Metabase Glossary

Question: sometimes called a "card", includes a query (dataset_query which is a Structured Query or Native Query) along with information about how it should be visualized (display and visualization_settings) and any exposed Parameters.

Dashboard: a collection of Questions arranged in a grid. Composed of DashCards which can combine one or more Questions of a similar type into a Series. Also can expose Parameters, and map those parameters to the questions on the dashboard.

Pulse: a set of Questions, along with a schedule and email or Slack recipient, which will be executed and sent out on that schedule.

Collection: a collection of Questions, Dashboards, Pulses, and other Collections.

Alert: similar to a Pulse but for associated with a single Question.

Database: a database, data warehouse, or other data source (e.x. Google Analytics) that can be queried in Metabase. Has many Tables.

Table: a table (or other unit of organization, e.x. MongoDB collection, Google Analytics website) in Database. Has many Fields.

Field: a column (or an attribute of a record) in a Table.

Column: a column in a result dataset.

Dimension: a reference to a Field (possibly via a foreign key) or custom expression in a Structured Query, and in some cases a reference to an Aggregation column in the same query. Numeric and date/time fields can additionally be binned.

• Referred to as concrete, expression, and aggregation references in MBQL.

Structured Query: sometimes called a "GUI query", an MBQL query definition.

Native Query: sometimes called a "SQL query", a query written in the database's "native" query language, e.x. SQL.

Aggregation: sometimes called a "metric", an MBQL aggregation on a Structured Query, e.x. count, sum, average, etc.

Breakout: essentially a GROUP BY clause, sometimes called a "dimension", an MBQL Dimension on a Structured Query.

Filter: an MBQL filter on a Structured Query.

Parameter: a variable that can be changed by the user of a Question or Dashboard via a parameter widget or the URL query string. A parameter can be mapped to a Dimension on a Structured Query or a Template Tag on a Native Query.

Template Tag: a placeholder in a Native Query (currently SQL only) that can be filled with a primitive value (string, number, or date) or a Field Filter via a Parameter.

Segment: a saved set of Filters on a Table which can be applied to a Structured Query.

Metric: a saved Aggregation and optional set of Filters on a Table which can be added as an Aggregation to a Structured Query.