diff --git a/protos/BUILD b/protos/BUILD
index 6a2e019f7..8f2723d5d 100644
--- a/protos/BUILD
+++ b/protos/BUILD
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 load("@rules_proto//proto:defs.bzl", "proto_library")
-load("//tools:ts_proto_library.bzl", "ts_proto_library")
 load("//testing:build_test.bzl", "build_test")
+load("//tools:ts_proto_library.bzl", "ts_proto_library")
 
 package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"])
 
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ proto_library(
     srcs = [
         "configs.proto",
         "core.proto",
+        "data_preparation.proto",
         "evaluation.proto",
         "execution.proto",
         "profiles.proto",
diff --git a/protos/configs.proto b/protos/configs.proto
index 6bbd97220..66c423cec 100644
--- a/protos/configs.proto
+++ b/protos/configs.proto
@@ -515,6 +515,32 @@ message ActionConfig {
     // TODO(ekrekr): add a notebook runtime field definition.
   }
 
+  message DataPreparationConfig {
+    // The name of the data preparation.
+    string name = 1;
+
+    // Targets of actions that this action is dependent on.
+    repeated Target dependency_targets = 2;
+
+    // Path to the source file that the contents of the action is loaded from.
+    string filename = 3;
+
+    // A list of user-defined tags with which the action should be labeled.
+    repeated string tags = 4;
+
+    // If set to true, this action will not be executed. However, the action can
+    // still be depended upon. Useful for temporarily turning off broken
+    // actions.
+    bool disabled = 7;
+
+    // Description of the data preparation.
+    string description = 8;
+
+    // When set to true, assertions dependent upon any dependency will
+    // be add as dedpendency to this action
+    bool depend_on_dependency_assertions = 9;
+  }
+
   oneof action {
     TableConfig table = 1;
     ViewConfig view = 2;
@@ -523,6 +549,7 @@ message ActionConfig {
     OperationConfig operation = 5;
     DeclarationConfig declaration = 6;
     NotebookConfig notebook = 7;
+    DataPreparationConfig data_preparation = 8;
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/protos/core.proto b/protos/core.proto
index 65ed933b9..f2f759d32 100644
--- a/protos/core.proto
+++ b/protos/core.proto
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 syntax = "proto3";
+import "data_preparation.proto";
 
 package dataform;
 
@@ -247,6 +248,24 @@ message NotebookRuntimeOptions {
   }
 }
 
+// Data Preparation Related entries
+message DataPreparation {
+  // Data preparatiohs can have more than 1 output
+  repeated Target targets = 1;
+
+  repeated Target canonical_targets = 2;
+
+  repeated string tags = 3;
+
+  repeated Target dependency_targets = 4;
+
+  string file_name = 5;
+
+  bool disabled = 6;
+
+  DataPreparationDefinition data_preparation = 7;
+}
+
 message CompiledGraph {
   ProjectConfig project_config = 4;
 
@@ -258,6 +277,7 @@ message CompiledGraph {
   // it is not used at runtime.
   repeated Test tests = 8;
   repeated Notebook notebooks = 12;
+  repeated DataPreparation data_preparations = 13;
 
   GraphErrors graph_errors = 7;
 
