Compile and govern a dbt project

Connect GitHub when you want to compile source on request and review changes alongside their model context. Repository ownership, source editing, pull requests, production builds, and schedules stay in your existing tools.

​

Connect source

As a team admin, open Database tools > dbt > Connect project and choose GitHub. Select an existing Syne PostgreSQL connection, then choose Connected team GitHub App. This reuses the installation and repository inventory from Syne’s GitHub integration; no second App or personal token is required.

1. Use Connect or manage GitHub to open the existing installation flow. A GitHub account or organization owner links the installation to your team and selects repositories in GitHub.
2. Return to dbt and choose Refresh list. Use Sync GitHub access after changing the repositories granted to the App. Search and page through the connected repositories, then select one. Suspended installations cannot be selected.
3. The branch field starts with the repository’s default branch. Set the ref, project folder, and target schema, then connect. Syne resolves the selected ref to an immutable commit before compilation.

For public repositories or a personal read token, choose the alternate access mode. Existing projects can switch to App access in Settings > Source access; saving removes the old stored personal token and requires a new artifact for the updated project revision. Legacy dbt-specific App installations must be linked through the shared team GitHub integration before they can be used. The shared App token is short-lived and restricted to the selected repository with Contents and Metadata read permissions. SQL pull-request review is a separate opt-in setting; a repository does not need reviews enabled to be available to dbt. Sync refreshes repository access, not source files or compiled artifacts. Compilation always reads the configured ref on request. Disconnecting or suspending an installation, removing a repository, or syncing a repository rename invalidates affected project revisions and cancels their queued/running compilations. A team runner stops when its next heartbeat is rejected. Reconnect access, update project settings when needed, and request a new compilation. Existing artifact history remains available for inspection. For small projects, use the Syne-hosted compiler. For more capacity, register a team runner, then select it in project settings. A team runner needs its own local GitHub read credential and repository allowlist; Syne still needs source access to resolve the commit.

​

Choose capacity

The time limit is a maximum, not a waiting period. A hosted compilation returns as soon as it finishes. With the legacy controller, at 220 seconds an unfinished dbt process is stopped; the controller has a 260-second execution budget before forced container removal is attempted. Fetching source, startup, transfer, and cleanup add time around the dbt process. The overall time shown to a user can therefore be longer than 3 minutes 40 seconds. A timeout produces a failed compilation with no deployment or warehouse write. Retry explicitly, choose a larger team runner, or import an artifact compiled in your existing environment. The operator guide describes cleanup behavior when the Docker daemon itself fails.

​

Inspect the result

Choose Compile on Syne or Queue compilation. Inspect generated SQL, declared columns, dependencies, and the recorded commit. History shows resources added, removed, or changed since the previous successful snapshot. You can preview an existing relation or a compiled SELECT through Syne’s read-only database bridge, with up to 100 rows. The pinned compiler uses dbt Core 1.10.15 for offline PostgreSQL compilation. It has no warehouse credentials or network. Vendor packages in the repository. Warehouse introspection, package installation, Python models, custom adapters, dbt run, and dbt build are unsupported. Use an imported manifest when the existing environment must perform compilation. GitHub-mode imports require a source SHA validated against the repository; the artifact remains labeled as supplied by your team.

​

Review a schema change

Select a model and propose a change ticket with explicit migration SQL, a reason, and optional rollback SQL. Syne attaches the model, compilation, and source commit to its existing review workflow. A compiled SELECT is not automatically converted into migration SQL. Ticket creation does not execute the migration or open a GitHub pull request. Kole can explain dependencies, draft documentation and tests, or propose migration SQL. Its compilation and ticket tools pause for human approval. Review the SQL and source revision before approving the next action. Changing project settings invalidates older jobs and artifacts for execution. Successful compilation shows that an artifact was produced; it does not certify query execution, data tests, materialization, or freshness.

​

Shared Syne runner pool

When your deployment enables a shared pool, selecting the Syne-hosted runner queues compilation durably. Available workers serve multiple teams, with one active pool job per team. Each job receives a new isolated compiler container. Queued and running jobs can be canceled; expired leases fail visibly and require an explicit retry. The legacy hosted controller remains available when a pool is not configured.