High severityconfiguration
Power BI Refresh Error:
SchemaConfigError
What does this error mean?
dbt failed to parse a schema.yml or properties file due to an invalid configuration. This error surfaces at project compile time — before any models run — and blocks the entire job. Common triggers include wrong indentation, unrecognised keys, invalid data types for config values, or referencing a column or model that does not exist in the project.
Common causes
- 1A YAML indentation error in schema.yml causes the config block to be parsed as a plain string instead of a mapping
- 2An unrecognised top-level key is present in the model or source config block (e.g., a typo like `desciption` instead of `description`)
- 3A column listed under `columns:` in schema.yml does not exist in the model's SELECT, causing dbt's contract enforcement to fail
- 4A data_type value in a model contract block uses a warehouse-specific type that is not supported by the adapter's type mapping
- 5A meta or config key is nested at the wrong level (e.g., under `columns:` instead of `config:`)
How to fix it
- 1Run `dbt parse` or `dbt compile` locally to surface the exact file and line number of the schema error before pushing to dbt Cloud.
- 2Use a YAML linter (e.g., yamllint) to catch indentation and syntax issues before committing changes to schema.yml files.
- 3Check the dbt Cloud run log for the `SchemaConfigError` message — it typically names the file and the offending key.
- 4Compare the failing config block against the dbt documentation for the property you are configuring to verify key names and nesting.
- 5If using model contracts, ensure every column listed in the contract exists in the model's SELECT statement and that data types match the warehouse.