Glossary
of Terms
A
| B | C
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| J | K
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| W | X
| Y | Z
| MISC
| Account
Segment |
One
of the Rutgers six (6) sections of the Accounting Flexfield.
Each segment is separated from the other segments by
a dash.
For
Phase I - The six segments of the Accounting Flexfield
are:
Segment 1 - Future Use [2 Digit Value = 00]
Segment 2 - Funding Source [6 Digit Value = Legacy Account
Number]
Segment 3 - Natural Account [5 Digit Value = Legacy Sub/Object
Code + 0]
Segment 4 - Organization [5 Digit Value = New Organizational
ID]
Segment 5 - Future Use [6 Digit Value = 000000]
Segment 6 - Future Use [3 Digit Value = 000] |
| Accounts
Payable |
One
of the integrated Oracle applications that streamlines
the procure-to-pay process and provides complete on-line
information on invoices, suppliers, and travel payments.
|
| Accounting
Flexfield |
The
code one uses to identify a general ledger account i nthe
Oracle financial applications. |
| Advance |
An
amount of money prepaid in anticipation of receipt of
goods, services, obligations or expenditures. |
| Alert |
See
Notification. |
| Approver |
An
individual with the authority to approve an online requisition.
Approvers are responsible for ensuring that the following
conditions are met: a) The requisition is reasonable,
appropriate and necessary in order to achieve the expected
goals or outcomes of the particular University program,
project or task b)The account(s) charged have
sufficient funds available to cover the requisition
during the budget period or project period.
By
default, an approver is a preparer.
The
approver must be defined and maintained in the Human
Resource module and the Purchasing module. |
| Approval
Group |
A
set of authorization rules assigned to an individual as
an approver. These rules comprise of criteria such as
organization and dollar amounts. |
| Approval
Assignment |
The
assignment of a position authorized to be an approver
to an approval group. |
| Autocreate |
A
function in Oracle Purchasing that takes completed, approved
requisition line(s) and creates a Purchase Order. |
| Attachment |
Additional
descriptive information about your requisition forwarded
to the approver, buyer, or supplier along with your purchase
order. The attachment may take the form of a file (Word,
Excel, etc.), URL or text. |
| Base
Applications |
One
of the forms-based applications. In Phase I, base applications
include General Ledger, Human Resources, Accounts Payable,
and the Purchasing application. |
| Blanket
Purchase Order/Agreement |
A
type of purchase order that Purchasing issues to document a
long-term supplier agreement that may include negotiated
pricing and terms. |
| Browser |
Software
that allows a uswer to navigate and view graphical content
on the Internet. Netscape and Internet Explorer are browsers. |
| Buyer |
An
individual who is authorized to create purchase orders
with suppliers and negotiates supplier contracts. |
| Category |
A
commodity code listing used to group items with similar
characteristics, such as equipment. |
| Catalog
Request |
A
request for goods/services where the supplier and pricing
are available electronically. |
| Change
Order |
A
document detailing changes to be made to an approved
purchase order.
Note:
Once a requistion has been released and converted to
a purchase order, the preparer or approver can no longer
make changes directly to the requisition. |
| Check
Request |
A
requisition request to procure selected goods/services.
Previously
referred to as a Rutgers Billhead or Request for Payment. |
| Chart
of Accounts |
The
account strcture used to record transactions and maintain
account balances in the General Ledger.
For
Phase I, the existing Chart of Accounts and the existing
account structure will be used. |
| Commitments |
Used
synonymously with encurbrances. Commitments comprise of
all approved and pending for approval requisitions, purchase
orders, and supplier invoices. |
| Cross
Validation Rules |
Rules
that are defined in the Oracle General Ledger of valid
combinations of segment values that a user can enter.
These rules restrict users from entering invalid combinations
of account segment values.
For
Phase I, the cross validations that will be defined:
Funding
Sources with the appropriate Organizations
Funding
Sources with appropriate Natural Accounts (Sub/Object
Codes) |
| Conversion |
The
process of bringing data from the existing legacy systems
into RIAS for start up purposes. |
| Deliver-To-Location |
An
actual physical location where goods or services are
to be delivered.
By
default, this will be the preparer's location as defined
in the Oracle Human Resource module.
|
| Discoverer |
Software
developed by oracle that provides ad-hoc query, reporting
and analytical capabilities. It automates the analysis
and reportig of data by providing "views" of data within
the Oracle database.
