Glossary terms for Maximo Asset Management.

A

access collection: A group of objects that have data-level access control and to which users are granted role-based access.
action: A defined task that an application performs on an object as a result of an event.
actuals: The commodity (physical or service) that underlies a future or forward contract.
alias: An alternative name used instead of a primary name.
appender: A component that receives logging requests from a logger and writes log statements to a specified file or console. See also logger.
application: One or more computer programs or software components that provide a function in direct support of a specific business process or processes. See also application server.
application programming interface (API): An interface that allows an application program that is written in a high-level language to use specific data or functions of the operating system or another program.
application server: A server program in a distributed network that provides the execution environment for an application program. See also application.
application server authentication: User authentication that verifies a user's credentials based on an external authentication mechanism such as LDAP.
archive: To copy programs, data, or files to another storage media, usually for long-term storage or security.
argument: An independent variable or any value of an independent variable. Examples of arguments are a search key and a number identifying the location of an item in a table.
asset: A manageable object that is either deployed or intended to be deployed in an operational environment. See also configuration item.
asset template: A record that specifies asset information that is shared by multiple asset records. An asset template can be applied to existing asset records or it can be used to generate multiple new asset records for similar assets, such as a fleet of vehicles.
assignment: A labor requirement on a work order record that has been matched to an appropriate laborer.
authentication: In computer security, verification of the identity of a user or process and the construction of a data structure that contains the privileges that were granted to the user or process.
authority: The right to access objects, resources, or functions.
authorization: In computer security, the right granted to a user to communicate with or make use of a computer system.
autokey seed: The first number in an automatic numbering sequence for a keyfield. If an autonumbering sequence exists, the autokey seed is the next key value that is used for a new record.

B

bandwidth: The capacity of a communication line, normally expressed in bits per second (bps).
base currency: The currency that is used to calculate costs for an organization.
BIRT: See Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools.
blanket agreement: A purchase contract that specifies a vendor, a total dollar amount to be spent, and the dates between which the agreement is valid.
blanket contract: A contractual agreement to spend a predetermined amount of money with a specified vendor over a predefined period of time.
Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT): An Eclipse-based open source reporting system for web applications.
business object: A software entity that represents a business entity, such as an invoice. A business object includes persistent and nonpersistent attributes, actions that can be performed on the business object, and rules that the business object is governed by.
business process: A defined set of business activities that represent the required steps to achieve a business objective. A business process includes the flow and use of information and resources.

C

cache: A buffer that contains frequently accessed instructions and data; it is used to reduce access time.
change order: An update to a purchase order that is already approved or printed and that changes information such as quantity or vendor.
CI: See configuration item.
claim: A request for reimbursement, replacement, or repair for an item or an asset that is under warranty.
clearance: The control and positioning of plant equipment for providing protection for personnel and equipment during work on plant devices.
clone: A copy of an application, created so that it can be customized while the original is retained.
CM item: See configuration-managed item.
column: The vertical component of a database table. A column has a name and a particular data type (for example, character, decimal, or integer).
comparison rule: A component of a reconciliation task that is used to compare attributes of linked objects from two data sets. See also link rule, reconciliation task, task filter.
compliance: A state of being in accordance with established software and security specifications on target computers, or the process of becoming so.
condition-enabled item: An item that has a value or worth that is assigned and tracked based on its physical condition.
configuration item (CI): Any component of an information technology infrastructure that is under the control of configuration management. See also asset.
configuration-managed item (CM item): A specialized item type that represents a part number that is under configuration management control as part of the reference engineering data.
configuration management: The process of planning for, identifying, controlling, and verifying the configuration items within a service, recording and reporting their status and, in support of change management, assessing the potential impact of changing those items.
consignment: A classification type for inventory materials that are stored on-site but that are owned by an external vendor. The vendor retains ownership of the consignment items until they are used and paid for by the organization that is storing them.
cost center: An organizational element that contributes to the cost of a project.
craft: A work activity performed by a labor, for example, "plumbing."
cron task: A task that is set to run automatically at an appointed time.
crossover domain: A domain that returns a value from a field in one application to a field in another application.
crossover field: An application field that links to other fields, allowing a user to link data between certain applications.

