DashCoreHubBI Glossary
150 business intelligence and data terms explained in plain language.
A/B Test
An experiment that compares two versions, such as two email subject lines, to see which performs better. Learn more →
Absolute Reference
A cell reference with $ signs (like $A$1) that does not change when you copy the formula to other cells. Learn more →
Analytics Engineer
A role between data engineering and analysis that builds clean, tested data models, often with SQL and dbt. Learn more →
Anomaly Detection
Finding data points that are unusually different from the rest, such as a sudden drop in daily sales. Learn more →
Apache Superset
A free, open-source data exploration and dashboard platform that connects to most SQL databases. Learn more →
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Computer systems that perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, like understanding language or spotting patterns. Learn more →
BI Analyst
A professional who turns business data into reports, dashboards and insights that guide decisions. Learn more →
BI Developer
A technical role that builds data models, pipelines and reports, often with SQL, DAX and ETL tools. Learn more →
Business Intelligence (BI)
The tools and practices used to collect, analyze and present business data so people can make better decisions. Learn more →
CALCULATE
The most important DAX function: it evaluates an expression after changing the filter context, such as sales for one region only. Learn more →
Calculated Column
A new column added to a table using DAX, computed row by row and stored in the model when data refreshes. Learn more →
Cardinality
In data modeling, the type of relationship between two tables (one-to-many, one-to-one, many-to-many); also the number of unique values in a column. Learn more →
CASE WHEN
A SQL expression that returns different values based on conditions, like an IF statement inside a query. Learn more →
Certification
An official credential, like Microsoft PL-300 or Tableau certifications, that proves skills in a tool or field. Learn more →
Chart Junk
Unnecessary decoration in a chart, like 3D effects or heavy gridlines, that distracts from the data. Learn more →
Churn Rate
The percentage of customers who stop buying or cancel during a period. Learn more →
Cloud Data Warehouse
A data warehouse run as a managed online service, such as Snowflake, BigQuery or Amazon Redshift, that you pay for as you use. Learn more →
Clustering
A machine learning method that groups similar items together without predefined labels, such as customer segments. Learn more →
Cohort Analysis
Grouping customers by when they started (for example signup month) and tracking how each group behaves over time. Learn more →
Conditional Formatting
An Excel feature that changes a cell's color, icon or data bar based on rules, so important values stand out. Learn more →
Conversion Rate
The percentage of people who complete a desired action, such as conversions divided by clicks in a campaign. Learn more →
Copilot in Excel
Microsoft's AI assistant inside Excel that can suggest formulas, create charts and summarize data from plain-language requests. Learn more →
Correlation
A number from -1 to 1 that shows how strongly two variables move together; correlation does not prove cause. Learn more →
COUNTIFS
An Excel function that counts the rows that meet one or more conditions. Learn more →
CTE
Common Table Expression: a named temporary result defined with WITH at the start of a query to make it easier to read. Learn more →
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
An estimate of the total revenue a business can expect from one customer over the whole relationship. Learn more →
Dashboard
A single screen of key charts and numbers that shows the status of a business or process at a glance. Learn more →
Data Analyst
A professional who collects, cleans and analyzes data to answer questions and support decisions. Learn more →
Data Cleaning
Fixing errors in raw data, such as extra spaces, wrong formats, blanks and duplicates, before analysis. Learn more →
Data Engineer
A professional who designs and maintains the pipelines and storage that move data to analysts and applications. Learn more →
Data Governance
The rules, roles and processes that keep an organization's data accurate, secure and used properly. Learn more →
Data Lake
Low-cost storage that holds large amounts of raw data in many formats until it is needed. Learn more →
Data Lineage
A record of where data comes from and every step it passes through until it reaches a report. Learn more →
Data Pipeline
An automated series of steps that moves data from sources, transforms it and loads it where it is needed. Learn more →
Data Quality
How accurate, complete, consistent and up to date data is for its intended use. Learn more →
Data Scientist
A professional who uses statistics, programming and machine learning to build predictive models from data. Learn more →
Data Storytelling
