What causes IncrementalStrategyNotSupportedError?

A model uses incremental_strategy: merge but the target database adapter (e.g., dbt-redshift on older versions) does not support MERGE syntax. A model uses incremental_strategy: insert_overwrite which is only supported by BigQuery, Spark, and Databricks adapters, not by Snowflake or Postgres. A model was copied from a project using one adapter to a project using a different adapter without updating the incremental strategy to one the new adapter supports

How do I fix IncrementalStrategyNotSupportedError?

Step 1: Check which incremental strategies your adapter supports in the dbt documentation for your database (e.g., dbt-snowflake supports append, merge, delete+insert; dbt-bigquery supports insert_overwrite, merge).. Step 2: Update the model's incremental_strategy config to a strategy supported by your adapter: {{config(materialized='incremental', incremental_strategy='merge')}}.. Step 3: If the unsupported strategy is intentional (e.g., a cross-adapter project), use a conditional macro that selects the strategy based on target.type.. Step 4: Run dbt compile on the model after the fix to confirm the strategy is now valid before running dbt build.

High severityconfiguration

Power BI Refresh Error:
IncrementalStrategyNotSupportedError

What does this error mean?

A dbt incremental model failed because the incremental_strategy configured for the model is not supported by the database adapter being used, causing dbt to raise an error during compilation or execution.

Common causes

1A model uses incremental_strategy: merge but the target database adapter (e.g., dbt-redshift on older versions) does not support MERGE syntax
2A model uses incremental_strategy: insert_overwrite which is only supported by BigQuery, Spark, and Databricks adapters, not by Snowflake or Postgres
3A model was copied from a project using one adapter to a project using a different adapter without updating the incremental strategy to one the new adapter supports

How to fix it

1Step 1: Check which incremental strategies your adapter supports in the dbt documentation for your database (e.g., dbt-snowflake supports append, merge, delete+insert; dbt-bigquery supports insert_overwrite, merge).
2Step 2: Update the model's incremental_strategy config to a strategy supported by your adapter: {{config(materialized='incremental', incremental_strategy='merge')}}.
3Step 3: If the unsupported strategy is intentional (e.g., a cross-adapter project), use a conditional macro that selects the strategy based on target.type.
4Step 4: Run dbt compile on the model after the fix to confirm the strategy is now valid before running dbt build.

Frequently asked questions

Is delete+insert the same as insert_overwrite?

No. delete+insert is a dbt-specific two-step strategy supported by most adapters, while insert_overwrite is a native partition-replacement strategy specific to BigQuery, Spark, and Databricks. They have different semantics and availability.

Can I use different strategies per environment?

Yes. Use a conditional config such as {{config(incremental_strategy='merge' if target.type == 'snowflake' else 'delete+insert')}} to adapt the strategy based on the target adapter.