Glossary
Glossary: integration terms
From REST API to idempotency: the key terms around connecting an ERP system with an online shop, explained briefly and in plain language.
In short and in plain language
On this page you will find special words. Below each word you see the start of what it means. Click on a word. Then you can read the whole text.
The words are sorted from A to Z. At the top you see the letters. Click on a letter. Then you jump to the words with this letter.
At the very bottom you find a link to the questions and answers and a link to contact us.
A
- ABAP ABAP is the programming language in which classic extensions and in-house developments in SAP systems are written. Customisations built up in this language over years play a role…
- account assignment Account assignment is the allocation of a document to the right bookkeeping accounts, such as revenue account, tax code and cost centre. Rule-based account assignment defines how…
- ACK ACK is the confirmation with which a system acknowledges receipt or processing of a message. Only then is the message considered delivered and removed, for example, from a queue…
- ACME ACME is an open protocol that lets servers request and renew certificates for encrypted connections automatically. This keeps certificates for shop and interface addresses from…
- AG An AG is a German stock corporation, a legal form for companies whose share capital is divided into shares. It is run by a management board and supervised by a supervisory board…
- AI Artificial intelligence refers to software that learns patterns from data and derives texts, suggestions or decisions from them. In a company it is used, for example, as an…
- Alt text An alt text describes the content of an image in words. Screen readers read it aloud, and it appears when an image does not load. Purely decorative images get an empty alt text so…
- ANSI ANSI is the national standards organization of the United States. A standard for electronic data interchange developed under its umbrella is common in North America, comparable to…
- AO The AO is the German Fiscal Code, the central procedural law of German taxation. Among other things, it governs bookkeeping, the retention of records and the procedure between…
- API An API is a programming interface. Two programs use it to exchange data without anyone having to type anything in. One example is an online shop that passes orders on to an…
- AS2 AS2 is a transfer method for business documents over the internet. Messages are sent encrypted and signed, and receipt is confirmed with an acknowledgement. It is frequently used…
- ASN An ASN is an electronic shipping notification with which a supplier announces a delivery in advance. It lists items, quantities and packages, for example, so that the recipient…
- ASUG ASUG is a user association in North America for companies that use SAP software. It supports exchange among users and publishes surveys on how these systems are used.
- ATEX ATEX refers to the European rules on explosion protection for equipment and protective systems in potentially explosive areas. In a shop, suitability is usually listed as a…
- ATLAS ATLAS is the IT procedure of the German customs administration for customs declarations. Companies or their service providers use it to declare imports and exports electronically…
- ATP ATP is the quantity of an item that can be committed for a given date. It takes stock, reservations and expected receipts into account so that the shop can state reliable delivery…
- AWV The AWV is a German association concerned with simpler and digital processes in business and administration. Among other things, it publishes templates for process documentation…
B
- B2B B2B describes trade between companies rather than with private consumers. In B2B commerce, customer accounts, net prices, individual terms and purchases on account play a major…
- B2C B2C refers to business between a company and private end customers. The term separates sales to consumers from trade between companies. B2C sales can be subject to different rules…
- B2G B2G refers to business between companies and public-sector clients such as authorities or municipalities. Stricter requirements often apply, for example for tenders, data formats…
- BAdI A BAdI is a predefined extension point in SAP systems where custom program logic can be plugged in without changing the standard. Many customisations built up over time sit in…
- BAPI BAPI is a standardised SAP programming interface through which other systems call business functions. A shop can use it, for example, to read or create prices, stock levels and…
- BBD The BBD states until when a food product retains its properties at least when stored correctly. For shop and ERP it matters for batches, warehouse control and deciding which goods…
- BDSG The BDSG is the German Federal Data Protection Act, which adds national rules to the GDPR. Among other things, it contains rules on erasing personal data and restricting…
- BEG BEG is the short name for German federal bureaucracy relief acts, which aim to simplify rules for businesses. Among other things, they change rules on retaining records and on…
- BEVH The BEVH is the German industry association for e-commerce and mail order. Among other things, it publishes studies and figures on the development of online retail.
- BFSG The BFSG is the German Accessibility Strengthening Act. It implements a European Union directive on accessibility. Under it, many providers of products and services for consumers…
- BGB The BGB is the German Civil Code, the central law for private law such as purchase contracts, limitation periods and general terms and conditions. For a trading business it sets…
- BGBl The BGBl is the German Federal Law Gazette, in which federal laws and ordinances are officially published. A reference to it shows where the binding text of a provision can be…
- BGM BGM is a segment in EDIFACT messages that marks the start of a document. Among other things, it contains the document type and the document number, for example of an order.
