# Source configurations

## Available configurations

(Applies to dbt v1.9 and later)

Sources configurations support [`enabled`](./resource-configs/enabled.md), [`event_time`](./resource-configs/event-time.md), and [`meta`](./resource-configs/meta.md)

### General configurations

General configurations provide broader operational settings applicable across multiple resource types. Like resource-specific configurations, these can also be set in the project file, property files, or within resource-specific files.

### Project YAML file

dbt\_project.yml

(Applies to dbt v1.9 and later)

```yaml
sources:
  <resource-path>:
    +enabled: true | false
    +event_time: my_time_field
    +freshness:
      warn_after:  
        count: <positive_integer>
        period: minute | hour | day
    +meta:
      key: value
```

### Properties YAML file

models/properties.yml

(Applies to dbt v1.9 and later)

```yaml

sources:
  - name: [<source-name>]
    database: <database-name>
    schema: <schema-name>
    config:
      enabled: true | false
      event_time: my_time_field
      meta: {<dictionary>}
      freshness:
        warn_after:  
          count: <positive_integer>
          period: minute | hour | day

    tables:
      - name: [<source-table-name>]
        config:
          enabled: true | false
          event_time: my_time_field
          meta: {<dictionary>}
```

## Configuring sources

Sources can be configured via a `config:` block within their `.yml` definitions, or from the `dbt_project.yml` file under the `sources:` key. This configuration is most useful for configuring sources imported from [a package](../docs/build/packages.md).

You can disable sources imported from a package to prevent them from rendering in the documentation, or to prevent [source freshness checks](../docs/build/sources.md#source-data-freshness) from running on source tables imported from packages.

* **Note**: To disable a source table nested in a properties YAML file in a subfolder, you will need to supply the subfolder(s) within the path to that properties YAML file, as well as the source name and the table name in the project YAML file (`dbt_project.yml`).<br /><br />The following example shows how to disable a source table nested in a properties YAML file in a subfolder:

  dbt\_project.yml

  (Applies to dbt v1.9 and later)

  ```yaml
  sources:
    your_project_name:
      subdirectory_name:
        source_name:
          source_table_name:
            +enabled: false
            +event_time: my_time_field
  ```

### Examples

The following examples show how to configure sources in your dbt project.

— [Disable all sources imported from a package](#disable-all-sources-imported-from-a-package)<br />— [Conditionally enable a single source](#conditionally-enable-a-single-source)<br />— [Disable a single source from a package](#disable-a-single-source-from-a-package)<br />— [Configure a source with an `event_time`](#configure-a-source-with-an-event_time)<br />— [Configure meta to a source](#configure-meta-to-a-source)<br />— [Configure source freshness](#configure-source-freshness)<br />

#### Disable all sources imported from a package

To apply a configuration to all sources included from a [package](../docs/build/packages.md), state your configuration under the [project name](./project-configs/name.md) in the `sources:` config as a part of the resource path.

dbt\_project.yml

```yml
sources:
  events:
    +enabled: false
```

#### Conditionally enable a single source

When defining a source, you can disable the entire source, or specific source tables, using the inline `config` property. You can also specify `database` and `schema` to override the target database and schema:

models/sources.yml

```yml

sources:
  - name: my_source
    database: raw
    schema: my_schema
    config:
      enabled: true
    tables:
      - name: my_source_table  # enabled
      - name: ignore_this_one  # not enabled
        config:
          enabled: false
```

You can configure specific source tables, and use [variables](./dbt-jinja-functions/var.md) as the input to that configuration:

models/sources.yml

```yml

sources:
  - name: my_source
    tables:
      - name: my_source_table
        config:
          enabled: "{{ var('my_source_table_enabled', false) }}"
```

#### Disable a single source from a package

To disable a specific source from another package, qualify the resource path for your configuration with both a package name and a source name. In this case, we're disabling the `clickstream` source from the `events` package.

dbt\_project.yml

```yml
sources:
  events:
    clickstream:
      +enabled: false
```

Similarly, you can disable a specific table from a source by qualifying the resource path with a package name, source name, and table name:

dbt\_project.yml

```yml
sources:
  events:
    clickstream:
      pageviews:
        +enabled: false
```

#### Configure a source with an `event_time`

(Applies to dbt v1.9 and later)

To configure a source with an `event_time`, specify the `event_time` field in the source configuration. This field is used to represent the actual timestamp of the event, rather than something like a loading date.

For example, if you had a source table called `clickstream` in the `events` source, you can use the timestamp for each event in the `event_timestamp` column as follows:

dbt\_project.yml

```yaml
sources:
  events:
    clickstream:
      +event_time: event_timestamp
```

In this example, the `event_time` is set to `event_timestamp`, which has the exact time each clickstream event happened. Not only is this required for the [incremental microbatching strategy](../docs/build/incremental-microbatch.md), but when you compare data across [CI and production](../docs/deploy/advanced-ci.md#speeding-up-comparisons) environments, dbt will use `event_timestamp` to filter and match data by this event-based timeframe, ensuring that only overlapping timeframes are compared.

#### Configure meta to a source

Use the `meta` field to assign metadata information to sources. This is useful for tracking additional context, documentation, logging, and more.

For example, you can add `meta` information to a `clickstream` source to include information about the data source system:

dbt\_project.yml

```yaml
sources:
  events:
    clickstream:
      +meta:
        source_system: "Google analytics"
        data_owner: "marketing_team"
```

#### Configure source freshness

Use a `freshness` block to define expectations about how frequently a table is updated with new data, and to raise warnings and errors when those expectation are not met.

dbt compares the most recently updated timestamp calculated from a column, warehouse metadata, or custom query against the current timestamp when the freshness check is running.

You can provide one or both of the `warn_after` and `error_after` parameters. If neither is provided, then dbt will not calculate freshness snapshots for the tables in this source. For more information, see [freshness](./resource-properties/freshness.md).

See the following example of a `dbt_project.yml` file using the `freshness` config:

dbt\_project.yml

```yml
sources:
  <resource-path>:
    +freshness:
      warn_after:  
        count: 4
        period: hour
```

## Example source configuration

The following is a valid source configuration for a project with:

* `name: jaffle_shop`
* A package called `events` containing multiple source tables

dbt\_project.yml

```yml
name: jaffle_shop
config-version: 2
...
sources:
  # project names
  jaffle_shop:
    +enabled: true

  events:
    # source names
    clickstream:
      # table names
      pageviews:
        +enabled: false
      link_clicks:
        +enabled: true
```

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