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Glossary

Definitions of the MetaMiner, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric and Microsoft Entra terms used across this site.

MetaMiner terms

MetaMiner Server (MMS)
The Windows service metaminer. It collects metadata from your tenant, stores it in the MetaMiner Database and serves the MetaMiner Client and the web dashboards on one port (default 49714).
MetaMiner Client (MMC)
The Windows desktop application users run to explore, analyse, back up and restore Power BI and Fabric content.
MetaMiner Administrator (MMA)
The desktop application on the server machine used to configure environments, settings and security, and to start and stop the MMS.
MetaMiner Database (MMDB)
The PostgreSQL database (version 16 or newer for Power BI) that holds the collected metadata. Either embedded (service InfolytikPostgres) or an external PostgreSQL server you provide.
MetaMiner Web Apps
The Windows service MetaMinerWebApps that serves the usage dashboards, Monitor and Meta Query on the web. Browsers reach it only through the MMS.
Environment
One connected Power BI tenant, configured in the MMA with an app registration (tenant ID, client ID, client secret) and an endpoint set.
Endpoint set
The Microsoft cloud an environment connects to: Commercial, US Government, US Government High or US Government Military.
Collection
MetaMiner reading metadata, activity, licences and capacity data from the Microsoft APIs. Called a pull elsewhere in MetaMiner.
Collector
One independent collection task with its own Microsoft API and cadence, for example WORKSPACE_SCAN or ACTIVITY_EVENTS. See Collection Processors.
Rollup job
A scheduled job in the MMS that summarises collected data into daily and hourly tables for the usage dashboards.
Data state
The note a dashboard panel shows about its data: ok, no data in scope, no platform, not primed, out of coverage, backfilling, dirty or stale. See Data Freshness.
User-population scope
An optional Entra group that limits the seat and adoption figures of the usage dashboards to its members.
Meta Query
Read-only SQL against the MMDB, from the MMC or the browser.
Log bundle
A ZIP file of the server logs, created in the MMA, that you send to Infolytik Support.
User-based security
MetaMiner's own sign-in, users and roles. When it is on, every MMC user signs in to the MMS.
License key
The .lic file that sets the edition and features of an installation.

Power BI and Fabric terms

Tenant
Your organisation's Microsoft cloud directory and its Power BI and Fabric service.
Workspace
A Power BI or Fabric container for content, with its own access roles (Admin, Member, Contributor, Viewer).
Semantic model
The data model behind reports, formerly called a dataset. MetaMiner screens use both names.
Report, paginated report, dashboard
Power BI content types. Paginated reports are pixel-perfect reports that do not use a semantic model the same way.
Dataflow
A Power Query data preparation item. Gen1 dataflows are Power BI dataflows; Gen2 dataflows are Fabric items.
Fabric item
Any item in a Fabric workspace, such as a lakehouse, warehouse, notebook, pipeline, eventstream or KQL database.
Item definition
The full content of a Fabric item (for example a report layout or a semantic model in TMSL), returned by the Fabric API.
App
A published, packaged view of a workspace's content for consumers.
Capacity
Dedicated compute for workspaces: Fabric F SKUs, Power BI Premium P SKUs, Premium Per User, or trial capacities. Workspaces without one run on shared capacity.
Capacity unit (CU)
The unit of Fabric capacity compute. Utilization, throttling and the CU mix are measured in CUs.
Throttling
Fabric delaying (interactive delay) or rejecting (interactive or background rejection) work when a capacity is overloaded. Also used for Microsoft limiting API calls (HTTP 429).
Fabric Capacity Metrics app
Microsoft's app that reports capacity utilization. MetaMiner reads its semantic model.
Gateway
Software that connects Power BI to on-premises or virtual-network data: on-premises (enterprise), personal, or virtual network gateways.
Connection
A stored data connection in Power BI or Fabric, often bound to a gateway.
Datasource
A data source used by a semantic model or dataflow (for example a SQL Server database).
Activity events
The Power BI activity log of user and system operations (views, refreshes, exports and so on). Microsoft keeps about 30 days.
Workspace scanner
The Power BI admin metadata scanning API MetaMiner uses to read workspace contents.
Sensitivity label
A Microsoft Purview Information Protection label applied to Power BI content.
Endorsement
Marking content as Promoted or Certified.
Refresh
Reloading a semantic model's data from its sources.
Admin portal / tenant settings
The Fabric admin portal pages where tenant-wide features are switched on, including service principal access to admin and Fabric APIs.

Microsoft Entra terms

Microsoft Entra ID
Microsoft's identity service (formerly Azure AD).
App registration
The application object MetaMiner signs in as, identified by a client (application) ID.
Service principal
The identity of an app registration in your tenant. MetaMiner collects as a service principal.
Client secret
The password-like credential of an app registration. It has an expiry date.
Application permission
A Microsoft Graph permission granted to the app itself (for example User.Read.All), which needs admin consent.
Delegated sign-in
Signing in as a person, so that MetaMiner acts with that person's rights (used for workspace access changes and restore).
Security group
An Entra group used to allow the service principal in tenant settings and workspaces.
Microsoft Graph
The Microsoft API for directory data: users, groups, applications and licences.
SKU
A licence product, for example Power BI Pro (POWER_BI_PRO), Premium Per User (PBI_PREMIUM_PER_USER) or Fabric free (POWER_BI_STANDARD).