Presenting data as a clear narrative with context, visuals and a takeaway so the audience knows what to do. Learn more →
Data Validation
An Excel tool that limits what users can type in a cell, for example a dropdown list or only dates within a range. Learn more →
Data Visualization
Representing data with charts, maps and graphics so patterns and trends are easier to see. Learn more →
Data Warehouse
A central database designed for analysis that stores cleaned, historical data from many business systems. Learn more →
Dataflow
A cloud-based Power Query process in the Power BI Service that prepares data once so many reports can reuse it. Learn more →
DataFrame
The main pandas data structure: a table of rows and labeled columns that you can filter, group and analyze in Python. Learn more →
Date Table
A table with one row per day and columns like year, month and quarter, required for reliable time intelligence in DAX. Learn more →
DAX
Data Analysis Expressions, the formula language used in Power BI, Power Pivot and Analysis Services to create measures and columns. Learn more →
dbt
Data build tool: an open-source tool that lets analysts transform data inside the warehouse using SQL files with testing and documentation. Learn more →
Dimension Table
A table that describes the who, what, where and when of facts, such as customers, products, stores or dates. Learn more →
DirectQuery
A Power BI connection mode that leaves data in the source and sends queries to it each time a visual loads. Learn more →
Drill Down
Moving from a summary to more detailed levels of data, such as from year to quarter to month. Learn more →
Drill Through
A Power BI feature that lets users right-click a data point and jump to a detail page filtered to that item. Learn more →
Dynamic Array
A formula result that automatically spills into as many cells as needed, used by functions like FILTER, SORT and UNIQUE. Learn more →
ELT
Extract, Load, Transform: loading raw data into a warehouse first and transforming it there with SQL. Learn more →
Embedded Analytics
Placing dashboards and reports directly inside another application or website so users see data where they work. Learn more →
ETL
Extract, Transform, Load: pulling data from sources, cleaning and reshaping it, then loading it into a target system. Learn more →
Excel Table
A range formatted as a table (Ctrl+T) that grows automatically, has a name and lets formulas use column names. Learn more →
Fact Table
A table that stores measurable events, like sales lines, with numbers and keys that link to dimension tables. Learn more →
FILTER
An Excel dynamic array function that returns only the rows of a range that meet one or more conditions. Learn more →
Filter Context
The set of filters (from slicers, rows, columns and CALCULATE) active when a DAX measure is evaluated. Learn more →
Flash Fill
An Excel feature that detects a pattern from a couple of examples you type and fills the rest of the column for you. Learn more →
Forecasting
Estimating future values, such as next month's sales, based on historical data and patterns. Learn more →
Foreign Key
A column that points to the primary key of another table, creating the link between them. Learn more →
Freelance Consultant
An independent professional who sells BI or data services to clients on a project or hourly basis. Learn more →
Gateway
Software installed on a local machine that lets the Power BI Service securely refresh data from on-premises sources. Learn more →
Goal Seek
An Excel what-if tool that finds the input value needed for a formula to reach a result you choose. Learn more →
Granularity
The level of detail of a table, for example one row per order line versus one row per day. Learn more →
Gross Margin
Revenue minus the cost of goods sold, often shown as a percentage of revenue. Learn more →
GROUP BY
A SQL clause that groups rows sharing the same values so aggregate functions can summarize each group. Learn more →
Hallucination
When an AI model gives an answer that sounds confident but is false or made up, so outputs must be checked. Learn more →
HAVING
A SQL clause that filters groups after aggregation, such as keeping only stores with sales above a target. Learn more →
Histogram
A chart that groups numeric values into ranges (bins) and shows how many values fall in each range. Learn more →
Import Mode
The default Power BI storage mode that copies data into the compressed in-memory model for very fast reports. Learn more →
Incremental Refresh
A Power BI setting that refreshes only new or recent data instead of reloading the entire table each time. Learn more →
INDEX MATCH
A classic Excel lookup combination: MATCH finds the position of a value and INDEX returns the item at that position. Learn more →
Insight
A useful finding from data that explains what is happening and points to an action. Learn more →
JOIN
A SQL operation that combines rows from two or more tables using a related column. Learn more →
Jupyter Notebook
An interactive document that mixes runnable code, results, charts and notes, popular for data analysis in Python. Learn more →