- BIEK BIEK is an industry association of parcel and express service providers in Germany. It regularly publishes studies on the courier, express and parcel market. Retailers find…
- BIS Peppol BIS are the format specifications for electronic invoices and orders in the Peppol network. They define which fields a message contains and which validation rules apply…
- BITKOM BITKOM is the German industry association of the digital economy. It represents companies from information technology, telecommunications and the internet sector and publishes…
- BITV The BITV is a German ordinance on accessible information technology. It sets out how websites and apps of federal public bodies must be accessible. For companies, the BFSG usually…
- BME BME is the German association for purchasing, materials management and logistics. It publishes procurement studies and is behind the BMEcat catalogue standard that suppliers use…
- BMF The BMF is the German federal ministry responsible for tax and fiscal policy. It publishes letters explaining the tax administration's view on how tax laws are applied. For shops…
- BOM A BOM is a list of all components and assemblies of a product with their quantities. It is usually maintained in the ERP. In a shop it helps, for example, to find the right spare…
- BSI The BSI is Germany's federal authority for information security. It publishes recommendations, technical guidelines and the IT baseline protection catalogue. Companies can use…
- BSIG The BSIG is the German act on the Federal Office for Information Security. Among other things, it sets out requirements for IT security risk management and for reporting…
- BStBK The BStBK is the umbrella organisation of the German chambers of tax advisers. It represents the tax advisory profession and publishes guidance, for example on bookkeeping with…
- BStBl The BStBl is the official gazette of the German tax administration. It publishes, for example, letters from the Federal Ministry of Finance and selected rulings of the Federal…
- BT BT stands for a business term, a standardised data field in the European model for electronic invoices. Examples are the invoice number or the delivery date. Each field has a…
- BVL The BVL is the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety. Among other things, it collects warnings and recalls for food and products. For retailers it is a…
- BZSt The BZSt is the German Federal Central Tax Office with central tasks in tax administration. Among other things, it confirms VAT identification numbers, which matters in business…
C
- CA A CA is a certification authority that issues digital certificates for encrypted connections. It confirms that a server or interface really belongs to the stated address or…
- CAD CAD refers to designing and drawing components and products with the help of a computer. In technical trade, shops often offer CAD files for download so customers can use parts…
- CBAM CBAM is the European Union's mechanism that puts a carbon price on certain imported goods such as steel, aluminium or cement. The rules set out reporting and evidence…
- CDN A CDN is a network of distributed servers that delivers images and files from a location close to the visitor. Pages can load faster and the shop's own server is relieved. Content…
- CDS CDS is an SAP component for defining data views on the system's tables. Through such CDS views, interfaces can query master data in read-only mode, for example.
- CEP CEP covers courier, express and parcel services, that is the shipping of individual consignments to business and private customers. For online shops, the CEP market is the route…
- CEST CEST is the summer time of the Central European time zone, which includes Germany. Without a time zone, timestamps in systems and logs are ambiguous on the night the clocks change.
- CET Central European Time is the time zone used in winter in Germany and many neighbouring countries. In summer, Central European Summer Time applies instead. Times such as office…
- CI CI is a software development practice in which changes are merged continuously and checked automatically. This way errors in interfaces and field mappings are caught early, before…
- CII CII is an XML format of the United Nations for electronic invoices. Alongside UBL, it is one of the syntaxes in which an e-invoice under the European standard can be structured…
- CIUS A CIUS is a usage specification that defines the European standard for electronic invoices more precisely for a particular use. XRechnung is such a specification for Germany.
- CLP CLP is the EU regulation on the classification, labelling and packaging of hazardous substances and mixtures. Among other things, it covers signal words, hazard pictograms and…
- CMMS A CMMS is software for planning and documenting maintenance and servicing. It manages equipment, maintenance dates and spare parts and can exchange data on required parts with the…
- CMS A CMS is a program that lets you maintain the content of your website yourself. You edit texts, images and pages in the browser without programming. The look of the site stays the…
- CN The CN is the European Union goods nomenclature used to classify goods for customs and foreign trade statistics. The CN code is usually stored as an attribute in the item master…
- CNECT CNECT is the Directorate-General of the European Commission for communications networks, content and technology. It handles digital policy topics, such as the Data Act, and…
- connector A connector is a software component that links a system, such as an ERP or a shop, to an interface or middleware. It translates the calls and data formats of that system. When a…
- Contrast Contrast is the difference in brightness between text and background. The WCAG set minimum values for it. Good contrast helps everyone, especially people with low vision or in…
- CONTRL CONTRL is a message type in EDIFACT data interchange with which a recipient acknowledges receipt of a message. It confirms formally correct receipt or reports errors, but not the…
- Cookie A cookie is a small text file that a website stores in the browser. Some cookies are needed for the site to work, for example for a shopping cart. For others, such as measuring…
- CPU The CPU is the main processor of a computer or server that executes instructions and performs calculations. Its utilization is an important metric for how well a system handles…
- CQRS CQRS is an architectural pattern in which write and read access to data are handled separately. This allows changes, such as to orders, and queries, such as for the shop, to be…
- CRM Software for managing customer contacts, enquiries and sales opportunities. Sales and customer service see the history of each business relationship there. A connection to the…
- CRUD CRUD stands for the basic operations of creating, reading, updating and deleting records. Interfaces between shop and ERP system usually offer these operations for items…
- CSS CSS defines how a web page looks: colours, fonts, spacing and the arrangement of the content. Because the design is kept separate from the content, a page can adapt to the screen…
- CSV CSV is a simple text format for tables in which values are separated by a delimiter such as a comma or semicolon. It is often used to exchange product, price or customer data…
D
- DACH DACH is the collective term for the German-speaking economic area of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The letters come from the international country codes. Many companies plan…
- DAP DAP is an Incoterms delivery clause under which the seller delivers the goods to an agreed place. Import duties and customs clearance are usually handled by the buyer, which can…
- DB Short form of database, the system in which ERP, shop or inventory management store their data. Direct access to the database bypasses the checks and permissions of the…
- DDoS A DDoS is an attack in which many computers send requests to a server at the same time to overload it. The shop or interface then becomes slow or unreachable. Upstream protection…
- DDP DDP is an international delivery term under which the seller delivers the goods to the buyer with duties paid. The seller bears transport, customs duties and import charges. For…
- Dead letter queue Operations that could not be processed even after several attempts end up in the dead letter queue — an order with a product number unknown to the target system, for instance…
- debtor In accounting, a debtor is a customer from whom a business expects payment for goods or services. Each debtor is kept with its own number and account. This shows the business open…
- DEHSt The DEHSt is the German Emissions Trading Authority within the German Environment Agency. It is also responsible for the carbon border adjustment mechanism CBAM and publishes…
- DELFOR DELFOR is an EDIFACT message type that a customer uses to send planned delivery quantities and dates to a supplier. It is mainly used for delivery call-offs in the automotive and…
- Delta sync A delta sync transfers only the records changed since the last run instead of the full data set. That keeps runtime and system load low, but it depends on reliable change…
- DESADV DESADV is a message type in electronic data interchange for the despatch advice. The supplier uses it to announce in advance which goods are on the way, in what quantity and…
- DG A Directorate-General is a department of the European Commission. DG TAXUD is responsible for taxation and the customs union. It publishes, for example, prices and guidance on the…
- DG TAXUD DG TAXUD is the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union of the European Commission. It is responsible for European Union customs and tax policy and publishes…
- DIHK The DIHK is the umbrella organisation of the chambers of industry and commerce in Germany. It represents the interests of commercial businesses and regularly publishes surveys and…
- DIN DIN is the national standards organisation in Germany. DIN standards define technical requirements that manufacturers, distributors and buyers can refer to when describing product…
- DLQ A DLQ is a separate queue for messages that could not be processed even after several delivery attempts. This way, a faulty order is not lost but can be checked and replayed.
