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type

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Available from dbt v1.11 or with the dbt "Latest" release track.
functions/<filename>.yml


functions:
  - name: <function name>
    type: scalar | aggregate | table  # aggregate and table coming soon

Definition​

The type property specifies the type of user-defined function (UDF) you're creating. This property is optional and defaults to scalar if not specified.

Supported function types​

scalar (default)​

A scalar function returns a single value for each row of input. This is the most common type of UDF.

Example use cases:

  • Data validation (checking if a string matches a pattern)
  • Data transformation (converting formats, cleaning strings)
  • Custom calculations (complex mathematical operations)
functions/schema.yml

functions:
  - name: is_positive_int
    description: Determines if a string represents a positive integer
    type: scalar
    arguments:
      - name: input_string
        data_type: STRING
    returns:
      data_type: BOOLEAN

aggregate​

Aggregate functions operate on multiple rows and return a single value. These functions are used in GROUP BY operations.

Coming soon

Support for aggregate functions is planned for a future release.

Example:

functions/schema.yml

functions:
  - name: double_total
    description: Sums values and doubles the result
    type: aggregate
    arguments:
      - name: values
        data_type: FLOAT
        description: A sequence of numbers to aggregate
    returns:
      data_type: FLOAT

table​

Table functions return a table (multiple rows and columns) rather than a single value.

Coming soon

Support for table functions is planned for a future release.

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