To use the Datafold REST API, you should first create a Datafold API key in Settings > Account.

​
Install

Then, create your virtual environment for Python:

> python3 -m venv venv
> source venv/bin/activate
> pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel

Now, you’re ready to install the Datafold SDK:

> pip install datafold-sdk

​
Configure

Navigate in the Datafold UI to Settings > Integrations > CI. After selecting datafold-sdk from the available options, complete configuration with the following information:

Field NameDescription
RepositorySelect the repository that generates the webhooks and where pull / merge requests will be raised.
Data ConnectionSelect the data connection where the code that is changed in the repository will run.
NameAn identifier used in Datafold to identify this CI configuration.
Files to ignoreIf defined, the files matching the pattern will be ignored in the PRs. The pattern uses the syntax of .gitignore. Excluded files can be re-included by using the negation; re-included files can be later re-excluded again to narrow down the filter.
Mark the CI check as failed on errorsIf the checkbox is disabled, the errors in the CI runs will be reported back to GitHub/GitLab as successes, to keep the check “green” and not block the PR/MR. By default (enabled), the errors are reported as failures and may prevent PR/MRs from being merged.
Require the datafold label to start CIWhen this is selected, the Datafold CI process will only run when the ‘datafold’ label has been applied. This label needs to be created manually in GitHub or GitLab and the title or name must match ‘datafold’ exactly.
Sampling toleranceThe tolerance to apply in sampling for all data diffs.
Sampling confidenceThe confidence to apply when sampling.
Sampling ThresholdSampling will be disabled automatically if tables are smaller than specified threshold. If unspecified, default values will be used depending on the Data Connection type.

​
Add commands to your custom orchestration

export DATAFOLD_API_KEY=XXXXXXXXX

# only needed if your Datafold app url is not app.datafold.com
export DATAFOLD_HOST=<CUSTOM_DATAFOLD_APP_DOMAIN>

To submit diffs for a CI run, replace ci_config_id, pr_num, and diffs_file with the appropriate values for your CI configuration ID, pull request number, and the path to your diffs JSON file.

​
CLI

datafold ci submit \
  --ci-config-id <ci_config_id> \
  --pr-num <pr_num> \
  --diffs <diffs_file> \

​
Python

import os

from datafold_sdk.sdk.ci import run_diff

api_key = os.environ.get('DATAFOLD_API_KEY')

# Only needed if your Datafold app URL is not app.datafold.com
host = os.environ.get("DATAFOLD_HOST")

run_diff(host=host,
         api_key=api_key,
         ci_config_id=<ci_config_id>,
         pr_num=<pr_num>,
         diffs='<diffs_file>')
Example JSON format for diffs file

The JSON file should define the production and pull request tables to compare, along with any primary keys and columns to include or exclude in the comparison.

[
  {
    "prod": "YOUR_PROJECT.PRODUCTION_TABLE_A",
    "pr": "YOUR_PROJECT.PR_TABLE_NUM",
    "pk": ["ID"],
    "include_columns": ["Column1", "Column2"],
    "exclude_columns": ["Column3"]
  },
  {
    "prod": "YOUR_PROJECT.PRODUCTION_TABLE_B",
    "pr": "YOUR_PROJECT.PR_TABLE_NUM",
    "pk": ["ID"],
    "include_columns": ["Column1"],
    "exclude_columns": []
  }
]
dbt CloudLooker