Compilation Error: model 'stg_orders' depends on a node named 'raw_orders' which was not found"

TL;DR

dbt cannot find a node named raw_orders that stg_orders references. The usual causes are a typo in ref('raw_orders'), a source that was never defined in a _sources.yml file, or an upstream model that is disabled or excluded. Match the ref name to a real file, define the source, then recompile.

Error

Compilation Error: model 'stg_orders' depends on a node named 'raw_orders' which was not found

Steps

1. Search your project for the file that should define the node: look for models/**/raw_orders.sql. Expected: you find exactly one file, or you confirm it does not exist.
2. If raw_orders is a raw warehouse table rather than a dbt model, it must be declared as a source. Check that a _sources.yml file defines it and that the model calls source('raw', 'raw_orders') instead of ref('raw_orders'). Expected: the source appears in dbt ls --resource-type source.
3. If the file exists, check for typos: the ref argument must match the file name without the .sql extension, exactly. Expected: ref('raw_orders') matches raw_orders.sql character for character.
4. Check whether the upstream model is disabled (enabled: false in config) or excluded by your --select/--exclude flags. Expected: dbt ls --select raw_orders lists it.
5. Run dbt compile --select stg_orders. Expected: compilation succeeds with no dependency error.

When to use

• dbt compile, dbt run, or dbt test fails with "depends on a node named X which was not found".
• You renamed a model or moved files between directories.

When not to use

• The error happens at warehouse runtime (a Database Error), not at compile time.
• The missing node is in an installed package (check dbt deps and the package name in the ref).

Tool compatibility

• dbt Core 1.0 and later, all adapters. dbt ls selectors work the same across versions.

Variant phrasings

Compilation Error: depends on a node named X which was not found or is disabled

The disabled variant: the file exists but enabled: false removes it from the graph.

source not found variants

When the call is source('a', 'b'), the fix is in _sources.yml, not in model files.

Why it happens

dbt builds a dependency graph from model files, seeds, snapshots, and declared sources before compiling any SQL. A ref() or source() pointing at something outside that graph is a hard error, because dbt cannot render the relation name.

Edge cases

• Two packages defining the same model name need the two-argument form: ref('package_name', 'raw_orders').
• Model files under a directory excluded by model-paths are invisible to the graph.
• Case sensitivity matters on some warehouses; keep file names lowercase.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst-otoltqjJw36yMjpOxvag