# Databox Glossary

A glossary is a collection of key terms and definitions that help clarify important concepts related to Databox. This resource is designed to provide clear explanations of commonly used terminology, making it easier to understand technical language, data analytics terms, and specific features within Databox. Whether you're new to Databox or looking for a quick reference, this glossary will help you navigate essential terms with confidence.

## Index

A
B
C
D
F
G
I
L
M
N
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
### A

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| account manager | The primary contact within the agency account for a managed client. | [[Doc]](/understanding-client-accounts) |
| account owner | The owner of the Databox account. |  |
| account template | A custom template accessible only within the account and its clients, if applicable. | [[Doc]](/create-a-template) |
| agency account | A primary account that has the ability to manage and oversee one or more subordinate accounts, known as clients. It controls access and permissions, and handles billing for usage across its managed clients. |  |
| aggregation function | A function used to perform calculations on a set of values and return a single result. Examples include SUM(), AVG(), and COUNT(), which summarize or aggregate data, such as calculating totals, averages, or counts. | [[Doc]](/create-a-custom-metric#aggregation-functions) |
| alert | A notification sent when a metric value or its change meets predefined criteria. | [[Doc]](/set-up-a-metric-notification) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/notifications/alerts) |
| anomaly | A metric value that falls outside the expected range of variation, as determined by historical data, and is flagged by the anomaly detection model to highlight unusual or unexpected behavior. | [[Doc]](/detect-anomalies-in-your-data) |
| artifact | A substantial, self-contained piece of content, such as a report, chart, document, or app, that Genie creates during a conversation and keeps separate from the chat so it can be viewed, iterated on, reused, and turned into a routine for automatic updates. | [[App]](https://app.databox.com/genie/artifacts) |


### B

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| basic metric | A predefined metric, available out-of-the-box for analysis and visualization, requiring no setup or configuration. |  |


### C

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| client | A sub-account under an agency account, which can be set as either a managed or self-managed client. | [[Doc]](/understanding-client-accounts) [[App]](https://account.databox.com/clients) |
| connection | The credentials or authorization needed to access a data source, enabling secure data transfer between systems. It establishes the link between Databox and the data provider, allowing data extraction. | [[Doc]](/add-a-connection) [[App]](https://account.databox.com/data-manager/connections) |
| correlation | A statistical relationship between two or more metrics, where changes in one metric are associated with changes in another. It is used to identify patterns or trends between the metrics, though it does not imply causation. |
| credit | The unit used to measure usage of Databox's AI features, such as Genie and routines, drawn from a shared monthly pool that resets each billing cycle. | [[Doc]](/understanding-ai-credits) |
| custom metric | A user-defined metric that customizes how data is measured and reported. It can be created from a data source or dataset or built using calculations that combine multiple metrics into a single formula. | [[Doc]](/create-a-custom-metric) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/metrics/custom-metrics) |


### D

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| data source | A resource from which data is extracted for analysis or reporting. It can represent various sources of information, such as an account, profile, database, or store, that provide the necessary data for creating metrics and visualizations. | [[Doc]](/add-a-data-source) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/data-manager/connected) |
| Data Story | A text-based visualization that dynamically populates placeholders with calculated metric values, providing a clear narrative of performance trends and insights. | [[Doc]](/understanding-the-data-story-visualization) |
| Datablock | A movable and resizable container used to display a visualization on a Databoard. |
| Datablock Editor | The panel where Datablock settings can be customized while editing a Databoard. | [[Doc]](/configure-a-datablock) |
| Databoard | A Databox dashboard built on a 16x8 grid, where Datablocks can be added and arranged to display data. | [[Doc]](/how-to-create-a-databoard) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/databoards) |
| Databox | A business analytics platform that consolidates data in one place, enabling real-time performance tracking and insights by mixing and matching data from various sources for a comprehensive view. | [[App]](https://app.databox.com/) |
| dataset | A custom table of data, where each row represents an individual record from the data source, and each column defines a specific field or attribute associated with that record. | [[Doc]](/understanding-datasets) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/data-manager/datasets) |
| date range | A specified period of time used to filter or segment data for analysis or reporting. It defines the start and end dates within which data is collected, displayed, or analyzed. | [[Doc]](/select-date-ranges) |
| Designer | The editing environment for building and customizing Databoards using drag-and-drop functionality. |
| dimension | A characteristic or attribute used to categorize or segment data, such as campaign, location, or product, allowing for more granular analysis. |


### F

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| favorite | An item that is starred on a list and included on specific pages for easier access and performance monitoring. | [[Doc]](/how-to-use-favorites) |
| favorable trend | A setting that determines how changes in values or percentages are displayed, with higher values indicating better or worse performance and showing improvements in green and declines in red. | [[Doc]](/change-the-favorable-trend) |
| forecast | The prediction of a metric's performance for a specific time period, based on historical data, seasonality, and machine learning models. |
| format | A style for presenting numerical data, including options for commas, decimal points, percentage symbols, currency or unit formatting, and the number of decimal places. | [[Doc]](/change-number-format-and-scale) |


### G

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| Genie | The conversational AI assistant in Databox that answers questions, analyzes data, and completes tasks using natural language. | [[Doc]](/get-started-with-genie-the-databox-ai-assistant) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/genie) |
| goal | A specific, measurable target set to track and evaluate performance or outcomes. | [[Doc]](/create-a-goal) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/goals) |
| goal owner | The user responsible for overseeing the progress, execution, and achievement of the goal. |
| granularity | The level of detail at which data is displayed, such as daily, weekly, or monthly, based on the metric specification and selected date range. |


