Glossary
Here are some term and acronym definitions commonly used in the application and documentation.
Terms
Attachments
You can add attachments to records, such as items, accounts, and vendors as well as documents. You can add a Windows-based file (document, picture, spreadsheet, etc.), map link (a link to an internet mapping service), or a link to a web site. The application saves attachments in a separate database. See Attachments.
Charge Returns
This application area allows you to process items that are returned to your company after sales or deliveries. You can process charge returns from the Sale Entry or Charge Returns forms. Having a separate transaction can be useful for companies who choose to limit the ability to process charge returns. Credit memos (returns) appear in the customer's credit balance immediately upon processing and may be applied to unpaid balances at a later time. Although quantities and dollar amounts appear as positive figures in this area, they are actually always credit/return, never a sale. See Charge Returns.
Commodity Codes
Commodity codes are used to classify items you are importing or exporting. It is important to use the correct commodity code(s) to ensure the item is in compliance with customs declarations, and that you pay the right taxes and duties. See Customs Manifest to learn more about Commodity Codes.
Convenience Fees
A convenience fee is a percentage added to a payment on account for the convenience of paying by credit card. See Working with Convenience Fees to learn more.
Credit Memos
Credit Memos are generated by returns processed in the Point of Sale area.
Cubes
Cubes (cubic unit of measure). A product's cubic measurement (L x W x H) used to estimate the amount of space, including packaging, the item needs for storage or delivery. Also used for purchasing in the application. See Using Cubes to Calculate Volume for Delivery and Storage.
Currency Code
Currency Codes are three character definitions of a regional currency used in the application. Currency Codes include: USD (U.S. Dollar), GBP (Great Britain Pound Sterling), AUD (Australian Dollar). Not to be confused with regional codes, which define a specific region, such as USA, UK, AUS. See Currency Code Maintenance to learn more.
Data Grid
In Point of Sale we use the term data grid to refer to the list of items that you add to the customers sale, order, etc. The same concept is used throughout the application to refer to information that is handled as a group. See Data Grid for more information.
Direct Ship
You use a Direct Ship transaction when a customer orders goods from you that will be shipped directly to them by a vendor. In this case, your company bills the customer, orders the goods, and pays the vendor; however, you aren't actually handling the product. Direct Ship processing creates both a Direct Ship Order document and also an associated Purchase Order. See Direct Ship to learn more.
Documents
This application contains a built-in document library and management system. The application automatically creates documents for all types of system functions including transactions (point of sale, purchasing, receivables, payables, journals, etc.) and system records, including inventory, deliveries, manufacturing and system processes. The application maintains links between related documents, making it easy to move from one document to a related one. For example, when you review an invoice, you can see the links to the invoice's related order, the purchase order linked to the inventory, the purchase order's linked inventory receipt, etc. See Documents to learn more.
Dynamic Reports
Many reports offer dynamic links to other documents. These links, appearing in blue text, allow users to quickly jump to and view documents related to the report data. In addition, document links are also commonly provided in folders and data grids throughout the software. These are accessed by double-clicking on the Document identifier. See Dynamic Reports to learn more.
EasyAP
Using EasyAP, you can automate the AP invoice entry and the vendor invoice reconciliation process. As part of that process, you forward emailed invoices (or scan-to-email invoices) to a third-party cloud service, Backbone Solutions, which extracts the data and compares it to matching application documents. Backbone Solutions provides training for this process and helps you get your scanners and email addresses set up. Before you go-live on Spruce, work with Backbone to complete the setup processes they require. See Setting Up EasyAP to learn more.
Electronic Data Exchange (EDI)
EDI processes rely on shared formatting practices to transmit and receive information, such as purchase orders, item data and pricing , and rewards information, etc. usually over night. These transmissions can be scheduled to ensure regular updates to the data you rely on in your application. See EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) for more information.
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) describes electronic payments processed using Automated Clearing House (ACH), which is a way for banks and financial institutions to transfer money quickly and securely between them.
Fixed-Length Tally Item
A tally item tally that is linked with child (member) items similar to the "pull to length" type but also has similarities to the "random length" tally. In this case, the tally item determines pricing, not the member items and the member items do not replace the tally SKU in the item grid (child items are hidden from view and referenced as quantity-length comments in the tally item's description). The members of this type of tally are still independent items which may be sold or received on their own. See Fixed Length Tally Items.
Folders
Most application areas, database, and inquiry forms offer a folders area at the bottom. Tabs within the folders contain additional information about items, customers, vendors, documents, and other information relevant to the particular transaction or area. This makes a much greater range of information available at your fingertips. In transactions, the folders may be hidden from view and expanded when needed. See Folders.