- DLR The DLR is the German Aerospace Center, the national research centre for aeronautics, space, energy, transport and security. It works with industry and universities in many…
- DMF The DMF is a component of Microsoft's Dynamics ERP systems for importing and exporting large data volumes in packages. It suits tasks such as the initial load of items or nightly…
- DMS A DMS is software that stores documents such as data sheets, drawings, certificates or vouchers centrally, indexes them and manages their versions. Connected to the shop, it lets…
- DNS The Domain Name System is the directory of the internet that translates domain names into the addresses of the responsible servers. DNS records can also prove control of a domain…
- document flow The document flow is the path of a transaction's documents, from order through delivery note and invoice to payment and posting. An automated document flow moves these documents…
- Domain A domain is the name of a website on the internet, for example the part after “www.” in the address. It is registered with a registry and points to the server on which the website…
- DPoP DPoP is a method for OAuth that binds an access token to a private key of the calling system. A stolen token is therefore hard to use without that key, which can help secure…
- DPP The Digital Product Passport is an electronic record with information on a product's origin, materials, repair and sustainability. It is usually accessible via a QR code. The data…
- drop shipping In drop shipping, a merchant sells goods that the supplier or manufacturer ships directly to the customer. The goods do not pass through the merchant's warehouse. This requires…
- DSAG The DSAG is the German-speaking SAP user group, an association of companies in German-speaking countries that use SAP software. It represents their interests towards the vendor…
- DStV The DStV is a professional association of tax advisers, auditors and sworn accountants in Germany. It represents the interests of the profession and publishes guidance on…
- DV DV is the German abbreviation for Datenverarbeitung, meaning data processing with computers. A DV system is any program or installation that performs such tasks, such as a shop…
E
- e-invoice An e-invoice is an invoice in a structured electronic format that software can read and process without retyping. Well-known formats are XRechnung and ZUGFeRD. A plain PDF is…
- EAN The EAN is an internationally unique item number that usually appears as a barcode on products. Its official name today is GTIN, but the old name is still common in retail. ERP…
- EC The EC was a former name for part of today's European Union. Older European directives and regulations therefore carry the abbreviation in their number, for example the chemicals…
- ECDH ECDH is a method by which communicating systems agree on a shared secret key over an open connection, based on elliptic curves. It is used when setting up encrypted connections…
- ECDSA ECDSA is a method for digital signatures based on elliptic curves. It is used, for example, for certificates of encrypted connections and for securing interfaces.
- EDA EDA is an architectural pattern in which systems communicate through events such as a new order or a stock change. Instead of polling regularly, the systems involved react as soon…
- EDI EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is the standardised exchange of business documents such as orders, dispatch advices and invoices between companies. In B2B trade, larger partners…
- EDIFACT EDIFACT is an international United Nations standard for the electronic exchange of business documents. Orders, delivery notes and invoices travel as defined messages directly…
- EEC The EEC was a predecessor of today's European Union. The abbreviation still appears in the designation of older European regulations, for example on the customs tariff.
- EGAO The EGAO is the Introductory Act to the German Fiscal Code and mainly contains transitional and application rules. It governs, for example, from which version amended rules on…
- endpoint An endpoint is a fixed address of a programming interface through which data or functions, such as orders, are retrieved or changed. Each endpoint has its own rules for access…
- ENISA ENISA is the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity. Among other things, it publishes threat landscape reports on threats and security incidents in Europe. Such reports show…
- EORI The EORI number is an identification number that customs authorities in the EU use to identify businesses in imports and exports. It appears in customs declarations and is often…
- EPREL EPREL is the European product database for energy labelling. Suppliers register models there with their energy label and product information sheet. Retailers take details such as…
- ERP An ERP system is the central business software for inventory management, purchasing, accounting and order processing. When connected to a shop, it usually supplies items, prices…
- ESB An ESB is a central integration layer through which several systems exchange messages instead of being connected directly. It handles routing, transformation and monitoring of…
- ESPR The ESPR is an EU regulation that sets requirements for the environmentally sound design of products. Among other things, it provides for the digital product passport, for which…
- ETag An ETag is an identifier that a server assigns to a specific version of a resource. Systems use it to recognise whether data has changed since the last request, avoiding…
- ETIM ETIM is a classification model that sorts technical products into classes with defined features. It is used mainly in electrical, plumbing and building services trade. Uniform…
- EU The EU is a union of European states with a common internal market and shared legislation. Its regulations and directives affect trade, for example in taxes, customs, product…
- EUDR The EUDR is a European Union regulation against deforestation in supply chains. It covers commodities such as wood, cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, rubber and cattle, and products…
- EV EV stands for an electric vehicle, meaning a vehicle with an electric drive and a battery. In product data and battery rules, an EV battery is the traction battery of such a…
F
- FAQ An FAQ is a collection of frequently asked questions with matching answers. On websites it answers typical questions briefly before anyone needs to ask.
