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Analytics Glossary
Familiarize yourself with common Analytics terminology.
App
An app contains dashboards, lenses, and datasets in any combination that makes sense for sharing your data analysis with colleagues. Apps are like folders. They allow users to organize their data projects—private and shared—and to control sharing.
App template
An app template is a ready-made dashboard package that is automatically populated with Salesforce data.
Binding
A binding is an expression to reference information in a query via string replace. Bindings allow for setting dynamic variables for chart and query configurations.
Co-group
A co-group is used to combine data from two or more data streams. The data streams can be joined using common fields.
Component
A component is a widget that contains other widgets and pages. Use components to manage and reuse groups of charts, tables, filters, text, and more in multiple dashboards.
Connected data
Connected data is an object or file from a data source that is synced. This data isn’t queryable until it’s converted into a dataset.
Dashboard
A dashboard is a curated set of charts, metrics, and tables based on the data in one or more lenses.
Dashboard JSON file
A dashboard JSON file defines the components that a dashboard contains and describes how they’re connected.
Data Monitor
The data monitor tool allows you to monitor dataflow and system jobs. You can also use it to start, stop, reschedule, download, and upload dataflows.
Dataflow
A dataflow is a set of instructions that specifies what data to extract from Salesforce objects or datasets, how to transform the datasets, and which datasets to make available for querying.
Dataflow definition file
A dataflow definition file is a JSON file that contains transformations that represent the dataflow logic.
Dataset
A dataset is a collection of related data that is stored in a denormalized, yet highly compressed form that is optimized for interactive exploration.
Dataset builder
The dataset builder is a point-and-click user interface that allows you to easily select and extract data from related Salesforce objects to create a single dataset.
Date
A date can be represented as a day, month, year, and, optionally, time. You can group, filter, and perform math on dates.
Derived dimensions
A derived dimension is a qualitative value that is not part of a dataset, but is instead calculated in a query.
Derived measures
A derived measure is a quantitative value that is not part of a dataset, but is instead calculated in a query.
Dimension
A dimension is a qualitative value that usually contains categorical data, such as Product Category, Lead Status, and Case Subject. Dimensions are handy for grouping and filtering your data. Unlike measures, you can’t perform math on dimensions.
Digest
The digest transformation extracts data from connected objects in a dataflow. Use it to extract synced data from your local Salesforce org or remote connections to include in a dataset.
Extended metadata (XMD)
Extended metadata (XMD) allows you to customize the formatting of many dashboard elements in Analytics.
External data
External data is data that resides outside of Salesforce, such as data from outside applications and spreadsheets.
External Data API
Use the External Data API to upload external data files to Analytics to create datasets.
Lens
A lens is a view into a dataset used in an exploratory mode or to get insight to a specific business question. The lens can be saved and shared independently. It can also be clipped to a dashboard.
Measure
A measure is a quantitative value that contains numerical data like revenue and exchange rate. You can do math on measures, such as calculating the total revenue and the minimum exchange rate.
Model
A model is the output of Einstein Discovery's comprehensive statistical analysis of past outcomes in an Analytics dataset to predict future outcomes. A model represents a collection of insights around a metric (outcome) that highlights any of the following: important trends, explanations on what influenced those trends, comparisons between factors, predictions on future outcomes, and suggested actions that can improve outcomes.
Page
A page is a dashboard tab that contains distributed dashboard content, such as widgets and filters. There can be multiple pages. Pages make dashboards easier to digest with content organized into multiple areas.
Predicate
See security predicate.
Query
A query retrieves data from one or more data sources, including datasets, Salesforce objects, user-defined data, or external data. The query results can be displayed in different formats (such as a table or chart) or used as input to another query.
Recipe
A recipe is a user-interface tool that lets you take data from your existing datasets and connected objects, apply transformations, and the output the results to a new dataset.
Register
The sfdcRegister transformation saves the transformed data as a dataset, which can then be queried in Analytics. Users can't view or run queries against unregistered datasets.
Salesforce Analytics Query Language (SAQL)
Security Predicate
A security predicate is a filter condition that defines row-level access to records in a dataset.
Step
A step retrieves data from one or more data sources, including datasets, Salesforce objects, user-defined data, or external data. The step results can be displayed in different formats (such as a table or chart) or used as input to another step.
Story
See model.
Transformation
A transformation refers to the manipulation of data. You can add transformations to a dataflow to extract data from Salesforce objects or datasets, transform datasets that contain Salesforce or external data, and register datasets.
Trellis
A trellis is the name for a grid (horizontal, vertical, or both) of visualizations. A trellis is also known as small multiples and lattice.
Unit symbol (for measures)
A unit symbol represents the unit of a shortened number that appears in a chart or number widget. Analytics uses the following symbols.
| Symbol | Unit | Example |
|---|---|---|
| K | Thousand (10^3) | 4K = 4,000 |
| M | Million (10^6) | 4M = 4,000,000 |
| B | Billion (10^9) | 4B = 4,000,000,000 |
| T | Trillion (10^12) | 4T = 4,000,000,000,000 |
| P | Quadrillion (10^15) | 4P = 4,000,000,000,000,000 |
| X | Quintillion (10^18) | 4X= 4,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| Z | Sextillion (10^21) | 4Z = 4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| Y | Septillion (10^24) | 4Y = 4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| m | Thousandth (10^-3) | 4m = 0.004 |
| μ | Millionth (10^-6) | 4μ = 0.000004 |
| n | Billionth (10^-9) | 4n = 0.000000004 |
| p | Trillionth (10^-12) | 4p = 0.000000000004 |
| f | Quadrillionth (10^-15) | 4f = 0.000000000000004 |
| a | Quintillionth (10^-18) | 4a = 0.000000000000000004 |
| z | Sextillionth (10^-21) | 4z = 0.000000000000000000004 |
| y | Septillionth (10^-24) | 4y = 0.000000000000000000000004 |
Visualization
A visualization is commonly a chart or graph, such as a bar chart, donut chart, timeline, or heat map. It can also be data in tabular form, such as a comparison table or pivot table. Every visualization has an underlying query, which is how Analytics retrieves information from the source data.
