ACL
ACL is an actively chaotic warehouse ("Aktiv chaotisches Lager"), which is defined by the automatic allocation of storage bins.

ActiveX
A package of object-oriented tools and program technologies.

Add-on
A program, which is tied to an available PPS system according to the client/server principle, used to optimise weak or missing PPS functions.

Alpha Terminals
Alpha terminals are character-oriented screens. Mostly, the screen can only display up to 24 rows of 80 characters each. An image display is not possible.

ANX - Automative Network Exchange
 Automative Network Exchange is a TCP/IP-based network for data transfer and e-commerce for all trading partners in the automotive industry.

APO - Advanced Planning and Optimizing
 An APO module is part of an ERP system for planning and optimising real-time sales order processing across the entire supply chain avoiding bottleneck situations.

AppsWarehouse® 
AppsWarehouse is a ClassiX® library of complete program modules representing each single business transaction. There are  different software building blocks for all domains of companywide business applications to be combined as individual comprehensive solutions. The AppsWarehouse® program modules are real components as in Component Ware, which are completely geared towards commercial  application solutions.

APS - Advanced Planning and Scheduling
 Circumscribes functions for production planning in consideration of all restrictions.

Archive System
Serves the unchangeable, audit proof final storage of information. In electronic archive systems, this is carried out via database, which governs single documents and containers.

ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange
 One of two sorts of classical character coding in one code that uses the first seven bit in one byte.

ASP - Application Service Provider
 Leases (time-related costs) enterprise applications on the internet.

ATP - Availability to Promise
This application checks the availability of material and components cross-system and simultaneously on different levels in the distribution centres, producing companies and storage locations.

B2B - Business to Business
E-commerce between companies via internet.

B2C - Business to Customer
E-commerce between company and customer via internet.

B2E - Business to Employee
Communication and information exchange between company and employee via internet.

Back end Systems
Company systems, which support internal order processing: -> ERP systems or -modules.

Back Office
All intra-corporate processing (e.g. further processing of complaints or purchase orders)

Backward Scheduling
Scheduling method starting from the end of the timeline (e.g. delivery date).

Barcode
A printed, horizontal band of vertical bars. These bars of different widths accordingly stand for different numbers. In trade and industry, barcodes serve the identification of products and parts as well as  the registration of  current part whereabouts.
They  can be read with a barcode reader (Scanner).

BDE - Plant data collection ("Betriebsdatenerfassung")
 System for governing personal data,  time recording data and machine data. 

BI - Business Intelligence
IT-supported instruments supporting the evaluation of companywide available knowledge.
e.g.: EIS,DSS,OLAP,data mining, MIS

Bill of Material
Based on product or assembly, the bill of material (stock list) defines in an analytical order, which groups and components are contained in which quantity.

BizTalk
BizTalk is a cross platform e-commerce framework by Microsoft, which allows companies to integrate applications and to conduct business flow with trading partners and customers via internet.

BME cat
XML-Vocabulary to describe electronic catalogue content and -structures. Its development has been initiated by the
Bundesverband für Materialwirtschaft, Einkauf und Logistik e.V (BME).

Bottleneck
Bottleneck situation of resources during manufacturing process.

Built-to-Order - sales-order-related production
Concept for individual manufacturing of products on customer request.

Bulletin Board System
 A BBS or bulletin board system is a computer which is accessible via network used for exchanging files and information.

Bullwhip Effect ("Peitscheneffekt")
This effect occurs in the supply chain. It describes, how constant demand gets more and more chaotic, the closer it gets to the end of the supply chain. A low fluctuation at the retailer gets reinforced along the supply chain. Generally, the reaction is a stock increase.

Business Processes
 Each single company activity is part of an activity chain and part of higher-level Business Processes. Today, workflow management programs support analysis and design of such Business Processes. "Positions and states" between activities and conditions for changeover are described here.
Such chains of different activities including people and machines being involved the company are determined by organisational company directives. These directives describe the correct processing of upcoming business transactions.
This chain is not necessarily linear: loops and parallel activities within one business process are quite common.
All company computer applications shall support these defined business processes perfectly, especially, since a compliance with ISO 9000 becomes more and more important for every company .

Business Reengineering
Activities to improve the value creation of a business process are called business reengineering.
The term software reengineering is closely related to  business reengineering. To create or to maintain a lean organisation, all business processes are checked again for efficiency and profitability. Changing business flow causes changes in software requirements. As a consequence, it needs to be rewritten. Without the according software reengineering, this is generally not possible.

