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Mappings, glossary and comments

Record source-to-target mappings and generate dbt model SQL, link entities and attributes to a shared business glossary, and review data models with comment threads in EntityModel.com.

Source-to-target mappings

Mappings (top bar) record where each attribute of the active tab gets its data from, in any other tab. It's the ETL or ELT specification for the model.

  • Auto-map matches attributes through derivation lineage first, then by name, so CUST_NM maps to customer_name.
  • Each target attribute gets its source columns, a transform (an expression, or empty for a direct copy) and a draft or approved status. Coverage is shown per entity.
  • Renames and deletes keep mappings in step.

Outputs:

  • a CSV of every mapping;
  • the generated dbt model SQL for each target entity;
  • a "Source-to-target mappings" section in the design document.

From the CLI:

node bin/em.mjs mappings sales --target logical --source physical --auto
node bin/em.mjs mappings sales --target logical --format dbt

Business glossary

The Glossary (top bar) is one list of business terms shared by every model: models/_glossary.json locally, this browser on the site. Each term has a definition, synonyms, a status, a domain and an owner.

  • Link entities and attributes to terms from the inspector. A matching name gets a one-click suggestion, or link every match in a tab at once.
  • Models embed the terms they use, so a model file stays self-contained when shared.
  • Docs gain a glossary section, and blank descriptions borrow the term's definition.
  • Databricks DDL tags columns with their business term.
node bin/em.mjs glossary add "Customer" --definition "A person or organization that buys from us."
node bin/em.mjs glossary suggest sales      # terms that match names in the model
node bin/em.mjs glossary link sales

Review comments

Comment threads attach to the model, an entity, an attribute or a relationship. They have replies and can be resolved. Open comments show on entity cards and in the sidebar, and stay attached when things are renamed.

Running locally, Ask Claude can work through them: "Work through the open review comments" proposes fixes and replies to each thread. See AI data modeling.