dbt Cloud

Ten years ago, Tristan Handy and two analytics colleagues founded dbt Labs to empower “analytics engineers” who transform data for analysts. Their open-source “data build tool” gained traction, leading to the commercial dbt Cloud product. In October 2025, dbt Labs merged with Fivetran, a larger data integration vendor, promising tighter integration along the data pipeline.

dbt Labs now serves 5,400 customers globally: half in the US, a quarter in Europe, and a quarter elsewhere. The company has grown to around 1,000 employees, with about 30% of this growth happening in 2025 alone. Its ecosystem centers on Snowflake and Databricks, with partners including Alation, Monte Carlo, and Rudderstack.

dbt Cloud helps analytics engineers clean, model, test, and document data using software engineering best practices: version control, testing, and documentation. The product sits between cloud data platforms and consumption layers, executing transformations within the connected warehouse without storing data or handling ingestion.

May 2025 brought dbt’s biggest release: dbt Canvas (visual interface) and AI Copilot. This update followed the strategic decision to address more user groups, especially business analysts. The new Fusion Engine delivers speed and cost improvements through smarter execution and real-time validation. Unlike modeling-first tools, dbt prioritizes flexibility while maintaining quality through seamless synchronization between code and visual interfaces.

dbt Cloud suits cloud-native organizations, particularly mid-market to larger companies scaling data platforms or replacing legacy ETL tools. The Fivetran merger offers pipeline integration opportunities, while Fusion Engine, Canvas, and Copilot expand market reach without sacrificing code quality. dbt Labs remains the leader in code-first analytics engineering with growing ambitions in broader data management.