C++
Object-oriented advancement of the programming language C.

C2C - Consumer to Consumer
Electronic interaction between customers (e.g. eBay)

C-Commerce - collaborative commerce
 Workflow-controlled coordination between different software systems along the value-added chain
(supplier for raw material to consumer).

ClassiX® Applications
The combination of parts made of reusable sections is used in all manufacturing areas. Nowadays, all business correspondence is commonly a combination of predefined text modules and even modern pop music is often built with different samples. ClassiX® applications are combined or configured using AppsWarehouse® program modules. Traditional application systems allow  to link complete modules for sales and distribution, accounting or purchasing. The AppsWarehouse® program modules however, are much smaller program parts. This is how for example different input templates for booking are combined with any other program parts, to finally create an individual accounting. The AppsWarehouse® program modules are real components as in Component Ware, which are completely geared towards commercial  application solutions.

ClassiX® Software
In its core, the ClassiX® software modular concept consists of predefined business objects ( C++ classes in the CyberEnterprise®) which can be combined individually, manipulated and visualised with InstantView®. Furthermore, combination of such InstantView® scripts,  AppsWarehouse® program modules, can be configured as application solutions.

Client-Server Architecture
In contradiction to the traditional host-based architecture, in client-server applications, the running program (client) gets required data using a parallel running program (server), used for data governing. For this, the server program can also run in an -often even heterogenic- network, on a different computer with the data that is saved on that computer.

COM - Component Object Model
Microsoft software standard, which supposed to simplify communication between operations and programs. COM is an open architecture for cross platform development of client-server applications based on object-oriented technology. Clients obtain access to an object via interfaces, which are implemented for that object. For this, COM builds an own object-oriented interface for other programs (such as Internet Explorer 5.0) or program components to use, to benefit from services, which they couldn't implement before. With "com controls", components can be quickly integrated into software provided by the manufacturer or by another provider respectively. COM is neutral in terms of language so that each application with which activeX components are created, can also be used for COM applications.

Company Model
 A (data-based) company model means, that all company data (e.g. addresses and customer sales or product names and  amounts in warehouse) is organised in a way, that -when processed with a computer- relations between data are also displayed (as a simple example customer orders and bills). In a complete company modelling, data correlation, plays an important role. ClassiX® supports this particularly with the option of dynamic referencing of business objects. A model can see a company from different perspectives. CyberEnterprise® sees a company exclusively from an economical point of view.

Companywide Data Processing  
 Starting with accounting, computers are now used in all division. Objective was to reuse once-registered data, as many times as possible during one business process.
This is how data from one order can be automatically consulted for production, delivery note and invoicing, to be finally transferred to the accounting department. This leads to integrated, companywide data processing. The integration process particularly requires data to be saved without redundancy. A customer file for example should supply at the same time sales and distribution and accounts receivable  with a customer's data.

Component Ware
Component ware are software building blocks, which can be combined as complete applications. The AppsWarehouse® program modules are real components as in Component Ware, which are completely geared towards commercial  application solutions.

Computer Networks
 There are two types of computer networks - LAN (local area network) or WAN (wide area network). Both mean a number of connected computers.  The difference between these two types is the geographical distance between the computers and wether they consequently rely on telecommunications service. If computers inside one network run on different operating systems, it is called heterogenic network.

Configuration System
 Expert system, which contains the construction engineer's knowledge. This enables the sales person during sales conversation to find a matching product configuration for the customer and to immediately present an offer.

Constrained-based Planning
This is a planning philosophy which focuses on bottleneck situations, to increase throughput, to lower stock and to reduce costs. The approach is based on the  "theory of constraints" by Eli Goldratt. It is a common method to reduce complexity in one supply chain and to make it controllable.

Contribution Margin
Synonym for gross profits, calculated by marginal costing. The contribution margin is the difference between price per unit and variable cost per unit. A positive contribution margin is called gross profit. The net profit can be calculated by subtracting  the fixed costs for the entire volume of sold goods. (Operant due to product cost accounting based on variable costs, that is generated with the difference between variable costs and entire company revenue of product lines or single products. The contribution margin can be calculated with direct costing as an overall contribution margin or with multilevel contribution margin accounting per product or product type.)

CORBA
CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) standard that is defined by the OMG (Object Management Group) - a consortium of leading hardware- and software manufacturers - which is supposed to control the exchange of single objects also between applications of different manufacturers. ClassiX® provides a  CORBA interface for sending and receiving mails. In connection with these mails, it is possible to transfer data on a limited scale, such as characters and numbers. Furthermore, persistent objects can be transferred between two ClassiX® applications.

