Glossary
Semantic layer
A shared set of business definitions that sits between raw data and the tools people use to query it.
A semantic layer translates raw data into business terms. Instead of every dashboard and query writing its own calculation for “revenue” or “churn”, they all use one shared definition.
What it covers, and what it does not
A semantic layer makes definitions consistent inside the analytics stack that uses it. Definitions also live outside that stack: in requirements, policy documents, spreadsheets, operational systems and the text AI assistants read. A semantic layer does not see those copies, so it cannot tell when they drift from the version it holds.
AI assistants
As more questions are answered by AI assistants, the definition an assistant uses matters as much as the one in a dashboard. Giving assistants the approved definition, with its version and approval state, is an extension of the same idea.