Fundamentals
Data & Elements
Structured data objects that represent business entities and power your workflows
Elements are structured data objects that represent the key business entities in your organization—such as vendors, products, incidents, or customers. Each Element consists of defined fields that capture the essential information for that entity. By standardizing how business data is organized and accessed, Elements provide a consistent foundation for your workflows, applications, and business processes.
Common Element patterns and their use cases:
The Foundation of Business Logic
Elementum processes are built on structured data that reflects your real business entities:Elements
The Structure: Elements define your business entities with fields, relationships, and validations that mirror your operational reality.
CloudLinks
The Source: Connect to existing data repositories like Snowflake to use as data sources without copying or syncing. That data can be made available to your workflows as Elements objects.
Think of Elements as the digital representation of your business entities. They capture not just data, but the structure, relationships, and rules that govern how that data behaves in your processes.
Why Elements Matter
Elements transform scattered data into structured business logic that powers intelligent workflows:Structured Foundation
Every workflow needs data structure. Elements provide consistent, validated data objects that all your processes can rely on.
Business Logic
Elements contain the rules, validations, and relationships that reflect how your business actually operates.
Real-Time Updates
Changes to Elements propagate across all connected workflows, forms, and automations.
Scalable Architecture
Handle growing data volume and complexity without redesigning your underlying structure.
Real-World Examples
See how different teams use Elements to structure their business data:Customer Records
Track customer information, interaction history, preferences, and lifecycle stage with automated updates from CRM systems.
Transaction Logs
Record high-volume transaction data, timestamps, user actions, and system events for audit and analysis purposes.
Vendor Profiles
Manage supplier information, contract details, performance metrics, and compliance status with automated verification.
Product Catalog
Organize product specifications, pricing, availability, and relationships with automated inventory updates.
What Makes Up an Element
Every Element is composed of several key components that define its structure and behavior:Fields & Properties
Data types (including JSON columns for unstructured data), validation rules, default values, and calculated fields that define what information the Element can contain.
Relationships
Connections between Elements that mirror real-world business relationships, like customers linked to orders or incidents linked to products.
Permissions & Access
Role-based controls that determine who can view, edit, or delete Element records within your workflows.
Automation Triggers
Event-driven rules that automatically respond to Element changes, updates, or state transitions.
How Elements Connect to Data Sources
Elements can be populated and updated from various sources, depending on your needs:CloudLinks
External databases like Snowflake, PostgreSQL, or APIs that serve as authoritative data sources without copying data.
Manual Entry
Forms and interfaces where users directly create and update Element records through your workflows.
AI-Assisted Processing
AI agents that automatically generate Element records, extract structure from unstructured data, and populate JSON fields from loose data sources.
Element Types and Patterns
Design Elements around your business entities, not your technical systems. Focus on what makes sense to your users and processes.
Master Data Elements
Master Data Elements
Purpose: Store core business entities that other Elements referenceExamples: Customers, Products, Employees, VendorsCharacteristics: Relatively stable, referenced by many other Elements, often sourced from external systems
Transactional Elements
Transactional Elements
Purpose: Capture high-volume business events and data recordsExamples: Transaction & Event Logs, Usage Records, Performance MetricsCharacteristics: Created frequently, high volume, used for analysis and reporting
Configuration Elements
Configuration Elements
Purpose: Store settings and rules that govern process behaviorExamples: Approval Thresholds, SLA Definitions, Routing RulesCharacteristics: Changed infrequently, affect how other Elements behave
Historical Elements
Historical Elements
Purpose: Track changes and maintain audit trailsExamples: Change Logs, Version History, Activity RecordsCharacteristics: Append-only, used for reporting and compliance
Semi-Structured Elements
Semi-Structured Elements
Purpose: Store flexible data with varying structuresExamples: Form Responses, API Payloads, Survey Data, Document MetadataCharacteristics: Use JSON columns to accommodate varying data structures, with data enrichment tools and AI helping extract structure from unstructured inputs
Design Principles for Effective Elements
When designing Elements, keep these principles in mind:- Business-First: Model real business entities, not technical database tables
- Validation-Rich: Include rules that prevent invalid data from entering your workflows
- Relationship-Aware: Design connections that reflect actual business relationships
- Evolution-Ready: Structure Elements to grow with your business needs
- User-Centered: Make Elements intuitive for the people who work with them daily
Integration with Other Core Concepts
Elements work seamlessly with other Elementum concepts:Apps & Flow
Elements provide the data foundation that Apps organize and Flow processes move through stages.
Automation
Event-driven automation responds to Element changes, creating dynamic workflows.
Agents
AI Agents use Element data for context and can create or update Elements as part of their workflow steps.
Layouts
User interfaces display and interact with Elements through configurable forms and views.
Common Implementation Patterns
See how Elements work in real-world scenarios:Customer Analytics System
Customer Analytics System
Core Elements: Customer, Usage Records, Transaction Logs, Performance MetricsData Flow: Customer interactions generate Usage Records → Transaction Logs capture events → Performance Metrics aggregate data → Customer profiles updatedKey Benefits: Complete customer context, behavioral insights, performance tracking
Vendor Data Management
Vendor Data Management
Core Elements: Vendor, Contract, Performance Review, Compliance RecordData Flow: Vendor data sourced from external systems → Contract details maintained → Performance Reviews logged → Compliance Records trackedKey Benefits: Centralized vendor data, automated compliance monitoring, performance visibility
Product Information System
Product Information System
Core Elements: Product, Specifications, Pricing History, Inventory LevelsData Flow: Product data maintained → Specifications updated → Pricing History tracked → Inventory Levels monitoredKey Benefits: Consistent product data, price tracking, inventory visibility
Getting Started Tip: Start by identifying your core business entities, then create Elements to represent them. Focus on the data structure first, then add relationships and automation rules as your workflows mature.
Next Steps
Build Your First Element
Follow our Quick Start Guide to create your first Element and see these concepts in action.
Understand Relationships
Learn how to connect Elements together to mirror real-world business relationships.
Design Your Layouts
Create user-friendly interfaces for viewing and editing your Element data.
Connect to Data Sources
Use CloudLinks to connect Elements to existing databases and systems.