A star (generator) is born

We’ve likely been here: Table A has 56 columns and we want to select all but one of them (column_56). So here we go, let’s get started…

select
	column_1,
	column_2,
	column_3,
	please_save_me…
from {{ ref('table_a') }}

At this point, you realize your will to continue typing out the next 52 columns has essentially dwindled down to nothing and you’re probably questioning the life choices that led you here.

But what if there was a way to make these 56+ lines of code come down to a handful? Well, that’s where a handy dbt macro comes into play.

The star dbt macro

dbt supports dbt_utils, a package of macros and tests that data folks can use to help them write more DRY code in their dbt project. One of the macros dbt utils offers is the star generator.

This macro:

• Generates a comma-separated list of all fields that exist in the from relation and excludes any fields listed in an except argument,
• Can optionally add a prefix to all generated fields using the relation_alias argument,
• And also concatenate prefixes and/or suffixes to all generated fields using the prefix and suffix arguments

So what does this mean for the example from above? Instead of writing out all 55 columns, you can use the star macro to select all fields except the column you don’t want:

select
	{{ dbt_utils.star(from=ref('table_a'), except=['column_56'] }}
from {{ ref('table_a') }}

This dbt model compiles to:

select
	column_1,
	column_2,
	…, --imagine we weren’t lazy and wrote out all other columns
	column_55
from table_a

With the star macro, all of the columns except column_56 are generated in a comma-separated list within the select statement. What was once 56+ lines of tedious, mind-numbing SQL becomes 3 lines using the star macro. You can also exclude multiple columns by passing in the column names to the except argument.

If you want to alias all fields in a model with the same alias without having to explicitly rename them all, you can also use the star macro with the relation_alias argument passed in:

select
	{{ dbt_utils.star(from=ref('table_a'), relation_alias='my_new_alias') }}
from {{ ref('table_a') }}

Now, this will return all fields from table_a with the my_new_alias.field_name naming format.

Under the hood, the star macro is actually using another dbt utils macro (get_filtered_columns_in_relation) to loop through fields to either select, alias, and/or append some string values to them.

Why we love the star macro

It’s no hidden fact: the Data Team at dbt Labs loves to use dbt util’s macros and tests when appropriate. We like dbt utils so much we created a March Madness Utils Bracket for them (not taking questions at this time) and we used the star macro alone over 30 times in our internal dbt repository.

Overall, the star macro is a great way to dip your toes into the dbt utils package, write DRY code, and reduce your carpal tunnel.