SnowConvert AI - Informatica PowerCenter - dbt output¶

This page describes the dbt output format for Informatica PowerCenter: how SnowConvert AI converts Mappings into dbt projects and Workflows into Snowflake Task graphs that run them. For the concept overview and supported-component matrix, see the Informatica PowerCenter overview. For the alternative output, see Informatica to Snowflake Scripting.

How a Mapping becomes a dbt project¶

SnowConvert AI converts each Mapping into a standalone dbt project with a three-tier model architecture.

Layer	Materialization	Purpose
`models/staging/`	View	Clean, type-safe access to source data referenced in `sources.yml`. Generated from Source Qualifier and Source Definition transformations.
`models/intermediate/`	Ephemeral	Transformation logic from the original Mapping. Not persisted to the database. Generated from Expression, Joiner, Filter, Lookup, and other transformations.
`models/marts/`	Incremental or Table	Business-ready data models that correspond to Target Definitions. Uses incremental materialization with a merge strategy when an Update Strategy transformation is present.

Each Mapping produces this project structure:

{MappingName}/
├── dbt_project.yml                   # Materialization config
├── profiles.yml                      # Snowflake connection profile
├── models/
│   ├── sources.yml                   # Source table definitions
│   ├── staging/
│   │   ├── stg_customers.sql
│   │   └── stg_regions.sql
│   ├── intermediate/
│   │   ├── int_expression.sql
│   │   └── int_joiner.sql
│   └── marts/
│       └── customer_dim.sql
└── macros/
    └── *.sql                         # Mapplet-derived macros

Important

Before deploying, replace the YOUR_SCHEMA and YOUR_DB placeholders in sources.yml and profiles.yml with your actual Snowflake schema and database names.

Data flow components¶

SnowConvert AI converts each Mapping transformation into a dbt model. The following transformations are supported. For a before/after example of each, see Mappings and transformations.

Informatica transformation	Category	dbt output	Naming pattern
Source Qualifier	Source	Staging model	`stg_raw__{source_name}`
Source Definition	Source	Staging model	`stg_raw__{source_name}`
Expression	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Filter	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Joiner	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Lookup (connected)	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Lookup (unconnected)	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Aggregator	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Router	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Sorter	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Union	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Normalizer	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Rank	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Sequence Generator	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Update Strategy	Transformation	Intermediate model + incremental mart	`int_{transformation_name}`
Stored Procedure	Transformation	Intermediate model	`int_{transformation_name}`
Mapplet	Reuse	dbt macro	`macros/{mapplet_name}.sql`
Target Definition	Destination	Mart model	`{target_name}`

Note

Unlisted Mapping transformations generate an EWI code that flags the transformation for manual conversion. For a before/after example of each supported transformation, see Mappings and transformations.

Control flow components¶

Informatica Workflows define orchestration: which Sessions run, in what order, and with what variable context. SnowConvert AI converts a Workflow into a graph of Snowflake Tasks linked by AFTER dependencies, and converts each Worklet into a stored procedure that the graph calls.

Element	Conversion target	Notes
Workflow	Task graph	A root Task plus one Task per element, chained with `AFTER`.
Start	Root Task (`SELECT 1`)	Entry point of the graph; no `AFTER` clause.
Session	Task running `EXECUTE DBT PROJECT`	Runs the Session’s Mapping as a dbt project.
Session overrides	Applied in the dbt project	Pre/Post-SQL become model hooks; a SQL Override replaces the source query.
Worklet	Stored procedure called with `CALL`	A reusable sub-workflow.
Decision, Assignment, and Email tasks	Inline scripting in the Task	Conditions, variable assignments, and notifications.
Parameter files	Loaded into `control_variables` at runtime	`.txt` and `.xml` formats are supported.

For the generated SQL and an example of each element, see Workflows and orchestration.

Note

Unlisted Workflow elements (for example, Timer and Command tasks) are kept as a commented stub and marked with an EWI for manual conversion.

Variable management¶

SnowConvert AI manages Informatica variables and parameters through a table-driven system generated in the etl_configuration/ folder. User-defined variables become dbt project variables ({{ var('name') }}) in the models, and a shared control_variables table tracks their values at runtime so orchestration can read and update them.

For the control_variables table, the supporting UDFs and procedures, parameter files, and variable scope, see Variables and parameters.