Sybase IQ to dbt Model Conversion

Purpose

Transform Sybase IQ DDL (views, tables, stored procedures) into production-quality dbt models compatible with Snowflake, maintaining the same business logic and data transformation steps while following dbt best practices.

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when users ask about:

• Converting Sybase IQ views or tables to dbt models
• Migrating Sybase stored procedures to dbt
• Translating Sybase SQL syntax to Snowflake
• Generating schema.yml files with tests and documentation
• Handling Sybase-specific syntax conversions (T-SQL variant, built-in functions)

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REQUIRED FIRST STEP — Run SnowConvert AI (SCAI)

Do NOT begin manual conversion of tables or views. Sybase IQ has partial SnowConvert AI support (tables and views only — stored procedures and functions are NOT supported). Before writing any dbt model for a table or view by hand:

1. Run SnowConvert AI on the source DDL to produce Snowflake-compatible SQL.
2. Use the $dbt-migration-snowflake skill to convert the SCAI output to dbt models.
3. Only fall back to this skill's manual translation rules for objects SCAI could not convert (check the conversion report for EWIs) or for procedures/functions (which require manual conversion).

See the $dbt-migration skill for download links and full workflow.

Name Retention Rule

Preserve original object names. The dbt model filename and model name MUST match the original source object name (lowercased, without schema prefix). For example, dbo.patient_visits becomes patient_visits.sql. Do not rename objects during migration unless explicitly requested by the user.

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Task Description

You are a database engineer working for a hospital system. You need to convert Sybase IQ DDL to equivalent dbt code compatible with Snowflake, maintaining the same business logic and data transformation steps while following dbt best practices.

Input Requirements

I will provide you the Sybase DDL to convert.

Audience

The code will be executed by data engineers who are learning Snowflake and dbt.

Output Requirements

Generate the following:

1. One or more dbt models with complete SQL for every column
2. A corresponding schema.yml file with appropriate tests and documentation
3. A config block with materialization strategy
4. Explanation of key changes and architectural decisions
5. Inline comments highlighting any syntax that was converted

Conversion Guidelines

General Principles

• Replace procedural logic with declarative SQL where possible
• Break down complex procedures into multiple modular dbt models
• Implement appropriate incremental processing strategies
• Maintain data quality checks through dbt tests
• Use Snowflake SQL functions rather than macros whenever possible

Sample Response Format

-- dbt model: models/[domain]/[target_schema_name]/model_name.sql
{{ config(materialized='view') }}

/* Original Object: [database].[owner].[object_name]
   Source Platform: Sybase IQ
   Purpose: [brief description]
   Conversion Notes: [key changes]
   Description: [SQL logic description] */

WITH source_data AS (
    SELECT
        customer_id::INTEGER AS customer_id,
        customer_name::VARCHAR(100) AS customer_name,
        -- MONEY converted to NUMBER(18,2)
        account_balance::NUMBER(18,2) AS account_balance,
        -- DATETIME converted to TIMESTAMP_NTZ
        created_date::TIMESTAMP_NTZ AS created_date
    FROM {{ ref('upstream_model') }}
),

transformed_data AS (
    SELECT
        customer_id,
        UPPER(customer_name)::VARCHAR(100) AS customer_name_upper,
        account_balance,
        created_date,
        CURRENT_TIMESTAMP()::TIMESTAMP_NTZ AS loaded_at
    FROM source_data
)

SELECT
    customer_id,
    customer_name_upper,
    account_balance,
    created_date,
    loaded_at
FROM transformed_data

## models/[domain]/[target_schema_name]/_models.yml
version: 2

models:
  - name: model_name
    description: "Table description; converted from Sybase IQ [Original object name]"
    columns:
      - name: customer_id
        description: "Primary key - unique customer identifier"
        tests:
          - unique
          - not_null
      - name: customer_name_upper
        description: "Customer name in uppercase"
      - name: account_balance
        description: "Current account balance; Foreign key to OTHER_TABLE"
        tests:
          - relationships:
              to: ref('OTHER_TABLE')
              field: OTHER_TABLE_KEY
      - name: created_date
        description: "Date the customer record was created"
      - name: loaded_at
        description: "Timestamp when the record was loaded by dbt"

## dbt_project.yml (excerpt)
models:
  my_project:
    +materialized: view
    domain_name:
      +schema: target_schema_name

Specific Translation Rules

dbt Specific Requirements

• If the source is a view, use a view materialization in dbt
• Include appropriate dbt model configuration (materialization type)
• Add documentation blocks for a schema.yml
• Add descriptions for tables and columns
• Include relevant tests
• Define primary keys and relationships
• Assume that upstream objects are models
• Comprehensively provide all the columns in the output
• Break complex procedures into multiple models if needed
• Implement appropriate incremental strategies for large tables
• Use Snowflake SQL functions rather than macros whenever possible
• Always cast columns with explicit precision/scale using ::TYPE syntax (e.g., column_name::VARCHAR(100), amount::NUMBER(18,2)) to ensure output matches expected data types
• Always provide explicit column aliases for clarity and documentation

