# Semantic Business Objects (Ontology)

### What is a Semantic Object?

A Semantic Object (also referred to as a Semantic Business Object or Ontology Node) is a curated, business-domain-facing view of one or more underlying database tables. Four pillars define it:

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="166.5999755859375"></th><th width="298"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Pillar</strong></td><td><strong>What it provides</strong></td><td><strong>Example (BFSI)</strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Attributes</strong></td><td>A curated set of columns from one or more tables, with business names and data types</td><td>account_id, legal_name, outstanding_principal, risk_category</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Derived Measures</strong></td><td>Computed aggregations and calculated KPIs derived from attributes</td><td>Total At-Risk Principal = SUM(principal) WHERE probability > 0.7</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Actions</strong></td><td>Write-back database operations an authorised user can perform on the object</td><td>Apply Debit Freeze (UPDATE party_compliance_status)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Services</strong></td><td>Parameterised query functions that return contextual sub-data related to the object</td><td>get_transaction_history(@account_id) returns last 25 transactions</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Why Semantic Objects?

The primary motivation is the translation problem between database schemas and business intent. A relational schema optimised for write performance or normalisation is typically not optimised for reading business insight. Semantic objects solve this by:

* Pre-joining complex table chains into a single, readable view
* Naming columns in business language rather than technical snake\_case
* Encoding business rules (e.g., "only show active accounts") into the base query rather than pushing this burden to every consumer
* Making write operations safe and auditable by encoding validation logic into action definitions
* Enabling AI agents and natural language query tools to understand data through definitions and descriptions rather than raw column names&#x20;

{% hint style="info" %}

#### BFSI Example

Rather than asking an analyst to write a 7-table join to see a customer's risk score alongside their compliance status and lien totals, the RiskWatchlist semantic object pre-computes this view. The analyst queries one object; the platform executes the governed SQL.
{% endhint %}

A **Semantic Object** (also called a Business Object) is a governed, business-friendly view of your data. It wraps one or more database tables in a curated layer that gives columns meaningful names, pre-joins related tables, and exposes only the data that a given business domain needs to see and act on.The **Business Object** editor provides a structured, form-based interface for building these objects without writing JSON by hand. It is organised into six sections, each accessible from the left-hand navigation panel inside the editor:

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th width="152.20001220703125"></th><th width="153.79998779296875"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Section</strong></td><td><strong>Icon</strong></td><td><strong>What you configure here</strong></td></tr><tr><td>General</td><td><em>(selected tab)</em></td><td>Object name, description, base SQL query (the definitionQuery), inherent type, and row-level security filter.</td></tr><tr><td>Attributes</td><td></td><td>The columns your object exposes: which is the primary key, which is the display title, data types, filter settings, and derived measures and dimensions.</td></tr><tr><td>Relationships</td><td></td><td>Links to other Business Objects — how this object connects to the wider ontology by shared key attributes.</td></tr><tr><td>Services</td><td></td><td>Parameterised SQL query functions that return related child data, history, or detail records on demand.</td></tr><tr><td>Actions</td><td><em>(orange lightning)</em></td><td>Write-back operations (INSERT, UPDATE) that users can perform on individual records — governed mutations to the underlying database.</td></tr><tr><td>Permissions</td><td></td><td>Access control settings defining which roles or users can view, edit, or execute this object and its actions.</td></tr></tbody></table>


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