DocsGetting StartedQuick Start

Introduction

CLI Reference

DocsGetting StartedQuick Start

Getting Started5 min read

Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with DataChonk in under 5 minutes. Follow these steps to create your first dbt project.

Prerequisites

A DataChonk account(free tier available)

Access to a database(PostgreSQL, Snowflake, BigQuery, MySQL, or Redshift)

Basic familiarity with dbt concepts

Step-by-Step Setup

Create a Project

After signing in, click New Project from your dashboard. Give your project a name and select your target warehouse type.

Pro Tip

Choose your warehouse type carefully - this determines which SQL dialect and dbt adapters DataChonk will use when generating code.

Connect a Data Source

Navigate to the Data Sources tab and click Add Source. Enter your database credentials:

PostgreSQL/MySQL: Host, port, database, username, password

Snowflake: Account, warehouse, database, username, password

BigQuery: Project ID, service account credentials

Click Test Connection to verify your credentials, then Save.

Scan Your Database

Once connected, click Start Scan to discover your database schema. DataChonk will:

Enumerate all tables and views
Catalog columns and data types
Detect foreign key relationships
Infer additional relationships from naming patterns

The scan typically takes 30 seconds to a few minutes depending on your database size.

Create Your First Chonk

Go to the Chonk Board tab and click Add Chonk. Start with a Source chonk:

1Select the source type
2Choose which tables to include
3Describe what you want in plain English
4Click Generate

Chonk will create properly formatted source YAML with descriptions, column definitions, and freshness tests.

Export Your Project

When you're ready, click the Export button to download a complete dbt project including:

All generated models (.sql)

Schema definitions (.yml)

Project configuration

Package dependencies

Documentation

Tests

Using the CLI

You can also use DataChonk from the command line for faster workflows:

Terminal

# Install the CLI globally
npm install -g @datachonk/cli

# Or run directly with npx
npx @datachonk/cli init

# Scan a database
datachonk scan --type postgresql --host localhost --database mydb

# Generate a staging model
datachonk generate staging users

# Chat with the Brain
datachonk chat "Create a fact table for orders"

Next Steps

Learn about different chonk types

Source, staging, entity, fact, and metric chonks

Master prompting techniques

Get better results from the Brain

Understand the output structure

How DataChonk organizes your dbt project

Explore Chonk Types