Support // Glossary

AS2 - Short for Applicability Statement 2. AS2 is a specification for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) between businesses using the Internet's Web page protocol, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The specification is an extension of the earlier version, Applicability Statement 1 (AS1). Both specifications were created by EDI over the Internet (EDIINT), a working group of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) that develops secure and reliable business communications standards.

ASP - Short for Application Service Provider. Abbreviated as ASP, a third-party entity that manages and distributes software-based services and solutions to customers across a wide area network from a central data center. In essence, ASPs are a way for companies to outsource some or almost all aspects of their information technology needs. They may be commercial ventures that cater to customers, or not-for-profit or government organizations, providing service and support to end users.

B2B - Short for Business-to-Business, the exchange of services, information and/or products from one business to another, as opposed to between a business and a consumer

B2C - Short for Business-to-Consumer, the exchange of services, information and/or products from a business to a consumer, as opposed to between one business and anothe

CSV - Short for Comma-Separated Values, another name for the comma-delimited format of data representation. A type of data format in which each piece of data is separated by a comma. This is a popular format for transferring data from one application to another, because most database systems are able to import and export comma-delimited data.

DTD - Short for Document Type Definition. A DTD states what tags and attributes are used to describe content in an XML or HTML document, where each tag is allowed, and which tags can appear within other tags. For example, in a DTD one could say that LIST tags can contain ITEM tags, but ITEM tags cannot contain LIST tags. In some editors, when authors are inputting information, they can place tags only where the DTD allows. This ensures that all the documentation is formatted the same way. Applications will use a document's DTD to properly read and display a document's contents. Changes in the format of the document can be easily made by modifying the DTD.

EDI - Short for Electronic Data Interchange, the transfer of data between different companies using networks, such as the Internet. As more and more companies get connected to the Internet, EDI is becoming increasingly important as an easy mechanism for companies to buy, sell, and trade information.

ERP - Short for Enterprise Resource Planning, a business management system that integrates all facets of the business, including planning, manufacturing, sales, and marketing. As the ERP methodology has become more popular, software applications have emerged to help business managers implement ERP in business activities such as inventory control, order tracking, customer service, finance and human resources

FIDX - Short for Furniture Industry Data eXchange. A neutral industry group promoting standards of data exchange. FIDX members are commited to making the exchange of information faster, easier and less expensive. The work of FIDX is open to all interested members of the community active in furthering development and implementation of e-business standards.

FTP - Short for File Transfer Protocol, the protocol for exchanging files over the Internet. FTP is most commonly used to download a file from a server using the Internet or to upload a file to a server.

GUI - Short for Graphical User Interface. A program interface that takes advantage of the computer's graphics capabilities to make the program easier to use. Well-designed graphical user interfaces can free the user from learning complex command languages.

HTTP - Short for HyperText Transfer Protocol, the underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. For example, when you enter a URL in your browser, this actually sends an HTTP command to the Web server directing it to fetch and transmit the requested Web page.

HTTPS - A term for using SSL (short for Secure Sockets Layer) over the HTTP protocol. SSL is a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents via the Internet. SSL works by using a private key to encrypt data that's transferred over the SSL connection. Both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer support SSL, and many Web sites use the protocol to obtain confidential user information, such as credit card numbers. By convention, URLs that require an SSL connection start with https: instead of http:.

IDOC -Short for Intermediate Document. An IDoc is a data container for data exchange between SAP systems or between an SAP system and an external system.

J2EE - Short for Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition. J2EE is a platform-independent, Java-centric environment from Sun for developing, building and deploying Web-based enterprise applications online. The J2EE platform consists of a set of services, APIs (short for Application Program Interface), and protocols that provide the functionality for developing multitiered, Web-based applications.

Java - A high-level programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. Java was originally called OAK, and was designed for handheld devices and set-top boxes. Oak was unsuccessful so in 1995 Sun changed the name to Java and modified the language to take advantage of the burgeoning World Wide Web. Java is an object-oriented language similar to C++, but simplified to eliminate language features that cause common programming errors.

JMS - Short for Java Message Service. JMS is an application program interface (API) from Sun Microsystems that supports the formal communication known as messaging between computers in a network. Sun's JMS provides a common interface to standard messaging protocols and also to special messaging services in support of Java programs. Sun advocates the use of the Java Message Service for anyone developing Java applications, which can be run from any major operating system platform. The messages involved exchange crucial data between computers - rather than between users - and contain information such as event notification and service requests. Messaging is often used to coordinate programs in dissimilar systems or written in different programming languages.

OS - Short for Operating System. The most important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. Windows, Macintosh and Linux are examples of Operating Systems.

PDF - Short for Portable Document Format, a file format developed by Adobe Systems. PDF captures formatting information from a variety of desktop publishing applications, making it possible to send formatted documents and have them appear on the recipient's monitor or printer as they were intended. To view a file in PDF format, you need Adobe Reader, a free application distributed by Adobe Systems.

XML - Short for Extensible Markup Language, a specification developed by the W3C. XML is a pared-down version of SGML, designed especially for Web documents. It allows designers to create their own customized tags, enabling the definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation of data between applications and between organizations.

All definitions have been gathered from Searchwebservices.com, Whatis.com, ABAP and Webopedia.com