dbt Analytics Engineering Certification · 14% practice allocation

dbt Analytics Engineering Certification: Implementing and Maintaining External Dependencies Practice Questions

5 free sample questions from the Implementing and Maintaining External Dependencies domain, with answers and explanations. The full dbt Analytics Engineering Certification bank has 327 questions across 7 domains. Questions are scenario-based and written from the official dbt Labs exam guide.

1.

A shared internal package is stored in a subdirectory packages/acme_utils of the same monorepo as the dbt project. Which packages.yml entry installs it without any network access?

  • A. packages: - git: packages/acme_utils
  • B. packages: - path: packages/acme_utils install: true
  • C. packages: - local: packages/acme_utils ✓ Correct
  • D. packages: - package: acme/acme_utils version: 1.0.0
Explanation

Correct: the local: key points at a filesystem path (relative to the project root) and dbt symlinks/copies it during dbt deps with no network calls — ideal for monorepos. git: expects a repository URL, not a directory path. The package:/version: form resolves against dbt Hub, which requires the package to be published and network access. There is no path:/install: syntax in packages.yml.

2.

In dbt Mesh, which statements about model access and versioning are correct? (Select TWO.)

  • A. Model versions must be declared in dbt_project.yml rather than in a model's YAML properties
  • B. access: protected allows references from models within the same project (including packages installed into it) but not from other projects consuming it as a project dependency
  • C. access: private restricts references to models in the same group✓ Correct
  • D. Only models with access: public can be referenced from another project via two-argument ref✓ Correct
  • E. Marking a model public automatically creates a latest_version alias even if no versions are defined
Explanation

Correct: public is the only access level that permits cross-project ref, and private narrows references to models belonging to the same group. Option 2 misstates protected: protected means referenceable within the same project (the default for models), and while packages installed into a project can reference protected models, the key contrast the exam draws is that protected is not consumable across project dependencies — the option's framing of the package case as the defining rule is incorrect. Versions are declared under a model's versions: in its YAML properties file, not in dbt_project.yml. latest_version only exists when versions are defined; publishing a model does not create version aliases.

3.

Which revision value for a git package gives the strongest guarantee that every dbt deps install retrieves byte-identical code?

  • A. A branch name such as main
  • B. A full commit SHA✓ Correct
  • C. Omitting revision so dbt uses the default branch
  • D. A semantic tag such as v1.2.0
Explanation

Correct: a full commit SHA is immutable and unambiguous, so it always resolves to exactly the same code. A branch moves with every merge, so installs drift. A tag is usually stable but can be force-moved or deleted by the repo owner, making it weaker than a SHA. Omitting revision tracks the default branch, the least reproducible option of all.

4.

A team wants dbt to warn when the raw.events.pageviews source table has not been updated in 12 hours and to error at 24 hours, using the table's _loaded_at column. Which configuration accomplishes this?

  • A. tables: - name: pageviews tests: - freshness: warn_after: 12 error_after: 24
  • B. tables: - name: pageviews config: severity: warn max_age: 12h
  • C. tables: - name: pageviews freshness: warn_after: {count: 24, period: hour} error_after: {count: 12, period: hour} loaded_at_field: _loaded_at
  • D. tables: - name: pageviews loaded_at_field: _loaded_at freshness: warn_after: {count: 12, period: hour} error_after: {count: 24, period: hour} ✓ Correct
Explanation

Correct: source freshness uses a freshness block with warn_after/error_after dictionaries of count and period, plus a loaded_at_field (or warehouse metadata) to compute the max loaded timestamp; it is checked with dbt source freshness. Option 2 is wrong because freshness is not a generic test under tests:. Option 3 inverts the thresholds so the error threshold is tighter than the warn threshold, which is logically backwards (the warning would never fire before the error). Option 4 uses keys that do not exist for source freshness.

5.

In a dbt Mesh setup, the finance project wants to consume the public model fct_orders from the platform project. Which TWO items are required in the finance project for {{ ref('platform', 'fct_orders') }} to resolve? (Select TWO.)

  • A. The fct_orders model must have access: public in the upstream platform project✓ Correct
  • B. A sources: block in finance pointing at the physical table produced by platform
  • C. A cross_project: true flag set in the finance project's dbt_project.yml
  • D. The platform project's full source code must be installed as a git package in finance
  • E. A dependencies.yml (or packages.yml) entry listing projects: - name: platform✓ Correct
Explanation

Correct: cross-project references require declaring the upstream project as a project dependency (projects: in dependencies.yml) and the referenced model must be marked access: public — protected/private models cannot be referenced from another project. A sources: block is the pre-Mesh workaround and bypasses the metadata-driven lineage that two-argument ref provides. Installing the upstream project as a git package is the 'monolith as package' pattern, which duplicates and rebuilds the upstream models rather than referencing the already-built ones. There is no cross_project flag in dbt_project.yml.

Test yourself across every dbt Analytics Engineering Certification domain

The free dbt Analytics Engineering Certification practice test mixes about 20 questions weighted like the exam. The full 327-question bank adds instant grading, flashcards and a timed mock exam.

Take the free dbt Analytics Engineering Certification practice testPractice the full bank

Study this domain

Implementing and Maintaining External Dependencies study guide (dbt Analytics Engineering Certification) →

Other dbt Analytics Engineering Certification domains

← All dbt Analytics Engineering Certification study resources