Form
In the application, we use the word "form" to refer to the page or the screen you are working in. When you access the Help System from a particular form, the topic that displays reflects the details and features accessible using that form. In general, there are three types of forms in the Spruce application: Transaction forms, Utility forms, and Dialog boxes.
Hardwood Tally Items
Hardwood tally item types give you a way to sell exotic hardwoods, which are generally sold in small quantities to hobbyists, but could be applied to other product types if they have the same requirements. Often, these woods are available in a number of different species as well as dimensions. The purpose of this tally is to sell a variety of sizes using a single item SKU. Since hardwoods can vary in price, each species and depth would be its own unique tally. Depth is the one constant dimensional value with this type of tally. This is necessary if pricing is assigned to the tally item. See Hardwood Tally Items to learn more.
Inquiry Features
Inquiry features provide read-only access to most of the account, inventory, delivery, transaction, and other data in the application. See Inquiry and its related topics to learn more.
Installed Sales
Use the Installed Sales feature to track the costs and progress of any items your business creates or installations your company manages. See Installed Sales to learn more.
ItemSets
An "ItemSet" is a classification tool used for sales, orders and quotes. This allows the user to assign items to groups, or "item sets," which you can sort, invoice, and deliver separately. For example, when a customer places a large order but is building specific parts at a time, they may want deliveries of materials to be staggered based on their schedule. ItemSets are an excellent way of keeping track of the customer's delivery needs while maintaining a single order at the same time. See Using ItemSets to learn more.
Jobs
Jobs give you a way to break down the work performed at a particular account by project or job. All accounts have at least one job (Job0). Businesses can create job-level pricing for an account and accounts can pay their accounts by job, as their customer's pay them. See Jobs for more detail.
Lineal Tally Item
A lineal tally item combines some of the features of the lot/location, sheet metal, and fixed length types. Lineal tallies are based on user-defined preset lengths which are not items, but that maintain limited information regarding quantities for each length defined. A custom or "cut" length may also be defined allowing for odd sizes and special orders. Preset lengths must be received in full lengths; however, they can be "cut" at Point of Sale and priced either by the cut length or the full length the cut was made from. These tallies may be used with purchasing and receiving, physical counts, and most Point of Sale transactions that involve item-entry (sales, orders, direct ship, etc.). See Lineal Tally Items for more information.
Lot Tally Items
This tally item type is used when a single item must be grouped into distinct units, such as bricks. Due to variations in brick manufacturing, a particular brick product can vary in appearance while still technically being the same product/type. Grouping and tracking bricks that match can be important. This tally type offers a way of tracking different "lots" which represent brick (or other goods) that were manufactured together. In addition, this tally type provides a way of specifying the location where quantities of each lot are located (display area vs. brickyard, etc.). See Lot/Location Tally Items for more information.
Material Lists
You can use material lists for a number of purposes. Assigned to a unique item code, material lists provide a way of linking items (and lists of items), comments, and prompts together. When a material list is used in a Point of Sale or Manufacturing activity, a special form opens where the user can make selections and choices based upon the setup of the material list. See Material Lists for more information.
Memos
The Memos Menu provides a way to linking text, image, or attachment information with either a form (for example, a transaction like Point of Sale, Orders) or as a reference memo that is linked to some type of data such as a document, customer, job, item, ledger account, or vendor, for example. Memos provide an easy way of distributing information or instructions to other employees (users) or it can be a compliment the attachments and notes features currently available. The main distinction between a "memo" and an attachment, or note, etc. is that memos are automatically and immediately displayed when associated with a form or as a reference. In other regards, memos and attachments are similar. See Memos for more information.
Multicurrency
When you discuss a transaction with a customer who uses a foreign currency, it may be useful to discuss the sale by showing the values of the materials being purchased in both the foreign currency and in your local currency. Multicurrency settings in the application make both currencies accessible in the same forms. See Multicurrency for more information.
Open Tickets
Open Tickets - (Advice Notes in the UK) are transactions that immediately affect on-hand quantities while at the same time allow adjustments before final processing as a sale (invoicing). This transaction is ideal for use either as a yard ticket or for deliveries. See Open Tickets/Advice Notes.
Point of Sale
Use the Point of Sale application area to track and process Sales, Orders, Quotes,
Pull to Length Tally Item
A tally item used to describe items sold by length (molding/trim, etc.). With this tally type, you can link a list of items (child/member items) with the tally item. Each item represents a different length of the same item. Child (member) items are actual items and can be sold/received independently from the tally they are linked with. These child/member items normally maintain on-hand and other quantities and have their own pricing. In this case, the tally item is used temporarily for selection only. Once selection is completed, the member/child items replace the "tally" in the item grid. See Pull To Length Tally Items.
Quote
A Quote is a list of items that a customer has requested pricing or information regarding, but has not necessarily committed to purchasing. See Quotes.
