# dbt - Advanced Features (Data Engineering)

> Jinja macros, custom tests, packages, hooks, snapshots (SCD), incremental models, dbt Cloud, CI/CD

- 20 interview questions
- Senior
- [Interview Questions: Data Engineering](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/data-engineering/interview-questions.md)

## 1. In dbt, what is the main purpose of Jinja macros?

**Answer**

Jinja macros enable code reuse across multiple dbt models. They work like functions that accept parameters and return dynamically generated SQL code. This avoids code duplication and makes it easier to maintain complex transformations throughout the project.

## 2. How to define a reusable dbt macro in a file?

**Answer**

A dbt macro is defined using the Jinja macro/endmacro syntax in a .sql file within the macros folder. The macro name is specified after the macro keyword, followed by parameters in parentheses. This macro can then be called from any model in the project.

## 3. What is the difference between 'timestamp' and 'check' strategies for dbt snapshots?

**Answer**

The timestamp strategy compares an update date column (updated_at) to detect changes, which is more performant as it only compares one column. The check strategy compares values of specified columns (check_cols) to detect any change, useful when there is no reliable timestamp column available.

## 17 more questions available

- Which columns are automatically added by dbt when creating a snapshot?
- How to configure an incremental model with the 'merge' strategy in dbt?

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