Change the model¶
Open Data. The model editor shows the model's YAML files, grouped as Cubes (one per table, append-only) and Views (what a question can reach).
main is read-only. It is what every chat and every dashboard reads, and it is generated by
the build. To change anything, make a branch.
cubes/fact_daily_sales.yml +4 −0Editing on the branch add-margin: one file saved and validated, ready to publish. The assistant on the right proposed the change; it never writes a file itself.
The cycle¶
flowchart LR
B[New branch] --> E[Edit files<br/>or ask the assistant]
E --> S[Save<br/>into the draft]
S --> V[Validate<br/>Cube compiles it]
V --> P[Publish<br/>served on the branch]
P --> M[Merge…<br/>into main]
E -. Revert / Discard .-> E- Branch. Click the branch button (⑂ main) → New branch…, name it (e.g.
add-margin), pick what to branch from, Create. - Edit. Open a file from the tree and type, or click + View for a new view. Or ask the assistant on the right.
- Save N writes your edits into the branch's draft. Nothing compiles yet.
- Validate asks Cube to compile the whole draft on a throwaway branch, and checks every saved dashboard query against it. Cube compiled it. Ready to publish.
- Publish N commits the draft to the branch. Cube serves it on that branch within seconds — no restart.
- Merge… shows the files that changed, the patch, and whether any saved query breaks, then Merge into main. It can delete the branch afterwards (ticked by default).
Only the next step's button is enabled. The Problems panel under the editor lists what is wrong: errors that stop it compiling, and things that compile but fail later — including N of M saved queries would break, with the closest member names.
Rules Cube enforces through the editor¶
- Cubes are append-only. Add members and descriptions; do not rename or remove. Dashboards and saved queries depend on the names.
- Views can be changed freely.
- Files must be
cubes/*.ymlorviews/*.yml. Cube compiles every YAML under the model, and one stray file elsewhere would take it to zero cubes. - A multi-column
sql:expression needs{CUBE}.before each column, or it fails with an ambiguous-column error once a join is involved.
Undoing¶
| Where | Does |
|---|---|
| Revert (solid dot — typed, not saved) | Undo your typing in that file |
| Discard (hollow dot — saved, not published) | Reset that file to the branch's published version |
| Delete branch (bin icon) | Type the branch name to confirm. Anything never merged is lost; main is untouched |
A merge that would break saved dashboard queries is offered as the red Merge anyway, breaking N. Prefer fixing the tiles first.
The assistant¶
On a branch, the right-hand pane is an assistant for the model. It reads before it proposes, and it saves nothing — every change comes back as a diff for you to accept. It cannot commit or merge. Try:
- Describe the measures on invoice_line
- Add a gross_amount measure to invoice_line
- Make a view of track economics
Each proposal is a card — Change path +a −r — with Review, which opens a diff where you accept or reject each change. Accepted text is an ordinary edit: Save, Validate and Publish as usual.
Served model¶
The Served model tab lists every member Cube is actually serving on the current branch, with a filter. It also lists files that are in the model but not served — usually a file Cube could not compile.
Rebuild from scratch¶
Data → … → Rebuild the model runs the build again from a fresh table selection. It asks you
to type rebuild, then confirms once more, because every file on main is replaced in one
commit — hand edits on main included. The old version stays in the model store's history, and
nothing stops being served while it runs. To keep hand edits, make them on a branch and merge
after rebuilding.
Only one build runs at a time across the machine. The Data icon on the rail shows a dot while one is running.