Add more helpful error message for misconfiguration in profiles.yml

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -6,13 +6,15 @@
 ### Features
 - Added support for Snowflake query tags at the connection and model level ([#1030](https://github.com/fishtown-analytics/dbt/issues/1030), [#2555](https://github.com/fishtown-analytics/dbt/pull/2555/))
 - Added option to specify profile when connecting to Redshift via IAM ([#2437](https://github.com/fishtown-analytics/dbt/issues/2437), [#2581](https://github.com/fishtown-analytics/dbt/pull/2581))
+- Add more helpful error message for misconfiguration in profiles.yml ([#2627](https://github.com/fishtown-analytics/dbt/issues/2569))
 
 ### Fixes
 - Adapter plugins can once again override plugins defined in core ([#2548](https://github.com/fishtown-analytics/dbt/issues/2548), [#2590](https://github.com/fishtown-analytics/dbt/pull/2590))
 
 Contributors:
 - [@brunomurino](https://github.com/brunomurino) ([#2437](https://github.com/fishtown-analytics/dbt/pull/2581))
 - [@DrMcTaco](https://github.com/DrMcTaco) ([#1030](https://github.com/fishtown-analytics/dbt/issues/1030)),[#2555](https://github.com/fishtown-analytics/dbt/pull/2555/))
+- [@kning](https://github.com/kning) ([#2627](https://github.com/fishtown-analytics/dbt/issues/2569))
 
 
 ## dbt 0.18.0b1 (June 08, 2020)

core/dbt/config/profile.py

@@ -197,6 +197,14 @@ def _get_profile_data(
                    .format(profile_name, target_name, outputs))
             raise DbtProfileError(msg, result_type='invalid_target')
         profile_data = outputs[target_name]
+
+        if not isinstance(profile_data, dict):
+            msg = (
+                f"output '{target_name}' of profile '{profile_name}' is "
+                f"misconfigured in profiles.yml"
+            )
+            raise DbtProfileError(msg, result_type='invalid_target')
+
         return profile_data
 
     @classmethod

test/integration/049_dbt_debug_test/test_debug.py

@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@ def postgres_profile(self):
                 'pass': 'notmypassword',
                 'dbname': 'dbt',
                 'schema': self.unique_schema()
-            }
+            },
+            'none_target': None
         })
         return profile
 
@@ -73,6 +74,11 @@ def test_postgres_wronguser(self):
         self.run_dbt(['debug', '--target', 'wronguser'])
         self.assertGotValue(re.compile(r'\s+Connection test'), 'ERROR')
 
+    @use_profile('postgres')
+    def test_postgres_empty_target(self):
+        self.run_dbt(['debug', '--target', 'none_target'])
+        self.assertGotValue(re.compile(r"\s+output 'none_target'"), 'misconfigured')
+
 
 class TestDebugProfileVariable(TestDebug):
     @property