BI Operations (BI Ops)
The practice of running business intelligence with engineering discipline: versioned, reviewed, automated, and audited.
Version control
Capturing every change to an artifact over time, so any prior state can be inspected or restored.
Promotion
Moving a change from one environment to the next, typically Dev → Test → Prod, through a controlled pipeline.
Visual diff
A human-readable comparison showing exactly what changed between two versions.
Rollback
Restoring an artifact to a previous version, instantly, to recover from a bad change.
Audit trail
A complete, immutable record of who changed what, when, and why.
BI content container
Where content lives and is organized for a team.
Power BIWorkspaceCognosTeam content / My contentTableauProject / SiteQlikSpace
Packaged content for sharing
A bundle of content published for others to consume.
Power BIAppCognosReport / Dashboard / Story shared from Team contentTableauPublished workbook / Published data sourceQlikApp
Top-level analytic object
The main thing a user opens to explore data.
Power BIReport / DashboardCognosReport / Dashboard / Story / ExplorationTableauWorkbookQlikApp
Report-like artifact
A single tabular or detailed analytical view.
Power BIReportCognosReportTableauWorksheet / View / VizQlikSheet
Dashboard-like artifact
A combined, at-a-glance view of several visuals.
Power BIDashboardCognosDashboardTableauDashboardQlikSheet
Single analysis page
One page or tab within an analytic object.
Power BIReport pageCognosPageTableauWorksheet / SheetQlikSheet
Visualization object
An individual chart or visual element.
Power BIVisual / VisualizationCognosVisualization / ChartTableauView / Viz / MarkQlikVisualization / Chart / Object
Semantic layer / governed model
The governed model defining data, relationships, and logic.
Power BISemantic model (Dataset in older/API language)CognosData module / PackageTableauData source / Published data source / Virtual connectionQlikApp data model / Data model
Reusable dataset
A shared, reusable source of modeled data.
Power BISemantic model / DatasetCognosData set / Data moduleTableauPublished data sourceQlikDataset / Data source / QVD
Data connection
The link to an underlying data source.
Power BIData source / Connection / Gateway connectionCognosData server connection / Data source connectionTableauConnection / Connector / Virtual connectionQlikData connection / Data source
Data prep layer
Where data is shaped and transformed before modeling.
Power BIPower Query / DataflowCognosData module transformationsTableauTableau Prep / FlowQlikData Manager / Data Load Editor / Load script
Calculated metric
A defined numeric calculation, like a measure.
Power BIMeasure / DAX measureCognosMeasure / Calculation / Calculated data itemTableauMeasure / Calculated fieldQlikMaster measure / Expression
Calculated attribute
A derived descriptive field or dimension.
Power BICalculated columnCognosCalculation / Calculated data itemTableauCalculated field / DimensionQlikMaster dimension / Calculated dimension
Reusable business logic
Shared calculations and definitions reused across content.
Power BIMeasures / Calculation groups / Model definitionsCognosCalculations in data modules or reportsTableauCalculated fields / Parameters / SetsQlikMaster items / Variables / Expressions
User input control
How users filter or parameterize what they see.
Power BISlicer / Filter / ParameterCognosPrompt / Prompt page / FilterTableauFilter / Parameter / Parameter controlQlikFilter pane / Selection / Variable
Filter state
The current set of applied filters or selections.
Power BIFilter context / Slicer stateCognosPrompt values / Filter stateTableauFilter state / Custom viewQlikSelection state
Saved user view
A personally saved state of a report or app.
Power BIBookmark / Personal bookmarkCognosReport viewTableauCustom viewQlikBookmark
Storytelling / narrative flow
A guided, sequential walkthrough of insights.
Power BIBookmarks, buttons, pages (no first-class story object)CognosStoryTableauStory / Story pointQlikStory
Drill navigation
Moving between levels of detail in the data.
Power BIDrill down / Drill throughCognosDrill up / Drill down / Drill-through definitionTableauHierarchy drill / ActionsQlikDrill-down dimension / Selections
Row-level security
Restricting which rows of data a user can see.
Power BIRLS / OLSCognosData security / Package security / PermissionsTableauUser filters / Data policy / PermissionsQlikSection Access
Permissions model
How access and capabilities are granted to people.
Power BIWorkspace roles / Item permissionsCognosCapabilities / Permissions / RolesTableauSite roles / Permissions / CapabilitiesQlikSpace roles / Section Access
Refresh / reload
Updating content with the latest data.
Power BIRefresh / Scheduled refreshCognosSchedule / Subscription / Report versionTableauExtract refresh / Schedule / Flow taskQlikReload / Task / Scheduled reload
Lineage / impact analysis
Tracing where data comes from and what a change affects.
Power BILineage viewCognosLineageTableauLineage / Impact analysis / Tableau CatalogQlikLineage / Impact analysis
Certification / trusted content
Marking content as vetted and trustworthy.
Power BIPromoted / Certified semantic modelCognosCertified content / Governed content / GlossaryTableauCertified data source / Data quality warning / CatalogQlikData catalog / Trust Score / Curated data
Versionable desktop file
The authoring file format that can be versioned.
Power BIPBIX / PBIPCognosReport specification / deployment archiveTableauTWB / TWBXQlikQVF
API object language
What the platform's API calls each object.
Power BIDataset, Group, Report, Dashboard, WorkspaceCognosContent object, package, report, data moduleTableauWorkbook, View, Data source, ProjectQlikApp, Sheet, Object, Space
Custom visual extension
A third-party or custom-built visual.
Power BICustom visual / .pbivizCognosCustom visualizationTableauDashboard extension / ExtensionQlikExtension / Visualization extension
Embedding language
APIs for embedding content into other apps.
Power BIPower BI Embedded / Client APIsCognosJavaScript API / REST APITableauEmbedding API / REST APIQlikqlik-embed / Capability API / Engine API
Legacy / community trap
Older or ambiguous terms that still cause confusion.
Power BIDataset (where UI says semantic model); Group (often means workspace in APIs)CognosReport Studio, Query Studio, Event Studio, Framework ManagerTableauViz, TWB/TWBX, ExtractQlikStream, Mashup API, QVD, Section Access