Performance Optimization

• Suggest clustering keys if needed
• Recommend materialization strategy (view vs table)
• Identify potential performance improvements

Sybase to Snowflake Syntax Conversion

• Convert T-SQL variant syntax to Snowflake
• Replace Sybase built-in functions with Snowflake equivalents
• Handle SELECT statement differences
• Convert data types specific to Sybase IQ
• Replace procedural code with Snowflake Scripting
• Handle CASE expression differences
• Convert string functions

Key Data Type Mappings

Sybase IQ	Snowflake	Notes
INT/INTEGER	INTEGER
BIGINT	BIGINT
SMALLINT/TINYINT	Same
DECIMAL/NUMERIC	Same
FLOAT/REAL/DOUBLE	FLOAT
CHAR/VARCHAR	Same
TEXT	VARCHAR
BINARY/VARBINARY	BINARY
BIT	BOOLEAN
DATE	DATE
TIME	TIME
DATETIME/TIMESTAMP	TIMESTAMP
MONEY/SMALLMONEY	NUMBER(38,4)

Key Syntax Conversions

-- TOP -> LIMIT
SELECT TOP 10 * FROM table -> SELECT * FROM table LIMIT 10

-- GETDATE() -> CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
GETDATE() -> CURRENT_TIMESTAMP()

-- ISNULL -> COALESCE
ISNULL(col, 0) -> COALESCE(col, 0)

-- CONVERT -> :: casting or TO_* functions
CONVERT(VARCHAR, col) -> col::VARCHAR
CONVERT(VARCHAR(50), col) -> col::VARCHAR(50)
CONVERT(DATE, col, 101) -> TO_DATE(col, 'MM/DD/YYYY')

-- String functions
CHARINDEX('x', col) -> POSITION('x' IN col)

Common Function Mappings

Sybase IQ	Snowflake	Notes
ISNULL(a, b)	COALESCE(a, b) or IFNULL(a, b)
COALESCE(...)	COALESCE(...)	Same
NULLIF(a, b)	NULLIF(a, b)	Same
GETDATE()	CURRENT_TIMESTAMP()
DATEADD(unit, n, d)	DATEADD(unit, n, d)	Same
DATEDIFF(unit, d1, d2)	DATEDIFF(unit, d1, d2)	Same
DATEPART(unit, d)	DATE_PART(unit, d)
CONVERT(type, val)	val::type
CAST(val AS type)	val::type
CHARINDEX(s, str)	POSITION(s IN str)
SUBSTRING(s, pos, len)	SUBSTR(s, pos, len)
LEN(str)	LENGTH(str)
REPLICATE(str, n)	REPEAT(str, n)
STUFF(s, pos, len, new)	INSERT(s, pos, len, new)
ROUND(n, d)	ROUND(n, d)	Same
CEILING(n)	CEIL(n)

Dependencies

• List any upstream dependencies
• Suggest model organization in dbt project

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Validation Checklist

• [] Every DDL statement has been accounted for in the dbt models
• [] SQL in models is compatible with Snowflake
• [] Sybase-specific syntax converted (T-SQL variant functions, SELECT differences)
• [] All business logic preserved
• [] All columns included in output
• [] Data types correctly mapped
• [] Functions translated to Snowflake equivalents
• [] Materialization strategy selected
• [] Tests added
• [] SQL logic description complete
• [] Table descriptions added
• [] Column descriptions added
• [] Dependencies correctly mapped
• [] Incremental logic (if applicable) verified
• [] Inline comments added for converted syntax

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Related Skills

• $dbt-migration - For the complete migration workflow (discovery, planning, placeholder models, testing, deployment)
• $dbt-modeling - For CTE patterns and SQL structure guidance
• $dbt-testing - For implementing comprehensive dbt tests
• $dbt-architecture - For project organization and folder structure
• $dbt-materializations - For choosing materialization strategies (view, table, incremental, snapshots)
• $dbt-performance - For clustering keys, warehouse sizing, and query optimization
• $dbt-commands - For running dbt commands and model selection syntax
• $dbt-core - For dbt installation, configuration, and package management
• $snowflake-cli - For executing SQL and managing Snowflake objects

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Supported Source Database

Database	Key Considerations
Sybase IQ	T-SQL variant, different built-in functions, SELECT syntax differences

Translation References

Detailed syntax translation guides are available in the translation-references/ folder.

Copyright Notice: The translation reference documentation in this repository is derived from Snowflake SnowConvert Documentation and is © Copyright Snowflake Inc. All rights reserved. Used for reference purposes only.

Reference Index

• Built In Functions
• Create Table
• Create View
• Data Types
• Overview (README)
• Select Statement
• Subqueries