CPC - Collaborative Product Commerce
 Software solutions to support the entire product lifecycle, using internet technologies to bring requirements specifications, construction, purchasing, fabrication, maintenance and service together.

CRM - Customer Relationship Management-System
Internet-based software solution for sales and distribution for customer relationship maintenance.

CTI - Computer Telephone Integration
This is the cooperation of telephone system and database.

CTP - Capable-to-Promise
 Delivery date confirmation

Data Encapsulation
At first, data encapsulation is a technical term describing the access to object data. So-called public data of an object can be read or written externally. In contradiction to this, it is not possible to externally access so-called private data. For this, certain functions which need to be called separately are required. For particularly large and complex programs, this mechanism avoids, that object data gets destroyed negligently. ClassiX® also uses this mechanism to automatically gain more and more specific information from CyberEnterprise® business objects. As an example, if someone wants to see the text of a financial accounting booking/posting, it becomes redundant that all bookings/postings and offsetting entries need a text, always. In fact, the function Text () automatically searches for a posting text in the entered postings and displays it.

Data Marts
Data with information which is specific to division requirements. Each one displays a Data Warehouse extract for a specific user group.

Data Warehouse
Software solution which governs and stores large data volumes and which organises access to this data. Includes search algorithms for fast item- and file search as well as data filter.

Deploy
Deploy means the provision of  web applications with a  servlet container, which means the application operation in particular.

Design-to-order
Operation to create customised products and which requires fundamental innovations in the manufacturing process.

Detailed Planning
Detailed planning of all work steps for order processing and production.

Disposition
Activity to detect, amount and time of a particular requirement and to reschedule as order- or delivery quantity in order- or delivery dates.
Tätigkeit um Art, Menge und Zeitpunkt eines bestimmten Bedarfs festzustellen und in Bestell- beziehungsweise Liefermengen in Bestell- oder Liefertermine umzuplanen.

DMS - Document Management System
 Document-oriented system to administer data in network environments.
Attributes form:
- corporate work with documents
- integration in operations
- forming of document groups
- version management
- self-writing document objects
...

Document Imaging
IT-supported registration, storage, search, modification and display of an electronic reproduction of paper documents.

DPM
Digital Process for Manufacturing

DRP - Distribution Requirement Planning
Stock calculation in different supply depots based on the particularly chosen approach. In multilevel distribution networks, the replenishment orders have to be accomplished with a method similar to the MRP logic. The supply source can be seen independently.

DRP II - Distribution Resource Planning
 Upgrading the DRP Concepts by integrating key resources  (vehicles, money, work station) in the network.

DSS - Decision Support System
 Decision support system, to support the decision providing solutions for query and reporting.

EA - Enterprise Application
 Company software solution

EAI - Enterprise Application Integration
 Middleware solution simplifying integrating applications.

EBIT- earnings before interests and taxes
Operating profit before interests and taxes. in contradiction to turnover and revenue, this fiscal parameter allows for a more accurate description of the company's economic value.

e-business
E-commerce via internet between companies; equivalent to B2B

e-commerce
E-commerce via internet between company and customer; equivalent to B2C

ECMA
 European Computer Manufacturers Association

EDI - Electronic Data Interchange
 Automatic exchange of structured data (orders, bills...) between two application systems. It allows for the involved partners to rationalise their operations and to achieve large cost savings. EDI is part of e-business.

Edifact - Electronic Data Interchange for Adminitration Commerce and Transport
Globally valid EDI standard (ISO 9735) with message types for a cross industry spectrum of business transactions, such as the exchange of orders.
Disadvantage: Edifact solutions are quite expensive and complex.

EDM - Engineering Data Management
 EDM systems support data integration of division solution existing in the company, such as CAD, CAM and PPS/ERP.

e-forms
Electronic forms for entry, display, output and administration of variable information.

EIP
Enterprise Information Portal

EIS - Executive Information Systems
 Information system for accessing and analysing company data on management level.

Engineer-to-order
 Products for which the customer specifications require big one-time design efforts, significant adjustments or new material orders. Each customer order is followed by a set of part numbers, a bills of material and a work plans.

ENX - European Automative Network Exchange
Virtual networks which integrate all common  data exchange systems (email, video conference). Transfer via internet technology.

EPM - Enterprise Production Management
Solutions for product management that can be integrated in other existing software systems, complementing them based on open standards.

ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning
Completely integrated software solutions for all company divisions (production, finance, distribution, HR, project, sales etc.). It provides functions for all company procedures. It consists of a number of modular, easy-to-implement components accessing shared data.

