# Core concepts

> The vocabulary used throughout the Flax docs — connection, project, semantic model, explore, sheet, workbook, chart, dashboard, action, and more.

*[View this page in the Flax docs](https://flax-analytics.com/docs/getting-started/core-concepts)*

This glossary defines every core noun in Flax. If a term in another page is
unfamiliar, it is almost certainly defined here.

## Data

**Connection** — a configured link to a data warehouse (Postgres, Snowflake,
Databricks, BigQuery) or an uploaded file. Credentials are encrypted with a
rotating key-ring. See [Connecting data](/docs/connections/overview).

**Project** — a semantic project, typically ingested from a dbt repository, that
groups the models describing one body of data.

**Semantic model** — the dbt-compatible YAML that defines dimensions, measures,
and joins. It is the single source of truth for what a metric *means*. See
[Modeling](/docs/modeling/overview).

**Dimension** — an attribute you group or filter by (e.g. `region`, `order_date`).

**Measure** — an aggregated value (e.g. `sum(amount)` as `revenue`).

## Analysis

**Explore** — the point-and-click query builder. You pick dimensions and measures;
Flax compiles dialect-correct SQL and runs it in your warehouse. See
[Querying & exploring](/docs/exploring/overview).

**Sheet** — a spreadsheet built on a query result, with formulas, formats, and
real-time collaboration. See [Sheets](/docs/sheets/overview).

**Workbook** — a collection of related sheets (tabs) that can reference each other.

**Chart** — a saved visualization of a query. See [Visualizing data](/docs/visualizations/overview).

**Dashboard** — a laid-out collection of charts and text blocks with shared filters,
cross-filtering, and drill-down.

## Automation & governance

**Action** — a trigger→effect automation (e.g. a dashboard control that updates a
filter, or an event that runs a follow-up query). See [Actions](/docs/automation-ai/actions).

**Scheduled delivery** — a recurring email of a dashboard or chart. See
[Scheduled deliveries](/docs/automation-ai/scheduled-deliveries).

**Team** — a group of members that grants shared access to content and data
sources. See [Teams & RBAC](/docs/administration/teams-and-rbac).

**Row-access filter** — a semantic-layer rule that restricts which rows a user can
see, enforced in compiled SQL and by Postgres row-level security. See
[Row-access filters](/docs/modeling/row-access-filters).

**Service account** — a non-human identity that holds API tokens for programmatic
access. See [Authentication](/docs/developers/authentication).