Rutgers
will be using the web-based version that does not require
software to be installed on the user desktop. |
| Direct
Routing Method |
The
system (workflow) will find the first available position
along the requistion approval hierarchy branch that has
the appropriate approval authority for that organization.
|
| Encumbrance |
See
Commitments. |
| End
User Layer |
A
component of Discoverer that provides ways to mask the
underlying complexity of the database to provide end users
with an interface they can easily understand and execute
while providing data access security. |
| Estimated
Unit Price |
The
estimated cost per unit of measure. |
| Filter |
Used
when querying data in Internet Procurement, a filter provides
a subset of data values based upon your search criteria.
|
| Folder |
A
flexible entry and display window in the base applications
which one can choose the fields one wants to see and where
each field appears in the window. Typically, data in a
folder can be exported to Excel. |
| Free
on Board |
The
point or location where the ownership title of goods
is transferred from the seller to the buyer. This indicates
that delivery of a shipment will be made on board or
into a carrier by the shipper without charge, and is
usually followed by a shipping point or destination.
For
example, FOB destination means title passes when the
goods reach their destination point. |
| Freight
Carrier |
A
commercial company used to transport goods. |
| Freight
Charges |
A
shipping charge that may be included in the price or added
separately on the invoice. |
| Forward |
An
action one takes to send a document to another employee
without attempting to approve it himself/herself. |
| Functionality |
What
functions the software is able to perform. |
| Funding
Source |
Previously
referred to as an Account Number.
The
source of funding that a transaction is posted to in
the General Ledger.
In
Phase I, the legacy six (6) digit account number found
on OFIS will continue to be used |
| Funds
Checking |
The
process of certifying that sufficient funds are available
from the funding source to cover the amount of the transaction.
|
| General
Ledger |
In
Phase I, the General Ledger will be a shell application
(only partially implemented) designed to support the
I-Procurement, Purchasing, and Accounts Payable applications.
Data
from Oracle General Ledger will be interfaced into the
legacy General Ledger (OFIS) on a nightly basis. OFIS
will continue to be used for financial reporting purposes. |
| GL
Date |
The
date used to determine the correct accounting period for
transactions. |
| Go
Shopping |
The
first step in preparing a requisition in I-procurement.
|
| Hold |
In
Oracle Accounts Payable, a feature that prevents a transaction
from occurring or completing until the hold has been released.
For example, a hold will be placed on an invoice if the
receipt of goods does not match the invoice within the
accepted tolerances during the 3-way match process. This
hold will prevent a payment of the invoice until the discrepancy
is resolved and the hold released. |
| Human
Resource Management System |
In
Phase I, the Human Resource Management System will be
a shell application (only partially implemented) designed
to support the I-Procurement, Purchasing, and Accounts
Payable applications. |
| I-Procurement
(Internet Procurement) |
One
of the Oracle self-service applications for ordering goods
or services from external and internal sources. I-Procurement
uses a web-shopping model that is similar to online shopping
sites such as Amazon.com using the common "Shopping Cart"
to achieve processing efficiency with easier access to
critical information. |
| Internal
Requisition |
A
request to procure goods or services from an internal
Rutgers supplier (another University department). |
| Interface |
The
proces of feeding data into or out of RIAS from/to existing
internal/external systems. |
| Internal
Purchase Order |
A
purchase order to another University department (an
internal supplier) to provide goods or services to another
Rutgers department. Internal Purchase Orders do not
require the review of a Purchasing Buyer.
Examples
of internal providers are Facilities, Computer Store,
Mail and Document Services, and Material Services. |
| Internal
Supplier |
A
Rutgers department. |
| Item
Description |
A
description of an item or service. |
| Item
Type |
An
indication of whether one is requesting goods billed by
quantity, services billed by quantity or goods or services
billed by amount. One chooses one of these item types
on a non-catalog request. |
| Invoice |
A
document received by Rutgers from a supplier that lists
amounts owed to the supplier for purchased goods or services.
|
| Item |
Anything
Rutgers buys, sells or handles in business. An item may
be tangible such as supplies or an intangible such as
a service. |
| Invoice
Import |
A
process used to import invoices from external systems
into the RIAS Accounts Payable. |
| List
of Values |
A
feature used while entering data in any of the Oracle
applications that increases one's accuracy and productivity.
In each of the applications, the system notifies one
when a list of acceptable input values is available
for a field with a specific icon.
In
I-Procurement, a List of Values is depicted as a Flashlight
icon.
In
the base applications, a List of Values is depicted
as three dots at the end of a data field. |
| Log
On |
Used
synonymously with Sign On.
