yii2/docs/guide/data-overview.md

Data Sources and Widgets

One of the most powerful features of Yii is how it works with data. In Yii, you may easily output data directly in view files, which is a good approach for the Web site's frontend. But when it comes to backend data components and widgets, Yii's ability to access data is a real timesaver.

Typically, you would take the following steps when working with one of these data components:

1. Configure the data provider. It may get its data from an array, an SQL command, an ActiveRecord query, etc.
2. Pass the data provider to a widget, such as a list view or grid view.
3. Customize the widget to reflect the presentational style that you are after.

That's it. After doing these simple steps you will have a powerful interfaces, such as a full featured data grid that supports pagination, sorting, and filtering, ideal for the admin part of your project.