> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cognite.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Views

> Define and manage views for data modeling in Cognite Data Fusion (CDF).

Views define how data is presented to applications. A view maps properties from one or more containers into a coherent read/write interface. Views support versioning and provide a stable API contract for applications consuming data from the knowledge graph.

For the conceptual overview, see [Containers and views](/cdf/dm/dm_concepts/dm_containers_views_datamodels#views).

## What are views

A view is a logical projection over one or more containers. Instead of exposing raw container structure directly, views define a curated set of properties and their relationships. Applications interact with views rather than containers, which allows you to evolve storage without breaking consumers.

## How views work

Views reference containers and define which properties to expose. You can join multiple containers in a single view, apply transformations, or filter properties. Views are versioned independently, so you can introduce changes in a controlled way.

<Info>
  Views are grouped under data models. When you query or write data, you typically target a view within a specific data model and version.
</Info>

## Key capabilities

* **Create and update** — Define new views or update existing ones with different container mappings.
* **Delete** — Remove views when they are no longer needed.
* **List** — List views in a space or data model.
* **Retrieve** — Fetch a specific view by ID or external ID to inspect its configuration and source containers.