Ontology
The typed semantic layer that sits on top of your managed tables and knowledge base — Objects, Links, Actions, and the workbench that authors them.
The ontology layer is Scrydon's typed semantic backbone. It takes raw data (managed tables, knowledge-base pages, process-flow tasks) and gives agents, the graph view, and the analyst a stable, typed, governed view of the world.
Instead of "a row in the regulated_entities table", a workflow reasons about "a RegulatedEntity with a legalName, a riskClassification, and links to its affiliatedPersons". The platform projects the typed Object from the underlying row at read time — no batch ETL, no copy.
Core concepts
| Concept | What it is |
|---|---|
| Object type | A typed entity (Transaction, Customer, RegulatedEntity). Has properties, identity rules, optional title / icon. |
| Link type | A typed relationship between two Object types (Customer → owns → Account). |
| Action type | A typed server-side mutation gated by the policy decision point (AssignAsset, FileSAR). |
| Binding | "How to build a typed Object from a real source" — a managed-table row, a knowledge-base page, a process-flow task. |
| Pack | A reusable bundle of object types, link types, action types, and bindings, distributed through the marketplace. |
| Branch | The schema is versioned. main is read-only; edits go through proposals. |
Where it sits
A typed RegulatedEntity instance can be backed by any of these — at the type level, the caller doesn't care.
Where you read from
| Caller | Entrypoint |
|---|---|
| Workflow agents | The Get Object block + the scrydon:ontology tools |
| Graph view | /graph — renders the schema graph |
| Analyst | /analyst — natural-language queries over typed Objects |
| Retrieval-augmented agents | The context engine — semantic search over typed instances |
All four go through the same projection path, so column masking, row filters, and DLP labels apply uniformly.
Where to start
Concepts
Object types, link types, action types, bindings — explained in detail.
Bindings
How a typed Object is projected from a real source.
Branches & proposals
The schema is versioned. Edits go through review.
Packs
Reusable ontology bundles distributed through the marketplace.
Using in workflows
The Get Object block and the ontology tools.
Authoring SDK
Author your own ontology pack with TypeScript and Zod.
How a tenant gets an ontology
Three paths, all coexisting:
- Auto-installed on first open. The platform ships a default ontology that's installed automatically when you first open the workbench.
- Marketplace install. Pick any pack your org is licensed for. Creates object types, link types, action types, identity rules, and bindings on a fresh
mainbranch. - User-authored. Add object / link / action types directly through the Schema tab, then bind them through Bindings.
Related
- Architecture → Ontology — system-level diagram and the five-layer model.
- Analytics — the managed tables ontology binds to.
- SDKs → Authoring → Ontologies — write your own packs.