# Syntax error in provided models after install

**URL:** <https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/syntax-error-in-provided-models-after-install/19337>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [May 10, 2025, 1:34pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/syntax-error-in-provided-models-after-install/19337 "2025-05-10T13:34:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sculley](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.getdbt.com/sculley/32/5657_2.png) [@sculley](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/sculley)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 1:34pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/syntax-error-in-provided-models-after-install/19337/1 "2025-05-10T13:34:34Z")

</div>

## The problem I’m having

I’m on my 2nd attempt to install dbt for sql-server on prem. I get through the installation and do dbt debug and it completes successfully.

When I go to open the provided models with the install I get a “Incorrect syntax near ‘materialed’. Expected ‘(’ or ‘SELECT’”

I can find no information online about why this is happening. In all instructions, video and CoPilot, at this point I should be able to create and use the models.

## The context of why I’m trying to do this

New install - just getting started

## What I’ve already tried

Removed and re-installed for python up

## Some example code or error messages

This is the code that came with the install  
Error Message: Incorrect syntax near ‘materialized’. Expecting ‘(’, or SELECT.

```auto

/*
    Welcome to your first dbt model!
    Did you know that you can also configure models directly within SQL files?
    This will override configurations stated in dbt_project.yml

    Try changing "table" to "view" below
*/

{{ config(materialized='table') }}

with source_data as (

    select 1 as id
    union all
    select null as id

)

select *
from source_data

/*
    Uncomment the line below to remove records with null `id` values
*/

-- where id is not null

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![creedthoughtsdotgov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@creedthoughtsdotgov](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/creedthoughtsdotgov)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/syntax-error-in-provided-models-after-install/19337/2 "2025-05-10T14:49:45Z")

</div>

What do you mean by “When I go to open the provided models” do you get this error after dbt run / dbt build or it’s a syntax error in the editor ?

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**Author:** ![a\_slack\_user](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.getdbt.com/a_slack_user/32/1629_2.png) [@a\_slack\_user](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/a_slack_user)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 5:46pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/syntax-error-in-provided-models-after-install/19337/3 "2025-05-10T17:46:11Z")

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I just open the file editor.

Note: `@stefanie.culley` originally [posted this reply in Slack](https://getdbt.slack.com/archives/CBSQTAPLG/p1746899160991309?thread_ts=1746884097.459219&cid=CBSQTAPLG). It might not have transferred perfectly.

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**Author:** ![a\_slack\_user](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.getdbt.com/a_slack_user/32/1629_2.png) [@a\_slack\_user](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/a_slack_user)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 5:47pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/syntax-error-in-provided-models-after-install/19337/4 "2025-05-10T17:47:07Z")

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Literally click the my first model file provided in the example folder

Note: `@stefanie.culley` originally [posted this reply in Slack](https://getdbt.slack.com/archives/CBSQTAPLG/p1746899218227349?thread_ts=1746884097.459219&cid=CBSQTAPLG). It might not have transferred perfectly.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![a\_slack\_user](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.getdbt.com/a_slack_user/32/1629_2.png) [@a\_slack\_user](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/a_slack_user)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 5:48pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/syntax-error-in-provided-models-after-install/19337/5 "2025-05-10T17:48:00Z")

</div>

As soon as it opens it gives the syntax erro

Note: `@stefanie.culley` originally [posted this reply in Slack](https://getdbt.slack.com/archives/CBSQTAPLG/p1746899271035029?thread_ts=1746884097.459219&cid=CBSQTAPLG). It might not have transferred perfectly.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![a\_slack\_user](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.getdbt.com/a_slack_user/32/1629_2.png) [@a\_slack\_user](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/a_slack_user)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 5:49pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/syntax-error-in-provided-models-after-install/19337/6 "2025-05-10T17:49:01Z")

</div>

So in the editor

Note: `@stefanie.culley` originally [posted this reply in Slack](https://getdbt.slack.com/archives/CBSQTAPLG/p1746899333205999?thread_ts=1746884097.459219&cid=CBSQTAPLG). It might not have transferred perfectly.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sculley](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.getdbt.com/sculley/32/5657_2.png) [@sculley](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/sculley)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 1:46am UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/syntax-error-in-provided-models-after-install/19337/7 "2025-05-11T01:46:59Z")

</div>

Playing with it more, I’ve done dbt deps, that works, did a dbt clean and dbt compile. When I compile or run I get this message:  
01:41:56 [WARNING]: Configuration paths exist in your dbt\_project.yml file which do not apply to any resources.  
There are 1 unused configuration paths:

- models.idi\_datavault.automatedv.example  
This is my file path C:\source\Python\idi\_datavault\automatedv\models\example  
This is my project yml

# Name your project! Project names should contain only lowercase characters

# and underscores. A good package name should reflect your organization’s

# name or the intended use of these models

name: ‘automatedv’  
version: ‘1.0.0’

# This setting configures which “profile” dbt uses for this project.

profile: ‘automatedv’

# These configurations specify where dbt should look for different types of files.

# The `model-paths` config, for example, states that models in this project can be

# found in the “models/” directory. You probably won’t need to change these!

model-paths: [“models”]  
analysis-paths: [“analyses”]  
test-paths: [“tests”]  
seed-paths: [“seeds”]  
macro-paths: [“macros”]  
snapshot-paths: [“snapshots”]

clean-targets: # directories to be removed by `dbt clean`

- “target”
- “dbt\_packages”

# Configuring models

# Full documentation: [Model configurations | dbt Developer Hub](https://docs.getdbt.com/docs/configuring-models)

# In this example config, we tell dbt to build all models in the example/

# directory as views. These settings can be overridden in the individual model

# files using the `{{ config(...) }}` macro.

models:  
idi\_datavault:  
automatedv:  
example:  
+enabled: true  
+materialized: table