

You can use the dbt Semantic Layer for a variety of tools and applications of data. Some common use cases are:

• Business intelligence (BI), reporting, and analytics
• Data quality and monitoring
• Governance and privacy
• Data discovery and cataloging
• Machine learning and data science

To define and query metrics with the dbt Semantic Layer, you must be on a dbt Cloud Team or Enterprise account. Suitable for both Multi-tenant and Single-tenant accounts. Note: Single-tenant accounts should contact their account representative for necessary setup and enablement.

JDBC API

Use a JDBC driver to query metrics and dimensions in downstream tools, while also providing standard metadata functionality.

GraphQL API

Use GraphQL to query metrics and dimensions in downstream tools.

Semantic manifest

Learn about the semantic manifest.json file and how you can use artifacts to gain insights about your Semantic Layer.