Random Length Tally Items
A single item that is sold by length (lineal foot, for example). There are no child items in this case. This type of item is used when an product is sold in varying lengths and only one SKU is maintained for that item. This could also be used for molding or any other item sold based upon varying lengths. Random length tallies require you to enter quantities and lengths. These values are used to calculate the total length being sold. The application maintains an overall on-hand quantity for this type of item. There is no record maintained for the individual quantity-lengths, these figures are only used when calculating a total quantity (for sale, receipt, etc.). See Random Length Tally Items.
Rent to Own/Hire Purchase
Rent to Own, also referred to as "Hire Purchase" in the UK (United Kingdom) and other areas, provides the ability to establish a payment plan for a customer's purchase for a specific period of time. The customer makes installment payments over the term of the agreement or contract. Some portion of their payment is applied toward principal unless no financing or interest is included. The amount applied to principal may be either a fixed amount each month or vary if a declining interest (amortized) method is used (at your company's discretion). See Rent To Own (Hire Purchase) Contract.
Spruce eCommerce
Spruce eCommerce (SPEC) is our best-in-class ecommerce solution for Spruce and RockSolid MAX customers. It uses the best of the ecommerce API (SOAP) we have built over the last few years and is extended using the REST API features that we are building for the future. When you choose the Spruce eCommerce solution, you will work with EvolutionX developers to create the website you choose with state of the art design and security. Your customers can access your website to submit orders, quotes, and account payments online. See Spruce eCommerce.
Tally Items
This generally refers to any of a number of special inventory items that require entry of quantities and/or some type of dimensional attribute that varies for the product in question. Tally items are defined in the Item Maintenance form and may involve additional items as well as additional set-up in some cases. Please see the "tally items" topic found in the Special Topics section for more information about each type we offer.
Time Clock
The Time Clock feature gives hosted businesses a way to collect and report the amount of time employees work, including breaks, mealtimes, or other down times, and generate reports using the data. Employees clock in when they begin working and clock out when they take a break or end their shift. Detailed security settings ensure that users with different permissions see only the information they should have legitimate access to and can enter and view their time-reporting data as needed. See Time Clock.
Unit of Measure Tally Item
A Unit of Measure Tally item is a single item allowing a tally involving quantities for more than one of the item's measures. For example, if an item was sold by the pallet, case, and individual pieces, you could have a tally where quantities of each unit are represented as a single line item in a transaction. See U/M Tally Item.
Unit Tally Items
Unit tally items are used to quantify bulk wrapped, banded, or otherwise packaged materials that come with some variance based on one or more dimensions. Standard, lumber (timber), and sheet goods items are eligible for Unit Tally use. New units can be created and existing units may be split into component products as needed. See Unit Item Tally.
Acronyms
ACH (Automated Clearing House)
The initials, ACH, refer to a banking network used to process the electronic forms of payment and deposit. EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) is another term that is also used for describing electronic payments.
API (Application Program Interface)
An API is software that provides an ability to connect or communicate with another application or service in some way. REST APIs (REpresentational State Transfer) define a set of constraints to be used for creating web services. A REST API is a way to access web services using a simple and flexible way without having any additional processing needed. SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is more of a list of shared instructions that allow applications and systems to share mutually beneficial information. It is dependable and older than REST and tends to be slower as a communication method. These communication methods allow applications to share information without compromising security.
AVS (Address Verification System)
This refers to a system or service used for validating the billing address information associated with a customer's credit or debit card.
COD (Cash On Delivery)
This describes a situation where goods being delivered by your company. In the case of a COD, the items are invoiced prior to delivery. Payment is being collected from the customer at time of delivery and is processed once the delivery vehicle returns. When payment by COD is indicated (from the Delivery Tab of a Sale transaction), the Sale can be processed with or without any payment (remittance) amounts. Any remittance reduces the amount due for the COD invoice. Payments can be applied to a COD invoice from the Payments transaction in Point of Sale. The applications COD feature does not typically involve receivables; however, some companies have used a receivable's account for this type of activity instead. COD sales are considered a "cash-type" payment method, not "charge" sales.
CVV/CVV2 (Card Verification Value)
This three to four digit code is printed on the back of most credit/debit cards and is used as additional tool for validation. Typically, the code is used when a customer's card is not present, particularly for on-line purchases.
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
The initials EDI stand for "electronic data interchange" and really just refers to any type of data that is exchanged electronically. In our case, we typically use the term to describe the process of ordering and receiving electronically from a vendor. This may also include receiving catalog updates, file maintenance, price changes, and other types of data from a third party (vendor, co-op, etc.).
EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer)
EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) refers to the process of moving funds (money) from one bank and/or account to another electronically.
