# Understanding Sources

**URL:** <https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/understanding-sources/15125>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [August 24, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/understanding-sources/15125 "2024-08-24T17:27:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mikej345](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@mikej345](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/mikej345)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/understanding-sources/15125/1 "2024-08-24T17:27:36Z")

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Hi,

I’m working my way through the dbt fundamentals course and I’m having a little difficulty with sources ymls.

I’m using Databricks Unity Catalog.

Within the sources yml there is a Name property and also a schema property.

When do you know which one you should reference in a source{{}} call?

There doesn’t appear to be a clear rhyme or reason within the tutorial quiz. Sometimes they use name, sometimes they use schema, even though they always declare both properties but obviously I’m just misunderstanding something.

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**Author:** ![DataNath](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.getdbt.com/datanath/32/4070_2.png) [@DataNath](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/DataNath)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2024, 6:07pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/understanding-sources/15125/2 "2024-08-24T18:07:14Z")

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Hey @mikej345, in the {{source()}} macro you always use the name. From the docs:

> By default, `schema` will be the same as `name` . Add `schema` only if you want to use a source name that differs from the existing schema.

I believe in their examples, the name/schema are always the same. However, you could change the name to something different like:

```auto
version: 2

sources:
  - name: my_sources_name -- Changed from jaffle_shop
    database: raw  
    schema: jaffle_shop  
    tables:
      - name: orders
      - name: customers

  - name: stripe
    tables:
      - name: payments

```

And in your models, use:  
`{{source('my_sources_name','orders')}}`

Which would compile to:  
`raw.jaffle_shop.orders`

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/getdbt/original/1X/a7a7ca1fe379aaf90952b0e13118a817babcd14f.png) [@system](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2024, 6:07pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/understanding-sources/15125/3 "2024-08-31T18:07:58Z")

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