Dashboards-as-code glossary
The terms behind dashboards as code, defined precisely and shown in dvt. Start with dashboards as code, then follow the related terms.
Dashboards as code
Dashboards as code means a dashboard is a versioned, schema-validated document you can read, diff, review, and roll back, instead of state saved inside a GUI.
Dashboards as data
Dashboards as data means a dashboard is a structured document stored as a record and managed through an API, so the same spec always renders the same output.
BI as code
BI as code is the practice of defining business intelligence assets, such as dashboards, charts, and data connections, as versioned text instead of GUI state.
Dashboard spec
A dashboard spec is the complete JSON document that describes a dashboard: its theme, pages, layout, and every panel's data binding and visual configuration.
Panel (dashboard element)
A dashboard panel is a single element of a dashboard, such as a chart, table, filter, or metric, placed on the page grid with its own data binding and settings.
Connection as code
Connection as code means a dashboard's data sources are named, declarative objects that specs reference by name, with credentials held apart from the specs.
Agent-built dashboard
An agent-built dashboard is one an AI agent authors through an API or MCP server, producing the same versioned, reviewable document a person would write.
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open protocol that lets AI agents call external tools; an MCP dashboard server exposes dashboard operations as typed tools.
SQL pushdown
SQL pushdown means a dashboard sends its queries to run inside your database or warehouse and receives only the result rows, rather than copying your data.
Semantic layer and skills
A semantic layer maps business terms like revenue or active user to the data and logic behind them; dvt skills give agents those definitions first.
Dashboard version history (revision)
Dashboard version history is the append-only record of every saved version of a dashboard, with who made each change and the ability to restore any version.
Preview (dry run)
A dashboard preview, or dry run, validates a proposed change and returns the result it would produce without saving anything, so the author can check it first.
Design tokens and themes
A design token is a named variable for a visual value such as a color, size, or font; a theme is a set of tokens that styles a whole dashboard at once.
Spec validation
Spec validation checks a dashboard spec against a schema before it is saved, so malformed panels, unknown properties, and off-list values are rejected early.