Define in code

November 18, 2025·2 min read

We’re excited to release a game-changing update that takes the Steep experience to a new level. Define in code is a long-anticipated feature that gives data teams unmatched structure and flexibility.

Nino Höglund

CPO, Steep

You can now define your semantic model in code. This unlocks a new level of control and sophistication for governance in Steep. Whether you define metrics in code or in the app, they’ll always work seamlessly side by side.

Version control everything: track changes, review via pull requests, and keep a full history log of updates.
Collaborate more efficiently: developers and data teams can safely iterate.
Reuse definitions in multiple workspaces as a single source of truth.

Step by step

Define anywhere

Define metrics, dimensions, and modules in code, or continue creating them directly in the Steep app, or use a mix of both. Choose the workflow that fits your team’s needs, and switch seamlessly between approaches.

This hybrid workflow combines the speed and flexibility of the app with the control, structure, and versioning of code, giving your data team the best of both worlds.

GitHub file structure

How it works

A powerful aspect of defining your metrics in code is that you can start small with just one module and build from there.

Define your modules, metrics, dimensions, and join paths in YAML
Connect your Steep workspace to a GitHub repository under Model → Code.
Push updates to your main branch. Steep validates the files and updates the model instantly, refreshing the metric cache automatically.

You can easily export in-app defined metrics to code-based definitions. Once synced, your module will be automatically overwritten and stay synced with your code.

Resources

Modules

Modules are replacing what we previously called the Semantic graph.

Modules are the semantic representation of your database tables. They give a single, unified view of the join paths, dimensions, metrics, and entities built from a table in your database. Now you can see how your tables are used across Steep, all in one place.

They also lay the groundwork for a well-structured semantic model that can be managed in code and enriched with AI-driven semantics.

Modules

No action needed

If you’re using Steep, your existing Semantic graph has been automatically migrated to Modules. You can find the Modules page under Settings in the Steep app.

Learn more about modules →