Quick Glossary
Standard terminology used across Odibi documentation.
Looking for in-depth explanations? See the Learning Glossary for beginner-friendly definitions with examples and real-world analogies.
Data Quality Terms
| Term |
Definition |
YAML Key |
| Contracts |
Pre-transform checks that always fail on violation. Use for input data validation. |
contracts: |
| Validation Tests |
Post-transform row-level checks with configurable actions (fail/warn/quarantine). |
validation.tests: |
| Quality Gates |
Batch-level thresholds (pass rate, row counts) evaluated after validation. |
validation.gate: |
| Quarantine |
Routing invalid rows to a separate table for review instead of failing. |
validation.quarantine: |
Pipeline Terms
| Term |
Definition |
YAML Key |
| Pipeline |
A collection of nodes that execute together as a logical unit. |
pipelines: |
| Node |
A single unit of work: read → transform → validate → write. |
nodes: |
| Transformer |
A pre-built "app" for major operations (scd2, merge, deduplicate). |
transformer: |
| Transform Steps |
A chain of smaller operations (SQL, functions) for custom logic. |
transform.steps: |
| Pattern |
A declarative dimensional modeling template (dimension, fact, aggregation). |
pattern: |
Dimensional Modeling Terms
| Term |
Definition |
| Natural Key |
Business identifier from source system (e.g., customer_id). |
| Surrogate Key |
System-generated integer key for joins (e.g., customer_sk). |
| SCD Type 1 |
Overwrite dimension changes (no history). |
| SCD Type 2 |
Track dimension changes with versioned rows (is_current, valid_from, valid_to). |
| Grain |
The level of detail in a fact table (e.g., one row per order). |
| Orphan |
A fact row with no matching dimension record. |
Execution Terms
| Term |
Definition |
| Story |
Execution report with lineage, metrics, and validation results. |
| Connection |
Named data source/destination (local, Azure, Delta, SQL Server). |
| Context |
Runtime environment holding registered DataFrames and engine state. |
Actions on Failure
| Term |
Usage Context |
Behavior |
fail |
Contracts, Validation |
Stop execution immediately |
warn |
Validation |
Log warning, continue processing |
quarantine |
Validation |
Route bad rows to quarantine table |
abort |
Quality Gates |
Stop pipeline, write nothing |
warn_and_write |
Quality Gates |
Log warning, write all rows |
write_valid_only |
Quality Gates |
Write only rows that passed |
See Also