---
description: Learn the basics of working in Lightup
---

# Use the Lightup app

## Lightup app layout

The Lightup app has three main areas:

<figure><img src="https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F2qGS6Bkhof6EfaRVuGdv%2Fuploads%2FiWGh9gRRwLtwBu5z7n2U%2Fwhole_UI.png?alt=media&#x26;token=5067e2b2-1fb1-498a-a8cf-6224f9ba4e5e" alt="Annotated image of the Lightup app, depicting 1) the left pane containing workspaces and the admin menu, 2) the top bar, with tabs to navigate the main page, and 3) the main page, with the contents of the tab selected in the top bar. "><figcaption><p>Lightup app</p></figcaption></figure>

1. The[ left pane](https://app.gitbook.com/o/-MWmjY-bPIqLQtVVvHTu/s/2qGS6Bkhof6EfaRVuGdv/about-this-guide#left-pane-app-role-and-workspaces), which lists workspaces and app-level commands (such Help or Logout)
2. The [top bar](https://app.gitbook.com/o/-MWmjY-bPIqLQtVVvHTu/s/2qGS6Bkhof6EfaRVuGdv/about-this-guide#top-bar-navigation), which has tabs for working with data quality components
3. The [main page](https://app.gitbook.com/o/-MWmjY-bPIqLQtVVvHTu/s/2qGS6Bkhof6EfaRVuGdv/about-this-guide#main-form-where-the-action-is), which takes up the rest of the app window and changes to reflect your choices on the left pane and the top bar

### The left pane: app settings and workspaces <a href="#left-pane-app-role-and-workspaces" id="left-pane-app-role-and-workspaces"></a>

{% hint style="info" %}
Everyone can use the controls at the bottom of the left pane. Use the stack icon to collapse and expand the left pane. Use the gear icon to open a menu where you can:

* Generate API credentials (for programmatic access to Lightup)
* Open this Help content
* Engage Lightup support
* Log out
{% endhint %}

Your app role establishes what you can do right away. Look at the top of the left pane to see which app role you have.

* ​If you're an App Admin, you'll notice an **Admin** menu right under the app logo. If you have this role, you can create and manage Lightup user accounts, roles, and workspaces. \
  \
  ![Top-left corner of the app, where an "App Admin" can use the "Admin" menu and the "Add New Workspace" command  ](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F2qGS6Bkhof6EfaRVuGdv%2Fuploads%2FheUVU8oUW4TYsSBQjzqq%2Ftop-left-pane-admin.png?alt=media\&token=4b19b96e-cb96-4b8e-b166-46ee5be582c1)\

* ​If you're an App Editor, you won't find an **Admin** button, but you will notice the **Add New Workspace** button. As a member of this role, you can create and manage your workspaces, and can invite other Lightup app users to your workspaces.\
  \
  ![Top-left corner of the app, where an "App Editor" can use the "Add New Workspace" command  ](https://files.gitbook.com/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F2qGS6Bkhof6EfaRVuGdv%2Fuploads%2FRuqzyW0Q18cgr1BmnoEl%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=5f059ee9-2977-46d2-8f94-e5bed638abae)\

* If you don't have an **Admin** menu or an **Add New Workspace** button, you're an App Viewer. You can be invited to join a workspace. In the left pane, you'll see a list of workspaces where you're a member. Select the arrow at the right edge of a listed workspace to open a menu of commands for that workspace.

### Get started in a workspace <a href="#workspaces" id="workspaces"></a>

​You do most of your data quality tasks inside a workspace. All the workspaces you can access appear in the left pane, listed under any app-level controls.

<figure><img src="https://3772145110-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F7hLPjNTyFMw1VTOP6ZnD%2Fuploads%2FvgfBfCjztMoQE07g39jD%2FWorkspace-01.png?alt=media&#x26;token=a03e2839-db88-4877-aa71-8a5803057b9e" alt="Full-app image, with a workspace menu expanded to show the commands it contains "><figcaption><p>Select the arrow at the top right of a workspace listed in the left pane to open that workspace and list its commands. </p></figcaption></figure>

### &#x20;Switch your focus with the top bar

The top bar offers a set of tabs you can select to focus on a specific part of your quality monitoring process.