D

data type: An attribute that is used for defining data as either numeric or character or both.
Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS): A system in which internationally recognized nine-digit numbers are assigned and maintained by Dun & Bradstreet to uniquely identify worldwide businesses.
dead date: The date past the due date plus the grace period, at which point the component becomes inoperable.
deployed asset: A manageable object that exists in an IT environment, such that its presence can be verified (for example, by using a discovery tool).
device: A piece of equipment such as a workstation, printer, disk drive, tape unit, or remote system.
direct issue item: An ordered item that is issued immediately upon receipt to a work order, equipment, or location rather than stocked in the storeroom.
directory: In a hierarchical file system, a grouping of related files.
discovery tool: A program that scans computers and other devices connected to a network and records information about their installed hardware and software.
DNS: See domain name server.
domain: A list of defined values from which users choose an appropriate value.
domain name server (DNS): A server program that supplies name-to-address conversion by mapping domain names to IP addresses.
downtime: The time during which a functional unit cannot be used because of a fault within the functional unit or within the environment.
DUNS: See Data Universal Numbering System.
dynamic segmentation: The ability to analyze a linear asset multiple ways without affecting its underlying geometry.

E

EAM: See enterprise asset management.
EAR: See enterprise archive.
EAR file: See enterprise archive.
economic order quantity (EOQ): The optimum reorder quantity of an item, in the specified units of order, to be used as the default or standard reorder amount. The economic order quantity is a calculation of the optimum reorder amount that balances the costs of keeping inventory in stock and the costs of reordering inventory items.
electronic signature (ESIG): A stamp that is added to mail messages, fields, or sections that verifies that the person who originated the message is the author and that no one has tampered with the data.
email listener: An application that receives and processes incoming email messages.
enterprise archive (EAR): A specialized type of JAR file, defined by the Java EE standard, used to deploy Java EE applications to Java EE application servers. An EAR file contains EJB components, a deployment descriptor, and web archive (WAR) files for individual web applications.
enterprise asset management (EAM): The process of managing an organization’s assets throughout their life cycle, from requisition to retirement.
enterprise service: A service that typically accesses one or more enterprise information systems.
EOQ: See economic order quantity.
escalation: A course of action that runs when a task is not completed satisfactorily within a specific period of time.
escalation point: A condition or threshold that must be met in order to trigger an escalation.
ESIG: See electronic signature.
exception: A condition or event that cannot be handled by a normal process.
export: To move information from one system or program to another.
expression: In programming languages, a combination of terms and operators that can be evaluated to a single value by using the rules of precedence for the given language.
external PO: See external purchase order.
external purchase order (external PO): A purchase order or request to an outside vendor. See also internal purchase order.

F

failover: An automatic operation that switches to a redundant or standby system in the event of a software, hardware, or network interruption.
failure class: The highest level of a failure hierarchy.
failure hierarchy: A tree structure that shows relationships between identified problems, causes, and remedies for asset and operating location failures. Failure hierarchies are built from the top level, the failure class, down.
feature: A physical object, such as a guardrail or mile marker, that is associated with one or more linear assets, but which does not have a unique ID.
FIFO: See first-in first-out.
firmware: Proprietary code that is usually delivered as microcode as part of an operating system.
first-in first-out (FIFO): A queuing technique in which the next item to be retrieved is the item that has been in the queue for the longest time. See also last-in first-out.
first-in first-out costing: A method of cost accounting that can be used to make an inventory valuation, based on actual receipt costs. First-in first-out costing uses the "first in" (oldest) item cost for inventory transactions. See also last-in first-out costing.
FOB point: See free on board point.
foreign key: In a relational database, a key in one table that references the primary key in another table. See also primary key.
free on board point (FOB point): The point where responsibility and liability for a shipped item are transferred. The FOB point is usually either the destination or the shipping point.

