Engineering & AI glossary
Understand the metrics, models, and methods behind modern engineering. Clear definitions, practical examples, and a closer look at what the numbers actually mean.
All terms
2,008 termsSemantic layer
Semantic layer models governed concepts above raw data.
Engineering analyticsSemantic routing
Semantic routing is a model-routing or gateway concept used to manage traffic selection for AI requests. It describes a distinct decision, control, interface, or observation point between an application and one or more model providers.
Model routing and gatewaysSemantic versioning
Semantic versioning is a software maintenance concern describing a condition that can make future changes, verification, operation, or ownership harder. Its practical importance depends on supported behavior, rate of change, and the consequences of delay.
Code quality and technical debtSensitivity analysis
Sensitivity analysis is a statistical or measurement concept used to describe, compare, or interpret engineering data. Its meaning depends on the unit of analysis, data-generating process, and question being asked.
Measurement and experimentationSentence representation
Sentence representation is a language-model concept about context selection and limits. It names a mechanism, representation, prompting pattern, decoding control, or context behavior that can change how an AI system processes input and produces output.
LLM fundamentalsSeparation of concerns
The practice of organizing software so distinct responsibilities can change and be reasoned about independently.
Code quality and technical debtSequence packing
Sequence packing is the serving concept concerned with sequence packing during AI inference.
Inference performanceServer sent events
Server sent events is the serving concept concerned with server sent events during AI inference.
Inference performanceService catalog
Service catalog is a way to organize, support, or evaluate software work so that teams can make useful progress with less avoidable friction. It is most valuable when connected to a concrete outcome and the local conditions of the team using it.
Developer productivityService class
A service class is a category of work with a shared policy for sequencing, WIP treatment, and service expectation. Examples include standard, expedite, fixed-date, and intangible work.
Flow and capacity planningService Comparison
Service Comparison is an analytical concept for separating engineering observations into populations whose differences may matter to a decision.
Engineering analyticsService discovery for models
Service discovery for models is a model-routing or gateway concept used to manage operational visibility for AI requests. It describes a distinct decision, control, interface, or observation point between an application and one or more model providers.
Model routing and gatewaysService extraction
Service extraction is a software maintenance concern describing a condition that can make future changes, verification, operation, or ownership harder. Its practical importance depends on supported behavior, rate of change, and the consequences of delay.
Code quality and technical debtService level agreement
Service level agreement is a reliability concept used to describe a specific condition, control, or decision in the operation of software services.
Reliability and observabilityService level credit
Service level credit is a reliability concept used to describe a specific condition, control, or decision in the operation of software services.
Reliability and observabilityService level indicator
A service level indicator, or SLI, is a carefully defined quantitative measure of a service behavior that matters to users. Common examples include availability, request latency, error rate, and throughput.
Reliability and observabilityService level objective
A service level objective, or SLO, is a target value or range for a service level indicator. It states the level of service a team aims to provide over a defined period and measurement boundary.
Reliability and observabilityService map
Service map is a representation of services and observed communication paths between them.
Reliability and observabilityService ownership
Service ownership is a software delivery concept used to describe a specific event, interval, control, or operating condition in the path from source change to production behavior. A useful definition names the boundary, unit, and decision the measure supports.
DORA and DevOpsService rate
Service rate is the number of items that a stage or system completes per unit of time. It is a measured outcome of capacity, work mix, policies, and variation, not a fixed property of a person.
Flow and capacity planningService template
A service template is a reusable starting point for creating a software service and its supporting configuration. It may include repository structure, build and deployment workflows, observability, security controls, documentation, and defaults that teams can adapt to their context.
Measurement and experimentationService time
Service time is the serving concept concerned with service time during AI inference.
Inference performanceServing backpressure
Serving backpressure is the serving concept concerned with serving backpressure during AI inference.
Inference performanceShadow routing
Shadow routing is a model-routing or gateway concept used to manage traffic selection for AI requests. It describes a distinct decision, control, interface, or observation point between an application and one or more model providers.
Model routing and gatewaysShadow traffic
Shadow traffic is a model-routing or gateway concept used to manage traffic selection for AI requests. It describes a distinct decision, control, interface, or observation point between an application and one or more model providers.
Model routing and gatewaysShared fate
Shared fate is a reliability concept used to describe a specific condition, control, or decision in the operation of software services.
