# running multiple sql statements from a macro in a pre\_hook

**URL:** <https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/running-multiple-sql-statements-from-a-macro-in-a-pre-hook/5797>\
**Category:** Help\
**Tags:** jinja, hooks, macros\
**Created:** [December 21, 2022, 2:36pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/running-multiple-sql-statements-from-a-macro-in-a-pre-hook/5797 "2022-12-21T14:36:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sambloom92](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.getdbt.com/sambloom92/32/1473_2.png) [@sambloom92](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/sambloom92)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2022, 2:36pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/running-multiple-sql-statements-from-a-macro-in-a-pre-hook/5797/1 "2022-12-21T14:36:48Z")

</div>

I want to run multiple sql statements before my main model (due to some idiosyncracies of teradata data warehouse that I’m using). The sql statements I want to run in the pre\_hook depend on whether the model is being run incrementally or as a full refresh, so I have written a macro which needs to have access to the result of the `is_incremental` function. In my examples there are just two statements but the actual number of statements will also depend on this context.

I am aware of several github issues ([2370](https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/issues/2370), [4023](https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt-core/issues/4023), 3985, 3986, 5413 (I can only hyperlink the first two as i’m a new user) ) where they mention config information such as is\_incremental or custom schema get rendered at parse time instead of run time, and the solution seems to be to nest curlies to make sure it gets re-rendered, e.g.:

```auto
{{ config(
    materialized='incremental',
    pre_hook="{{ conditional_pre_hook_macro() }}"
) }}

```

However this solution seems to only work for singular string value for the pre\_hook argument of config, whereas I need to pass an array of strings as the pre\_hook argument. I can’t figure out how to get the macro to render properly with the correct result from `is_incremental` being rendered at run time, whilst having the pre\_hook argument render as an array, not a string.

Here an example of the macro I am using:

```auto
{% macro conditional_pre_hook_macro() %}
{% if is_incremental() %}
create multiset volatile table temp as (
    select
    now() as ts,
    'ran incrementally' as status
)
with data and stats
primary index (ts)
on commit preserve rows
;
insert into temp
select
now(),
'foo '
;
{% else %}
create multiset volatile table temp as (
    select
    now() as ts,
    'fully refreshed ' as status
)
with data and stats
primary index (ts)
on commit preserve rows
;
insert into temp
select
now(),
'bar '
;
{% endif %}
{% endmacro %}

```

And here is an example of the model. I’m using the `split` method to ensure that the result is an array of strings instead of just one string, but it seems to have no effect:

```auto
{{ config(
    materialized='incremental',
    pre_hook="{{ conditional_pre_hook_macro() }}".split(';')
) }}
select 1 as foo

```

Running this gives the following error, because it is trying to run two statements in one go (this is why the pre\_hook needs to be an array, not just a single string):

```auto
[Teradata Database] [Error 3722] Only a COMMIT WORK or null statement is legal after a DDL Statement.

```

I have tried making my macro return an array of strings, but then the pre\_hook just gets rendered as a string with an array inside of it, e.g. `'["select foo", "select bar"]'`, and I can’t seem to coerce this back to an actual array.

Is there a trick to this or is what i’m trying to do fundamtentally at odds with how dbt is desgined to work?

Many thanks,

Sam