Absolute reference
A reference written with$ after a Variable’s name, such as Tax rate$. It reads only the items you name and does not adjust to the row or period of the cell being calculated, so it keeps the same value wherever those items are the same. The formula editor marks one with a pin named Absolute reference. Some people call it a fixed reference. See Formula syntax.
Actuals
The periods up to and including Last close, which usually read your accounting system. A Variable can use a different formula in Actuals than in the Forecast. See Actuals, Forecast, and Last close.Address
Where one value lives: a Variable, an item from each of its Dimensions, and a period, such as Revenue for Sales in March 2026. It plays the part of a cell reference such as B7 in a spreadsheet. See Variables and Dimensions.Administrator
A member of a workspace. Every member is an administrator, who can see and edit every Page, invite others, and manage billing and settings. cfo.ai has no view-only or other lower role; to let someone read Pages without editing, use a share link. See Sharing and access.Aggregation
How a Variable that reads a connected system combines the source’s rows in one period into one value, such as their sum or the latest row. See Totals, aggregation, and time rollups.AI usage
What Ari’s work draws on: your chats with Ari, background work it starts, every scheduled Trigger run, and images Ari creates. Each plan includes an amount for each billing cycle. You can buy more, cap what extra usage costs in a month with a spend limit, or turn on auto-reload. A sync uses none. Many people call it credits. See Plans, AI usage, and connection slots.API key
cfo.ai issues no API keys or access tokens. AI tools, and software you build, connect through the cfo.ai MCP server, and a person approves the connection in a browser. See Is there a cfo.ai API or API key?Ari
cfo.ai’s AI finance coworker. Ari answers questions by reading your Model and connected data, and it builds what an answer needs into the Model, where you can inspect and change it. See How Ari works with you.Assumption
An input you choose rather than observe, such as a price, a growth rate, or a hire’s start date. In cfo.ai an assumption is a Variable, and Ari labels every value it estimated as an assumption. See Variables and Dimensions.Block
A part of a Page: a Table block, a Canvas block, or a Text block. A Page can also hold a chart block made earlier; new charts are Canvas blocks. See Pages, Table blocks, and Canvas blocks.Breakdown
A Variable split into rows or columns by the items of a Dimension, such as Revenue by Product. People also use the word for the Dimension itself. See Break a number down.Breakdown total
A parent row that adds up the rows directly beneath it, such as Revenue above its products. It is a formula cfo.ai saves with the table, and you can replace it with your own, such as a ratio. See Totals, aggregation, and time rollups.Canvas block
A block that draws a custom chart, scorecard, or interactive visual from your Model’s numbers. See Pages, Table blocks, and Canvas blocks.Catch-all
The item a Dimension mapping assigns to every source item that no assignment matches, such as Other. See Dimension mappings and shared Dimensions.Category
What many people call a Dimension, such as Department or Region. See Dimension.Cell comment
cfo.ai has no comments on cells. To keep a note beside your numbers, add a Text block, or ask Ari for a text Variable, such as Notes, on a table that lists records. See What a table cannot do. A formula can hold its own comment; see Formula syntax.Chart
New charts are Canvas blocks: ask Ari for a chart, because the Add block menu has no chart option. A chart block a Page already has can still be restyled. See Change a chart or Canvas block.Circular reference
A formula that needs its own result to calculate, shown in the cell as#CIRC!. See How formulas work.
Connection
A link to another system, such as QuickBooks Online, Rippling, or a Google Sheet, that brings its data into your Model and refreshes it. Also called an integration. See How connected data reaches your Model.Connection slot
One of the connections a workspace’s plan lets it hold. Each source that syncs data into your Model takes a standard or premium slot; CSV uploads, and the MCP servers and APIs that Ari calls live, take none. Settings calls them integration slots. See Plans, AI usage, and connection slots.Credits
Another name for AI usage. See AI usage.Dashboard
A Page of the numbers you review regularly, such as burn, cash, and cash runway, usually built by Ari from Canvas blocks, Table blocks, and Text blocks. See Build a dashboard or board report.Dimension
A list of categories that breaks Variables down, such as Department, Region, Product, or Date. People also call these breakdowns or categories. See Variables and Dimensions.Dimension item
One entry in a Dimension, such as Sales in Department or West in Region. Called an item for short. See Variables and Dimensions.Dimension mapping
A one-way lookup that assigns each item of one Dimension to an item of another, such as GL accounts to P&L lines. See Dimension mappings and shared Dimensions.Drill in
To open, under a calculated row, the rows its formula reads. Drill-in rows have a hatched background, and Clear drill-in closes them. See Break a number down.Empty value
The value of a text or date cell that holds nothing, writtennull in a formula. A number cell that holds nothing reads 0 instead. See How formulas work.
Export
cfo.ai’s export is Download spreadsheet in the Page header, which saves the Page’s tables as an Excel workbook. For a PDF or a CSV, ask Ari. See Export a Page to Excel.Expression
The part of a formula that says what to calculate, such asRevenue - Expenses. See How formulas work.
Fiscal year
cfo.ai has no fiscal-year setting: quarters, half-years, and years follow the calendar. Ari can add fiscal-year totals for a year that starts in another month. See Actuals, Forecast, and Last close.Fixed reference
Another name for an absolute reference, a$ after a Variable’s name. See Absolute reference.
Forecast
The periods after Last close, calculated from your assumptions and formulas. A forecast is not a separate model: it is the later part of the same Model’s timeline. See Actuals, Forecast, and Last close.Formula
What sets a Variable’s values where it applies: an expression, its scope, and, when it covers only Actuals or only Forecast, a formula range. A value typed into a cell is saved as that cell’s own formula. See How formulas work.Formula column
A column beside a table’s row names that shows each row’s formula. It can split into one column for each formula range, such as Actuals and Forecast. See Use different formulas for Actuals and Forecast.Formula range
A span of the timeline that can have its own formula. Actuals and Forecast are the two formula ranges, split by Last close. See Actuals, Forecast, and Last close.Grain
The length of the periods a table shows, such as months, quarters, or years. Raw shows each date without grouping it into periods. Settings calls it date granularity. See Table block controls and messages.Guide
An interactive walkthrough that highlights Pages, blocks, or cells and explains what someone should notice. See Skills, Triggers, and Guides.Integration
Another name for a connection. See Connection.Last close
The end of the last period whose books you have closed, your month-end. It splits Actuals from the Forecast, and it moves only when you or Ari move it. See Actuals, Forecast, and Last close.Line item
What many people call a Variable, such as Revenue or Rent. See Variable.Main
The Scenario that holds your plan, which other Scenarios branch from. Pages show Main unless you pick another Scenario. See Scenarios, Snapshots, and version history.MCP server
A way for AI tools to work with a service. cfo.ai’s MCP server, athttps://api.cfo.ai/mcp, lets AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, or Codex read your Model and make the changes you ask for, as you. In Settings → Connections, you can also give Ari other services’ MCP servers. See Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, or another AI tool to cfo.ai.