This guide explains how to use dbt’s meta configuration to customize how your dbt resources are displayed and categorized in Coalesce Quality.Prerequisites:

A working dbt Core or dbt Cloud integration with Coalesce Quality
Familiarity with dbt’s meta configuration

Overview

Coalesce Quality reads custom metadata from your dbt project’s meta configuration to enhance how resources are displayed and organized. By adding specific options to your dbt models and tests, you can:

Categorize tests into specific Check categories
Improve organization and filtering in the Coalesce Quality interface

Check category

Use the check_category option to assign a dbt test to a specific Check category in Coalesce Quality. This is useful for organizing standalone dbt tests (generic or singular) into meaningful groups.

Configuration

Add the synq configuration to your test’s meta block:

{{ config(
    meta = {
        'synq': {'check_category': 'e2e'}
    }
)
}}

Example: Singular test

For a singular test file (e.g., tests/e2e_order_flow.sql):

{{ config(
    meta = {
        'synq': {'check_category': 'e2e'}
    }
)
}}

-- Test that verifies the complete order flow from creation to fulfillment
SELECT order_id
FROM {{ ref('orders') }}
WHERE status = 'created'
  AND created_at < CURRENT_TIMESTAMP - INTERVAL '24 hours'
  AND fulfilled_at IS NULL

Example: Generic test in schema.yml

For generic tests defined in your schema files:

models:
  - name: orders
    columns:
      - name: order_id
        tests:
          - unique:
              meta:
                synq:
                  check_category: 'data-quality'
          - not_null:
              meta:
                synq:
                  check_category: 'data-quality'

Example: Custom generic test

For custom generic tests, add the config at the top of the test file:

{% test custom_validation(model, column_name) %}

{{ config(
    meta = {
        'synq': {'check_category': 'validation'}
    }
)
}}

SELECT {{ column_name }}
FROM {{ model }}
WHERE {{ column_name }} IS NOT NULL
  AND NOT {{ column_name }} REGEXP '^[A-Z]{2}[0-9]{6}$'

{% endtest %}

How it works

Coalesce Quality automatically categorizes dbt tests based on the test type and package (e.g., dbt, dbt_expectations, dbt_utils). However, for singular tests or custom generic tests, it may not be able to determine the appropriate category automatically. Using check_category allows you to:

Override the automatic categorization for any test
Assign meaningful categories to singular tests that would otherwise be uncategorized
Group related tests together for better filtering and analysis in Coalesce Quality

Custom categories

You can use any category name that makes sense for your organization. Common examples:

Category	Description
`e2e`	End-to-end tests that validate complete workflows
`data-quality`	Tests for data completeness, accuracy, and consistency
`business-rules`	Tests that enforce business logic and constraints
`reconciliation`	Tests that compare data across sources
`validation`	Input validation and format checks
`sla`	Service level agreement compliance tests

Default categories

Coalesce Quality automatically assigns the following categories to known test types from dbt, dbt_expectations, dbt_utils, and other packages:

Category	Description
`accepted_values`	Tests that validate values are within an allowed set
`nullness`	Tests for null or not-null constraints
`unique`	Uniqueness validation tests
`relationships`	Referential integrity and foreign key tests
`freshness`	Data timeliness and recency tests
`row_count`	Row count validation and volume tests
`range_validation`	Tests that check values are within expected ranges
`comparison`	Tests comparing values between columns or tables
`structure`	Schema structure and column existence tests
`match_regex`	Pattern matching and regex validation tests

Setting check_category will override the default categorization for any test.

Best practices

Use custom categories to group tests by business domain or testing strategy
Be consistent with category names across your project
Document your categories so team members understand what each category represents

​Overview

​Check category

​Configuration

​Example: Singular test

​Example: Generic test in schema.yml

​Example: Custom generic test

​How it works

​Custom categories

​Default categories

​Best practices