> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getgalaxy.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Nodes

> Representing entities in Galaxy

## **What is a Node?**

A **Node** is a real-world concept that you want to capture in Galaxy. At an organizational level, Nodes represent the entities that are most important to your business.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/galaxy-d7fe996b/6-Rz1rpIBcXfVZgy/images/node-still.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=6-Rz1rpIBcXfVZgy&q=85&s=e46e957ce97d5f33ddb7ee489b602d98" alt="Node Still" width="2880" height="2048" data-path="images/node-still.png" />
</Frame>

Examples of common node types:

* Person
* Customer
* Order
* Product
* Invoice
* Employee
* Deal
* Document

## **Representing Data as Nodes**

Your connected Sources contain raw data, and a Project structures that raw data as Nodes and Edges.

For example:

| **Raw Data Field** | Raw Data Value                                    | **Node Concept** |
| :----------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | :--------------- |
| customer\_id       | 48291                                             | Customer         |
| order\_id          | A7123                                             | Order            |
| sku                | PRD-991                                           | Product          |
| invoice\_number    | INV-4402                                          | Invoice          |
| employee\_email    | [j.smith@company.com](mailto:j.smith@company.com) | Employee         |

Every node in Galaxy includes several layers of information:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Label">
    Ex: John Smith
  </Step>

  <Step title="Node Type">
    Ex: Customer
  </Step>

  <Step title="Description">
    Ex: John Smith is a customer at XYZ Corp and the primary contact associated with their Galaxy enterprise subscription.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Properties">
    Ex: For a Customer node, attributes might include email, signup date, status, region.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Provenance">
    This is how we map back to your sources.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Nodes rarely exist alone. They are connected by Edges, described in detail on the [Edges](/edges) page.