Glossary
Every Celiq term defined in plain English, with a column showing what other tools call the same thing.
In this section
Part of Celiq's semantic layer platform. Connect your warehouse, model your data once, query it everywhere.
A complete reference for every term you will encounter in Celiq. If you are coming from Looker, Power BI, Tableau, or dbt, the "Others call it" column maps familiar concepts to their Celiq equivalents.
Note: Terms are listed alphabetically. Use Cmd/Ctrl + F to search for a specific term.
A–D
| Term | Plain English definition | Others call it |
|---|---|---|
| Attribute | An alias for a dimension defined within a domain, giving it a new label or description without changing the underlying CML. | Field alias, LookML dimension override |
| CML | Celiq Modelling Language. The YAML-based language used in Forge to define nodes, dimensions, measures, joins, Data Keys, and Data Gates. Version-controlled in Git. | LookML, YAML model files, dbt schema.yml |
| Data Gate | Field-level security rule. Marks a dimension or measure in CML as gated. Access granted or denied per role in Admin Console. Users without access see a Restricted badge or the field is hidden. | Column-level security, Field-level access, object-level security |
| Data Key | Row-level security rule. Defined on a node in CML, assigned values per user or role in Admin Console. Every query against that node is automatically filtered to only the rows a user is allowed to see. | user_attribute + access_filter (Looker), Row-level security (Power BI / Tableau), Row-level permissions |
| Discover | The no-code query builder where you build and run Reveals. Select fields, add filters, pivot, and visualise — all without writing SQL. | Explore (Looker), Report Builder, Query builder |
| Domain | A collection of nodes joined together. Defines the join relationships between tables and controls which field combinations are valid in a single Reveal. | Explore (Looker), Subject area, Data mart |
| Draft mode | A personal, isolated branch of the semantic model in Forge. Changes are invisible to the rest of the organisation. Used by Weavers to develop and test semantic model changes before deploying. | Dev mode (Looker), Feature branch, Sandbox |
| Dimension | A field used for grouping and filtering — typically categorical (status, country) or temporal (date, month). Defined in a node file in CML. | Dimension (Looker/Tableau), Attribute (Power BI), Column |
F–L
| Term | Plain English definition | Others call it |
|---|---|---|
| Forge | The semantic IDE where Weavers and Luminaries define the data model in CML. Includes a code editor, file tree, Git integration, validation, data preview, and Orion generation. | LookML IDE, Modeler, dbt IDE, Semantic layer editor |
| Full control | The highest Vault access level. Grants ability to manage Vault membership, change access levels, move content, and delete the Vault. | Owner, Admin, Manage |
| Lens | The most restricted user role. Can only view Mosaics and Scenes they have been explicitly given access to. Cannot run Reveals in Discover. Gated fields are hidden entirely. | Viewer, Read-only user, Consumer |
| Live mode | The production version of the semantic model. Every Reveal, Scene, and Mosaic tile in the organisation queries against Live. Changes reach Live only after a PR is approved by a Luminary. | Production mode, Prod branch, Main |
| Luminary | The highest-privilege role in Celiq. Can create Workspace Vaults, approve PRs, manage Data Keys and Data Gates, administer the workspace, and deploy directly to Live. | Admin, Owner, Workspace admin |
M–N
| Term | Plain English definition | Others call it |
|---|---|---|
| Measure | An aggregated calculation defined in a node — e.g. SUM(revenue), COUNT(DISTINCT order_id). Available in Discover as metrics you can plot on charts. | Measure (Looker/Power BI), Metric, Calculated field |
| Morning briefing | An Orion-generated daily summary delivered to your inbox or Slack. Highlights changes in your key metrics since yesterday, flags anomalies, and suggests follow-up questions. | Data digest, AI summary, Pulse |
| Mosaic | A curated collection of tiles — charts, KPI numbers, tables, and text blocks — that updates automatically as your data changes. | Dashboard (Looker/Power BI/Tableau), Board, Report page |
| My Vault | A private Vault that belongs only to you. Created automatically when you sign up. No other user can see its contents, not even a Luminary. | Personal Folder, My Content, Private workspace |
| Node | The fundamental unit of the semantic layer. Each node maps to one table in the warehouse and defines dimensions, measures, Data Keys, and Data Gates. Written as a CML file in Forge. | View (LookML), Model (dbt), Table |
O–R
| Term | Plain English definition | Others call it |
|---|---|---|
| Orion | The AI analyst built into Celiq. Ask it a question in plain language and it translates it into a Reveal, explains the SQL, generates CML in Forge, and suggests follow-up questions. | AI Assistant, Ask AI, Einstein Analytics, Copilot |
| Pod | A top-level folder in the Forge file tree. Organises your CML files into logical groups — usually by team, domain, or data source. | Folder, Package, Directory |
| Preview data | A Forge feature that runs a sample query against a node while you are in Draft mode, letting you verify your CML before deploying. | Data preview, Run query, Validate data |
| Pulse | A daily or weekly digest of key metrics delivered to your inbox or Slack. Curated from your Mosaics and Signals. | Digest, Data Digest, Scheduled Summary, Briefing |
| Reveal | A single query session inside Discover. The live, unsaved state of a query. Has fields, filters, sorts, row limits, and a visualisation. When saved, becomes a Scene. | Explore (Looker), Report, Query, Analysis |
S–V
| Term | Plain English definition | Others call it |
|---|---|---|
| Scene | A saved Reveal. Captures the query, filters, visualisation type, and grain. Re-runs against live data when opened. Can be shared, scheduled, embedded, or added to a Mosaic. | Saved Look, Saved View, Saved Report, Look |
| Signals | Automated alerts that watch a metric and notify you when it crosses a threshold or changes significantly. Delivered to email, Slack, or Teams. | Alerts, Monitors, Watches, Notifications |
| Team Vault | A shared Vault for a specific group of people. Visible to invited members only. Created by a Luminary or Weaver. | Shared Folder, Team Space, Collection |
| Tracer | A standard analyst role. Can run Reveals in Discover, save Scenes to My Vault, and view shared Mosaics and Scenes. Cannot edit the semantic model. | Viewer with explore access, Analyst, Standard user |
| Vault | A folder that holds Mosaics and Scenes. Controls who can see and edit the content inside. Three types: My Vault, Team Vault, Workspace Vault. | Folder, Space, Collection, Group |
| Weaver | A builder role. Can edit the semantic model in Forge, create Team Vaults, and publish content. Cannot administer the workspace. | Developer, Power user, Content manager, Modeler |
| Workspace Vault | A Vault visible to every user in the Celiq workspace. Only a Luminary can create one. Best for company-wide Mosaics and canonical Scenes. | Shared Space, Company Folder, Org-wide content |