diff --git a/protos/data_preparation.proto b/protos/data_preparation.proto
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..aa988b024
--- /dev/null
+++ b/protos/data_preparation.proto
@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+syntax = "proto3";
+
+package dataform;
+
+option java_package = "com.dataform.protos";
+option java_multiple_files = true;
+
+option go_package = "github.com/dataform-co/dataform/protos/dataform";
+
+message DataPreparationDefinition {
+  repeated DataPreparationNode nodes = 1;
+  DataPreparationGenerated generated = 2;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationNode {
+  string id = 1;
+  DataPreparationNodeSource source = 2;
+  repeated DataPreparationNodeStep steps = 3;
+  DataPreparationNodeGenerated generated = 4;
+  // Destination BigQuery table(s) are defined within the data preparation
+  optional DataPreparationNodeDestination destination = 5;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationNodeSource {
+  oneof source {
+    string node_id = 1;
+    TableReference table = 2;
+    Join join = 3;
+  }
+}
+
+message DataPreparationNodeDestination {
+  oneof destination {
+    TableReference table = 1;
+  }
+}
+
+message DataPreparationNodeStep {
+  string id = 1;
+  string description = 2;
+  oneof definition {
+    ColumnStep column_step = 3;
+    FilterStep filter_step = 4;
+  }
+  DataPreparationNodeStepGenerated generated = 5;
+}
+
+message ColumnStep {
+  string column_name = 1;
+  Expression expression = 2;
+}
+
+message FilterStep {
+  Expression expression = 1;
+}
+
+message Expression {
+  oneof expression {
+    string sql = 1;
+  }
+}
+
+message Join {
+  string left_node_id = 1;
+  string right_node_id = 2;
+  JoinType join_type = 3;
+  JoinCondition join_condition = 4;
+}
+
+enum JoinType {
+  JOIN_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED = 0;
+  JOIN_TYPE_INNER = 1;
+  JOIN_TYPE_FULL_OUTER = 2;
+  JOIN_TYPE_LEFT = 3;
+  JOIN_TYPE_RIGHT = 4;
+}
+
+message JoinCondition {
+  oneof condition {
+    Expression expression = 1;
+    JoinKeys keys = 2;
+  }
+}
+
+message JoinKeys {
+  repeated JoinKey keys = 1;
+}
+
+message JoinKey {
+  string left_column = 1;
+  string right_column = 2;
+}
+
+message TableReference {
+  string project = 1;
+  string dataset = 2;
+  string table = 3;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationGenerated {
+  repeated DataPreparationValidationError validation_errors = 1;
+  optional string location = 2;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationNodeGenerated {
+  repeated DataPreparationSection sections = 1;
+  repeated string sources = 2;
+  repeated DataPreparationValidationError validation_errors = 3;
+  optional DataPreparationSchema output_schema = 4;
+  DataPreparationNodeSourceGenerated source_generated = 5;
+  optional DataPreparationNodeDestinationGenerated destination_generated = 6;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationSection {
+  DataPreparationSectionType type = 1;
+  string label = 2;
+}
+
+enum DataPreparationSectionType {
+  SECTION_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED = 0;
+  SECTION_UNPARSEABLE = 1;
+  SECTION_SOURCE_TABLE = 2;
+  SECTION_SQL = 3;
+  SECTION_DESTINATION_TABLE = 4;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationNodeSourceGenerated {
+  optional DataPreparationNodeSourceSourceSchema source_schema = 4;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationNodeSourceSourceSchema {
+  oneof source_schema {
+    DataPreparationSchema node_schema = 1;
+    DataPreparationSchema table_schema = 2;
+    JoinSchema join_schema = 3;
+  }
+}
+
+message JoinSchema {
+  DataPreparationSchema left_schema = 1;
+  DataPreparationSchema right_schema = 2;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationNodeDestinationGenerated {
+  optional DataPreparationSchema schema = 1;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationNodeStepGenerated {
+  repeated string source_columns = 1;
+  repeated DataPreparationValidationError validation_errors = 2;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationSchema {
+  repeated DataPreparationSchemaField field = 1;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationSchemaField {
+  string name = 1;
+  optional string type = 2;
+  optional string mode = 3;
+  repeated DataPreparationSchemaField fields = 4;
+}
+
+message DataPreparationValidationError {
+  DataPreparationValidationErrorLevel level = 1;
+  string description = 2;
+}
+
+enum DataPreparationValidationErrorLevel {
+  LEVEL_UNSPECIFIED = 0;
+  LEVEL_WARN = 1;
+  LEVEL_ERROR = 2;
+  LEVEL_FATAL = 3;
+}
\ No newline at end of file