A Quick Look

Capabilities

Ascend

dbt

Transformation

SQL & Python based transformations. Plus, end-to-end: ingest, transform, deliver-all in one place

Excellent SQL-based transformations

Automation

Event-driven, rule-based automation across the stack

No built-in automation-you're writing cron jobs

Orchestration

Native orchestration-no Airflow needed

Requires external orchestration (hello, Airflow)

Observability

Real-time insights, lineage, and built-in error detection

Limited visibility-logs and hope

Workflow Coverage

Full-code, low-code, and Git native workflows

Just transformations-you stitch the rest

Developer Experience

SQL & Python based development, plus context-aware Al agents

SQL-native and approachable

Scalability

Custom triggers, sensors, and smart rules

Scaling more tools + more duct tape

Configurability

Built for flexibility across data and use cases

YAML-heavy, not dynamic or event-driven

Where DBT Falls Short

If all you need is SQL transformations, dbt delivers. But as data teams mature, their needs often go beyond what dbt alone can provide.DBT is a great tool for transforming data, and it’s no surprise it has a strong following

Unified Connectors

Ingest from files, APIs, cloud warehouses, SaaS apps, and streaming sources—no custom code required.

No built-in orchestration or automation

You’re writing scripts, scheduling jobs, and hoping dependencies line up. Want dynamic, event-driven workflows? Look elsewhere.

Visibility is minimal

Want to know when a pipeline breaks, what changed, or how data is flowing across your system? Better warm up those log files.

Scaling means complexity

As your pipelines grow, so does the overhead—more tools to manage, more brittle connections, more duct tape.

Developer experience hits a ceiling

SQL + YAML + Jinja can only take you so far. Need AI assistance? Incremental optimization? A real dev environment? Not here.

Included in Every Plan

Every Ascend plan includes full access to the platform — no feature gating, no user limits. Build, automate, and scale with confidence using the entire suite of AI-powered tools.

Data Ingestion

Say goodbye to fragile handoffs and brittle ingest jobs.

Whether you’re moving data from lakes, warehouses, databases, APIs, or legacy systems, Ascend makes it easy. Flexible connectors and dynamic schema handling ensure your pipelines stay reliable as systems evolve.

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Transformation

Transform Data with Speed at Scale

Ascend automates orchestration using rich metadata and event-driven triggers—so pipelines run only when needed, and custom logic is easy to build in.

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Orchestration

Orchestration That Writes Itself

Monitor pipeline performance, trace lineage end-to-end, and debug faster with real-time, metadata-powered insights.

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Observability

See Everything. Fix Anything.

Run faster, spend less—Ascend uses metadata and fingerprinting to cut unnecessary compute without sacrificing performance.

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DataOps

Built-In DataOps for Modern Teams

From Git-backed workflows to access controls and secure deployment environments, Ascend simplifies operational excellence with native support for modern DevOps practices.

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Say Goodbye to Fragile Handoffs and Brittle Ingest Jobs

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Transform Data
with Speed at Scale

From SQL to Python, declarative to imperative, Ascend supports multiple authoring modes — all integrated with version control and modular pipeline design. Build fast, iterate safely.

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Orchestration
that Writes Itself

Ascend’s DataAware engine lets you design intelligent workflows using the metadata you already have — turning your designs into powerful automation. Ascend's Smart Tables process data up to 100x faster.

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See Everything.
Fix Anything.

From real-time monitoring to full lineage and change tracking, Ascend gives you deep visibility into your data flows — so you can spot issues fast and optimize with confidence.

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Built-In DataOps
for Modern Teams

From Git-backed workflows to access controls and secure deployment environments, Ascend simplifies operational excellence with native support for modern DataOps best practices.

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Intelligence at the Core

Ascend's Intelligence Core combines metadata, automation, and AI in a layered architecture that empowers teams to build pipelines 7x faster and cut processing costs by 83%.

Ascend UI - Data Pipeline Deployment Dashboard

Unified Metadata Collection

Ascend tracks data, code, and user actions in a unified metadata layer — powering automation, observability, and auditability through the entire data lifecycle.

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DataAware™ Automation Engine

Ascend’s automation engine uses rich metadata to orchestrate pipelines — managing dependencies, triggering tasks, and supporting custom event-driven workflows.

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Ascend Agentic Engineering experience in the UI

Integrated AI Agents

Let AI do the tedious parts of data engineering — Ascend’s context-aware agents suggest code, explain logic, generate docs, and even automate steps on your behalf.

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