Reliability and observabilityShared understanding
Shared understanding is a way to organize, support, or evaluate software work so that teams can make useful progress with less avoidable friction. It is most valuable when connected to a concrete outcome and the local conditions of the team using it.
Developer productivityShift-left testing
Shift-left testing is a software testing or test-design practice used to gather evidence about a defined risk, behavior, boundary, or operating condition. It makes the question under test explicit, identifies the inputs and observations that matter, and gives a team a repeatable basis for deciding whether the result is acceptable.
Code quality and technical debtShift-right testing
Shift-right testing is a software testing or test-design practice used to gather evidence about a defined risk, behavior, boundary, or operating condition. It makes the question under test explicit, identifies the inputs and observations that matter, and gives a team a repeatable basis for deciding whether the result is acceptable.
Code quality and technical debtShotgun surgery
A code smell in which one conceptual change requires small edits across many modules.
Code quality and technical debtSignificance test
Significance test is a defined lens for examining AI system behavior with a stated task, evidence, and interpretation rule.
Evaluations and benchmarksSimplify conditional
Simplify conditional is a software maintenance concern describing a condition that can make future changes, verification, operation, or ownership harder. Its practical importance depends on supported behavior, rate of change, and the consequences of delay.
Code quality and technical debtSimpson's paradox
Simpson's paradox is a statistical or measurement concept used to describe, compare, or interpret engineering data. Its meaning depends on the unit of analysis, data-generating process, and question being asked.
Measurement and experimentationSingle point of failure
Single point of failure is a reliability concept used to describe a specific condition, control, or decision in the operation of software services.
Reliability and observabilitySingle responsibility principle
A design principle that asks a software unit to have one coherent reason to change.
Code quality and technical debtSingle-piece flow
Single-piece flow is a process pattern in which work advances individually or in very small units through the value stream. It aims to expose problems early and reduce the waiting created by large batches.
Flow and capacity planningSkewness
Skewness is a statistical or measurement concept used to describe, compare, or interpret engineering data. Its meaning depends on the unit of analysis, data-generating process, and question being asked.
Measurement and experimentationSlack time
Slack time is a concept used in software delivery planning to describe a condition, relationship, estimate, or decision about engineering work.
Flow and capacity planningSlice-based evaluation
Slice-based evaluation is a defined lens for examining AI system behavior with a stated task, evidence, and interpretation rule.
Evaluations and benchmarksSLO alerting
SLO alerting is creation of notifications from measured service objectives and remaining error budget.
Reliability and observabilitySLO breach
SLO breach is a software delivery concept used to describe a specific event, interval, control, or operating condition in the path from source change to production behavior. A useful definition names the boundary, unit, and decision the measure supports.
DORA and DevOpsSmall batch
Small batch is a way to organize, support, or evaluate software work so that teams can make useful progress with less avoidable friction. It is most valuable when connected to a concrete outcome and the local conditions of the team using it.
Developer productivitySmall sample size
Small sample size is an analytical risk or quality concern that can make an engineering analysis appear more certain, comparable, or causal than it is.
Engineering analyticsSmoke test deployment
Smoke test deployment is a release engineering and DevOps concept for controlling how software changes are prepared, introduced, or understood.
DORA and DevOpsSmoke testing
Smoke testing is a brief set of checks that determines whether a build or deployment is stable enough for more detailed testing. It typically exercises a few critical paths and fails fast when a basic capability is unavailable.
Code quality and technical debtSnapshot metric
Snapshot metric describes state at one point in time.
Engineering analyticsSoak testing
Soak testing is a software testing or test-design practice used to gather evidence about a defined risk, behavior, boundary, or operating condition. It makes the question under test explicit, identifies the inputs and observations that matter, and gives a team a repeatable basis for deciding whether the result is acceptable.
Code quality and technical debtSoftware bill of materials
Software bill of materials is a software maintenance concern describing a condition that can make future changes, verification, operation, or ownership harder. Its practical importance depends on supported behavior, rate of change, and the consequences of delay.
Code quality and technical debtSoftware delivery system
A software delivery system is the connected set of workflows, tools, people, controls, and feedback loops that moves a software change from an idea or request through development and validation into production and operation.
Engineering analyticsSoftware factory
A software factory is the connected system an organization uses to design, build, test, review, release, and learn from software. It includes human responsibilities, delivery workflows, platforms, automation, quality controls, and the feedback that improves the system over time.
Engineering analytics