{"id":3003,"date":"2023-09-22T10:41:19","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T08:41:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedatastory.nl\/?p=3003"},"modified":"2025-09-17T16:22:43","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T14:22:43","slug":"getting-started-with-dataform-tips-and-tricks-to-make-you-more-confident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedatastory.nl\/nl\/data-stories\/getting-started-with-dataform-tips-and-tricks-to-make-you-more-confident\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting started with Dataform: tips and tricks to make you more confident"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Now that we have decided to switch from Dataform to DBT, how do we get started? Starting to use a new tool always comes with some hurdles. We definitely came across them and had some painful stumbles. To help get started and avoid some of these hurdles, this guide will take you by the hand for your first steps onto the Dataform path. If you already have some experience with Dataform, take a good look at the four section headers to find what you want to learn more about! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First this guide will go over the basics of Git, the backbone of version control in Dataform. Next, this guide will give an example file structure to cling onto when working on your first Dataform project. Thereafter, this guide will explain how to incorporate Javascript into SQL. Lastly, the way to reuse variables and methods will be discussed, along with how to apply this to create \u2018templates\u2019 for your workflows that can be deployed across different projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Basics of version control with Git<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dataform uses Git for its version control system. Although familiar to many, there are definitely people who can use a short explanation to understand the basics. For developers, version control is a foundational utility as it allows to go back and forth between different versions of code. This way, when developers add new features that cause errors, they can easily switch back to working versions of their code. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be considered a more advanced variant of the \u2018undo\u2019 action when writing documents. The way it works is as follows: all versions are saved on a branch. When a developer wants to add a new feature, he pushes<\/em> his update to the branch. When a developer wants to get the latest version, he pulls<\/em> from the branch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developers can also create a new branch which is a copy of another branch. Making changes to this copy, this new branch, does not change anything on the original branch, meaning new features can be developed without interfering with the working product. To add a finished feature to the working product, that branch is merged back into the original branch. Dataform creates a new branch for each development workspace that is created. Version control actions can be performed on the top-left of Dataform\u2019s editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dataform\"
Visualisation of how branches work in Git<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. File structure for your Dataform project<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you might have learned over the years, an organised working environment helps you work more efficiently. Working in Dataform is not any different, organising your project goes a long way. It is good practice to use a file structure, such as the one below that we use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n