What causes GroupAccessDenied?

A model outside the group used ref() to reference a model whose access is set to 'private' within a different group. A developer moved a model to a new group without updating its access level from 'private' to 'protected' or 'public'. A bulk refactor reassigned group memberships and left previously-allowed inter-group refs broken. The group configuration in the dbt_project.yml was updated to restrict a model that other models already depended on

How do I fix GroupAccessDenied?

Step 1: Identify the private model causing the error — the dbt compilation error message names the model and its group.. Step 2: Decide the correct access level: if other groups should reference this model, change its access from 'private' to 'protected' or 'public' in the model YAML.. Step 3: If the model must stay private, move the referencing model into the same group.. Step 4: Run 'dbt compile' to confirm the access violation is resolved.. Step 5: Document the group access boundary decision in the group definition YAML as an owner comment.

Medium severitypermission

Power BI Refresh Error:
GroupAccessDenied

What does this error mean?

A dbt model attempted to reference a private model that belongs to a different group, which is not allowed — private models can only be referenced by other models within the same group.

Common causes

1A model outside the group used ref() to reference a model whose access is set to 'private' within a different group
2A developer moved a model to a new group without updating its access level from 'private' to 'protected' or 'public'
3A bulk refactor reassigned group memberships and left previously-allowed inter-group refs broken
4The group configuration in the dbt_project.yml was updated to restrict a model that other models already depended on

How to fix it

1Step 1: Identify the private model causing the error — the dbt compilation error message names the model and its group.
2Step 2: Decide the correct access level: if other groups should reference this model, change its access from 'private' to 'protected' or 'public' in the model YAML.
3Step 3: If the model must stay private, move the referencing model into the same group.
4Step 4: Run 'dbt compile' to confirm the access violation is resolved.
5Step 5: Document the group access boundary decision in the group definition YAML as an owner comment.

Frequently asked questions

What are the three access levels for dbt models?

Private: can only be referenced by models in the same group. Protected (default): can be referenced by any model in the same project or by a project that installs this one as a package. Public: can be referenced by any project in the dbt Mesh.

How do I see which group a model belongs to?

Check the model's YAML config for the 'group' property, or run 'dbt ls --output json' and inspect the group field. In dbt Cloud Explorer, models are color-coded and grouped visually on the lineage graph.