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

# Key Concepts

> The concepts below define Yardo’s data model and operational structure. Understanding how they relate to one another will help you configure the system correctly and operate it efficiently at scale.

<Accordion title="Organization">
  An **Organization** represents your company within Yardo and serves as the top-level boundary for data, users, and configuration.

  All locations, users, and operational settings belong to a single organization. Organizations can support multiple facilities while maintaining centralized governance and access control.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Location">
  A **Location** represents an individual physical facility where dock operations take place.

  Locations define the operational context for scheduling, including time zone, operating hours, and dock capacity. Each appointment is always associated with a specific location.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Dock Doors">
  A **Dock Door** represents a schedulable loading or unloading position within a location.

  Dock doors are the primary constrained resource in Yardo. Their availability is governed by operating hours, blocked time, and door-specific configuration such as inbound or outbound usage.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Appointments">
  An **Appointment** represents a reserved time window during which a carrier is expected to arrive and utilize a dock door.

  Appointments are the core operational unit in Yardo. They link together the location, dock door, carrier, and load details, and progress through a lifecycle that records key operational timestamps for performance and dwell time analysis.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Carriers">
  A **Carrier** is an external transportation provider responsible for delivering or collecting freight.

  Carriers may be granted controlled access to Yardo to request, view, and manage appointments, as well as to submit supporting documentation. Carrier access is governed by organization and location-level rules.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Users & Roles">
  **Users** represent individuals who interact with Yardo. Each user is assigned a role that determines their permissions and scope of access.

  Roles are designed to separate administrative configuration, operational scheduling, gate execution, and external carrier interaction, ensuring security and operational clarity.
</Accordion>

### Concept Relationships

* An **Organization** contains one or more **Locations**
* Each **Location** contains multiple **Dock Doors**
* **Appointments** reserve time on specific dock doors at a location
* **Carriers** participate in appointments as external parties
* **Users** interact with the system based on assigned roles

This structured model ensures predictable scheduling behavior, clean auditability, and scalability across multiple facilities.