### I

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| Insights Activity | A reverse chronological stream that shows activities performed by all users in the account as they happen. |
| integration | An external platform, application, or system from which Databox pulls data for analysis, visualization, and reporting. | [[App]](https://app.databox.com/data-manager/available) |


### L

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| Looped Databoards | A group of Databoards arranged in carousel mode, accessible with a single link. | [[Doc]](/overview-looped-databoards) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/databoards/loops) |


### M

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| managed client | A sub-account of an agency account, where all usage is billed to the agency account. | [[Doc]](/understanding-client-accounts) [[App]](https://account.databox.com/clients) |
| metric | A defined measurement used to quantify results and inform decision-making, typically in the context of business, finance, or analytics. |
| metric builder | A tool that enables users to create a custom metric by choosing different dimensions, applying filters, formatting API requests, and fine-tuning it with additional settings. | [[Doc]](/create-a-custom-metric) |
| Metric Library | A centralized catalog of available integrations and basic metrics, featuring detailed technical specifications and usage guidelines for each. | [[Doc]](/look-up-metrics-and-integrations-in-the-metric-library) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/metrics/library) |


### N

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| notification | One of several methods for receiving data from Databox based on predefined criteria or recurring schedules. | [[Doc]](/set-up-a-databoard-notification) |


### P

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| Partner Directory | Public listing of data-driven services providers that go out of their way to stay on top of client data. These businesses use Databox to monitor data and automatically generate reports from dozens of services. | [[Doc]](/overview-databox-partner-program) [[Website]](https://databox.com/partners) |
| public template | A pre-built template around common use cases for easy setup. | [[Doc]](/create-a-template) |


### R

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| report | A single-page or slide-based document that includes text, images, visualizations, Databoards, and other elements. | [[App]](https://app.databox.com/reports) |
| routine | A recurring or event-triggered AI task that runs automatically on a schedule or webhook, and delivers its results without manual input. | [[Doc]](/automate-tasks-with-routines) [App](https://app.databox.com/genie/routines) |


### S

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| Shareable Link | A URL that provides access to one or more Databoards outside the application. | [[Doc]](/set-up-a-databoard-notification) |
| scale | The precision and magnitude of data, defining how numbers are represented and simplifying large values with units like thousands (k) or millions (M). | [[Doc]](/change-number-format-and-scale) |
| scheduled snapshot | A visual export of a Databoard delivered to specific recipients on a custom schedule. | [[Doc]](/set-up-a-databoard-notification) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/notifications/scheduled-snapshots) |
| scorecard | A list of metrics, displaying their names, current values, and changes, delivered to specific recipients on a custom schedule. | [[Doc]](/set-up-a-metric-notification) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/notifications/scorecards) |
| self-managed client | A sub-account of an agency account, with usage billed separately from the agency account's subscription. | [[Doc]](/understanding-client-accounts) [[App]](https://account.databox.com/clients) |
| semantic layer | A layer that sits between data sources and the tools that analyze data, giving metrics, dimensions, and other business concepts a consistent, shared meaning across the account. It comes with thousands of prebuilt metrics and extends to custom ones, built through datasets, formulas, filters, and data merged across sources,  and refined with plain-language descriptions, synonyms, and time dimensions, so Databoards, reports, Genie, and AI tools connected through MCP all interpret business concepts consistently. |  |
| skill | A set of instructions Genie follows to complete a specialized task, either installed from the skills marketplace or custom-built within the account. | [[App]](https://app.databox.com/genie/settings?skillsTab=installed&tab=skills) |
| skills marketplace | A free library of downloadable skills, bundles, and workflows that connect to an account's live data, usable either within Databox to extend Genie's capabilities or through Databox MCP with external AI tools like Claude to generate reports, insights, and recommended actions. | [[Website]](https://databox.com/skills-marketplace) |
| Solutions Partner | An agency or consultant enrolled in the Solutions Partner Program. | [[Doc]](/databox-solutions-partner-program) [[Website]](https://databox.com/solutions-partner) |
| Solutions Partner Program | A program that allows agencies and consultants to sell Databox subscriptions directly to their clients. Designed for agencies and consulting firms that want their clients to manage their own subscriptions while the agency continues to provide ongoing support for data and performance management. The Solutions Partner earns a 30% commission from Databox for co-selling and servicing these customers with us. | [[Doc]](/databox-solutions-partner-program) [[Website]](https://databox.com/solutions-partner) |
| Space | Dedicated work areas within an account that enable users to organize and collaborate on their Databoards, reports, metrics, and goals. Spaces help structure content by grouping related assets and controlling access, so members can work together efficiently within a shared reporting environment. | [[Doc]](/create-a-space) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/teams) |
| standard account | An individual account that operates independently, with its own subscription, usage, and billing, unlike an agency account which may manage multiple sub-accounts. |
| standard metric | A metric that is measured without segmentation or categorization by any specific dimension. It provides a general, overall value or performance indicator, such as total sales or overall revenue, without breaking it down into more granular groups like campaigns, locations, or products. |


### T

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| tag | A label or keyword assigned to an item to categorize, organize, or make it easier to search and filter within the application. | [[Doc]](/organize-content-with-tags) |


### U

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| user | A person with access to an account through a unique email address. A user can only be associated with one account at a time. | [[Doc]](/add-a-user) [[App]](https://app.databox.com/settings/user-management) |


### V

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| visualization | A graphical or textual representation of data, displayed through elements such as tables, charts, graphs, text, images, or numbers. | [[Doc]](/choose-the-best-visualization-for-your-data) |


### W

| Term | Definition | Links |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| Wizard | An interactive, step-by-step guide that helps complete a task or process by providing clear instructions and options in a sequential flow. |