What is the purpose of Slim CI in dbt?

Slim CI is an important feature in dbt used to enhance the efficiency of the testing and development process. Its primary purpose is to run only the models that have changed, along with any dependent nodes, which significantly reduces the time and resources needed for testing and iterating on transformations during development. This approach is particularly beneficial in larger projects where running all models can be time-consuming, as it allows data engineers to focus on the parts of the project that are actively being modified.

By targeting just the changed models, Slim CI helps maintain a more agile workflow, ensuring that analytics engineers can quickly identify issues and verify changes without the overhead of full project runs. This feature thus streamlines the development cycle and optimizes the use of computational resources, making it a critical capability for teams working with extensive datasets and complex transformation logic.