An
Oracle applications username and password that allows
one to gain access to Oracle applications. Each sign-on
is assigned to one or more responsibilities. |
| Message
Line |
A
line of a window that displays helpful hints or warning
messages. |
| My
Favorites List |
A
personalized shortcut to frequently requested items in
I-Procurement. |
| 11i |
The
release of Oracle Software that Rutgers will be implementing.
|
| 2-Way
Matching |
The
automated process of verifying that the information
contained in the following electronic documents match
within accepted tolerance levels:
Purchase
Order
Supplier
Invoice |
| 3-Way
Matching |
The
automated process of verifying that the information
contained in the following electronic documents match
within accepted tolerance levels:
Purchase
Order
Receipt
of Goods or Services
Supplier
Invoice |
| % |
A
wildcard character that represents any number of characters
in a search criterion. For example, to reduce a list to
only those choises that contain the phrase "supplies",
one would type %supplies% in the Find field and
click Find. |
| Natural
Account |
Previously
referred to as an Object Code/Sub Code.
The
segment of the accounting flexfield that determines
whether the account is an asset, liability, equity,
revenue or expense account.
In
Phase I, the legacy four (4) digit object/sub code found
on OFIS will continue to be used with an extra "0" at
the end. |
| Notification |
An
electronic message that is involved when a specific business
condition or rule is met. A notification informs the recipient
of 1)a status of a transaction or 2)requests the recipient
to take an action such as approval or modification. For
example, a notification will be sent to an approver when
a requisition requiring approval is received. |
| Need-by-date |
The
date by which one needs an item or service. |
| Non-Catalog
Request |
An
electronic request to procure suppliers and/or services
that are not available using one of the electronic catalogs
- Rutgers or Oracle Exchange. |
| Note |
Additional
information or special instructions pertaining to the
requisition that one enters to bring to the attention
of the approver or buyer. |
| One-Time
Delivery Location |
The
manual entry of a non-Rutgers deliver-to-location that
goods or services are being delivered to.
An
actual physical location where goods are to be delivered.
The
delivery location will be printed on the approved purchase
order. |
| Online
Financial Information System (OFIS) |
The
legacy system that provides online access to financial
accounting, budget and payroll data to authorized users
throughout Rutgers University. |
| Oracle |
The
name of the supplier (Oracle Corporation) from whom the
RIAS application software has been purchased. |
| Oracle
Exchange |
External
suppliers who participate in Oracle Exchange but do not
reflect Rutgers pre-negotiated prices electronically.
|
| Organization |
Rutgers
operating unit or department for financial accounting
and human resource reporting purposes. Employees are assigned
to organizations to which they work. |
| Payment
Terms |
Rules
used to calculate the due date and discount date for payment
of a transaction based upon the invoice date. |
| Pay
Site |
A
supplier site that is designated to receive payments.
One cannot enter an invoice for a supplier site that is
not defined as a pay site. |
| Portable
Document Format |
A
file format developed by Adobe Systems. PDF files are
snapshots of formatted document files and may contain
formatted text, graphics, color, and images that are viewable,
navigable, and printable on multiple platforms. |
| Pre-Approved |
Status
given to a requisition or purchase order that has been
approved by a University delegate with an authorized dollar
approval limit. If the document is forwarded from one
approver to another for additional approval, its status
is considered pre-approved. |
| Preparer |
An
individual who is authorized to create an online requisition.
By
default, the preparer is named as the requestor on requisitions.
A
preparer may create his/her own requisitions or create
them on behalf of another individual.
A
preparer has the option to manually change the requestor
named on a requisition.
A
preparer must be defined and maintained in the Human
Resource module and the Purchasing module. |
| Preferred
Supplier |
External
suppliers that the University has established a University-wide
blanket order with that contains pre-negotiated pricing
and terms/conditions. |
| Purchase
Order |
A
contract between Rutgers and a supplier for purchasing
goods or services. Each purchase order is given a unique
number. |
| Purchase
Order Number |
The
unique number is assigned to the purchase order that
the buyer sends to the supplier to fulfill a requisition.
In
Oracle, the Purchase Order Number will be a different
number than the Requisition Number. |
| Purchasing
Site |
A
supplier site for which one orders goods or services.
A supplier must have at least one purchasing site before
one can create a purchase order. |
| Purchase
Requisition |
See
Requisition. |
| Quantity |
The
number of items needed. For service item types, the quantity
would be in $1 US Dollar denominations. |
| Query |
A
user's request for information |
| Quick
Purchase Order |
A
requisition request with an external supplier that does
not exceed $1000 and does not involve purchases in the
published restricted catagories. Quick orders do not require
the review of a Buyer in Purchasing, but they do require
that the supplier be on the supplier database. |
| Quotation |
A
statement of the price, terms and conditions of sale a
supplier offers for items. A quotation usually includes
a detailed description (specification) of goods or services
the supplier offers. |
| Receiver |
An
individual who is responsible for the online receipt
of goods and services.
To
record a receipt, a receiver enters the quantity received.