Event-driven Programs
Programs which allow the user to choose the operating order on the screen. In connection with a GUI and the corresponding mouse, the user can change across from a field in any application window to  to any other field in a completely different application window, or even in a different program. Conventional software with Alpha Terminals defines the operating order in an application. A changeover between different programs is complex and only possible if the used software allows for it.

Extranet
 An internet technology-based,  closed company network which doesn't only let intra-corporate user groups have access, but also external partners, such as traders and suppliers.  

Facility Management
Software-supported facility management and administration of the factory, facilities and equipment after completing all building work.

Fat Client
Client/server concept; the client undertakes processing tasks in the RAM and on the hard drive and presents the results. The server only undertakes subtasks.  

Fifo - First in, first out
Stock placement strategy: products which are placed in the stock first are also the first ones to leave the warehouse. 

Fofo - First off, first on
Stock placement strategy: products which are placed into stock last are the first ones to leave the warehouse. 

Forecasting
Function to predict sales trends.

Front-Office
Installations and applications for direct customer contact within e-business.
(call centre, customer relationship management systems)

Gantt-Diagram (Gantt-Chart)
A horizontal bar graph, which charts the temporal assignment of all single project steps. It is named after the engineer Henry Gantt, who developed this method at the start of the 20th century. 

Gozinto Graph
A graph for product- and Produkt- und Teilbedarfsberechnung and which is also a pre-stage for completion date planning and machine scheduling. A. Vazsonyi facetiously formed this name, tracing back this approach to the (non-existent) mathematician  Zepartzat Gozinto whose name actually stands for "the part that goes into".

Gross requirement Calculation
 Implementing the manufacturing program in purchase orders for raw material, parts and assemblies without considering stock.

Groupware
 Starts with the office communication modules, connecting single components with its own intelligence and task-oriented providing all tools for group cooperation.

GUI
A graphical user interface involves mouse applications along with keyboard applications, to enable the user to work with different graphical control elements (buttons, check boxes, list boxes etc.) in an application window.

Heterogenic Computer Networks
 Connecting different computers running on different operating systems.

HMI - Human Machine Interface
Software interface

Host based Architecture
 Data exchange between different computers is the easiest transferring entire data files: for example it is possible to transfer all customer data from a central computer to one pc, copying the entire client base file onto the pc; (disregarding different file formats and big data volume). Here, the central computer is called  host; the transferring down-loading; or respectively in the opposite order up-loading. This method is mainly used for data transfer onto pc's in context of reporting. First, data is edited on the central Computer, and after transferred to a pc altogether in a file. There it is edited with a spreadsheet or with a graphic application. The host-based architecture now gets replaced by the more flexible client server architecture, which enables clients (PCs) to separately recall required data  from the server.

HR- Human Resources
Payrollaccounting module in an ERP application

HTML - Hypertext Markup Language
The predominant markup language to develop www-documents, which can be displayed via browser.

IDE - Interactive Development Environment
A program that combines functions to make work easier for software developers and users.

Ident Method
Industry identification methods such as barcode scanning with laser scanner.

Information Highway
An information highway is a network of globally connected computers. Everybody can connect with a terminal or home computer to exchange data with other members via certain entry points or nodes (mostly accessible by telephone).

Inheritance
To avoid the completely new definition of object classes with similar attributes, classes can be derived, using the method of inheritance. On principle, a derived class has the same features as the "parent" class. It is just a bit more specialised obtaining additional data and attributes. in this way, the program code reusability and -stability can be substantially increased. Inheritance doesn't change the existing code; it just adds innovation and modifications. For example, an account class is defined in CyberEnterprise®. It has the function to add up certain data in certain periods. Different account classes have been inherited from this class, for financial accounts (debit and credit) and also sub-accounts (Teilekonten) with volumes in different warehouses.
Furthermore, ClassiX® provides inheritance for program modules written in InstantView®: It is quite easy to create new building blocks, because they just need to be derived from already existing ones and get modified afterwards.  

In-House Production Time
The internal production time of one manufacturing level is also called in-house production time or respond time. It is necessary for requirements planning. Here, it is essential to calculate the respond time offset for the particular material order. The internal production time can be calculated by summing up setup time, processing time and interoperation time. The setup- and interoperation time are not dependent on the manufactured quantity whereas the processing time depends on the order quantity. An in-house production time, dependent or independent on the manufactured quantity, can be deposited in the material master. With the scheduling functions, the quantity-dependent in-house production time can be updated in the material master.

