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What you’ll learn: the end-state architecture of a real governance model and the seven concepts that make it up.What you’ll build: nothing yet. This part draws the map so the next seven parts have somewhere to point.Prerequisites: admin access on a Terminus Hub account where you can create a fresh governance model.

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Why this matters

Reading reference docs cold is a slow way to learn Terminus Hub. The data model (governance models, fields, picklists, taxonomies, workspaces, submissions, records) clicks once you have wired the pieces together for a real workflow. This tutorial picks one concrete goal, a campaign URL builder that outputs UTM-tagged, shortened, QR-coded links, and builds it end to end. By the time you finish, every concept has been earned by using it, not just defined.

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What you’ll have by the end

One governance model (Marketing). Five picklists: one flat, and two hierarchical pairs. Twelve fields: eight user-input and four computed (the QR code field is attached to Social only). Three taxonomies (Email, Social, and Ads) that share most fields but each apply their own UTM-medium filter. One workspace (2026 Campaigns) where the actual submissions and records live.

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The eight-part arc

  1. What you’ll build (this page): the map.
  2. Governance model: create the Marketing model and the 2026 Campaigns workspace. The empty container.
  3. Fields basics: three user-input fields: campaign_name, launch_date, destination_url.
  4. Static picklists: the Goals picklist and its dropdown field.
  5. Hierarchical picklists: Countries then Regions, the first cascade.
  6. User-addable picklists: UTM Mediums and UTM Sources with new values allowed and per-taxonomy option filters.
  7. Computed fields: the four-step chain: Concatenation, then Tagged URL, then Short URL, then QR Code.
  8. Your first submission: create the three taxonomies, enter data in form and grid mode, and approve.
Each part stands on the one before. Skip a part only if you already know the concept it introduces.

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Concepts you’ll meet

  • Governance model: the top-level container that holds every definition (fields, picklists, taxonomies) for one business domain. The UI labels it “Model.” Reference.
  • Workspace: the operational partition where people create submissions and records against a model’s taxonomies. Reference.
  • Field: a single named piece of data (campaign_name, utm_campaign). Defined once on the model, reused across taxonomies. Reference.
  • Picklist: a reusable list of options that powers a Dropdown field. Static, hierarchical, or automated. Reference.
  • Taxonomy: the form shape, an ordered set of fields that captures one kind of campaign record. Reference.
  • Submission: a draft batch of rows someone is working on. One row in form mode, or many in grid mode. Reference.
  • Record: the approved output of a submission. This is the real data in Terminus Hub. Reference.
For a one-page map, see the data model concept article.

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What’s not covered

This tutorial keeps to the common case. The following are in separate articles:
  • Automated picklists: picklists whose options come from another taxonomy’s records instead of a manual list.
  • Short URL slug modes: Part 7 uses auto_editable; the other two modes (auto_only, manual_only) are in the recipe.
  • Other computed fields: Auto Number, Random, Constant, and Terminus ID.
  • Access control, API integrations, and bulk imports beyond the grid-mode example in Part 8.

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Next up

Part 2: Create your governance model. Build the empty Marketing model and the 2026 Campaigns workspace. About five minutes.