- FCC The FCC is the United States authority for telecommunications and radio. Electrical devices for the US market often carry an FCC marking. In the shop it is one of the details…
- FEFO Storage principle in which goods with the earliest expiry date are shipped first. It is common for food, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. This reduces the risk of goods…
- FIC The FIC Regulation is an EU regulation that governs which information consumers receive about food. This includes ingredients, nutrition values and allergens, also when food is…
- Field mapping The mapping defines which field in the shop corresponds to which field in the ERP system, including conversions for units, tax rates or status values. It is the part of a project…
- framework agreement A framework agreement is an arrangement between buyer and supplier on prices, quantities and terms for a set period. Individual orders are later called off against it. In a shop…
- FTP FTP is an older method for transferring files between computers and servers. Older shop connections often exchange export and import files over it. Because FTP transfers data…
G
- GDPR The GDPR is a regulation of the European Union. It governs when and how personal data may be processed, for example names, email addresses or IP addresses. On a website this…
- GDSN The GDSN is a worldwide network of the standards organisation GS1 through which manufacturers and retailers exchange product master data in a uniform format. Product data such as…
- GHS GHS is an internationally agreed system for classifying and labelling chemicals, for example with hazard pictograms. In the EU it is implemented through the CLP Regulation and…
- GLN The GLN is a globally unique number that identifies companies, locations and legal entities. In electronic data interchange it unambiguously assigns suppliers, warehouses and…
- GoB The GoB are the German generally accepted principles of proper bookkeeping, aiming at traceable and complete records. They form the basis on which the rules for electronic…
- GoBD The GoBD are principles of the German tax authorities for electronic bookkeeping and the retention of tax-relevant records. In shop and ERP connections, they concern, for example…
- goods receipt Goods receipt is the acceptance, inspection and posting of delivered goods in the warehouse. Only once it is posted does stock increase in the ERP, so the shop can show the goods…
- GPC GPC is a classification system from GS1 that assigns products to uniform categories. Retailers and marketplaces use it to categorise items consistently and make them easier to…
- GPSR The GPSR is the European Union regulation on general product safety. It sets out requirements for safe consumer products, for details on the manufacturer and responsible person…
- GTC GTC are pre-formulated contract terms that a company uses for many contracts. In a shop they cover, for example, payment, delivery, warranty and liability.
- GTIN The GTIN is a globally unique item number, usually printed as a barcode on the packaging. It helps retailers, suppliers and marketplaces identify the same item unambiguously.
- GUID A GUID is a long, randomly generated identifier that names a record uniquely across systems. Interfaces use it as a stable key to match items, customers or documents reliably…
H
- HDE HDE is the umbrella association of German retail. It regularly publishes figures and forecasts on retail development, including online trade.
- HGB The HGB is the German Commercial Code for merchants and commercial companies. Among other things, it governs bookkeeping, inventory, annual financial statements and the retention…
- HMAC Method by which a system signs a message using a shared secret key. The recipient checks the signature and can thus tell whether the message is genuine and unchanged. It secures…
- HS The HS is the internationally agreed goods nomenclature of the World Customs Organization used to classify goods for customs tariffs. The HS code in the item master helps…
- HTML HTML is the language every web page is made of. It defines what each part of the page is: heading, paragraph, list, link or image. Clean HTML is the basis for screen readers and…
- HTTP HTTP is the protocol browsers and servers use to exchange web pages and data. Many interfaces between the shop, the ERP and other systems also run over it.
- HTTPS HTTPS encrypts the data sent between browser and website. This way, others cannot read what you enter into a form, for example. Many browsers warn about pages without HTTPS with…
I
- IANA IANA is the body that manages central identifiers of the internet, such as address ranges, domain endings and protocol numbers. It also publishes the time zone database that…
- ICT ICT is the umbrella term for technology that processes and transmits information, such as computers, software, networks and telephony. Statistics on ICT usage show, for example…
- Idempotency Idempotent means the same call may arrive more than once without changing the result — an order is not created twice if the response was lost and the sender retried. This is…
- IdNr IdNr is the German short form for identification number and mostly appears in the VAT identification number, USt-IdNr. This number identifies businesses in trade within the EU and…
- IDoc An IDoc is an SAP data format used to exchange documents such as orders, deliveries or invoices between systems. Shops and middleware can use it to pass orders to an SAP system…
- IEC The IEC is the international standards organisation for electrical engineering and electronics. Together with ISO, it publishes standards marked ISO/IEC, for example for QR codes.
