# Glossary ### active check Soda's licensing model is based on the volume of active checks. An active check is one that Soda has executed during a scan at least once in the past 90 days. A single check, whether it has been executed during a scan one time, fifty times, or five hundred times in the last 90 days counts as an active check. ### agreement (Deprecating) A collection of checks that serve as a contract between stakeholders that stipulates the expected and agreed-upon state of data quality in a data source. ### alert configuration A configuration in a SodaCL check that you use to explicitly specify the conditions that warrant a warn result. See [Optional check configurations](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/sodacl-reference/optional-config#add-alert-configurations). ### built-in metric An out-of-the-box metric that you can configure in a checks YAML file. See [Metrics and checks](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/sodacl-reference/metrics-and-checks). ### check A test for data quality that you write using the Soda Checks Language (SodaCL). Technically, it is a Python expression that checks metrics to see if they match the parameters you defined for a measurement. See [Metrics and checks](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/sodacl-reference/metrics-and-checks). ### checks YAML The file in which you define SodaCL checks. Soda Library uses the input from this file to prepare, then run SQL queries against your data. See [How Soda works](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/learning-resources/how-library-works). ### cloud metric store The component in Soda Cloud that stores metric measurements. This component facilities the visualization of changes to your data over time. ### collection A saved set of filters in the Checks dashboard that you can access via a dropdown. Also known as a Saved View. ### column A column in a dataset in your data source. ### configuration key The key in the key-value pair that you use to define what qualifies as a missing or valid value in a column. A Soda scan uses the value of a column configuration key to determine if a check should pass, warn, or fail. For example, in `valid format: UUID` , `valid format` is a column configuration key and `UUID` is the only format of the data in the column that Soda considers valid. See [Missing metrics](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/sodacl-reference/missing-metrics) and [Validity metrics](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/sodacl-reference/validity-metrics). ### configuration YAML The file in which you configure data source connection details and Soda Cloud connection details. ### data source A storage location that contains a collection of datasets, such as Snowflake, Amazon Athena, or GCP BigQuery. ### dataset A representation of a tabular data structure with rows and columns. A dataset can take the form of a table in PostgreSQL or Snowflake, a stream, or a DataFrame in a Spark application. ### discussion A collaborative messaging and check proposal space that data producers and consumers can use to establish agreed-upon rules for data quality. See: [Begin a discussion and propose checks](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/use-case-guides/quick-start-end-user#begin-a-discussion-and-propose-checks). ### incident A ticket you create and associate with a failed check result so as to track your team’s investigation and resolution of a data quality issue. See [Create and track incidents](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/learning-resources/broken-reference). ### measurement The value for a metric that Soda Library collects during a scan. ### metric A property of the data in your dataset. See [Metrics and checks](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/sodacl-reference/metrics-and-checks). ### monitor (Deprecated) A set of details you define in Soda Cloud which Soda SQL used when it ran a scan. Now deprecated and replaced by a [check](#check). ### no-code check A SodaCL check you create via the Soda Cloud user interface. ### notification A setting you configure in a Soda Cloud agreement that defines whom to notify with check results after a scan. ### recon YAML The file in which you define SodaCL reconciliation checks. See [Reconciliation checks](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/sodacl-reference/recon). ### scan A command that executes checks to extract information about data in a data source. See [Run a scan and view results](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/run-a-scan). ### scan definition A collection of checks YAML files that contain the checks for data quality you wish to scan at a specific time, including details for which Soda Agent to use to connect to which data source. Effectively, a scan definition provides the what, when, and where to run a scan. ### scan definition name A unique identifier that you add to a programmatic scan or to the `soda scan` command using the `-s` option. Soda Cloud uses the scan definition name to correlate subsequent scan results, thus retaining an historical record of the measurements over time. ### scan schedule The schedule you customize in Soda Cloud to instruct a Soda Agent to execute scans at a regular cadence. ### Soda Agent The self-hosted or Soda-hosted Helm chart that faciliates a secure connection between your Soda Cloud account and your data sources. See [Soda Agent basic concepts](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/learning-resources/basics). ### SodaCL The domain-specific language to define Soda Checks in a checks YAML file. A Soda Check is a test that Soda Library executes when it scans a dataset in your data source. ### Soda Cloud A web application that enables you to examine scan results and create agreements. Create a Soda Cloud account at [cloud.soda.io](https://cloud.soda.io/signup). ### Soda Core A free, open-source, Python library and command-line tool that enables you to use the Soda Checks Language to turn user-defined input into aggregated SQL queries that test for data quality. See Soda Core in [GitHub](https://github.com/sodadata/soda-core). ### Soda Library A Python library and CLI tool that is a commercial extension of Soda Core. Connect Soda Library with over a dozen data sources and Soda Cloud, and use the Soda Checks Language to turn user-defined input into aggregated SQL queries that test for data quality. ### Soda Spark (Deprecated) Soda Spark was an extension of Soda SQL that allowed you to run Soda SQL functionality programmatically on a Spark DataFrame. It has been replaced by Soda Library configured to [connect Soda to Apache Spark](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/data-source-reference/connect-spark). ### Soda SQL (Deprecated) Soda SQL was an open-source command-line tool that scanned the data in your data source. Replaced by Soda Library. ### threshold The value for a metric that Soda checks against during a scan. See [Metrics and checks](https://docs.soda.io/soda-documentation/soda-v3/sodacl-reference/metrics-and-checks). ### validity rule In Soda Cloud, the key-value pair that you use to define what qualifies as a missing valid value in a column. A Soda scan uses the value defined in a validity rule to determine if it should pass or fail a check. See also: [configuration key](#configuration-key).