What is Celiq

Celiq connects to your data warehouse, lets a builder describe what the data means once, and then lets everyone else ask questions of it — by clicking, or in plain English — without touching SQL. This page is the conceptual map. It explains the core flow and the four hubs you see in the navigation, then points you to the pages that cover each piece in depth.

Overview

Celiq sits on top of the warehouse you already have. It does not move or copy your data — it queries it live. The value Celiq adds is a semantic layer: a shared, version-controlled definition of what every table, field, and metric means. Once that layer exists, three things become true at once:

• Analysts stop writing SQL. They pick fields and filters; Celiq generates and runs the query.
• Numbers stop diverging. When a metric is defined once, everyone who uses it gets the same answer.
• AI can be trusted. Because Orion reads the same governed semantic layer humans do, its answers are grounded in your definitions rather than guessed from raw column names.

Everything in the product flows in one direction:

Data warehouse  →  Forge (semantic model in CML)  →  Discover (Reveal, no SQL)  →  Prism / Mosaic  →  Vault

Your raw tables live in the warehouse. Forge is where a builder defines what those tables mean, in CML. Discover is where anyone queries that model without SQL — each live query session is a Reveal. You save a Reveal as a Prism, or pin it to a Mosaic (a dashboard). Both live inside a Vault, which controls who can see them. Orion, the AI layer, reads the same semantic model and answers questions in plain language across that whole flow.

When to use it

Read this page when you are new to Celiq and want the big picture before diving in. It is intentionally conceptual — it tells you what the pieces are and how they connect, not the mechanics of using each one. For hands-on detail, follow the links throughout and in Related pages.

You do not need to read this page to get value if someone has already built a Mosaic for you — you can open it and read it. But understanding this flow makes everything else in the product click into place.

Concepts

These are the core ideas. Each one has a dedicated page; the Key concepts page covers the mechanics in depth. Here is just enough to orient you.

The four hubs

The bottom navigation pill groups the product into a few hubs. Three of them are pickers that open a menu; the rest navigate directly. What you see depends on your role.

Alongside these, Vaults (where saved work lives), Lumen (admin), and Trash appear in the pill for the roles that can use them. Lumen and Trash are Luminary-only.

The takeaway: Discover is where you ask, Folio is where you present, Loom is where builders model, and Suite is the directory to everything else.

The four roles

Every person in a workspace has exactly one role. The role decides what they can do — not just what they can see.

A Lens can open Mosaics and Prisms shared with them. A Tracer can run their own Reveals in Discover and save Prisms. A Weaver can additionally edit the semantic model in Forge. A Luminary can do everything, including managing users and security. See User roles for the full breakdown.

Getting started

You do not need to set anything up to read this page. To start using Celiq:

Examples

Here is the same business question answered three ways, to show how the layers connect.

A Weaver defines the metric once in CML, inside Forge:

measure:
  - name: total_revenue
    label: Total Revenue
    type: sum
    sql: ${revenue}
    format: usd

A Tracer then answers "revenue by month" in Discover with no SQL — they pick the Total Revenue measure, group by order date at month granularity, and Celiq runs the query live. They save the result as a Prism and pin it to a team Mosaic.

A Lens who cannot build anything simply asks Orion in plain English:

What was total revenue by month this year?

Because Orion reads the same total_revenue definition, all three paths return the identical number — there is no second definition of "revenue" anywhere. That single-definition guarantee is the whole point of the semantic layer.

Best practices

• Model once, in Forge. Resist defining the same metric in two places. One CML definition keeps every Reveal, Mosaic, and Orion answer consistent.
• Save questions, not screenshots. Prefer a Prism or Mosaic over exporting a static image — saved work refreshes against live data.
• Organise with Vaults early. Decide what is personal, what is team-shared, and what is workspace-wide before content piles up.
• Let the right role do the right job. Builders shape the model in Loom; analysts explore in Discover; everyone can ask Orion.

Tips

Common mistakes

Troubleshooting

Related pages

• Key concepts — the mechanics of nodes, Reveals, Prisms, Mosaics, and Vaults
• Getting started — the section landing page and where to go next
• Quick start — build your first Reveal end to end
• Orion — how the AI layer reads the semantic model
• User roles — what each role can and cannot do
• Navigation — the hubs and the bottom nav pill in detail