> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ekso.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Overview > Learn how Ekso's core concepts fit together — containers, items, fields, boards, cycles, time tracking, and more. ## Overview Ekso is built around a connected set of concepts that work together: containers organize work, items track it, fields capture data, boards plan delivery, cycles time-box execution, and time tracking measures effort. This page is the map — read it to understand how the pieces fit, then follow the links to learn about each concept in detail. ## Containers and items [Containers](/guide/concepts/containers) are the top-level grouping for work — a project, product, service line, or team workspace. Each container runs one or more processes, defines its own areas, saved filters, and eight-level role-based access control. Containers also control field-level permissions per process, determining who can see, set, and change each field. [Items](/guide/concepts/items) are the core unit of work. Every item belongs to exactly one container and follows a process that defines its fields, features, and workflow. Items support annotations (text, embeds, code snippets), file attachments, cross-reference links, dependency trees, and time entries. A visibility field on both items and individual annotations controls who can see them. ## Process, fields, constraints, and rules [Processes](/guide/concepts/processes) define item types — each process controls which fields appear, which features are enabled, and how items move through workflow status transitions. Every tenant starts with five default processes, and you can create your own. [Fields](/guide/concepts/fields) are the data attributes on items — 38 built-in system fields plus 9 custom field types you can create. Processes control which fields appear on each item type. [Constraints](/guide/concepts/constraints) enforce data integrity by controlling which field values are allowed based on conditions. They ensure your team can only enter valid data combinations. [Rules](/guide/concepts/rules) automate data manipulation when items are created, updated, or when time-based conditions are met. Rules execute asynchronously through a queued engine, and can bypass constraints for automation scenarios. ## Boards and cycles [Boards](/guide/concepts/boards) are planning surfaces that group work for delivery. Each board has a budget with a full audit trail, role-based access control (View, Manage, Plan), an approved resource pool, and an approved container list. Boards are where you plan and allocate resources for sprints, releases, or project phases. [Cycles](/guide/concepts/cycles) are time-boxed iterations within boards. Items are planned into cycles as cards, assigned to resources or job roles, and tracked through four status zones (In Progress, Open, Closed, Blocked). Board managers approve or reject time entries by zone. Closing a cycle finalizes all time data for billing. ## Time tracking and clocks [Time tracking](/guide/concepts/time-tracking) records hours worked on items, split between billable and non-billable categories. Time entries are approved when cycles close, feeding into profitability and utilization reports. [Clocks](/guide/concepts/clock) enforce SLA targets by tracking elapsed time on items. They respect your working calendar and color-code items as green (on time), amber (warning), or red (breach). ## Finance [Finance](/guide/concepts/finance) connects work to money. Job roles define cost and charge rates, SKUs categorize billable work, cost centers group expenses, CRM records link items to customers, and budget reason codes create an audit trail for board budget changes. ## Insights [Insights](/guide/concepts/insights) is the reporting module. It provides profitability analysis grouped by seven dimensions (job role, container, board, cycle, SKU, cost center, or item), per-user time summaries with drilldowns, item-level financial data, and risk reports that flag items where logged time exceeds estimates. ## Mailbox and ticketing [Mailbox connections](/guide/concepts/mailbox) let you connect IMAP or Microsoft 365 mailboxes to Ekso. [Ticketing](/guide/concepts/ticketing) turns inbound emails into items, routes them to the right container and process, and lets agents reply directly from within Ekso. Block lists and domain filters keep unwanted messages out. ## Docs [Docs](/guide/concepts/docs) is Ekso's built-in knowledge base. Organize documents into folders by department or topic, control visibility with user group restrictions, and optionally feed document content to the AI assistant for context-aware answers. Documents can be linked to containers, boards, or items to connect knowledge to the work it relates to. ## Authentication [Authentication](/guide/concepts/authentication) controls how users sign in to Ekso. Forms-based login supports password policies, complexity requirements, and two-factor authentication via email. Microsoft Entra ID enables single sign-on for organizations on Microsoft 365. ## AI [AI](/guide/concepts/ai) adds a built-in assistant and semantic search to Ekso. Ask questions about your work, search by meaning rather than keywords, and use context documents to give the AI access to your organization's knowledge. Ekso provides a default AI provider — you can optionally configure your own OpenAI or Azure OpenAI API key. ## Access control [Access control](/guide/concepts/access-control) manages permissions across your tenant. Application-level access control areas determine who can access boards, insights, finance, docs, timesheets, and containers. Roles are assigned to user groups, and permissions are additive across groups. ## Webhooks [Webhooks](/guide/concepts/webhooks) push real-time event notifications to external systems. When items, users, containers, or boards change, Ekso sends an HTTP POST to the URL you configure — enabling integrations with Slack, Teams, CI/CD pipelines, and audit logging. ## Notifications [Notifications](/guide/concepts/notifications) send scheduled alerts when items match conditions you define. Unlike webhooks (which fire immediately), notifications run on a recurring schedule, evaluate filter conditions, and deliver matching items to user groups, email addresses, Slack, Teams, or HTTP endpoints. ## Workspace [Workspace](/guide/concepts/workspace) settings control your tenant's identity, communication defaults, and AI integration. Configure your organization's profile, welcome message, default AI provider, and email filtering defaults. ## Explore further Settings, areas, processes, saved filters, and access control. Fields, lifecycle, annotations, links, dependencies, and planning. System fields, custom types, and process configuration. Item types with fields, features, workflow, and permissions. Data integrity rules with include and exclude logic. Automated data manipulation and event triggers. Budgets, access control, resources, and containers. Status zones, time approval, and cycle closing. Billable and non-billable time, approval, and reporting. SLA enforcement with working calendars. Job roles, cost centers, SKUs, and CRM. Profitability, time, user, and item reports. IMAP and Microsoft 365 mailbox connections. Email-to-ticket conversion, replies, and spam blocking. Knowledge base with folders, visibility, and AI context. Login methods, password policies, and SSO. AI assistant, semantic search, and provider config. Application-level permissions, roles, and user groups. Real-time event notifications to external systems. Scheduled alerts based on item conditions. Tenant profile, AI provider, and email defaults.