Contribute in GitHub:

Glossary

This glossary provides terms and definitions for IBM watsonx Orchestrate™.

The following cross-references are used in this glossary:

See refers you from a nonpreferred term to the preferred term or from an abbreviation to the spelled-out form.
See also refers you to a related or contrasting term.

A

action task

In a ruleflow, a task that contains rule action statements. These action statements are run each time the task is called.

app

A web or mobile device application.

automation

A collection of components that fulfill a business purpose and are available for discovery and reuse.

automation component

A component that fulfills a business purpose and is part of an automation, for example workflows or decisions.

B

bot

Attended or unattended software that automates repetitive tasks. Bots can be created to complete a wide variety of tasks, as well as manage and schedule the bots based on the nature of the task.

C

choice list

A data type that contains a list of values.

composite data type

A data type that is composed of one or more attributes that can be primitive data types, simple data types, or other composite data types.

connector

The means by which a data source is connected to a product or service.

D

data catalog

A collection of shared data types to be used for inputs and outputs in automations.

data type

A definition used to describe the structure of the data.

debug

To detect, diagnose, and eliminate errors.

decision

An automation component type that captures and automates repeatable intelligent business decisions.

decision model

A model that contains a diagram and a decision logic.

draft environment

The environment where automations are published for testing and sharing before they're published to the live environment.

F

function task

In a ruleflow, a task that refers the output of another decision or prediction in the same automation.

G

global data

A shared data type in a tenant that is available to all automations and used when building automations.

H

human task

A single unit of work that is generated when user input is required.

L

live environment

The environment where automations are published for general use. For example, to be trained as a skill or used in other automations.

local data

A data type that is available only within the automation.

O

operation

An action that exposes a single business intention within an automation. Multiple operations can be defined in an automation.

P

prediction model

A model that implements a prediction based on artificial intelligence. A prediction returns a probability or score that can be used in other decisions and workflows.

preview

To test and validate an automation during the build phase.

primitive data type

A set of basic data types from which all other data types are constructed.

publish

To make a version of an automation available to an environment where others can use the automation. For example, a published automation can be trained as a skill or used in other automations.

R

ruleflow model

A model that contains rule artifacts and a ruleflow to organize their execution.

rule task

In a ruleflow, a task that lists rule artifacts in the order in which they need to be run.

S

SaaS

See software as a service.

service user

In SaaS, a user who is a member of the client account.

simple data type

A data type that is an extension of a primitive data type. For example, an email type is an extension of the string primitive with a constraint value.

skill

A capability used to accomplish a piece of work. The complexity of a skill can range: a skill can be as simple as a single action (like adding a row to a table) or as elaborate as needed to complete a task (like finding contacts, creating a table of those contacts, and then sending an email to those contacts).

skill catalog

A shareable repository of skills for use by a skill set. Skills from the skill catalog can be used independently or joined to make skill flows.

skill run

The execution of a skill, regardless of its complexity, whether it is composed of a single action or more.

skill set

A group of skills a user can connect to and use to help them with daily tasks.

software as a service (SaaS)

A model of software deployment whereby software including business processes, enterprise applications, and collaboration tools, are provided as a service to customers through the cloud.

subflow task

In a ruleflow, a task that refers another ruleflow. A subflow task can refer to a ruleflow in the current ruleflow model, or in another ruleflow model in the same automation.

T

task

A unit of work that is performed by someone or something.

tenant

An entity that accesses services through a subscription that is associated with an account or namespace.

V

version

A capture of an automation at a specific time that can be published.

W

workflow

An automation component that is composed of a sequence of activities and tasks that define work.