By
default, the individual named as the requestor on Purchase
Orders will have those items reflected on the "My Items
to Receive" screen on his/her I-Procurement Home Page. |
Receipt
Quantity |
The
quantity of items received from a supplier. |
Request
for Quotation |
A
document used to solicit supplier quotations for goods or
services. Typically, a request for quotation is sent to
many suppliers to ensure the University receives the best
price and terms. |
Requestor |
An
individual who has identified a need for a good or service.
By
default, the requestor is recognized by the system as
the receiver.
A
requestor must be defined and maintained in the Human
Resource module and the Purchasing module. |
Requisition |
A
request for goods or services. A requisition can include
many lines. Each requisition line includes at least a description
of the item, the unit of measure, the quantity needed, the
price per item and the account number(s) being charged.
|
Requisition
Approval |
The
act of approving the purchase of the items on a requisition.
A requisition must receive the required approvals before
a buyer can create a purchase order from the requisition.
A requisition is fully approved only in the following instance;
when an employee(s) who has enough authority for the organization
that is responsible for each account and the dollar limit
approves it. |
Requisition
Number |
The
unique number assigned to the requisition that the requestor
sends to the approver. The Requisition Number will be different
from the Purchase Order Number. |
Requisition
Approval Hierarchy |
A
structure of positions that defines the authmatic routing
of requisitions from a preparer to an approver. |
Responsibility |
Assigned
to each user, a responsibility is a predefined set of data,
menus and forms that defines an individual's level of authority
to process transactions within the system. Several users
share the same responsibility; a single user can have multiple
responsiblities. |
Requisitioner |
See
Preparer. |
Reviewer |
An
individual outside the preparer's requisition approval
hierarchy to whom a requisition has been forwarded for
review. This individual has no direct approval authority
for that requisition. Instead he/she will be recorded
in the approval history with his/her review comments only.
The reviewer can then return the requisition to the sender,
or forward to another individual for appropriate action.
A
reviewer must be defined and maintained in the Human Resource
module and the Purchasing module. |
RFQ
Only Site |
A
supplier site from which one receives quotations. |
Rutgers
Exchange (RU Exchange) |
External
suppliers who will provide a product where the pre-negotiated
pricing is available electronically. In Phase I, the following
are presently designated as Rutgers Exchange suppliers:
Staples
Boise Cascade
VWR
Grainger
Aldrich Sigma
Fisher Scientific
|
Rutgers
Integrated Administrative System (RIAS) |
A
multi-year, multi-phase initiative to improve Rutgers efficiency
and effectiveness by replacing outdated administrative systems
and related processes. |
| Self
Service Application |
Web
browser program that allows users to respond to notifications,
enter data such as Purchase Requisitions and Check Requests.
I-Procurement is a self-service application. |
| Shopping
Cart |
A
container for all the items selected in the current session
of I-Procurement. A shopping cart can be saved and returned
to later. |
| Sign-On |
See
Log On. |
| State
Preferred Supplier |
External
suppliers that the State of New Jersey has designated.
|
| Submit |
To
send a document to another employee. |
| Supplier |
Internal
or External Provider of goods or services in return for
payment |
| Supplier
Site |
A
specific location of a supplier. A supplier may have one
or many supplier sites. Examples of sites are Pay Site
Only, Purchasing Site Only, Pay and Purchasing Site or
RFQ Only Site. |
| Supplier
Invoices |
Payments
owned to internal/external suppliers for goods and services
|
| Supplier
Item Number |
The
number the supplier uses to identify the item or service.
|
| Toolbar |
A
collection of iconic buttons in the base applications
that each perform a specific action when one chooses it.
Each button replicates a commonly used menue item. Depending
on the context of the current field or window, a button
can be enabled or disabled. One can display a hint for
an enabled toolbar button by holding your mouse steadily
over the button. |
| Tolerance |
The
acceptable degrees of variances Rutgers' define between
quantities and item prices for invoices, receipts and
purchase orders. If any of the variances between a matched
invoice and Purchase Order exceed the tolerances Rutgers'
specifies, the system places the applicable invoice on
hold. |
| Uniform
Resource Locator |
Address
of a file accessible on the Internet. |
| Unit
of Measure |
Defines
the amount or size of the material being purchased. For
example, a unit of measure includes "Each" or "Box". |
| User
Approval Actions |
Actions
that an approver can take in I-Procurement. These actions
are:
|
| Voucher
Number |
A
number used as a record of a business transaction. A voucher
number may be used to review invoice information, in which
case it serves as a unique reference to a single invoice.
|
| Vendor |
See
Supplier. |
| Workflow |
An
Oracle system function used to automate a business process
by routing information to an individual according to the
business rules defined by Rutgers. For example, workflow
will be used to automatically route a requisition from
the preparer to the approver. |
Last Updated: May 4, 2006
© 2008 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved.
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