Anatomy of an Application

Platform applications include a number of elements that are visible in the user interface:

Element	Description
Objects	Objects are the basic building blocks of an application. Objects contain data Fields that store data, and they can be setup to relate to other objects. Data records associated with Objects are the primary information structures in an application. System Objects are created at installation and have well-defined characteristics and built-in functionality. They can be extended with additional fields. Custom Objects are created after installation. They have fully configurable characteristics and functionality.
Web Tabs	Web Tabs enable you to extend the platform by adding custom JSP Pages to your application. Web Tabs can contain links to other websites, as well as Pages, Widgets, and Database Views
Views	A view selects and organizes data for a single object. You can customize and save views by specifying column Order, adding Filters, and adding Computed Fields.
Reports	Reports organize data for display and analysis, and can deliver data from multiple objects, using Database Views. Reports include the ability to set column Order, add Filters or Computed Fields, Color Codes, data Groups, Computing and Metrics and Charts.
Dashboard	The first page an application user sees, the Dashboards can be interactively designed with selected Widgets to provide users with custom overviews that are visible to everyone, individually-assigned, assigned to specific roles, or to selected teams.

Tip: To make those elements work, many pistons are pumping under the hood. To examine the nuts and bolts, take a look at the Application Architecture.