Interface
 Interface- physical features of  the connection between facilities or systems.

Interim Storage
Warehouse to bypass bottleneck situations in material flow.

Internet
The internet is globally the largest computer network consisting of connected networks and single resources. The most important functions are emailing, information (www), file transfer (FTP) and discussion forums (usenet/newsgroup).

Intranet
 Network for data processing inside a company or organisation.

IPC - Industry PC
A standard pc (SPC) which is specificly adjusted to a rough manufacturing environment.

Java
Object-oriented programming language which is independent from platforms, developed by Sun. 
A compiler translates the source code into an intermediate code which can be implemented by an interpreter. This is how Java programs can run on any computer platform with a matching interpreter. 

JavaBeans
 Reusable software components, realised in Java. Integration in applications or applets via graphical IDE. Due to the compatibility with ActiveX controls, they can run in  ActiveX-capable environment.

JDBC
 Java Database Connectivity is a driver that is used by a database software to provide an interface for Java programs or applets. 

JIS - Just-In-Sequence
Integration of suppliers from pre-assembly to crisis management. For this, suppliers are located with their own manufacturing site or warehouse within spitting distance to the production.

JIT - Just-In-Time
Precisely timed delivery of required material, to avoid stock-keeping. Widely spread in the automobile- and supply industry.

Job Shop Production
Oldest organisational form for industrial manufacturing processes. Selected, when there is no general processing step order. Suitable for make-to-order- and small serial production.
According to job-shop organisation, operating resources can be merged into separate units (e.g. turning shop, moulding cutter)

Job Shop Scheduling
Detailed planning for manufacturing

JSP - Java Server Pages
Java Server Pages - a technology for the creation of websites with dynamic content, using Java in the background. .jsp-pages contain according commands that are accomplished at delivery. Mostly, many .jsp-pages realise larger web-applications. A servlet container is required, to deliver .jsp-pages via web.

Kanban
 A closed-loop model, developed in Japan,  to optimise information- and material flow.

LAN - Local Area Network
Local network (e.g. in a company), in contradiction to WAN (Wide Area Network).

Legacy System
Traditional IT solutions that are not state of the art- or proprietary solutions.

Lifo - Last in, first out
Stock placement strategy: products which are placed into stock last are the first ones to be released from stock.

Margin
 The margin is the difference between rates, price for purchase and sales price or debit- and credit interest.

Master Data
Data set, business processes are built upon, and which is valid across a longer time period; e.g. bills of material.

m-commerce - mobile commerce
Execution of transactions via mobile communication media (e.g. mobile phones, palmtops)

MES - Manufacturing Execution System
Solutions, which cover control device requirements from control level until production management level. Include amongst others Scada-, MDE- and BDE-functions to

Middleware
Software, which connects the application programs and a network.

MIS - Management Information Systems
Inform the management personnel about company progress, output-, sales- or stock figures.

MMI - Man Machine Interface
Software GUI. More and more displaced by the term HMI.

Model View Control (MVC) architecture
Describes the modularisation of a software which is in a dialogue with the user. A dialogue program consists of a model, in which all task-specific objects are defined with their functions and data, a screen (view) and a control module (control) controlling the communication between screen (view) and these objects (model). The separation between program and user interface allows to present the MMI completely individual and not dependent on program functions. In ClassiX®, CyberEnterprise® represents a program's  model, the InstantView® commands belong to view and control. 

MTO - Make-to-order
Manufacturing environment, where a product or a service is created due to a customer order. The product is mostly a combination of standard- and/or customised parts.

MTS - Make-to-stock
Manufacturing environment, where products are completed before thecustomer orders. Customer orders are accomplished by the warehouse; production serves warehouse replenishment.

NFS - Network File System
Software for Unix systems, which enables the operator to integrate other network members such as DOS, Windows, OS/2 or Macintosh.

Object-oriented Software
In object oriented software, the program code is split into so-called classes, describing specific data and functions.
In CyberEnterprise® there are for example classes for the  date. The current date is kept as an information inside these date classes as well as typical functions which are connected to a date, such as recalling the weekday, calendar week or the information if it is a public holiday etc.. Working with a class in a program, entities, copies each with own data, get formed. These entities or copies of a class are called objects. This is an example of how to create  a date object of the date 1.3.1994, another date object of the date 24.8.1994 etc.. Such date objects are applied for example to register an order date. The paradigm of object-oriented software technology, meaning  the code which defines the commonly required features of such objects, is formed by three terms:  
data encapsulation
inheritance
polymorphism
ClassiX® architecture is completely based on  the principles of object-oriented software technology.

