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dbt CLI string variables get inserted as integers from YAML dictionary

I'm trying to run the run command with some custom values:

dbt run --vars "{start_date: '2022-08-01', end_date: '2022-08-02'}"

and then use these variables in contexts like:

WHERE session_date BETWEEN {{ var('start_date') }} AND {{ var('end_date') }}

The values need to be inserted as strings (with single quotes kept), but it gets compiled as:

WHERE session_date BETWEEN 2022-08-01 AND 2022-08-02

which then is incorrect SQL ("No matching signature for operator BETWEEN for argument types: DATE, INT64, INT64"). I have tried switching the single and double quotes, but the problem remains.

How can I make it respect the quotes passed in the YAML dict?

Solution

  • I solved this by simply adding single quotes around the variable statements:

    WHERE session_date BETWEEN '{{ var("start_date") }}' AND '{{ var("end_date") }}'