KPI
Key Performance Indicator: a number that measures progress toward an important business goal, like monthly revenue. Learn more →
LAMBDA
An Excel function that lets you create your own reusable custom functions with formulas, without VBA. Learn more →
Large Language Model (LLM)
An AI model trained on huge amounts of text that can understand and write language, such as ChatGPT or Claude. Learn more →
LEFT JOIN
A SQL join that keeps every row from the left table and adds matching data from the right table, or NULL when there is no match. Learn more →
LET
An Excel function that assigns names to intermediate results inside a formula, making it shorter and faster. Learn more →
Linear Regression
A statistical method that fits a straight line to predict a number from one or more inputs. Learn more →
Looker Studio
Google's free web-based tool for building reports and dashboards, especially from Google Sheets, Analytics and BigQuery. Learn more →
M Language
The formula language behind Power Query that records each data transformation step. Learn more →
Machine Learning (ML)
A branch of AI where computers learn patterns from data to make predictions without being explicitly programmed for each case. Learn more →
Matplotlib
A foundational Python library for creating static charts such as line, bar and scatter plots. Learn more →
Mean
The sum of all values divided by how many values there are; sensitive to extreme values. Learn more →
Measure
A DAX calculation, like Total Sales, that is computed on the fly based on the current filters in a report. Learn more →
Median
The middle value when data is sorted; less affected by outliers than the mean. Learn more →
Metabase
An open-source BI tool that lets teams ask questions of a database and build dashboards with little or no SQL. Learn more →
Microsoft Fabric
Microsoft's all-in-one analytics platform that combines Power BI, data engineering, data warehousing and data science on one lake. Learn more →
Natural Language Query
Asking a data question in everyday words, like 'sales by region last month', and getting a chart or answer back. Learn more →
Normalization
Organizing database tables to reduce duplicated data, usually by splitting information into related tables. Learn more →
NULL
A special value in SQL that means missing or unknown; it is not the same as zero or an empty text. Learn more →
OLAP
Online Analytical Processing: technology designed for fast slicing and summarizing of large data across many dimensions. Learn more →
OLTP
Online Transaction Processing: systems built to record many small transactions quickly, like a point-of-sale database. Learn more →
Outlier
A value that is far from most other values in a dataset and may be an error or an important exception. Learn more →
Overfitting
When a model learns the training data too closely, including noise, and performs poorly on new data. Learn more →
pandas
The most popular Python library for loading, cleaning, transforming and analyzing tabular data. Learn more →
PII
Personally Identifiable Information: data such as names, emails or ID numbers that can identify a person and must be protected. Learn more →
PivotTable
An Excel tool that summarizes large tables by dragging fields into rows, columns, values and filters, with no formulas. Learn more →
PL-300
Microsoft's Power BI Data Analyst certification exam, covering data preparation, modeling, visualization and deployment. Learn more →
Portfolio
A collection of your best data projects, such as dashboards and analyses, that shows employers what you can do. Learn more →
PostgreSQL
A free, open-source relational database known for reliability and strong SQL standards support. Learn more →
Power BI
Microsoft's business intelligence platform for connecting to data, modeling it and building interactive reports and dashboards. Learn more →
Power BI Desktop
The free Windows application used to connect to data, build the model and design Power BI reports. Learn more →
Power BI Service
The cloud website (app.powerbi.com) where reports are published, shared, refreshed and organized into workspaces. Learn more →
Power Pivot
An Excel add-in that builds a data model with relationships between tables and DAX measures inside a workbook. Learn more →
Power Query
The data connection and transformation tool in Excel and Power BI used to clean and shape data before analysis. Learn more →
Primary Key
A column (or set of columns) whose value uniquely identifies each row in a table, such as order_id. Learn more →
Prompt
The instruction or question you give an AI model; clear context and examples usually produce better answers. Learn more →
Python
A beginner-friendly programming language widely used for data analysis, automation and machine learning. Learn more →
Python in Excel
A Microsoft 365 feature that lets you write Python code in Excel cells using the =PY() function, run in the cloud. Learn more →
Qlik Sense
