If you were to ask either of us what we think is the most important consideration when it comes to using dbt, undoubtedly, it would be data modeling. As you will see throughout this book and through your personal dbt journey, dbt is a very flexible product that allows you to adapt your project fairly quickly for most things. However, not so much when it comes to a lack of or poor data modeling. Fixing issues related to this can take significant effort, so it is important to consider it as early as possible in the process. Our advice is to always consider your data model design before you ever write the first piece of code. As consultants, we spend significantly more time working and talking with customers about data modeling than we do about any aspect of using dbt.