dbt vs Stored Procedures (3 key differences)

Mar 19, 2025

When it comes to data transformation, one of the most common tools nowadays is dbt. 

But one of the arguments against using these code based tools is that you can instead just write store procedures or ad hoc queries directly in the database.

While technically this is possible...

To me, that misses some of the biggest benefits of using these tools in the first place.

And so in this video, we’re going to cover some of the main differences between using code based tools like dbt.

Versus writing store procedures directly in the database. 

In particular, we'll focus on differences in core functionality, maintainability and governance.

While I recognize these are buzzwordy terms, they're also important.

So let's discuss.

 

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