- IEEE The IEEE is an international professional association for electrical engineering and information technology. It publishes technical standards, including the standard for…
- IETF The IETF is an open international body that develops technical standards for the internet. Its documents are called RFCs and describe, for example, encryption, certificates and…
- IHK The IHK is a German chamber of industry and commerce, the regional self-governing body of businesses, which companies are usually members of. It advises firms and publishes…
- IML The IML is the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics, a research institute working on logistics, material flow and supply chains. It publishes studies on topics…
- IMO The IMO is the United Nations specialised agency for shipping. It develops international rules, for example on ship safety and the carriage of dangerous goods by sea. These rules…
- Impressum (legal notice) The Impressum states who is responsible for a website: name, address and ways to get in touch. Business websites in Germany need an Impressum that is easy to find.
- inventory management Inventory management is the software or function a business uses to manage items, stock, purchasing, orders and deliveries. It is often the system of record from which an online…
- Inventory sync The inventory sync keeps the availability shown in the shop aligned with stock levels in the ERP system. Because selling continues between two runs, many businesses work with a…
- INVOIC INVOIC is the message type for invoices in electronic data interchange based on EDIFACT. Invoice data is transferred in structured form from system to system. The recipient can…
- INVRPT INVRPT is a message type in the EDIFACT EDI standard for inventory reports. Suppliers or retailers use it to report which quantities of an item are available at a warehouse. Shops…
- IOSS The IOSS is an EU procedure through which merchants jointly report VAT on distance sales of imported goods to private customers. The related identifier is stored in company…
- IoT The IoT refers to the networking of devices, machines and sensors that exchange data over the internet on their own. In a warehouse, for example, sensors can record stock levels…
- IP The Internet Protocol defines how data is addressed and transferred between devices on a network. Each device receives an IP address for this purpose. Interfaces can restrict…
- ISBN The ISBN is an international number that uniquely identifies a book or a book edition. In trade, like other item numbers, it is used to match products between suppliers, shops and…
- ISO ISO is the international organisation for standardisation. It publishes standards, for example for date and country codes, quality management, information security or technical…
- IT IT refers to the combination of computers, networks, software and the people who run them. In a company, IT is usually the contact for interfaces, security and the day-to-day…
J
- JIS JIS means that parts are delivered not only at the right time but also in the order of production. This is common among automotive suppliers and requires close coordination…
- JIT JIT is a delivery principle in which material arrives exactly when production needs it. It reduces inventory but requires reliable supply chains and fast data exchange between…
- JKS JKS is a file format in which Java applications store keys and certificates. Such files often sit next to the application and are easily overlooked when certificates are renewed.
- JPG JPG is the common file extension of the JPEG image format, which compresses photos with some loss of quality. It produces small files and is often used for product photos and…
- JSON JSON is a simple text format that programs use to exchange structured data. Many interfaces between the shop, the ERP and other systems transfer items, prices and orders in this…
- JWT A JWT is a compact, digitally signed data package with details on the identity and permissions of a user or system. Interfaces use it as an access key that expires after a short…
L
- latency Latency is the delay between sending a request or change and the arrival of the response or effect in the other system. With interfaces it affects, for example, how quickly a new…
- LIMS A LIMS is software for managing samples, tests and results in the laboratory. It documents analyses and produces test reports. Connected to the shop, it can provide certificates…
- LLM An LLM is a large language model trained on very large amounts of text that can process and generate language. It forms the basis of many AI assistants, which can also access…
- LMT LMT stands for light means of transport in the European Batteries Regulation, such as e-bikes or e-scooters. LMT batteries form a separate battery category there, for which the…
M
- marketplace A marketplace is a sales platform on which many merchants offer their goods side by side. The operator provides visitors, search and often payment handling. For a merchant it is…
- Master data Master data are the long-lived records of a business: products, customers, prices, suppliers. They rarely change but are used by many processes. An integration project defines…
- MB A megabyte is a unit for amounts of data, for example the size of a file or an attachment. Interfaces often limit the size of attachments or messages in megabytes. Larger…
- MBCO The MBCO describes the minimum level a company deliberately aims to maintain in fallback mode. It comes from business continuity management as described by the BSI. For a shop it…
- MCP MCP is an open protocol through which AI assistants access data and functions of other systems. An MCP server provides defined tools for this, such as a stock query in the ERP…
- MDM MDM refers to the central management of master data such as items, customers and suppliers across several systems. It defines which source is authoritative for which value and…
- MDN An MDN is an acknowledgement of receipt in electronic data interchange. The recipient confirms that a message has arrived complete and unaltered. It serves as proof of delivery.
- MDR The MDR is the European regulation on medical devices. It sets out requirements for medical devices, for example on labelling, unique device identification and traceability. For…
- media break A media break occurs when data changes medium within a process. This happens, for example, when someone copies details from a PDF or paper into another system by hand. Each such…
- Middleware Middleware sits between shop and ERP system and handles transport, translation and logging of the data. It decouples both sides: replacing one system then affects a single…
- MIME MIME is a standard describing how content such as text, images or business messages is packaged and labelled with its file type. It originates from e-mail and is also used for…
- MM MM is a module of classic SAP ERP systems for materials management. It covers purchasing, inventory management and invoice verification and thus supplies data that matters for a…
- Monitoring Monitoring makes the interface run visible: did the last sync finish, how long did it take, how many records were left behind? Without that view, an outage surfaces only when…
- MTTD The MTTD is the average time until a fault or security incident is noticed. The shorter it is, the sooner a business can react, before incorrect stock levels or orders cause…
- MTTR MTTR is the average time from detecting a fault to resolving it. The metric shows how quickly a business fixes errors, for example in interfaces.
