Mendix Expert Developer key terms

A domain model object whose data is stored in the database and survives application restarts. It is defined in the domain model with attributes, and Mendix generates the underlying table structure automatically.

An entity whose objects exist only in memory during a request or microflow execution and are never written to the database. Useful for temporary calculations, view models, and data passed between microflows.

A relationship between two entities in the domain model, carrying a type (reference or reference set) and optional owner. It defines how objects are linked and how the platform retrieves related data.

The side of an association that stores the foreign key in its database table. Only one side can own a reference association, which determines where the link is persisted and how it is queried.

An association type that allows many-to-many links between entities by storing pairs in a separate junction table. It supports retrieving multiple related objects without duplicating either entity.

An inheritance relationship where a specialized entity inherits attributes and associations from a parent entity. It supports polymorphism in microflows and pages while sharing a single database table by default.

A read-only entity defined by an OQL query over the database, exposing derived or aggregated data as if it were a normal entity. It cannot be persisted directly and is refreshed when queried.

Object Query Language, Mendix's SQL-like syntax for querying the domain model. It is used in view entities, dataset queries, and retrieve activities to return entities or aggregated values.

A declarative filter expression used in retrieve activities and database source widgets to select objects by attribute and association conditions. It is translated to SQL and executed by the database.

A visual, server-side logic flow that executes activities such as retrieving objects, calling services, and committing data. It runs in a transaction and can return a value to its caller.

A client-side logic flow executed in the browser, used for offline apps and responsive UI logic. It supports a limited activity set and cannot directly access the database or server-side Java actions.

A microflow element that loads objects from the database using an entity, XPath constraint, or OQL query. Its range options determine whether one, all, or a bounded set of objects is returned.

A microflow element that persists changes to an object in the database, optionally with events and validation. Without a commit, modifications to persistent objects are lost when the transaction ends.

Logic attached to an entity that runs before or after commit, create, or delete operations. It enforces invariants centrally, such as validation or audit logging, regardless of which microflow triggers the change.

A custom microflow activity implemented in Java and exposed to the modeler. It receives typed parameters and returns a result, enabling functionality the standard activity set does not provide.

A named role defined inside a module that groups entity access and microflow permissions. It is mapped to one or more application user roles to grant effective rights at runtime.

Per-entity, per-role rules that define create, read, update, and delete rights, including member-level restrictions and XPath constraints. These rules are enforced server-side for every data operation.

An application-level role assigned to user accounts that determines which module roles they receive. It drives navigation visibility, page access, and effective data permissions.

A permission setting that determines which module roles may open a page. Restricting page access prevents unauthorized navigation while entity access still governs the data shown.

A Mendix-defined HTTP API that exposes microflows as endpoints with documented resources, operations, and authentication. It generates an OpenAPI contract and handles request parsing and response mapping.

A configuration that describes an external HTTP API so microflows can call it with typed operations. It supports authentication, headers, and automatic mapping to and from Mendix entities.

A model that transforms JSON or XML payloads into Mendix objects, including nested structures and value conversions. It is used when consuming external services or processing incoming messages.

A model that serializes Mendix objects into JSON or XML according to a defined message structure. It supports optional elements and is used for outgoing service calls and file generation.

A SOAP endpoint generated from a WSDL-compatible XML schema and mapped to microflows. It lets external systems invoke Mendix logic using SOAP contracts.

A configuration that imports an external WSDL and exposes its operations as microflow activities. Mendix generates the request and response mappings from the contract.

A performance anti-pattern where a loop retrieves related objects one at a time, producing many database round trips. It is fixed by retrieving in bulk, using associations, or restructuring the logic.

A database structure that speeds up lookups on selected columns at the cost of write overhead and storage. Mendix lets you mark attributes as indexed in the domain model to support frequent filters and sorts.

A deployment choice where stateful instances keep session and cache data in memory, while stateless instances store it externally. Stateless setups scale horizontally more easily but require shared storage.

Adding more runtime instances behind a load balancer to increase capacity and availability. It requires stateless behavior or shared session storage and careful handling of scheduled events.

An isolated deployment of an application with its own database, configuration, and constants, such as development, acceptance, or production. Model versions are promoted between environments through the deployment pipeline.

A built artifact containing the application model, runtime, and configuration needed to run in an environment. It is created by the cloud portal or build pipeline and deployed as an immutable unit.

A named configuration value defined in the model and overridden per environment at deploy time. It externalizes settings such as endpoints and feature flags without changing the model.

A model element that runs a microflow on a recurring schedule in a single instance. It is used for batch jobs and cleanup, and must be designed to avoid overlap in scaled environments.

A reusable, versioned package of model content such as entities, microflows, and pages that can be imported into an app. Modules support modular architecture and controlled upgrades.

The primary organizational unit of a Mendix app, containing a domain model, microflows, pages, and security roles. Modules define boundaries and can be version-controlled and reused across projects.

Automated tests that verify individual microflows or Java actions in isolation using test doubles and assertions. They run in a test suite and provide fast feedback during development.

A Mendix unit testing component that groups test cases, manages test data, and reports results. It can be executed manually or triggered from a pipeline for regression coverage.

Mendix's hosted Git-based repository that stores model versions, branches, and commit history. Developers commit and update through Studio Pro, enabling collaboration and rollback.

An independent line of development in the version control repository, used for features, fixes, or releases. Branches are merged back through reviewed pull requests before deployment.

An automated sequence that builds, tests, and deploys a Mendix app, often via the Mendix APIs or a platform such as Azure DevOps. It enforces quality gates and repeatable releases.