Model SQL transformations

Data models in Rill are composed SQL SELECT statements that operate on source data. They allow you to join, transform, and clean data.

SQL transformations with DuckDB

Data transformations in Rill Developer are powered by DuckDB and their dialect of SQL (duckSQL). Please visit their documentation for insight into how to write your queries.

Adding a data model

Using the UI

To add a new data model using the UI, click "+" by Models in the left hand navigation pane. You can now begin typing a duckSQL SELECT query for your model in the code editor – with keystroke-by-keystroke feedback.

Using the CLI

It is not possible to add models to Rill directly through the CLI.

Using code

When you add a data model using the UI, a code definition will automatically be created as a .sql file in the models folder in your Rill project.

In addition, you can create a model outside of the application and add it to Rill by placing a model_name.sql file in the models directory containing a duckSQL SELECT statement. Rill will automatically detect and parse the model next time you run rill start.

One Big Table and Dashboarding

It is powerful to be able to translate many ad hoc questions into a data framework that can answer a class of questions at scale. For example, high-level insights that are relevant to a company (how much revenue did we make last week?) are more actionable for an employee if it is relevant for their role (how did my campaign increase revenue last week?).

To experience the full potential of Rill, model your data sources into "One Big Table" – a granular resource that contains as much information as possible and can be rolled up in a meaningful way. This flexible OBT can be combined with a generalizable metrics definition to enable ad hoc slice-and-dice discovery through Rill's interactive dashboard.