# Glossary

Source: https://docs.littlebigbrain.com/start/glossary/

This page defines the words that the console and these docs use for
workflows, quality and review. Each entry is one or two sentences. The
guides explain each part in full.

## Workflows

### Workflow

A durable process installed on a graph. It has a name, a trigger and its
settings. See [Workflows](https://docs.littlebigbrain.com/guides/workflows/).

### Trigger

What starts a workflow: on change, on upload, on schedule, on stream or on
review answered. Today a workflow has one trigger: a watch (on change) or a
content trigger (on upload). On schedule, on stream and on review answered
are planned.

### Template

A ready-made, versioned starting point for a workflow. The API calls it a
starter workflow. **Use template** creates a workflow from it. See
[Starter workflows](https://docs.littlebigbrain.com/guides/starter-workflows/).

### Run

One item of work. A run groups its continuations and its retries.

### Attempt

One try of a run. The console shows attempts only inside the details of a
run.

### Step

A checkpointed unit inside a run. When an attempt runs again, a finished
step returns its saved result.

### AI steps

The steps that use a model or a person: extract, classify, decide, embed
and review. A workflow's code makes these calls through the
[activities](https://docs.littlebigbrain.com/guides/workflow-templates/#the-activities).

### Agent step

A model that uses tools in a bounded loop. Agent steps are planned.

## Quality

### Dataset

Example inputs with their expected outputs. Datasets are coming to
**Evals**.

### Test

A run on chosen inputs before a workflow goes live. A test writes nothing.
Tests are coming.

### Experiment

Two versions compared on one dataset. The console calls model trials
experiments.

### Check

A judge model grades a sample of the model calls of a use. People can agree
with a check or correct it. See
[Check model quality](https://docs.littlebigbrain.com/guides/check-model-quality/).

### Gate

The confidence below which a workflow asks a person instead of writing. A
result at or above the gate is written.

### Calibration

People label a sample of results. LBB uses the labels to measure a gate and
set it.

## Review

### Review item

A question for a person: approve, correct, choose, grade or answer. Its
result is an answer.

### Review

The way a workflow hands a decision to a person, and the inbox of review
items. Today the inbox is the **Suggestions** tab of **Knowledge graph**.

### Use

What a model call is for: ask, route, extract, decide, embed and more.
**Models** picks the model for each use.

## Engine words

The console shows these words only under a **Details** disclosure. You meet
them in the workflow engine's routes and in its logs.

| Word | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| instance | An engine identity that receives messages. |
| turn | One attempt of handling a message. |
| shard | One of up to 16 identities that a workflow's work is routed to. |
| lease | A worker's claim on a turn. |
| inbox | The queued messages of an instance. |
| origin | What caused a message or a review item. |