Glossary
Data and AI terms, explained in one sentence.
Short definitions of the terms you come across in Power BI, data warehouses, AI on your own data and governance. With links to the pages where we go into more depth.
A
- Access profile
- An access profile is a bundle of dashboards and apps that you assign to a group of users in one go. In ENABLE, you use access profiles to manage permissions per group instead of per person. Read more: Access and security →
- AI Act
- The AI Act is the European Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, which sets rules for AI systems based on their risk. It entered into force on 1 August 2024 and applies in phases. Read more: AI Act and GDPR →
- API
- An API (application programming interface) is an agreed way for software systems to communicate and exchange data with each other, without a person having to sit in between. Read more: Data API →
- API key
- An API key is a secret code that a system uses to identify itself to an API. Treat an API key like a password: store it securely and replace it if it leaks. Read more: Data API →
- Audit log
- An audit log is a chronological record of actions in a system: who did what and when, such as signing in, changing permissions or opening a dashboard. It supports control, investigation and accountability. Read more: Access and security →
C
- CUSTOMDATA
- CUSTOMDATA() is a DAX function that reads a free-text value an application passes when embedding a Power BI report. You use it in role filters for row-level security, for example to filter on a customer code. Read more: Row-level security →
D
- Data catalogue
- A data catalogue is a searchable overview of the data sources, tables and reports in an organisation, with descriptions, owners and often the origin of the data as well. Read more: Data platform →
- Data dictionary
- A data dictionary is an overview that describes in plain language, for each table and column, what it contains, in which unit and with which valid values. It helps both people and AI to interpret data correctly. Read more: Text-to-SQL →
- Data governance
- Data governance is the set of agreements, roles and processes an organisation uses to safeguard the quality, security and proper use of data. Think of ownership of definitions, access policies and controls. Read more: AI governance →
- Data lake
- A data lake is a store for large volumes of raw data in any format, such as tables, files and logs. You only define the structure when the data is read. Read more: Data warehouse →
- Data lakehouse
- A data lakehouse is a data platform that combines the storage of a data lake with the table structure and governance of a data warehouse. Open table formats such as Delta Lake and Apache Iceberg make this possible. Read more: Data warehouse →
- Data lineage
- Data lineage is the recording of where data comes from and the route it takes: which source a figure comes from and which transformations it has undergone along the way. It helps you trace errors and account for figures. Read more: AI governance →
- Data model
- A data model describes how data is organised: which tables there are, which fields they contain and how they relate to each other. A good data model makes reporting faster and answers more reliable. Read more: Data platform →
- Data silo
- A data silo is a collection of data that is locked into one system or department and cannot easily be combined with other data. Data silos often lead to different figures for the same concept. Read more: Single source of truth →
- Data warehouse
- A data warehouse is a central database in which data from different source systems is brought together, cleaned and organised for reporting and analysis. It keeps history and applies one set of definitions. Read more: Data warehouse →
- DAX
- DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) is the Power BI formula language for calculations and filters in a semantic model. You use DAX for measures such as revenue or margin and for role filters in row-level security. Read more: Row-level security →
E
- ETL / ELT
- ETL (extract, transform, load) and ELT (extract, load, transform) are two ways to move data from source systems into a data warehouse. With ETL, you process the data before loading it; with ELT, you load first and then transform in the warehouse itself. Read more: Data integration →
G
- GDPR
- The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation, known in Dutch as the AVG) is the European privacy law that governs how organisations may process personal data. It also applies when personal data is processed through an AI application. Read more: AI Act and GDPR →
K
- KPI
- A KPI (key performance indicator) is a measurable value that shows whether an organisation, department or process is on track to reach a goal. Examples include gross margin, on-time delivery and absenteeism rate. Read more: Build a KPI dashboard →
L
- Large language model (LLM)
- A large language model (LLM) is an AI model trained on large amounts of text, which enables it to understand and generate language. The models behind ChatGPT are an example; they are strong at language, but not at exact calculation. Read more: AI on your own data →
M
- Management dashboard
- A management dashboard is an overview of the most important KPIs for the board or management team. Each figure is shown with a comparison against a target, last year or the previous period. Read more: Power BI dashboards →
- Metadata
- Metadata is data about data: the names of tables and columns, data types, relationships and descriptions. With text-to-SQL, an AI model only needs metadata to write a query, not the rows of data themselves. Read more: Text-to-SQL →
- Microsoft Entra ID
