Sequel vs dbt: What are the differences?

# Introduction

Key differences between Sequel and dbt are outlined below:

1. **Purpose**: Sequel is primarily an ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) library for Ruby that allows developers to interact with databases using Ruby code, whereas dbt (data build tool) is specifically designed for data transformation in the context of analytics engineering.
2. **Workflow**: While Sequel focuses on providing an interface for database interactions within the Ruby programming language, dbt's primary focus is on transforming data in a structured, repeatable, and testable manner using SQL and Jinja-based models.
3. **Dependency Management**: Sequel does not have an in-built dependency management system, whereas dbt includes a package manager that allows users to easily manage dependencies for their data transformation operations.
4. **Version Control**: Sequel does not provide built-in version control capabilities for database schemas and transformations, while dbt supports version control of the SQL code and models used for data transformations.
5. **Testing**: dbt offers native support for data testing by providing a framework for defining and running tests on data pipelines, ensuring the quality and accuracy of the transformed data, a feature that is not present in Sequel.
6. **Community and Ecosystem**: dbt has a strong community of analytics engineers and data professionals who contribute to its ecosystem by sharing best practices, packages, and resources, while Sequel's community primarily consists of Ruby developers focused on ORM and database interactions.

In Summary, the key differences between Sequel and dbt lie in their primary purpose, workflow, dependency management, version control capabilities, testing features, and community support.