OCR  - Optical Character Recognition
Recognition of printed or written characters via computer.

ODBC - Open Database Connectivity
Microsoft interface which enables programs and other databases to access SQL databases.

Odette - Organisation for Data Exchange by Teletransmission in Europe
Audit trail for data transfer within the EDI area, which is mainly used in the automobile- and supply industry. 

OLE - Object Linking and Embedding
Microsoft audit trail which allows to integrate parts of one windows application into another one (e.g. text).

OLTP
Online dialogue system such as R/3 (Online Transaction Processing) are characterised by a number of users who edit a shared dataset parallel and real-time.

On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP)
Describes data modelling in multidimensional structures for data analysis. Due to multidimensional editing, data can be analysed faster and more significant. The most important options for data cube manipulation are slice and dice. To navigate in them, a drill down, roll up or drill across can be accomplished.

PCL
Passiv chaotisches Lager - passive chaotic warehouse

PDF - Portable Document Format
Document format by the company Adobe; content can be read, displayed and printed with the  Acrobat Reader, which is available for free.

PDM - Product Data Management
System to administer product data, which enables all involved people working on a complex product, to work on the latest versions and variants.

persistent, transient
Objects that are saved in one database or in one file only are also called persistent objects.
If one object is only existent on the memory (RAM) of one computer, it is called a transient object. Ending a program, all its transient objects automatically get deleted. In ClassiX® , all objects can be selectively created as persistent or transient objects.

PLM - Product Lifecycle Management
Internet-supported organisation of all operations throughout the entire product life-cycle.

Plug-and-Play
Plug-and-play is the immediate operability of a system, after combining several different basic components. Originally this term comes from the hardware, where for example network- or other interface-cards are plugged into a pc and become immediately ready for use. The InstantView® plug-and-play tool  enables to configure a special, immediately executable application from ready-made software building blocks. With the InstantView® scripting language it is even possible to program independent routines.

Polymorphism
 The term polymorphism is closely connected to the term inheritance. It might even be the most complicated term within the object-oriented paradigm. Polymorphism describes the performance of inherited or derived objects in terms of their functions or features.
If a certain function is defined in a class, at first, this function is also valid and unchanged in all derived classes. Nevertheless, this function can be redefined in any derived class: this is also called "overdefining a function". If such an overwritten function is called for different objects of one inheritance hierarchy, different functions are conducted according to the particular object.
The objects are polymorphic.
There are many polymorph objects in CyberEnterprise®, but also modules written in InstantView® can be polymorphic defined.

PPS - Production planning and scheduling
ERP system production module or independent software solution to support production organisation.

Processing Time
Time needed for one operation without setup time.

Product Configurator
Allows for customised design of product variants, in consideration of the technical possibilities. Hence, it supports the variant management.

Program Modules 
 Program modules are the largest, independent software building blocks, of a ClassiX® application. They represent single business transactions  with their business rules. These modules exclusively consist of several InstantView® instructions which visualise and manipulate smaller software building blocks, the CyberEnterprise® business objects.
ClassiX® program modules are also object-oriented, which again makes it possible for them to become part of higher-level, larger program modules. Due to the inheritance mechanism, they can be efficiently reused. The program module that encases all other program modules, then is the actual application. With AppsWarehouse®, ClassiX® already delivers a large number of complete applications and program modules to support data processing of each single business transaction.

Proprietary System
 A proprietary system mainly works according to rules made up by the manufacturer himself. This makes the user strongly bound to the manufacturer.
Computer systems from the 70's and 80's were proprietary systems: hardware and software - including operating system - always belonged together. 
The UNIX operating system was so successful, because it was portable. It could be implemented relatively quick for different hardware platforms. Only about 15% of the code is hardware-dependent. It is also called open system, since its specifications are accessible. Hence, UNIX became a standard operating system. Today, there is no standardisation in reference to application software. The large variety of applications is certainly not making this easy.
ClassiX® has a self-contained architecture which gets disclosed fully.  Each user has complete control over the system. The dependence to the manufacturer is now minimised.

Public Domain Software
 The term public domain software was originally formed in the USA, because each software that has been written, was supported by public funds. This made it property of all US citizens, which should have been available for everyone. Today, public domain software generally means software that isn't subject to any industrial property rights, licensing conditions or conditions for use. Everyone is allowed to save and use such software and to pass it on to others.

Query
Describes the communication process to a database.

