Designing Domain-Oriented dbt Projects and Making Them Work in Airflow

As analytics teams grow, monolithic dbt projects can become tightly coupled and difficult to scale. Cross-domain dependencies multiply, deployment cycles slow down, and ownership boundaries blur.

dbt Mesh proposes a domain-oriented approach with independently owned dbt projects, explicit cross-project contracts, and controlled exposure to dependencies. Applying Mesh principles is not just about splitting repositories; orchestration must also support these boundaries.

In this session, we explore how to design dbt projects according to Mesh principles and how Airflow orchestration can reinforce those architectural decisions. Using multi-project capabilities in Cosmos that leverage dbt Loom-style cross-project referencing, we demonstrate how Airflow can model domain separation while still enabling controlled cross-project dependencies.

We will discuss architectural trade-offs, dependency modelling strategies, and lessons learned while enabling multi-project orchestration. Attendees will leave with practical guidance on moving from monolithic transformation workflows to domain-oriented patterns and understanding what orchestration support is required to make them a success.