Short, plain-language definitions of the recurring terms in these docs. Each entry links to the page that covers it in depth.
- basePath
- The storage root a write pipeline targets inside the configured object store. It is required on every mutation block, even for the INSERT strategy that writes through SQL and never touches that path. See Write config.
- catalog
- The top-level namespace in a lakehouse query engine and the outermost level of the catalog → schema → table hierarchy. A catalog usually maps to one connector or metastore instance. See Data Sources.
- dialect
- The engine-specific SQL variant an adapter renders LakeQL's neutral query intent into. Each adapter owns its dialect, so the same GraphQL query runs correctly on different engines. See Data Sources.
- external table / external catalog
- A table or catalog whose data lives in object storage rather than inside the engine, registered with the metastore so the engine can query it in place. The storage write strategy writes to engines backed by this kind of external catalog. See Write strategies.
- impersonation
- Forwarding the caller's identity to the query engine so it executes under that user instead of a shared service account. Trino user impersonation is one example. See Per-Request Impersonation.
- schema
- The namespace that groups tables within a catalog, in the lakehouse catalog → schema → table hierarchy. This is distinct from a GraphQL schema, which describes the API's types. See Data Sources.
- service principal
- A non-interactive technical or machine identity, as opposed to an interactive human user. Writes are denied for a service principal unless a matching permission rule grants access. See Authentication.