---
title: Core concepts
url: https://documentation.cluedin.net/get-started/core-concepts
content_type: landing
section: Get started
---

# Core concepts

Short explanations of the ideas the rest of the documentation assumes you know. These pages explain **what** something is; the lifecycle sections explain **how** to work with it.

## In this section

- [Data life cycle](https://documentation.cluedin.net/get-started/core-concepts/data-life-cycle.md) (concept): In this article, you will learn about the stages your data goes through to become a golden record.
- [Golden records](https://documentation.cluedin.net/get-started/core-concepts/golden-records.md) (concept): In this article, you will learn what a golden record is, how it is generated, and how you can control the sources contributing to a golden record.
- [Eventual connectivity](https://documentation.cluedin.net/get-started/core-concepts/eventual-connectivity.md) (concept): The eventual connectivity pattern is at the heart of CluedIn.
- [Origin](https://documentation.cluedin.net/get-started/core-concepts/origin.md) (concept): Generally, the origin determines the source of a golden record.
- [Clue reference](https://documentation.cluedin.net/get-started/core-concepts/clue-reference.md) (concept): In this article, you will learn about a clue—an integral part of the data life cycle in CluedIn.
- [Connectors](https://documentation.cluedin.net/get-started/core-concepts/connectors.md) (concept): In this article, you will learn about the differences and similarities between the following types of connectors in CluedIn—a crawler, an enricher, and an export target.
- [Billable records](https://documentation.cluedin.net/get-started/core-concepts/billable-records.md) (concept): A billable record is a unique data part that forms a golden record.

Up: [Get started](https://documentation.cluedin.net/get-started.md)