What if my source is in a poorly named schema or table?

By default, dbt will use the name: parameters to construct the source reference.

If these names are a little less-than-perfect, use the schema and identifier properties to define the names as per the database, and use your name: property for the name that makes sense!

models/<filename>.yml

version: 2

sources:
  - name: jaffle_shop
    schema: postgres_backend_public_schema
    database: raw
    tables:
      - name: orders
        identifier: api_orders

In a downstream model:

select * from {{ source('jaffle_shop', 'orders') }}

Will get compiled to:

select * from raw.postgres_backend_public_schema.api_orders