EMV (Europay MasterCard VISA)
The term "EMV" which stands for Europay MasterCard and VISA refers to card industry standards for electronic payments involving payment devices (terminals, pads, etc.) and ATM (automated teller machines) used by banks. EMV standards have led to the widespread replacement of standard stripe-only cards with new smart chip (microchip) embedded cards.
LIFO (Last In, First Out)
"LIFO" is an acronym for "Last In, First Out" and is a financial term used for cost accounting and valuation. In terms of our application, LIFO refers to a method for reporting your inventory value based on market cost changes from one year to the next (rather than average cost). The LIFO method assumes that the most receipt purchases of inventory (last in) are relieved before (first out) older purchases when items are sold. Some method is necessary since any inventory you maintain may have been purchased over a period of time involving a variety of different costs and quantities. When inventory is relieved (sold), it isn't possible to select from a particular purchase (inventory receipt). Instead, the entire quantity "on-hand" is reduced using the average cost of the product at that time. The other two (2) methods for cost accounting and valuation are average cost and FIFO (first in, first out). AnyWare always uses the average cost (weighted average) method regardless of any other settings.
Inventory value is calculated from the quantity times the cost. We provide three (3) different costs for an item: average cost, current market, and last receipt. When a company wants to determine the overall value of their inventory, there are a few different methods for determining what cost is used for this value. The applications cost accounting method is average cost; however, we do provide a LIFO report that compares the last receipt cost value for the last two (2) fiscal years (see the note below for important information). Optionally, the Item Maintenance and Inquiry forms can use market cost for monthly valuations displayed on the Totals tab. Average cost is the default unless the Stock Value parameter is set to "market."
MOTO (Mail Order - Telephone Order)
This acronym is used to describe orders taken either by mail or phone when a customer's card is not present.
SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
The acronym "SKU" is typically used in our documentation to describe a code that is used to identify some type of product. The code may be something your company determines or it may be a code provided by a vendor or manufacturer. Often, codes are numeric and may be referred to as item "numbers;" however, codes allow alpha-numeric as well as some special characters. Some characters are not allowed for item codes.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is an Internet standard for email transmission. Access to a valid SMTP server is necessary for transmission of email from the application.
SO (Special Order)
Special Order (SO) is used to describe the process of ordering (from a vendor) or manufacturing a product that is not normally stocked by your company and/or varies to some degree requiring additional information.
SQL (Structured Query Language)
SQL, pronounced "sequel," refers to the text command structure used to access and manipulate data maintained in our application-based databases. The application uses a Microsoft® SQL Server® database, which maintains the data in tables. Each table has a defined structure that includes columns assigned to a specific type of data. Individual records are typically represented as rows and the fields or properties belonging to the record are values stored in the columns defined for the table. The application uses queries to access (SELECT), add (INSERT), change (UPDATE) and remove (DELETE) data from these tables as you work in the application.
TCC (Transmitter Control Code)
The control code is your company's Transmitter Control Code (TCC) and is used for electronic submission of 1099-MISC data only. This 5-digit number is assigned by the IRS, but must be requested. Filers may request an ID by submitting form 4419 if they don't already have one. This code is only necessary if your company submits electronically and uses the application's EOY 1099 utility.
TIN (Taxpayer ID Number)
"A Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) is an identification number used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the administration of tax laws. It is issued either by the Social Security Administration (SSA) or by the IRS. A Social Security number (SSN) is issued by the SSA whereas all other TINs are issued by the IRS."1 The TIN or SSN is used for 1099-MISC reporting and filing utility found in the Payables area. Your company as well as vendors you must file 1099-MISC forms for would need to have either a TIN or SSN on file. For more information, please visit the IRS web site: https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Taxpayer-Identification-Numbers-TIN.
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
The acronym "URL" refers to the format used by web site addresses ("http://www.example.com" is an example of an URL). The protocol section of the URL is the prefix, either "http" (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) or "https" (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure). This is followed by a colon and two (2) forward slashes (//) and then either a domain name or IP address. The domain is considered the "resource" part of the URL. Additional parts are optional any may specify a specific directory or file (such as a web page) at the location.
XML (Extensible Markup Language)
XML is a markup language used for data files and is very similar to HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). XML is text-based and can be edited using common text editors such as Notepad and others. The make-up of an XML file is either markup or content. The structure of XML markup is comprised of named tags enclosed between the "<" and ">" symbols ("<Node />," for example). The name of a tag is the first series of characters after the "<" (less than symbol). Tag elements can envelope content, such as "<Node>Some Text Content</Node>" or not as in our prior example (<Node />). Tags can also have attributes associated with them such as "<Node value='MyValue'>Some Text Content</Node>." Elements usually enclose either child elements or content. XML is sometimes used for EDI data, import/export, and many other purposes.
1As quoted from the Internal Revenue Service's web site.