datumwise

Explorer

Manifold Explorer

Every measure, universe, and edge in the demo Manifold — with the law that defines it, the verdict that tested it, and the query that shows it.

What is describe? Ask your own AI. 
Columna's `describe` is the machine-readable rendering of a Manifold — every measure, universe, edge,
and derived column, each carrying a VERDICT from checking the description against the data (verified,
corroborated, untestable, contradicted). No physical identifier ever crosses describe — an agent reads
meaning, never table or column names. Example: a universe declares its BASIS (events → a missing row is
a real zero; spine → a missing row is a gap), and describe carries that with its tested verdict. Explain
what describe is and how an agent uses it, and answer my follow-ups.

The Manifold behind the case, browsable — the story lives at /case.

THE UNIVERSE VISUAL · FIGURE 1

Cascadia — three universes

Universe-first, and multi-universe as foundational: each population is a first-class block holding its basis and its metric families. The edges carry the distinction — solid hops are functional (many-to-one) paths; the one dotted edge is the product↔category frontier, crossed only through its three declared faces. Labels are verbatim from describe.

inventoryBASIS spineuntestableabsence is a GAPcarve day >= store.openedbase: day · storeMEASUREstock [sum · last]GRAINSone declared level, two presences — the '=' marks the shared-atlas declarationdayone declared level, two presences — the '=' marks the shared-atlas declarationstorefunctional grains: calendar, location ✓identical to transaction — see the = edgestransactionBASIS eventsuntestableabsence is a lawful ZERObase: customer · day · product · storeMEASURESrevenue [sum]orders [count]buyers [distinct]units_sold [sum]units_returned [sum]GRAINSone declared level, two presences — the '=' marks the shared-atlas declarationdayone declared level, two presences — the '=' marks the shared-atlas declarationstorefunctional grains — ▸ = corroborated M:1 hopstore ▸ region✓day ▸ cal.month ▸ cal.quarter ▸ cal.year✓· cal.weekFRONTIER — the M:N reach (in-box)productcategory appears here through the M:N bridge — an occurrence presence, not a functional grain; servable only through a declared facecategorypresenceproduct_categories(product_id, category_id)revenue reaches every category a product sits in — deliberately multi-counted; totals exceed the grand totaltouchrevenue will be assigned to each product's top-priority category — single-counted; secondary memberships are not represented; totals match the grand totalprimaryrevenue will be split across a product's categories as a weighted sum, using alloc_weight as relative weights — totals reconcile to the grand totalsplitcategory_profileBASIS spineuntestableabsence is a GAPbase: categoryMEASURESpriority [last]alloc_weight [last]categorybaseone declared level, two presences — the '=' marks the shared-atlas declaration=one declared level, two presences — the '=' marks the shared-atlas declaration=one declared level, two presences — the '=' marks the shared-atlas declaration. Occurrences must conform to members — adjudication dated, rides OF-5.=priority drives primaryalloc_weight drives split✓solid → = functional hop, in a universe (M:1)· · · the M:N frontier reach, in-box (faces mandatory)= declared identity across universesbase:the block's base (anchor)
Cascadia's manifold: three universes. Each block shows its base (colored) and the grains its solid, functional edges reach; '=' links shared declarations — store, day, and category — across universes. The dotted product↔category edge inside transaction is the frontier: an M:N reach, not a functional grain, servable only through its three declared faces, whose drivers live in category_profile.

The hover, shown as a static pair (in the shipped visual, hovering a family member paints the stacks by traversability — CSS-only, no JS). Here the first burn, taught: the same stock over the same calendar stack, two members.

stock.sum @ calendarcal.yearcal.quartercal.month✕BARRED
barred (✕) — summing a stock across time doesn't reconcile; the B-anchor bars calendar.
stock.last @ calendarcal.yearcal.quartercal.month✓TRAVELS
travels (✓) — the period-end position is a clean read; last takes the latest snapshot.

Left out by design (the spec + the map hold the detail): logical attributes, the map's reject rows, operator properties, provenance. The visual holds the shape; a caption links the Manifold spec and the physical→logical map.

full scope published

Measures

defined asrevenuesale amount, summed universe transaction · family sum
tested—
show me
defined asorderscount of sale lines universe transaction · family count
tested—
show me
defined asbuyersdistinct customers who bought universe transaction · family distinct
tested—
show me
defined asunits_soldunits sold universe transaction · family sum
tested—
show me
defined asunits_returnedunits returned; nulls predate returns tracking and count as no return universe transaction · family sum
tested—
show me
defined asprioritythe category's assignment rank — 1 ranks first; drives the primary face universe category_profile · family last
tested—
show me
defined asalloc_weightthe category's relative allocation weight — normalized per product at the crossing; drives the split face universe category_profile · family last
tested—
show me
defined asstockthe stock level snapshot universe inventory · family sum last
tested—
show me

Derived

defined asaovaverage order value = revenue / orders, one definition for everyone revenue / orders · denotation-only
tested—
show me
defined asreturn_ratereturned units over sold units; one declared definition units_returned / units_sold · denotation-only
tested—
show me

Universes

defined astransaction basis events · absence is a lawful ZERO (zero-fill; immaterial) · grain customer day product store
testeduntestable
defined asinventory basis spine · absence is a GAP (incomplete_data — material) · day >= store.opened · grain day store
testeduntestable
defined ascategory_profile basis spine · absence is a GAP (incomplete_data — material) · grain category
testeduntestable

Hierarchies

defined aslocation store → region
testedcorroborated
defined ascalendar day → cal.month → cal.quarter → cal.year
testedcorroborated