- MVP An MVP is a first, deliberately lean version of a product that already delivers real value. It allows, for example, a shop integration to be tested in daily use early on before…
- MwSt MwSt is the common German abbreviation for Mehrwertsteuer, the everyday name for value added tax. German prices and invoices use it to show whether an amount includes the tax or…
N
- NAD NAD is a segment in EDIFACT messages that contains the names and addresses of the parties involved. This is how buyer, supplier and delivery address of a document are transmitted…
- NEMA NEMA is an association of the electrical industry in the United States that publishes standards, among other things. The NEMA plug types for devices on the North American market…
- NFC NFC is a wireless technology for exchanging data over a very short distance, for example between a chip and a smartphone. An NFC chip on a product can, for example, link to a…
- NIS NIS refers to European rules on network and information security intended to strengthen protection against cyberattacks. They set requirements for important organisations and are…
- NIS2 NIS2 is a European Union directive on the cybersecurity of organisations in important economic sectors. It sets out requirements for example on risk management, securing systems…
- NIST United States agency for standards and measurement. Its guides on information security are used as orientation worldwide, for example for managing certificates and access rights.
- NRF The NRF is the retail trade association in the United States. It regularly publishes studies and figures on retail, for example on sales and returns.
- number range A number range is a defined block from which a system assigns sequential numbers for documents, customers or items. If the number ranges of shop, ERP and accounting overlap…
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- OAuth OAuth is an open standard that lets an application access protected data without knowing the user's password. Instead of credentials, it issues time-limited access keys called…
- OCI OCI is an interface through which a procurement system opens a supplier's shop and takes the shopping cart back. Buyers order within their familiar procurement system while range…
- OData OData is an open protocol that lets systems query and change data through standardized web interfaces. Many ERP systems offer such interfaces, through which a shop exchanges…
- ODBC ODBC is a standardised interface through which programs access databases from different vendors. If an older ERP system offers no modern programming interface, database access via…
- ODETTE ODETTE is a European automotive industry organisation that develops standards for electronic data interchange between manufacturers and suppliers. These include message formats…
- OECD The OECD is an international organisation in which its member states coordinate economic, tax and trade matters. Among other things, it publishes guidelines on transfer pricing…
- OEM An OEM is a manufacturer that builds end products under its own name and sources parts from suppliers. An OEM number is this manufacturer's part number. In the automotive…
- OIDC OIDC is an open standard for sign-in that builds on OAuth. It provides an application with verified information about who has signed in. For interfaces between the shop, ERP and…
- OP OP is the German abbreviation for an open item, a receivable or payable that has not yet been settled by a payment in accounting. When incoming payments from the shop are…
- ORDERS ORDERS is the message type for purchase orders in the EDIFACT standard for electronic data interchange. A customer sends an order from its own system to the supplier's system with…
- ORDRSP ORDRSP is a message type in EDIFACT data interchange for the order confirmation. The supplier uses it to confirm an order or report changes to quantity, price or date.
- OSS The OSS is a European Union reporting procedure for VAT. Through it, businesses can report certain sales to consumers in other EU countries centrally in their home country. For…
- overselling Overselling happens when a shop sells more units than are actually available. A possible cause is stock levels transferred with a delay between ERP, shop and marketplaces. The…
- OWASP OWASP is a non-profit community that publishes freely available guides and lists of typical security risks in web applications and interfaces. These recommendations can serve as a…
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- PAngV The PAngV is the German Price Indication Ordinance, which governs how prices are shown to consumers. For shops that also sell to private customers it covers total prices, unit…
- PCI-DSS PCI-DSS is a security standard of the payment card industry for handling credit card data. It sets out requirements for storing, transmitting and protecting such data. Shops can…
- PDF PDF is a widely used file format for documents that displays layout and fonts consistently across devices. Invoices, delivery notes, data sheets and shipping labels are often…
- PHP PHP is a widely used programming language for web applications that runs on the server. Many shop systems and interface extensions are written in PHP.
- PIM A PIM is software in which product data is maintained centrally. From there, texts, attributes, images and documents flow into the shop, catalogues and marketplaces.
- PKCE PKCE is an extension of the OAuth sign-in procedure that additionally secures the exchange of an authorization code for an access token. It makes it harder for third parties to…
- PKCS PKCS is a family of standards for public key cryptography. A widely used format from this family stores certificates and private keys together in a protected file.
- PKI A PKI is a system of certificates, certificate authorities and rules used to issue, check and revoke digital keys. It serves to identify systems and connections reliably, for…
- PLZ PLZ is the German abbreviation for Postleitzahl, the postcode that identifies a delivery area. In customer and delivery addresses of shop and ERP system it is a key field whose…
- PNG PNG is an image format that stores graphics without quality loss and supports transparency. It suits logos, graphics and screenshots and is also used alongside PDF and JPG for…
- polling Polling is a method in which a system asks another at fixed intervals whether there is new or changed data. It is simple to implement but also creates requests when nothing has…
- POS POS refers to the place of sale, usually the checkout in a physical store. POS systems can be connected to the online shop and the ERP system so that stock, prices and customer…
- PP Short name of the ERP module for production planning. It plans production orders, capacities and material requirements. For the shop connection it supplies, for example…
- PPWR The PPWR is a European Union regulation on packaging and packaging waste. It sets out requirements for recyclability, recycled content and labelling of packaging. For businesses…
- PRICAT PRICAT is a standardised EDIFACT message for price and catalogue data. Suppliers and retailers use it to transmit items, prices and terms electronically between their systems.
