Context Layer

An operational surface that brings together business definitions, the entity model, and the controls needed for an application or agent to query data within explicit boundaries. In a mature design, it connects meaning, relationships, authorization, provenance, and relevant state from prior decisions before a query or action is executed.

Context layer is an architectural term, not one technical standard. A semantic layer with a new name does not suddenly govern access, nor does an ontology record lineage simply by existing. The label is useful only when its concrete mechanisms are defined: which policies apply, where each answer came from, how identities are resolved, and what remains auditable after operation.