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Projects

Create new Strata projects, clone from source, or link to an existing server project.

Learning Objectives​

After completing this guide, you will be able to:

  • Initialize a new Strata project
  • Add datasource adapters during initialization
  • Clone an existing project from a URL
  • Link a local project to an existing project on the Strata server
  • Configure project.yml

Prerequisites​

  • Strata CLI installed
  • For cloning: repository URL and API key (if required)
  • For linking: project ID from the Strata server

Step 1: Initialize a New Project​

Run the init command with your project name:

strata init my-project

What happens: The CLI creates a new directory with the following structure:

my-project/
├── project.yml          # Project configuration
├── datasources.yml      # Datasource definitions
├── .strata              # Local secrets (gitignored)
├── models/              # Semantic model files
├── migrations/          # Migration files
└── tests/               # Test definitions

With datasource adapters: You can add one or more datasource adapters during initialization:

strata init my-project -d postgres -d snowflake

Supported adapters: postgres, snowflake, mysql, sqlserver, athena, trino, duckdb, druid.

Step 2: Clone from Source​

If the project already exists in a repository, clone it:

strata init --source STRATA_PROJECT_URL --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

What happens: The CLI clones and sets up the project. The API key is required if the repository requires authentication.

Note: PROJECT_NAME is not required when using --source; the directory name comes from the project in server.

Project Configuration​

After initialization, edit project.yml:

name: My Project
description: Project description
server: https://strata.example.com
production_branch: main
git: https://github.com/example/project.git

The project_id is added automatically after your first deployment.

Best Practices​

  1. Use descriptive project names - e.g. analytics-warehouse, not proj1
  2. Keep .strata out of git - It contains secrets; ensure it is in .gitignore

Next Steps​