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Version: 2026.09

Terminology

Admin Panel​

The administrator pages of the web app, listed under Admin in Settings. Administrators manage their tenant there. Open it from your avatar: click Settings, then a page under Admin. See the Administrator Guide.

Agent (Istari Digital Agent)​

Background worker processes that run on a host machine (for example an engineer's PC, a VM, an HPC cluster, or a Kubernetes pod). They retrieve and execute jobs from the platform — running module functions on your files and returning results — while your data stays in your network.

Agent key​

The credential an Istari Digital Agent uses to sign in. An administrator generates it; the agent is configured with the downloaded credentials file. See Agent keys.

Agent Token​

Deprecated. A personal access token issued for an agent. Use an agent key.

Artifact​

A Resource produced by running a function on a model (for example extracted images or tables), or a standalone Resource that is not processed further.

Baseline​

In Systems: the default branch on every System. Other Systems that reference this one as a Subsystem default to it. The baseline branch cannot be archived. See Version control.

Branch​

In Systems: a named line of work that versions a System's composition (which Resources and Subsystems belong together, and at which revisions). Every System starts with a baseline branch. See Version control.

Change request​

In Systems: a reviewable proposal to merge one branch into another. It shows the System delta (Resources and Subsystems added, removed, or changed). Merging requires Editor or above. See the Branches guide.

Commit​

In Systems: one saved change to a branch (add, remove, or update Resources, folders, or Subsystems). Opening a commit shows the System as it was at that point. See Version control.

Configuration​

Legacy term. A named collection of files within a System in earlier releases. Configurations were migrated to branches with the same names. Prefer branch. See Transitioning from configurations and snapshots.

Control Plane​

The platform services for authentication, orchestration, and metadata (identity, access, job status). File contents stay in your storage.

Control Tag​

A need-to-know control assigned to a user and to a Resource (a model or an artifact) together. The user can open the Resource when they have a role on it and hold every tag it carries. Secure Connections use those tags to allow or block transfer. See Sharing and access control.

DE Tool (Digital Engineering Tool)​

Software used to create or change design or engineering files (for example CAD, requirements, or simulation tools).

Extraction​

A function that processes a model and produces artifacts, such as images or tables from a CAD file.

File​

The on-disk bytes. Once registered on the Istari Digital Platform, we call that item a Resource.

Folder​

A browsing path for Resources already in a System. Folder layout belongs to a branch. See Folders inside a System.

Function​

An operation a module runs on one or more models, producing results such as artifacts. Each run is a job.

Infosec Level​

A classification on a model, artifact, system, or user. The level on a user is their clearance. When enabled, opening an object requires a clearance at or above its level. Experimental, and present only when enabled for the deployment. See Infosec levels.

Installation​

A single deployed instance of the Istari Digital Platform. One installation can hold several tenants.

Integration​

A connection between the platform and an external tool or data source (for example a CAD tool or a third-party app). Tool integrations are delivered by a module on an Agent.

Job​

One run of a function on one or more models.

Key (Access key)​

A credential for programmatic access to the Istari Digital Platform (Python client, CLI, and API). Created in the web app under Developer settings. Replaces the personal access token. See Developer Settings — Keys.

A reference (a URI or a source-specific identifier) to a file that stays in a third-party data source. Connecting a file stores the link and metadata on the platform.

Membership​

A person's or agent's place in a tenant, which lets them work in that tenant. Each person or agent holds at most one membership, so revoking it also suspends them. Suspending someone is a separate action that keeps their membership. See Suspend a person and Reactivate a person. For an agent, see Reinstate a suspended person or agent.

Model​

A Resource the platform can process, such as a file from a DE tool, to produce artifacts.

Module​

Software installed on an Agent that provides functions for a tool (for example a CATIA V5 module).

Organization administrator​

The administrator role on an installation without tenant management. Your IT administrator grants it in your sign-in provider. An organization administrator does the work that a Tenant Administrator and a Platform Administrator do on installations with tenant management.

PAT (Personal Access Token)​

Deprecated as of the July 2026 release. A user credential for API and CLI access. Use a key. An existing PAT signs in until it is revoked; where keys are available, a new PAT cannot be created. See Move a Python script from a PAT to a key.

Platform Administrator​

The role that administers the whole installation: every tenant and every person, from the Platform Admin Console. See Administrators.

Pre-registered​

The status of a person an administrator has added who has not signed in yet. See Add a person.

Resource​

A file registered with the Istari Digital Platform (uploaded or connected), with a stable identity and a revision history. Models and artifacts are Resources. A System groups Resources; it is not a Resource. See Resources.

Revision​

One immutable version of a Resource. A new upload or connection appends a revision. Also called a version. See Version control.

Role​

The access given when a Resource or System is shared: Viewer, Editor, Administrator, or Owner. See Sharing and roles.

Secure Connection​

An authenticated, encrypted channel to a partner organization. A Sending Connection pushes models and artifacts you own; a Receiving Connection accepts those a partner pushes to you. Each Resource is shared on its own. See Secure Connections.

Sign-in provider​

The service that signs you in to Istari and holds your account. The sign-in screens belong to it. You sign up there, or an administrator creates your account for you.

On installations with tenant management, the accounts are grouped into organizations, and IT links each tenant to one of them. A person signs in with an account in the organization linked to their tenant.

Snapshot​

Legacy / API term. A point-in-time record of Resource revisions in a System. In the web app these are commits on a branch. Some SDK and API surfaces still say snapshot. Prefer commit. See Version control.

Storage​

Where your data lives (your object store, S3-compatible or Azure). Sometimes called a bucket or object store.

Subsystem​

A System linked into a parent System, resolved at a branch (the parent's reference defaults to the child's baseline). See Systems and Subsystems.

Suspended​

The status of a person or tenant an administrator has taken out of service. A suspended person cannot use Istari. Neither can anyone in a suspended tenant. After signing in, they see You don't have access to Istari yet.

Reactivate returns a tenant to Active. It returns a person to Active, or to Pre-registered if they have never signed in.

System​

A named group of related Resources and optional Subsystems. Sharing, branches, and commits apply to the group. See Systems and Subsystems.

Tenant​

Your company or customer entity on an installation. People and agents belong to a tenant through a membership, and the tenant's administrators manage it from the Admin Panel. Earlier documentation called a tenant an organization. Two other uses of the word are different:

  • A partner organization is another installation you share with through a Secure Connection.
  • An organization in your sign-in provider is a group of accounts there.

Tenant management​

The way an installation runs when Istari itself records its tenants, who belongs to each, and who administers them. Administrators add people and grant administrator roles in the web app, and your sign-in provider holds their accounts and signs them in. Without tenant management, the sign-in provider grants administrator access, and administrators invite people from the Users page.

To tell which way your installation runs:

  • With tenant management, Settings has no Password entry, and Settings > Admin > Users has a Pre-registered tab.
  • Without it, Settings has a Password entry, and the Users page has an Invited tab.

Tenant Administrator​

The role that administers one tenant, its people and its agents. See Administrators.

Third-party data source​

An external service where files stay while the platform stores a reference (for example Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Windchill, or Teamwork Cloud).