Installation

In this tutorial, you will install Semolina and verify it is working. By the end, you will be ready to write your first query.

Prerequisites: Python 3.11 or later.

Install the package

pip install semolina

Tip

Use a virtual environment

Always install packages into an isolated virtual environment rather than your system Python:

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate   # macOS/Linux
.venv\Scripts\activate      # Windows
pip install semolina

uv add semolina

Install a backend extra

To connect to a real warehouse, install the extra for your backend:

pip install semolina[snowflake]
# or
uv add "semolina[snowflake]"

Installs adbc-poolhouse[snowflake] alongside Semolina.

pip install semolina[databricks]
# or
uv add "semolina[databricks]"

Installs adbc-poolhouse[databricks] alongside Semolina.

pip install semolina[duckdb]
# or
uv add "semolina[duckdb]"

Installs duckdb and pyarrow for local in-memory testing without a warehouse.

pip install semolina[snowflake,databricks]
# or
uv add "semolina[snowflake,databricks]"

To follow the tutorials without a real warehouse, install semolina[duckdb] and use a local in-memory DuckDB pool. See How to test query code without a warehouse for the setup pattern.

Optional: formatted codegen output

If you plan to generate model classes from existing warehouse views with semolina codegen, add the codegen-lint extra. It lets codegen format the generated source with ruff before printing:

pip install semolina[codegen-lint]
# or
uv add "semolina[codegen-lint]"

Codegen works without it, just without the formatting pass.

Verify the installation

Run this in your terminal:

python -c "import semolina; print(semolina.__version__)"

You should see:

0.4.0

If the import fails, double-check that you are in the right virtual environment.

Next steps

Your installation is ready. Move on to writing your first query:

Your first query

See also