G

general ledger account (GL account): An account that is used to track expenses for various entities within a company, such as assets, locations, or tools.
geographic information system (GIS): A complex of objects, data, and applications that is used to create and analyze spatial information about geographic features.
GIS: See geographic information system.
GL account: See general ledger account.

H

handler: A software routine that controls a program's reaction to specific external events, such as an interrupt handler.
hard reservation: A firm request for items from a storeroom that is defined by the need for the items within a specific time frame. A hard reservation reduces the available balance of items. Hard reservations are prioritized and cannot be superseded by other reservation types. See also soft reservation.
high availability: The ability of IT services to withstand all outages and continue providing processing capability according to some predefined service level. Covered outages include both planned events, such as maintenance and backups, and unplanned events, such as software failures, hardware failures, power failures, and disasters.
hot standby: A redundant server that, if the primary server or hub server fails, assumes the responsibilities of the failed server.

I

IAS: See item assembly structure.
import: To bring information from one system or program into another.
incident: An event that is not part of the standard operation of a service and causes or can cause a disruption to or a reduction in the quality of services and customer productivity.
index: A set of pointers that is logically ordered by the values of a key. Indexes provide quick access to data and can enforce uniqueness of the key values for the rows in the table.
internal PO: See internal purchase order.
internal purchase order (internal PO): A purchase order or request to an internal vendor, such as a storeroom. See also external purchase order.
inventory usage record: A record that contains information about the usage of inventory items, such as by issuing, transferring, or returning items to storeroom locations. An inventory usage record contains details such as quantity, storeroom location, and information about related records, such as assets and work orders.
invoice: The bill for services or products provided to a customer. The invoice includes all agreed to charges associated with the services or products provided.
issue: To release an item from a storeroom location and charge the cost to an asset, GL account, location, work order, location, or GL account.
issue unit: The quantity of an item that is considered a single item; for example, gloves are issued in pairs. The issue unit might be different from the order unit. See also order unit.
item: Inventory that might be part of an asset, but which is not strictly monitored, and whose cost is less than an asset.
item assembly structure (IAS): A list of individual items and subassemblies that are required to build a piece of equipment or define the requirements of an operating location.
item kit: A group of items that are issued as one single unit.
item record: A document that defines an item or material that is stocked in a storeroom. Item records are also used for purchasing.

J

Java Database Connectivity (JDBC): An industry standard for database-independent connectivity between the Java platform and a wide range of databases. The JDBC interface provides a call level interface for SQL-based and XQuery-based database access.
JDBC: See Java Database Connectivity.
JIT: See just-in-time.
job plan: A detailed description of work to be performed for a work order. A job plan typically includes required tasks and lists of estimated labor, materials, services, and tools needed to complete the work.
join: An SQL relational operation in which data can be retrieved from two tables, typically based on a join condition specifying join columns.
just-in-time (JIT): A production and inventory system in which parts are produced or delivered only as needed.

K

key performance indicator (KPI): A measurable quantity against which specific performance criteria can be set when a service level agreement is written.
KPI: See key performance indicator.

L

labor

A person who carries out a specific job (a labor performs a craft).

laborer

A human resource within a crew.

labor record

A document that contains information about a worker, such as craft, skill level, hours worked, and certifications. A labor record cannot exist without a corresponding person record. See also person record.

last-in first-out (LIFO)

A queuing technique in which the next item to be retrieved is the item most recently placed on the queue. See also first-in first-out.

last-in first-out costing

A method of cost accounting that can be used to make an inventory valuation, based on actual receipt costs. Last-in first-out costing uses the "last in" (newest) item cost for inventory transactions. See also first-in first-out costing.

launch-in-context

An operation in which a user starts a secondary application from a primary application to perform a specific task. Using the parameters, navigation instructions, and user credentials that are supplied by the primary application, the secondary application opens to the specific place in which to complete the task.

lead time

The amount of time between placing an order and receiving the items.

license allocation

Resources such as assets, partitions, users, and locations that a license is assigned to. See also license scope.

license scope

The breadth of a license in terms of enterprise, site, machine, or partition. If discovered software is found within the scope of a license, then that license might be used for that discovered instance. See also license allocation.