Rapid Application Development
 A rapid application development tool is a software tool for a quick creation of  end applications. ClassiX® architecture allows for fast and easy combination of applications, due to its modular concept character.
Since each application is created with InstantView®, the end applications can be even formed out of preliminary test-applications. (rapid prototyping). 

Relational Database
Database, in which information is saved in tables and columns. It provides the opportunity to analyse across several tables.

Respond Time
The respond time can generally be split into four components:
processing time, move time, check time and wait time.

Reusability
Reusability means the idea, to reuse a code fragment for software development in different areas again and again.

RFP - Request for Proposal
Process of bid invitation

RFQ - Request for Quotes
Bid invitation, asking for the suppliers' bids.

ROI - Return of Investment
Backflow of invested funds per year as a percentage of the total investment.

Sales Plan
The sales plan shows the sales potential and is starting point for planning. It displays, how much of the product or product group can get sold.

Scada - supervisory control and data acquisition
Software solutions visualising process flow, based on material, fixed asset and personal data. These systems are for example used in the process-, steel-, food- and manufacturing industry, to monitor production flow in connection with SPS or IPC. Scada systems stand out due to their high customisability.  hohe Konfigurationsfähigkeit

SCC - Supply Chain Council
A non-profit consortium established in the USA in 1996 in den USA. Its objective is the development of a reference model (supply chain operations reference model) for the Supply Chain. (www.supply-chain.org).

SCM - Supply Chain Management
Adjustment of all logistic operations and functions within the supply chain; supplier to consumer. Objective is, to optimise customer service and minimise costs at the same time.  SCM systems interlock the entire in-house and external value added chain -supplier of raw material to end customer- exchanging all relevant data between chain elements.

SCO - Supply Chain Optimization
Optimising elements of the logistic chain within the company. Objective is, the improvement of customer service and to attain high cost-savings. Out of PPS-/ ERP data, SCO add-ons develop an offer of information for bottleneck planning, forecasts and decision making for in-house- and cross-company logistics processes.

Scor
SCC standardisation model.

SCP - Supply Chain Planning
Decision supported, strategic aspect of SCM without conducting operative tasks.

Servlet Container
 A servlet container is a web server that delivers .jsp pages to a browser. During delivery, instructions from .jsp pages are accomplished. This makes it possible to create interactive websites. Mostly, complete web applications are provided in this way. These web applications are provided via Deploy mechanism in the servlet container.

SFA - Sales Force Automation
Technical term for automation of marketing, sales force and distribution; comparable to the CAS, which is commonly used in the German language.

SGML - Standard Generalized Markup Language
ISO standard for description of languages for document representation. Objective is, to separate information and display, to allow for different presentations of the same information. A SGML document uses a separate DTD file which describes the included formatting codes (tags) as well as the documents' structural design.

SOA - Service Oriented Architecture
Software system architecture based on single, mostly small services that can be activated with a standard protocol.

Software Crisis
Software crisis is the common problem, when customised software does not meet the current user requirements anymore, by the time, the software development is completed. Reason for this are today's rapid developments. To stay competitive, business procedures need to be updated very fast and constantly. Also to be considered is, that communication between future user and software engineer does not always work successfully. ClassiX® created an architecture, which allows for a quick and easy adaptation of applications to new requirements. ClassiX® wants to allow the end-user to create his or her personal application solutions. The dimensions of this depends on each company.

Software Reengineering
 Software reengineering means upgrading  old programs. This can be done for different reasons:
    1. a modern programming language shall be used
    2. the old program is not adequately structured according to the changes
    3. usability shall be increased
An application's functionality shall be maintained in any case; if possible, of course - improved.

SPC
Statistical Process Control

SSL - Secure Sockets Layer
Technique, which helps a web client to authenticate the server and to encipher  data traffic between them. SSL has been    developed by netscape and RSA data security.

Standard Software
Standard software manufacturers try to integrate any possible wish of any possible user in a program. Specific standard software functions can be activated or deactivated with so-called parameters. The advantage is, that a larger number of companies uses the same software just with different parameter-settings. This helps reducing costs and increasing program stability. The disadvantage is, that every company constantly develops new wishes and requirements that haven't been considered in the parameter-settings so far.  As a consequence, it is necessary to keep programming in the standard software, to consistently create new, individual versions of this so-called standard software for each company. This keeps causing problems in a  release-upgrade, since all individual changes get lost. Because of the extensive integration of issues not getting used by all customers, everyone works with one highly complex program packet, which -due to this complexity - needs constant, attentive maintenance. A way out of this software crisis can be a system based upon stable, standard business objects, which can be combined optionally and in any order. 
ClassiX® is such an innovative system.