{% hint style="info" %}
Everything that you do with the top bar tabs, you do inside the workspace you selected.
{% endhint %}

* Select **Explorer** to activate data assets and set up autometrics (e.g., adjust your profiling or monitoring of data assets).&#x20;
* Select **Metrics** to focus on metrics (the aggregated, periodic queries that measure data quality).  &#x20;
* Select **Monitors** to focus on monitors (the regular checking of metric values).
* Select **Incidents** to review recent data quality incidents.
* Select **Dashboard** to open a high-level summary of data quality. &#x20;

## Collaborate in Workspaces based on roles

When you work on data quality in Lightup, you work inside of workspaces. All datasources and data quality monitoring happen inside workspaces, and the work you can do in each workspace depends on your workspace role. All Lightup data resides inside workspaces.&#x20;

Everyone who uses Lightup has an app role, and each member of a workspace has a workspace role. Roles confer various abilities to the users who have them. For example, only an App Admin can invite new users to a Lightup instance.&#x20;

### Working in Workspaces

A workspace is a virtual space that enables team collaboration on data quality control. Every datasource, metric, monitor, incident, and dashboard, is part of a workspace. A team can have many workspaces, providing a way to separately track data quality for different domains and to iterate on design.&#x20;

{% hint style="success" %}
You need at least the App Editor role to create workspaces.
{% endhint %}

When a workspace is created, the workspace owner invites one or more existing Lightup app users to join the workspace as members. Only members of the workspace can access the workspace data. Each member also has a workspace role that determines what they can do in the workspace: admin, editor, viewer, and observer.

You'll see all the workspaces that you can open listed in the left pane. Select a workspace to see what it contains and what actions you can perform there.

### Learn what you can do with your App Role <a href="#app-roles" id="app-roles"></a>

Your app role dictates what you can do at the app level, outside of a workspace. The following App roles are available:

* ​**App Admin -** can invite users to Lightup, set their App roles, and create workspaces.
* ​**App Editor** - can create workspaces but cannot invite new app users to Lightup.
* ​**App Viewer** - can be invited to join any workspace but cannot create workspaces.

Most operations in Lightup occur within a workspace. Your App Role doesn't affect what you can do in a workspace.

### Learn what you can do with your Workspace Role <a href="#workspace-roles" id="workspace-roles"></a>

Your workspace role dictates what you can do in a workspace, as follows:

* **Workspace Admin** - Fully manage a workspace, including:
  * Add/remove users to/from the workspace
  * Set users' workspace roles in the workspace
  * Manage query governance policies for the workspace
  * Manage integrations and schedules for the workspace
  * Connect to datasources which will be used by the workspace
  * Perform any function accessible to a workspace editor
* **Workspace Editor** - Perform all data quality related functions of the Lightup platform, including:
  * Create, edit, view, delete, and search for metrics
  * Create, edit, view, delete, and search for monitors
  * View and search for incidents
  * Accept and reject incidents
  * Create, edit, view and delete dashboard charts
  * View queries executed on behalf of a workspace
* **Workspace Viewer** - View all objects created by or visible to a Workspace Editor. Cannot create them or modify them.
* **Workspace Observer** _-_ View objects but not actual data values from the underlying datasource. E.g., a chart could show trends and incidents but not a legend that includes values. The observer role enables data quality monitoring by users who don't have permission to see the actual data.

Most operations in Lightup take place within a workspace, where your workspace role governs what you can do. You may have one role in one workspace and another role in another workspace. For example, you might be a workspace admin of one workspace, a workspace editor of another, and a workspace viewer of another.

When using Lightup in multitenant mode, any user may be added to a workspace via email. When using Lightup in single tenant mode, only existing Lightup users can be added to a workspace. A workspace may have one or more admins. All workspace admins share the responsibility of workspace management.

Note that your app role has no impact on your workspace roles. Your app role only dictates whether you can invite users to the Lightup Platform and whether you can create workspaces. Once you are a member of a workspace, your workspace role dictates what you can do in the workspace.
