Atlas concepts

These terms are conceptual and do not imply that Atlas implements a particular signal type, schema, backend, or query interface.

Term	Meaning in this documentation
Signal	A time-related observation emitted or derived from an approved source
Source	The system, service, process, or probe responsible for an original observation
Context	Metadata needed to interpret a signal, such as service identity, version, or abstract environment class
Signal path	The collection, transport, processing, storage, and access steps between source and consumer
Freshness	The difference between when an event occurred and when it is available for a decision
Completeness	The extent to which expected observations are present for a defined scope and window
Integrity	Confidence that a signal and its context were not altered outside the authorized path
Observation window	The explicit period and aggregation needed to interpret a result
Service objective	A reviewed statement of the outcome and measurement conditions used for an operational decision

Signals may represent numerical measurements, state changes, records, or request paths. These are examples of observability data, not a claim about formats supported by a specific Atlas release.

Context needs governance

Context makes observations useful, but labels and attributes can disclose customer identities, internal topology, software versions, or security state. Define an allowed schema, cardinality limits, ownership, classification, and retention before accepting new context.

Absence is ambiguous

No observation may mean no event occurred, the source was unavailable, the signal path failed, filtering removed the data, time was misaligned, or access policy hid the result. Health decisions should therefore include a way to observe the observation path itself.

Quality is scoped

Freshness, completeness, accuracy, and retention are meaningful only for a named source, scope, and time window. Avoid general statements such as “all systems are monitored” without an inventory and verified coverage record.

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