dbt-planner

Free, browser-based dbt lineage visualization and planning tool.

Visualize your dbt project DAG, plan model changes, analyze upstream/downstream dependencies, and export work plans — all without leaving your browser. No backend required.

Why dbt-planner?

• Instant Setup — Just load your manifest.json and start exploring
• Privacy First — All data stays in your browser (no server uploads)
• Plan Before You Build — Add proposed models, visualize changes, export work plans
• Impact Analysis — Understand what breaks before you break it

Features

Feature	Description
Lineage Visualization	Interactive DAG explorer for any dbt project
Layer Filtering	Filter by layer (source, staging, intermediate, mart)
Impact Analysis	Focus upstream/downstream to see dependencies
Model Planning	Add proposed models and connections visually
Work Plan Export	Export changes as Markdown or JSON for your team
Local Storage	Save multiple projects in your browser

Quick Start

Try it Online

Launch dbt-planner — No installation required

Run Locally

git clone https://github.com/ran-codes/dbt-planner.git
cd dbt-planner
npm install
npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000

Usage

Load Your Project

1. URL — Enter your dbt docs site URL (auto-fetches manifest.json)
2. Upload — Drag & drop your manifest.json file
3. Sample — Try included example projects

Navigate the Graph

• Pan: Click + drag
• Zoom: Scroll wheel
• Select: Click any node
• Context Menu: Right-click for focus options

Filter & Focus

• Filter by layer (raw, staging, intermediate, mart)
• Filter by resource type (model, source, seed)
• Filter by tags (AND/OR mode)
• Focus upstream/downstream from any node

Plan Changes

1. Right-click to add new models
2. Connect to existing nodes
3. Edit metadata (description, tags, SQL)
4. Export work plan when ready

Tech Stack

• Next.js 15 — React framework
• React Flow — Graph visualization
• Zustand — State management
• Tailwind CSS — Styling
• LocalForage — Browser storage

Use Cases

• Data Engineers: Visualize lineage before refactoring
• Analytics Engineers: Plan new models with context
• Data Teams: Document and share pipeline changes
• Code Review: Export work plans for PR descriptions

Keywords

dbt, dbt-core, data lineage, DAG visualization, manifest.json, data pipeline, analytics engineering, data modeling, impact analysis, dbt docs, lineage graph, dependency graph

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please open an issue first to discuss proposed changes.

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Built for the dbt community.