LIFO

See last-in first-out.

linear asset

An asset that is maintained in segments, such as a road, pipeline, or railroad track. Measurements are made along the linear asset to specify work, monitoring, metering, or placement of signs. See also point asset.

linear referencing

Defining the location of a point along a linear asset.

linear referencing method (LRM)

A method of determining a position on a linear asset by using a known start point, a measure, a direction, and offset values.

linear segment

The span of a linear asset that is defined by a start and an end measure. The span can be the entire length of the linear asset or any continuous part of it.

line item

An item, material, service, or tool that is named on a contract, purchase requisition, purchase order, or invoice.
A queued task or service that is pending completion.

link rule

A required component of a reconciliation task that is used to link instances from two data sets based on one or more common attributes. See also comparison rule, reconciliation task, task filter.

listener

A program that detects incoming requests and starts the associated channel.

LMO

See logical management operation.

load balancing

The monitoring of application servers and management of the workload on servers. If one server exceeds its workload, requests are forwarded to another server with more capacity.

loaded cost

The total cost of the item, including taxes and service costs.

locale

A setting that identifies language or geography and determines formatting conventions such as collation, case conversion, character classification, the language of messages, date and time representation, and numeric representation.

location

A place where assets are operated, stored, or repaired.

logger

A component that prepares log statements to be written to console or log file. See also appender.

logical management operation (LMO)

A generic function that is supported by a set of devices. For example, configuring an IP address on a network interface is a logical management operation supported by all operating systems. Although this is logically the same function, the steps for performing this function on each operating system are different. These steps are supported by provisioning workflows for that operating system.

LRM

See linear referencing method.

M

manifest: An XML file that describes the content of an entire migration package and that facilitates the deployment of the package in a target Maximo environment.
measurement point: A record that defines the acceptable upper and lower conditions and performance limits for a point or place on a piece of equipment.
meter: A record that is used to record measurements.

N

namespace: In XML and XQuery, a uniform resource identifier (URI) that provides a unique name to associate with the element, attribute, and type definitions in an XML schema or with the names of elements, attributes, types, functions, and errors in XQuery expressions.
non-operational downtime: Downtime that occurs when an asset is not normally in use.
nonpersistent column: A temporary data field that an object uses for calculations or temporary storage. See also persistent column.

O

offset: The number of measuring units from an arbitrary starting point to some other point.
operating location: A location type that indicates the presence of operating assets (as opposed to a storage or repair facility).
operational downtime: Downtime that occurs during a period in which equipment is normally in use, and that causes a work cell or production line to stop so that operational time is lost.
operational management product: A product in the IT environment that supplies information about configuration items to the discovery process.
operator: A symbol (such as +, -, or *) that represents an operation (in this case, addition, subtraction, multiplication).
order unit: The standard unit by which an item is ordered that can differ from the issue unit. See also issue unit.
organization: A record that identifies a unique legal entity. The data set for an organization includes information that companies or other distinct legal entities might share, such as calendars, vendors, and financial information. An organization can contain one or more sites. See also site.
overrun: A situation where a planned event takes longer to complete than was planned. For example, an overrun occurs when a rail locomotive was planned to be in the maintenance yard for 5 days but it actually takes 6 days.