- procedural documentation Procedural documentation describes how a business records, processes, stores and protects documents and accounting data. It is mentioned in connection with the German GoBD rules…
- PSD2 The PSD2 is a European Union directive on payment services in the internal market. Among other things, it covers access by payment initiation services to bank accounts and strong…
- PSP A PSP is a payment service provider that processes online payments for a shop. Its transaction data feeds into accounting and payment matching so that payments can be assigned to…
- punchout Punchout is a method in which a buyer moves directly from their company's procurement system into a supplier's shop. There they assemble a cart, which is transferred back into…
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- REACH REACH is an EU regulation on the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemical substances. Among other things, it governs safety data sheets that pass…
- Responsive design Responsive design means that a website adapts to the size of the screen. On a phone the content is stacked, on a large screen it often sits side by side. There is only one website…
- REST Architectural style for interfaces through which systems exchange data via web requests. Many shops, ERP and accounting systems offer such interfaces. They allow products, prices…
- REST API A REST API exposes data through HTTP addresses: the shop requests /products/4711, for example, and receives the record as JSON. Because every call stands on its own, individual…
- Retry strategy A retry strategy defines how often and at what intervals a failed call is repeated — usually with growing delays, so an overloaded target system is not put under additional load…
- reverse charge Reverse charge is a VAT mechanism in which the buyer, not the seller, owes the tax. It mainly occurs in certain transactions between businesses, including across borders. Such…
- RFID RFID is a technology for reading data contactlessly by radio from small tags or chips. In retail and logistics it is used, for example, to label goods, containers or product…
- RMA RMA refers to the approval of a return, usually with its own case number. An RMA process makes the return, inspection, restocking and credit note traceable between shop and ERP.
- RoHS RoHS is an EU directive that restricts certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Compliance can be stated in the product data.
- ROI ROI is a metric that relates the return of an investment to its cost. Companies use it to judge whether, for example, a new interface or a shop pays off economically.
- ROPC ROPC is an OAuth flow in which an application takes the username and password directly and exchanges them for an access key. Because the application sees the password, the IETF…
- RPC Method by which a program calls a function on another system and receives the result. In the form JSON-RPC, AI assistants and connected servers exchange their messages, for…
- RPO The RPO describes how much data loss is tolerable at most after an outage, measured as the time since the last backup. It helps determine how often data should be backed up or…
- RRP The RRP is a selling price that a manufacturer recommends to retailers without prescribing it. Retailers sometimes show it in the shop as a reference price next to their own price.
- RSA RSA is a widely used method for encryption and digital signatures, named after its inventors. It is used, for example, in certificates for encrypted connections between shops and…
- RTO The RTO is the period within which a system should be running again after an outage. It is set for shops, interfaces and ERP systems and helps determine how backup and recovery…
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- Sandbox A sandbox is a separated test environment with its own credentials, where interfaces can be checked without touching real documents. It only helps with realistic test data: a…
- Screen reader A screen reader is a program that reads the content of a page aloud or outputs it on a braille display. Blind and visually impaired people use it to operate websites. For this…
- SEO SEO covers all measures that help a website to be found more easily in search engines. These include suitable content, a clear page structure, short loading times and clean…
- SEPA SEPA is the single euro payments area in which credit transfers and direct debits follow the same rules. For shops, the SEPA direct debit as a payment method and matching incoming…
- SFTP SFTP is a method for transferring files between systems in encrypted form. In trade between businesses it is often used to exchange price lists, catalogues, order files or EDI…
- SFTP transfer With an SFTP transfer the systems do not exchange individual calls but whole files over an encrypted connection — typically CSV or XML exports in fixed time slots. This route is…
- SHA SHA refers to a family of methods that calculate a short check value from any data. Interfaces use such check values, for example, to detect whether a message was altered in…
- SHA256 SHA256 is a method that calculates a fixed-length check value from any data. Even a small change to the data produces a completely different value. Combined with a secret key…
- SHK SHK is the German term for the plumbing, heating and air conditioning sector, with trade businesses and specialist dealers for bathrooms, heating and ventilation. Specialist…
- SKR Standard chart of accounts used for bookkeeping in Germany. Common versions exist for trading and for industrial companies. Shop and accounting assign revenue, taxes and payments…
- SKR03 SKR03 is a widely used standard chart of accounts for bookkeeping in Germany. It arranges accounts according to business processes. When a shop is connected to accounting, it…
- SKR04 SKR04 is a widely used standard chart of accounts for bookkeeping in Germany. It arranges accounts according to the structure of the annual financial statements. When a shop is…
- SKU An SKU is a unique item number for a specific stock unit. Each variant of a product, such as size or colour, usually receives its own SKU with its own stock level.
- SLA An SLA is a contractual agreement on the quality of a service. It defines, for example, availability, response times and responsibilities, such as for running and monitoring…
- SME SMEs are small and medium-sized enterprises, distinguished from large companies by headcount, turnover or balance sheet total. The classification can affect which rules or funding…
- SMTP SMTP is the standard protocol used to send emails between servers. Shops and ERP systems use it, for example, to send order confirmations, invoices or notifications.
- SOAP SOAP is an older, XML-based protocol for system interfaces. Many ERP and accounting systems still offer it because their interfaces have grown over the years. It is more strictly…
- SQL SQL is a query language that applications use to read and write data in a database. ERP systems usually store their data in such databases as well. Direct SQL access from outside…
- SRE SRE is an approach that combines the reliable operation of systems with methods from software development. It includes monitoring, error analysis and clear availability targets…
- SSH SSH is a protocol for encrypted connections to servers. File transfers via SFTP, for example, run over it, with the systems identifying themselves by a key pair.
