You can manually update specific metadata tables in Elementary by running the corresponding dbt model directly. For example, to update the

dbt_models

or

dbt_tests

metadata tables, you can use:

dbt run --select dbt_models

or

dbt run --select dbt_tests

This will refresh the metadata in those tables with the current state of your dbt project. This approach is useful if you notice outdated metadata or after making changes to your project configuration or structure. The artifact tables (like

dbt_models

,

dbt_tests

, etc.) are also automatically updated at the end of your dbt job via the

on-run-end

hook, but manual runs can be used for immediate updates as needed [Elementary dbt package on-run-end hooks](https://docs.elementary-data.com/dbt/on-run-end_hooks) [Slack answer on updating dbt_tests](https://slack.com/archives/C02CTC89LAX/p1687274511137429). If you want to update all metadata tables at once, you can run:

dbt run --select elementary

or

dbt run --select dbt_models,dbt_tests

as appropriate for your needs [Slack answer on updating metadata](https://slack.com/archives/C02CTC89LAX/p1664201089481529).

To run a full-refresh of your Elementary metadata tables (which can help resolve duplicates), you should use the following command:

dbt run --select elementary --vars '{"elementary_full_refresh": "true"}'

This command ensures that all Elementary incremental models, including your metadata tables, are fully refreshed and duplicates are removed. Note that the standard

--full-refresh

flag alone does not affect Elementary's incremental models; you must set the

elementary_full_refresh

variable as shown above. If you want to be extra thorough, you can also include the

--full-refresh

flag, but the key is the

elementary_full_refresh

variable. Example with both flags:

dbt run --select elementary --full-refresh --vars '{"elementary_full_refresh": "true"}'

This approach is confirmed in multiple support threads and documentation as the recommended way to reset or clean up Elementary's metadata tables when facing issues like duplicates [Guides: Package full refresh](https://docs.elementary-data.com/guides/modules-overview/dbt-package#package-full-refresh) [Slack discussion on full refresh and duplicates](https://slack.com/archives/C02CTC89LAX/p1682944161312479) [Slack: Resetting test results](https://slack.com/archives/C02CTC89LAX/p1674823249739599).