P

parameter (parm): A value or reference passed to a function, command, or program that serves as input or controls actions. The value is supplied by a user or by another program or process.
parm: See parameter.
persistent column: A data field that an object uses to write data to a database table after processing. See also nonpersistent column.
personalization: The process of enabling information to be targeted to specific users based on business rules and user profile information.
person record: A document that contains personal information about a worker and other general information such as workflow and purchasing information. See also labor record.
planned downtime: Time when equipment is scheduled to be down and available for maintenance work. The calendar of an asset is used to calculate downtime.
PM: See preventive maintenance record.
PM alert: A message that indicates that a preventive maintenance work order is about to become due for an asset or location. See also preventive maintenance record.
PO: See purchase order.
point asset: An asset whose length or measure is not integral to its maintenance, such as an airplane or a train car. See also linear asset.
portlet: A reusable component that is part of a web application that provides specific information or services to be presented in the context of a portal.
PR: See purchase requisition.
preventive maintenance record (PM): A template for scheduled preventive maintenance work. PMs can contain job plan and corresponding safety plan information that the system copies to work orders. See also PM alert.
primary key: In a relational database, a key that uniquely identifies one row of a database table. See also foreign key.
problem: Unknown underlying cause of one or more incidents.
proxy server: A server that receives requests intended for another server and that acts on behalf of the client (as the client's proxy) to obtain the requested service. A proxy server is often used when the client and the server are incompatible for direct connection. For example, the client is unable to meet the security authentication requirements of the server but should be permitted some services.
purchase order (PO): An authorized order to an external vendor or internal supplier.
purchase requisition (PR): A written request that is issued internally to the purchasing department to purchase items, materials, or services.

Q

QBE: See query by example.
query: A request for information from a database that is based on specific conditions: for example, a request for a list of all customers in a customer table whose balances are greater than USD1000.
query by example (QBE): A query that is specified by entering sample data in the appropriate fields.

R

RDB: See relational database.
read-only: Pertaining to data that can be read but cannot be modified.
reconciliation: A transaction that compares discovered assets to authorized assets.
reconciliation task: A scheduled task that uses a collection of rules and filters to link and compare data from two data sets. See also comparison rule, link rule, task filter.
redundancy: The use of several identical functional units, such as several disk drives or power supply systems, within one computer system in order to provide data security and a certain degree of fault tolerance in case of hardware failures.
reference point: A feature instance that can be used as a start or end point for a linear segment.
reference point offset: A distance along the length of the asset measured from a previously defined reference point. For example, a speed sign is .2 miles from milepost 10.
relational database (RDB): A database that can be perceived as a set of tables and manipulated in accordance with the relational model of data. Each database includes a set of system catalog tables that describe the logical and physical structure of the data, a configuration file containing the parameter values allocated for the database, and a recovery log with ongoing transactions and archivable transactions.
relational operator: An operator that compares two operands and yields a Boolean value.
release PO: See release purchase order.
release purchase order (release PO): A purchase order for a portion of the total amount or lines specified on an associated volume contract.
Remote Method Invocation (RMI): A protocol that is used to communicate method invocations over a network. Java Remote Method Invocation is a distributed object model in which the methods of remote objects written in the Java programming language can be invoked from other Java virtual machines, possibly on different hosts.
reorder point (ROP): The point at which an inventory item should be reordered so that its in-stock balance does not fall below the level designated as safety stock during the lead time for the order.
requisition: A request for an asset, item, tool, or service. The requested entity can be procured from a vendor, or it can be acquired by an inter-departmental transfer.
reserved item: An item is placed on hold in a storeroom for a given work order, GL account, asset, or location.
RMI: See Remote Method Invocation.
ROP: See reorder point.
rotating asset: A non-perishable asset that is tracked in inventory through its association with a specific rotating item.
rotating item: An inventory item for which each instance of the item is also tracked by its own asset number. Rotating items are typically repaired or refurbished, not discarded.
rotating tool: A tool for which each instance of the tool is also tracked by its own asset number.