A BI platform known for its associative engine, which shows related and unrelated values as you click through data. Learn more →
Query Folding
When Power Query translates its steps into a single query that runs in the source database, which speeds up refresh. Learn more →
Relational Database
A database that stores data in tables of rows and columns that are linked by keys and queried with SQL. Learn more →
Requirements Gathering
Talking with stakeholders to define the questions, metrics and data a report or project must deliver. Learn more →
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Revenue generated by a campaign divided by what was spent on it. Learn more →
Row Context
In DAX, the awareness of the current row, used in calculated columns and iterator functions like SUMX. Learn more →
Row-Level Security
A Power BI feature that restricts which rows each user can see, for example a manager sees only their own region. Learn more →
Scikit-learn
A popular Python library with ready-to-use machine learning tools for regression, classification and clustering. Learn more →
Seasonality
A pattern that repeats at regular times, like higher grocery sales before holidays or every weekend. Learn more →
SELECT
The SQL statement used to read data, choosing which columns to return from one or more tables. Learn more →
Self-Service BI
An approach where business users build their own reports and analyses without waiting for IT. Learn more →
Semantic Model
The tables, relationships and measures behind a Power BI report (formerly called a dataset), reusable by many reports. Learn more →
Single Source of Truth
One trusted, agreed-upon place for key data and metric definitions, so everyone reports the same numbers. Learn more →
Slicer
A clickable button panel that filters PivotTables, tables or report visuals in Excel and Power BI. Learn more →
Slowly Changing Dimension (SCD)
A method for handling dimension values that change over time, like a customer moving cities, while keeping history. Learn more →
Snowflake Schema
A data model where dimension tables are split into further related tables, like product linked to category. Learn more →
Sparkline
A tiny chart that fits inside a single cell and shows the trend of a row of numbers. Learn more →
SQL
Structured Query Language, the standard language for reading and managing data in relational databases. Learn more →
Stakeholder
A person or group affected by or interested in a project or report, such as a sales manager who uses a dashboard. Learn more →
Standard Deviation
A measure of how spread out values are from the mean; a small value means data is tightly grouped. Learn more →
Star Schema
A data model with one central fact table connected directly to several dimension tables, the recommended design for Power BI. Learn more →
Streamlit
A Python library that turns data scripts into interactive web apps and dashboards with very little code. Learn more →
Subquery
A query written inside another query, often in WHERE or FROM, to use its result as a filter or table. Learn more →
SUMIFS
An Excel function that adds the values in a range that meet one or more conditions, such as region and month. Learn more →
SUMX
A DAX iterator that evaluates an expression for each row of a table and then adds up the results. Learn more →
Tableau
A popular visual analytics platform, now part of Salesforce, used to build interactive dashboards by dragging and dropping fields. Learn more →
Technical Interview
A job interview step where you solve practical problems, such as writing SQL queries or building a quick dashboard. Learn more →
Time Intelligence
DAX functions that compare periods, such as year-to-date, same period last year and month-over-month. Learn more →
Time Series
Data recorded at regular time intervals, such as daily sales, used to study trends and make forecasts. Learn more →
UNIQUE
An Excel function that returns the list of distinct values from a range, removing duplicates. Learn more →
Variance
In business reporting, the difference between an actual result and a target or budget; in statistics, a measure of spread. Learn more →
VLOOKUP
An older Excel function that searches the first column of a table and returns a value from a column to the right. Learn more →
What-If Analysis
Testing how changing inputs (like price or volume) affects results, using tools such as Goal Seek, scenarios and data tables. Learn more →
WHERE
A SQL clause that filters rows before grouping, such as only orders from 2025. Learn more →
Window Function
A SQL function using OVER() that calculates across related rows, like running totals or rankings, without collapsing them. Learn more →
Workspace
A shared container in the Power BI Service where a team stores and collaborates on reports, models and dataflows. Learn more →
XLOOKUP
A modern Excel lookup function that searches any column and returns a matching value from any other column, left or right. Learn more →
Year-to-Date (YTD)
A total from the first day of the year up to the current date, often calculated in DAX with TOTALYTD. Learn more →