Glossary

A

Account Admin
The Account Admin module allows you to view and edit the information that identifies your company to the network. This screen is also used to manage console access privileges to other personnel in your organization.
Action
Actions performed on a document by the system to ensure its compatibility with business requirements between participants.
Action Instance ID
Identifies documents with content that is of a business nature, such as a purchase order or RFQ.
Activation
Connecting a participant to the system.
Alert
Alerts provide for rapid notification and resolution when pre-established operating limits have been breached. An alert consists of a text based e-mail message sent to individuals or a distribution list of key personnel either within or outside the Network. Alerts can be based on the occurrence of a system event or expected process volume.
Attempt Count
Indicates whether transaction is a first attempt or a retry. 1 is a first attempt. 2 or greater are number of retries.

B

Business Process
A predefined set of transactions that represent the method of performing the work needed to achieve a business objective.
Business Rules Testing
The process of testing and repairing document content errors between participants.
Business Signal Code
Identifies type of signal (document) sent in response to an action. Examples include receipt or acceptance acknowledgment, or general exception.

C

Participant connection
A participant connection defines the connection between two specific community member's environments by which one unique process is executed.
Choreography
The required order of documents needed to successfully complete a business process.
Classification
Identifies role of participant in a business process.
Closed
Date and time last document in a process is transacted or a process has been cancelled.
Community Console
The Community Console is a Web based tool used to monitor the flow of your company's business documents to and from your Community Manager or participants.
Community Manager Child
Community Manager Child is a special participant type that acts like a participant in the console but like a Community Manager when routing.
Community Participant
A hub community member that exchanges business transactions with the Community Manager.

D

Data Mitigation
The process of testing and repairing errors in document structure and format based on business process standards.
Digital Signature
A digital signature is an electronic signature that is used to authenticate the identity of participants, and to ensure that the original content of a document that has been sent is unchanged.
Document
A collection of information adhering to an organizational convention. Information can be text, pictures, and sound.
Document Flow Definition
Gives the system all of the necessary information to receive, process, and route documents between community members. Document flow definition types include package, protocol, document flow, activity and action.
Document Protocol
A set of rules and instructions (protocol) for the formatting and transmission of information across a computer network. Examples include RosettaNet, XML, flat file, and EDI.
DUNS
The D&B D-U-N-S Number is a unique nine-digit identification sequence, which provides unique identifiers of single business entities, while linking corporate family structures together. D&B links the D&B D-U-N-S Numbers of parents, subsidiaries, headquarters and branches on more than 64 million corporate family members around the world. Used by the world's most influential standards-setting organizations, it is recognized, recommended and often required by more than 50 global, industry and trade associations, including the United Nations, the U.S. Federal Government, the Australian Government and the European Commission. In today's global economy, the D&B D-U-N-S Number has become the standard for keeping track of the world's businesses.

E

EDI
The computer-to-computer transfer of information in a structured, pre-determined format. Traditionally, the focus of EDI activity has been on the replacement of pre-defined business forms, such as purchase orders and invoices, with similarly defined electronic forms.
Event
A message generated by the system associated with the processing of documents.

F

Filter
To remove data within a sub-transaction based on predefined parameters.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol (FTP), a standard Internet protocol, is the simplest way to exchange files between computers on the Internet.

G

Gateway
A B2B network point that acts as the entrance to another network. Data translation and compatibility issues can be resolved by a gateway to ensure data transfer.
Gateway Type
Identifies documents that are routed to a particular gateway during testing or for live production.
Global
Contact person can be assigned alerts by participant and Community Manager.
Group
A collection of users given access privilege to the console for performing selected functions.

H

HTTP
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the set of rules (protocol) for exchanging files (text, graphic images, sound, video, and other multimedia files) on the Web.
HTTPS
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer) is a Web protocol that encrypts and decrypts user page requests as well as the pages that are returned by the Web server.

I

In Response Business Action
Identifies type of business document sent in response to an action in the same process.
In Response to ID
ID number of In Response Business Action.
Inbound Manager
Retrieves documents from the NAS and prepares them for the appropriate action task by the business process engine.

L

Live
The state at which a participant has successfully completed business rules testing, and the Community Manager issued a service request to move them to a live status.

P

Packages
Identify document packaging formats that can be received by the system's server. For example, AS1 and AS2.
PIP (Partner Interface Process)
Define business processes between Community Managers and Partners (in WebSphere Partner Gateway, Partners are participants). Each PIP identifies a specific business document and how it is processed.
Process Instance ID
Unique identification number for a particular business process.
Production
Destination gateway used for routing live documents.
Profile
The Profile module allows you to view and edit the information that identifies your company to the system.
Protocols
Identify specific types of document formats for a variety of business processes. For example, RosettaNet and XML.
Provisioning
Provisioning (or on-boarding) consists of completing a sequence of steps required for connecting a user's B2B gateway to the system infrastructure.

R

Reports
The Reports module allows users to create detailed reports on the volume of documents being processed as well as events generated by the system.
RNIF
The RosettaNet Implementation Framework (RNIF) is a guideline for creating a standard envelope-container for all Partner Interface Processes (PIPs).
RTF
Rich Text Format (RTF) is a file format that lets you exchange text files between different word processors in different operating systems. For example, you can create a file using Microsoft Word in Windows 98, save it as an RTF file (it will have a .rtf file name suffix), and send it to someone who uses WordPerfect 6.0 on Windows 3.1.

S

Service
Identifies whether message is RosettaNet based.
Servlet
Small program running on the Web server that writes the incoming document to the NAS.
Signal
The document sent in response to an action.
Signal Instance ID
Identifies documents that are positive or negative acknowledgments sent in response to actions.
Signal Version
Version of business process sent as a signal.
SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is a protocol used in sending and receiving e-mail.
SR
Service request
SSL
Secure sockets layer is a secure method of sending data using the HTTP protocol.
State
(1) Documents being processed by the system are in one of four states
(2) received, in progress, failed, or successful.
Subscribed contact
A subscribed contact is an individual who has been designated to receive e-mail alerts.
Substitute
To replace data within a sub-transaction with other data based on predefined parameters.

T

Test
The state at which a participant is undergoing data mitigation or business rules testing during the provisioning process.
Tools
The Tools module allows you to troubleshoot process failure by allowing you to see faulty documents, data fields, and their associated events.
Transaction
A sequence of information exchange and related work that is treated as a unit for the purposes of conducting business between participants.
Transaction ID
ID number of business process.
Transform
Replace the contents of a document with data from a cross reference table.
Translation
When a document is converted from one protocol to another.
Transport Protocol
A set of rules (protocol) used to send data in the form of message units between computers over the Internet. Examples include HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, and FTP.

U

URL
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of a document or process (resource) accessible on the Internet.

V

Validation
Validation is the act of comparing a process sub-transaction against the specified requirements to determine its validity or invalidity. Content and transaction sequence are typical parameters.
Version
The particular release of a document protocol.
Visibility
Visibility defines if a contact person can be assigned to an alert by a participant (local) or also by the Community Manager (global).

W

Wildcard
Criteria for wildcard searches includes the asterisk (*).

Copyright IBM Corp. 2003, 2005