Description

Note

The below checks require manifest.json to be present.

Checks related to source descriptions.

Functions:

Name	Description
check_source_description_populated	Sources must have a populated description.

check_source_description_populated

Sources must have a populated description.

Rationale

Sources represent the boundary between raw, external data and the curated dbt project. A populated description explains what the source is, where it comes from, and how it is loaded — context that is invaluable when debugging data issues or onboarding new team members. Without enforcing descriptions, sources accumulate as anonymous inputs that future maintainers cannot evaluate or trust, increasing the risk of misuse or redundant ingestion pipelines.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
min_description_length	int | None	Minimum length required for the description to be considered populated.	None

Receives at execution time:

Name	Type	Description
source	SourceNode	The SourceNode object to check.

Other Parameters (passed via config file):

Name	Type	Description
description	str | None	Description of what the check does and why it is implemented.
exclude	str | None	Regex pattern to match the source path (i.e the .yml file where the source is configured). Source paths that match the pattern will not be checked.
include	str | None	Regex pattern to match the source path (i.e the .yml file where the source is configured). Only source paths that match the pattern will be checked.
severity	Literal[error, warn] | None	Severity level of the check. Default: error.

Example(s):

manifest_checks:
    - name: check_source_description_populated

manifest_checks:
    - name: check_source_description_populated
      min_description_length: 25 # Setting a stricter requirement for description length

Source code in src/dbt_bouncer/checks/manifest/sources/description.py

@check
def check_source_description_populated(
    source, *, min_description_length: Annotated[int, Field(gt=0)] | None = None
):
    """Sources must have a populated description.

    !!! info "Rationale"

        Sources represent the boundary between raw, external data and the curated dbt project. A populated description explains what the source is, where it comes from, and how it is loaded — context that is invaluable when debugging data issues or onboarding new team members. Without enforcing descriptions, sources accumulate as anonymous inputs that future maintainers cannot evaluate or trust, increasing the risk of misuse or redundant ingestion pipelines.

    Parameters:
        min_description_length (int | None): Minimum length required for the description to be considered populated.

    Receives:
        source (SourceNode): The SourceNode object to check.

    Other Parameters:
        description (str | None): Description of what the check does and why it is implemented.
        exclude (str | None): Regex pattern to match the source path (i.e the .yml file where the source is configured). Source paths that match the pattern will not be checked.
        include (str | None): Regex pattern to match the source path (i.e the .yml file where the source is configured). Only source paths that match the pattern will be checked.
        severity (Literal["error", "warn"] | None): Severity level of the check. Default: `error`.

    Example(s):
        ```yaml
        manifest_checks:
            - name: check_source_description_populated
        ```
        ```yaml
        manifest_checks:
            - name: check_source_description_populated
              min_description_length: 25 # Setting a stricter requirement for description length
        ```

    """
    desc = source.description or ""
    display = f"{source.source_name}.{source.name}"
    if not is_description_populated(desc, min_description_length or 4):
        fail(f"`{display}` does not have a populated description.")