- Microsoft Entra ID, formerly Azure Active Directory, is Microsoft's identity and access service. It manages users, groups, guest users and app registrations for services including Microsoft 365 and Power BI. Read more: Share Power BI dashboards →
- Microsoft Fabric
- Microsoft Fabric is Microsoft's data platform that combines data integration, data warehousing, data engineering and Power BI, among other things, in a single SaaS environment. The data comes together in OneLake. Read more: Microsoft Fabric →
- Multi-tenant
- Multi-tenant means that one software platform serves several organisations (tenants), with each organisation's data and settings kept separate from the others. Read more: Platform →
O
- OneLake
- OneLake is the central storage layer of Microsoft Fabric: a single data lake for the whole organisation, in which tables are stored in the open Delta Lake format by default. Read more: Microsoft Fabric →
- OpenAPI
- OpenAPI is an open standard for describing a REST API: which endpoints exist, which parameters they accept and what they return. With an OpenAPI specification, developers and tools can quickly understand and call an API. Read more: Data API →
P
- Power BI
- Power BI is Microsoft's platform for reporting and data analysis. You build reports in Power BI Desktop and share them through the Power BI service in the cloud. Read more: Power BI →
- Power BI Embedded
- Power BI Embedded is the way to show Power BI reports and dashboards in your own application, website or portal. When embedding for customers, the application handles access and end users do not need their own Power BI licence. Read more: Power BI Embedded →
R
- RAG (retrieval-augmented generation)
- RAG is a technique in which an AI system looks up relevant text passages in your own documents and passes them to a language model. The model bases its answer on those passages and can refer to the source. Read more: RAG or text-to-SQL →
- Rate limit
- A rate limit is a cap on the number of requests a user or system may make within a certain period. It protects a service against overload and abuse. Read more: Data API →
- Refresh
- A refresh is the process of retrieving data from the source again, so that a report or semantic model shows up-to-date figures. In Power BI, you can schedule refreshes; a failed refresh means a dashboard shows outdated figures. Read more: Monitoring and usage →
- REST API
- A REST API is a widely used type of API that works through ordinary web requests (HTTP) to fixed addresses, called endpoints. The response is usually JSON. Read more: Data API →
- Row-level security (RLS)
- Row-level security (RLS) is a security feature that determines per user which rows of data are visible. In Power BI, you define RLS in roles with DAX filters, so that a regional manager, for example, only sees their own region. Read more: Row-level security →
S
- Self-service BI
- Self-service BI is a way of working in which users create their own reports and analyses on governed data, without needing a BI specialist for every question. Clear agreements on data sources and definitions prevent multiple versions of the same figure from appearing. Read more: Custom dashboards →
- Semantic model
- A semantic model, formerly called a dataset, is the data model behind a Power BI report: tables, relationships, measures and security rules. Several reports can use the same semantic model. Read more: Power BI →
- Service principal
- A service principal is the identity of an application in Microsoft Entra ID. An application uses it to sign in without a personal account, for example to request embed tokens through the Power BI REST API. Read more: Power BI Embedded →
- Single sign-on (SSO)
- Single sign-on (SSO) is a way of signing in where one login gives you access to several applications. The applications rely on a central identity service instead of each asking for its own password.
- Single source of truth
- A single source of truth is one central, agreed source for business data, so that everyone works with the same figures and definitions. In practice, this is often a data warehouse with agreed KPI definitions. Read more: Single source of truth →
- SQL
- SQL (Structured Query Language) is the standard language for querying and editing data in relational databases such as PostgreSQL and SQL Server. A SELECT query retrieves data without changing it. Read more: SQL Explorer with AI →
- Star schema
- A star schema is a data model with a fact table of events and amounts at the centre, surrounded by dimension tables with descriptions such as customer, product and date. It is the standard set-up for Power BI models and data warehouses. Read more: Data warehouse →
T
- Text-to-SQL
- Text-to-SQL is a technique in which an AI model converts a question in plain language into an SQL query that is run on a database. The model writes the query; the database supplies the figures. Read more: Text-to-SQL →
- Two-factor authentication (2FA)
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a sign-in method in which you provide a second proof in addition to your password, such as a one-time code sent by email or generated in an app. A stolen password alone is then not enough to sign in. Read more: Access and security →
W
- White-label portal
- A white-label portal is a web environment that an organisation offers in its own branding, with its own logo, colours and text, while the technology comes from another supplier. Read more: White-label portal →
- Workspace
- A workspace is an environment in the Power BI service in which a team manages reports, dashboards and semantic models. Users are given a role in it: Admin, Member, Contributor or Viewer. Read more: Share Power BI dashboards →
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