S

safety stock: The minimum inventory level of an item that should always be available at the associated storeroom location.
schema: A collection of database objects such as tables, views, indexes, or triggers that define a database. A schema provides a logical classification of database objects.
script: A series of commands, combined in a file, that carry out a particular function when the file is run. Scripts are interpreted as they are run.
SDK: See software development kit.
segment: A defined section of a linear asset.
serialized asset: See rotating asset.
serialized item: See rotating item.
server: A software program or a computer that provides services to other software programs or other computers.
service level agreement (SLA): A contract between a customer and a service provider that specifies the expectations for the level of service with respect to availability, performance, and other measurable objectives.
service request: A request from a user for help, information, advice, or access to an IT service.
shared disk: A disk that is configured to serve more than one node. Shared disks are physically connected to multiple nodes.
shipment receipt record: A record that contains information about the receipt of materials at a location, for example, at a site or storeroom within an organization. A shipment receipt record contains details such as the quantity of items that are received, the date of receipt, and the locations of the source and destination storerooms.
shipment record: A record that contains information about the transfer of materials between source and destination storerooms, such as between two sites within an organization. A shipment record contains details such as the delivery method, the quantity of items, the date of the shipment, and the storeroom locations.
site: A work location, such as a plant or facility. See also organization.
SLA: See service level agreement.
slot: A sub-location within a maintenance location. For example, a railway depot or an aircraft hangar may be sub-divided into slots so that maintenance tasks can be allocated.
soft reservation: A request for items or tools that is not yet defined by the need for the items within a specific time frame. A soft reservation does not reduce the available balance. When a reservation is classified as soft, the item is available for eventual issue from the list of reservations. See also hard reservation.
software development kit (SDK): A set of tools, APIs, and documentation to assist with the development of software in a specific computer language or for a particular operating environment.
software item: Any version of any software product or component.
SQL: See Structured Query Language.
standby node: A device that assumes the identity of a primary node if the primary node fails or is taken out of service. The standby node runs the primary node's workload until the primary node is back in service.
stocked tool: A tool that is available in a storeroom.
storeroom: A physical location where items are stored.
Structured Query Language (SQL): A standardized language for defining and manipulating data in a relational database.
subassembly: An assembled unit that is incorporated with other units into a complete assembly. A subassembly is a child asset.
suspense account: An account that is used to store short-term funds or securities until a decision is made about their allocation.

T

table: In a relational database, a database object that consists of a specific number of columns and is used to store an unordered set of rows.
table window: A section of an application page or dialog box that displays multiple records from a database table simultaneously.
tag: A physical label that is applied to an asset to indicate the device, its position, and the controlling authority.
tag out procedure: The procedure for taking work assets out of service or placing them back in service to ensure a safe work environment.
task filter: A component of a reconciliation task that specifies a subset of objects to evaluate when a reconciliation task is executed. See also comparison rule, link rule, reconciliation task.
technical record: A record that maintains information that is related to an externally published directive or bulletin, such as an airworthiness directive or a customer service notification. Technical records are used in highly regulated industries to ensure that all regulations are properly implemented.
ticket: A record, such as a service request, incident, or problem report, that can be routed and assigned a status.
time stamp: The value of an object that indicates the system time at some critical point in the object's history.

V

vendor: A person or company that supplies materials or services to another person or company.
volume contract: See blanket contract.

W

WO: See work order.
workflow: The structured sequence of activities and tasks that are used to implement a specific change, release, or other process, including automatic routing and tracking of records for approval and other tasks.
work order (WO): A record that contains information about work that must be performed.
work plan: A list of the operations, labor, materials, and tools that are required to complete a work order.

Y

Y-offset: A distance perpendicular to the direction of the linear asset. For example, a speed limit sign is located 10 feet from the right edge of the road. "Right" is positive and "left" is negative. Therefore, the Y-offset is 10.
yorn: A field in which a user can enter Y (for "yes") or N (for "no").

Z

Z-offset: A distance above or below a linear asset. For example, an exit sign is located 18 feet above the surface of the road, and a culvert is 4 feet below the surface of the road. The Z-offset for the sign is 18, and the Z-offset for the culvert is -4.