Stock Optimization
 Method to reduce warehouse stock and production with material availability at any time.

Supply Chain
Order for deliveries from external business partners throughout the entire process until product delivery to the final consumer.

TCO - Total Cost of Ownership
Total cost for an IT solution. This includes procurement costs, technical support, administration and all costs in the end-user field.

Thin Client
 Client-server concept, where the client defines processing tasks and sends them to the server for processing. Results get sent back to the client. This makes processing speed and -capacity depend less on the client.

Time to market
Time period from product development until the product is ready for marketing. This period becomes more and more important to a company, the shorter market-, product- and technology cycle get.

TOC - Theory of Constraints
Management philosophy, developed by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt.
Idea:
A company's material flow is substantially affected by a few basic conditions only. In a flowing system, there is only one tightest point. The elimination of such bottleneck situations causes a smooth material flow.

TQM - Total Quality Management
Puts the focus on quality as a strategic competitive factor. Objective is quality increase despite consistent or shorter processing times for the same or lower costs.

Tracking and Tracing
Computer-supported tracking of the entire internal and interplant transport processes; from sending until delivery at the customer's site.

Transaction
 A database transaction is defined by a starting point and an end point in time. All data modifications between these two points are valid, only if the end point is achieved correctly. Purportedly at the end of a transaction, all data modifications made during transaction are bindingly registered in the database (committed). When a transaction starts, for example to process financial posting/booking, the target value on one account and the credit value on the offset account need to be adjusted between both starting- and end point. If there is for example a power blackout between both points in time, it might be the case, that the debit account has already been adjusted whereas the  credit account hasn't. A balance difference would be the consequence. The transaction mechanism though, undoes the change on the debit account, because the transaction hasn't been completed (roll back).  For final booking/posting, the entire transaction needs to be repeated.

UMS - Unified Messaging Service
Electronic post box with memory space on the server of an internet provider with e-mail-, SMS-, fax- and voice-mail functions.

Unix
A multi-user- and multitask operating system. Related Unix versions are AIX by IBM and HPUX by Hewlett-Packard.

URI - Uniform Resource Identifier
A string for the clear identification of a resource. Often used in the www as in internet addresses; e.g. http://www.classix.de

USP - Unique Selling Proposition
Unique selling proposition towards the customer, that makes the company's production output stand out among all competitors.

Viewer
File viewer to view file content without the necessity of installing the accordant application. 

Virtual World
 A virtual world / virtual reality is calculated with computer data only. These calculation result (computer animation) can be displayed on a screen; or just recently,  they can also be projected directly onto the eyes via helmet.

VMI - vendor managed inventory
Instrument to improve the logistics chain. The supplier has access to the customer's warehouse stock. He is responsible of maintaining a specified warehouse stock.

Voice over IP
Making phone calls via networks (internet), that work with the IP standard. With this method turns language into data packets and transfers it after.

VPN - Virtual Private Network
Internet-based platform for a closed user group.

W3C - World Wide Web Consortium
International industry consortium which is maintained by the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science (MIT LCS), the INRIA (Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique) in France and by the Keio-University in Japan.
Services provided by this organisation are:
- information for developer and user via WWW;
- reference code implementation to create and to promote standards;
- different prototype- and sample applications, to demonstrate applications of new technologies.

WAN - Wide Area Network
Compared to LAN a phone network. 

WAP - Wireless Application Protocol
Standard to abertragen internet content and other services onto digital mobile phones and other wireless devices.
For transfer, WAP partially uses the extensible markup language (XML) for structuring contents as as well as the Internet Protocol (IP).

Web Application
A web application is any application that is available via internet- or intranet browser. If a web application is realised with .jsp pages, it gets provided by a servlet container. .

Web Shop
Company website where a business offers products and/or other services for sale.

Workflow
Computer supported automation of business processes, procedures or electronic document transmission.

www - world wide web (3W, w3, Web)
Often put on a level with the internet. In fact though, it is only one of several internet services. The internet itself is roughly 20 years older than the www. www-information is accessible via browser. The w3 was developed as a scientific data network at the European Nuclear Research Centre in Geneva in 1989. As a complete packet, this new technology had its first public appearance in July 1992. January 2000, there have been already more than one billion websites.

XML - Extensible Markup Language
Easily structured language for the www; deduced from SGML language.
Prospectively in e-business, XML shall facilitate a faster and safer exchange of information with very complex structures, between completely different systems, such as ERP applications.