# Overview of Asset Types

The Catalog top panel shows asset-type filters as clickable pills. For example, click the **Schema** pill to show Schema assets such as schemas and folders.

![Asset type pills - UI screenshot](/files/JckOKoHgQu8tfe0TUEPz)

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### Short summary (at a glance)

* Schema: container for other assets (folders, schemas). Not a data-bearing object.
* Table: data-bearing object (tables, views, streams).
* Source: where data originates (database, BI tool).
* Chart / Dashboard: visualizations built on tables.
* Column: the smallest data element (column, JSON attribute).
* Data Job / Task: executable units that transform or move data.

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### Catalog asset definitions

* Chart
  * What: a single visualization (e.g., a Looker or Tableau chart).
  * Notes: Charts can appear on multiple Dashboards. They carry metadata such as description, owner, lineage, and documentation.
* Dashboard
  * What: a collection of charts grouped for a specific use case (e.g., executive or product dashboard).
  * Notes: Includes metadata and lineage like Charts.
* Schema
  * What: a container for other assets (for example, schemas and folders).
  * Notes: Schema assets organize items but do not contain data themselves.
* Data Job
  * What: an executable job that consumes, produces, or transforms data (examples: Airflow DAGs, dbt runs, Fivetran jobs).
  * Subtypes: DataJobRun, DataTaskRun.
* Data Task
  * What: a discrete step inside a data job or pipeline (transform, validate, enrich, move).
* Table
  * What: structured data, often tabular (tables, materialized views, streams, or files in object storage).
  * Common subtypes: Table (physical table), View (materialized or virtual), Virtual Table (logical representation, see [Virtual tables](#virtual-tables) below).
* Source
  * What: the origin system for tables and other assets (databases, data warehouses, BI tools).
  * Common subtypes: Database, Business Intelligence (BI) tool.
* Column
  * What: the smallest logical data element (column, JSON attribute).
  * Examples: Column (physical table column), Virtual Column (from a virtual table).

#### Asset hierarchy (simple)

The following Mermaid diagram shows the top-level relationships between the common asset types.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  %% Source branches for DB/warehouse, ETL, BI and jobs
  Source["Source (DB / Warehouse / ETL / BI)"] --> DBCollection["Schema"]
  DBCollection --> DBDataset["Table / View"]
  DBDataset --> Column["Column"]

  Source --> ETLCollection["Schema"]
  ETLCollection --> VirtualDataset["Table (Virtual)"]
  VirtualDataset --> VirtualColumn["Column (Virtual)"]

  Source --> DataJob["Data Job"]
  DataJob --> DataTask["Data Task"]

  Source --> Chart["Chart"]
  Source --> Dashboard["Dashboard"]

  %% visual style
  classDef asset fill:#cce6ff,stroke:#222,stroke-width:1px,color:#222;
  class Source,DBCollection,DBDataset,Column,ETLCollection,VirtualDataset,VirtualColumn,DataJob,DataTask,Chart,Dashboard asset;
```

***

### Virtual tables

A virtual table is a logical data model that does not exist as a physical table in a source database. Decube surfaces virtual tables in the catalog when it ingests metadata from transformation tools (such as dbt models) or BI tools (such as Tableau data sources).

Virtual tables appear alongside physical tables in the catalog so that you can document, own, and track lineage for the full data layer — not just the raw storage layer. Each virtual table can carry the same enrichment metadata as a physical table: owner, description, custom attributes, DQ monitors, and lineage edges.

| Asset type     | Where it comes from                                               | Example                                           |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Virtual Table  | dbt, Fivetran, Tableau, and other transformation or BI connectors | A dbt model, a Tableau Published Data Source      |
| Virtual Column | A column projected by a Virtual Table                             | A dbt model column, a calculated field in Tableau |

{% hint style="info" %}
Which connectors produce virtual tables depends on the metadata types each connector supports. Check the **Supported Capabilities** section of your connector's page to confirm whether it collects Virtual Table and Virtual Column metadata.
{% endhint %}

***

### Glossary assets

* Glossary: a central repository of business terms and definitions.
* Term: a single glossary entry (business term) that can be linked to assets for context.
* Category: hierarchical grouping of glossary terms for easier navigation.

![Glossary diagram - UI screenshot](/files/LDfbyScjIxzC6L6s7cKU)


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