- synchronization Synchronization is the scheduled or event-driven alignment of data between systems so that they show the same state. Typical examples are stock, prices, customers and orders…
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- TARIC TARIC is the European Union database of customs duties, trade measures and codes for goods. Commodity codes and document codes used in customs declarations come from it, for…
- tax determination Tax determination is the process of working out which VAT treatment applies to a delivery or service. It depends on factors such as customer, destination country and item, and is…
- TCP TCP is a basic transmission protocol of the internet that delivers data completely and in the correct order. Many connections for data exchange and interfaces are built on it.
- tiered price A tiered price is a price that depends on the quantity ordered: above certain quantities, the unit price drops. Tiered prices are common in wholesale and are usually maintained in…
- timestamp A timestamp is a stored record of the date and time of an event, such as an order, change or transfer. It makes processes traceable and helps when comparing data. Without a time…
- TLS Encryption protocol for connections on the internet. It protects data between shop, ERP and interfaces from being read or altered. The server identifies itself with a certificate…
- TR A TR is a technical guideline in which the German Federal Office for Information Security describes requirements for secure technology. It is generally a professional…
- TTL The TTL states how long a cached value remains valid before it is requested again. In shop connections it determines, for example, how up to date prices or stock levels from the…
- TU A TU is a German university of technology focusing on engineering and natural sciences. It teaches and researches in fields such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering…
- TÜV TÜV is the short form for German technical inspection associations, testing organisations that check products, installations and vehicles for safety. A TÜV test mark shows that…
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- UBL UBL is an XML format for electronic business documents such as invoices and orders. It is one of the syntaxes in which structured e-invoices such as XRechnung can be transmitted.
- UDI UDI is a system for uniquely labelling medical devices with a machine-readable product identifier. It makes traceability, recalls and documentation easier. In the trade of medical…
- UKCA The UKCA marking is the conformity marking for many products placed on the market in Great Britain. Its role there largely corresponds to that of the CE marking. In the shop it is…
- UN The UN is the United Nations, an intergovernmental organisation. Rules for trade and transport are also developed under its umbrella, such as the UN/EDIFACT standard for…
- UNECE UNECE is the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. It maintains international standards for trade and data exchange, such as the UN/EDIFACT message format and code lists…
- unit of measure A unit of measure states how goods are counted, sold or stored, such as piece, carton, pallet, kilogram or metre. If units differ between ERP and shop, conversion rules are needed…
- UNTDID UNTDID is a United Nations directory of messages, data elements and code lists for electronic business data interchange. Electronic invoices draw on these code lists, for example…
- URI A URI is a uniform identifier for a network resource, such as a web address or the path to an interface. For interfaces, the version can be part of the URI so that old and new…
- URL A URL is the address of a page or file on the internet. It appears in the address bar at the top of the browser. It consists of the protocol, for example https, the domain name…
- US US stands for the United States of America. In trade, the abbreviation appears, for example, in the US dollar, in US size charts or in rules for the US market.
- USA USA is the abbreviation for the United States of America. In trade, the country comes up, for example, in differing item numbers, standards and market data.
- UStAE The UStAE is an administrative directive of the German Federal Ministry of Finance explaining how the tax authorities interpret the VAT Act. Among other things, it contains…
- UStDV The UStDV is the German VAT Implementing Ordinance, which sets out the VAT Act in detail. Among other things, it covers details of invoices, small-amount invoices and supporting…
- UStG The UStG is the German Value Added Tax Act. Among other things, it sets out requirements for invoices, credit notes and the retention of records. Tax advice clarifies what applies…
- UTC UTC is the worldwide reference time on which time zones are based. Servers, interfaces and logs often store points in time in UTC so that they stay unambiguous regardless of time…
- UTF-8 UTF-8 is a widely used character encoding with which computers store and transmit text in almost all scripts. If it is not used consistently between shop, ERP system and…
- UX UX describes the experience people have when using a product or website. In a shop, it includes, for example, clear navigation, complete product information and a smooth ordering…
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- VAT VAT is a tax on the sale of goods and services that businesses charge their customers and pay to the tax office. In trade between businesses, prices are usually quoted net, with…
- VDA The VDA is the German Association of the Automotive Industry, representing car manufacturers and suppliers. It publishes recommendations and standards, for example for quality…
- VDE VDE is the German association for electrical, electronic and information technologies. It develops standards and, through its testing institute, awards a mark for tested…
- versioning Versioning means that an interface receives a new version when it changes significantly, while the previous version remains available for a while. Connected systems such as shop…
- ViDA ViDA is a European Union package of measures to modernise VAT for the digital age. Among other things, it covers electronic invoices, digital reporting to tax authorities and…
- VIES VIES is the European Commission's system for validating VAT identification numbers. Merchants use it to check whether a business customer from another EU country has a valid…
- VPN A VPN is an encrypted connection that links remote systems as if they were on the same internal network. Shops and service providers use it, for example, to reach an ERP that is…
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- WCAG The WCAG are international guidelines for accessible web content. They describe testable requirements, for example for contrast, for text alternatives to images and for keyboard…
- Webhook A webhook reverses the direction: instead of polling regularly, the sending system reports a change immediately via an HTTP call to a registered address. That saves requests and…
- WEEE WEEE stands for the European rules on waste electrical and electronic equipment. Among other things, they govern registration, take-back and disposal of such equipment. For…
- WM WM is a module of classic SAP ERP systems for warehouse management. It controls storage bins, putaway, picking and stock transfers within a warehouse.
- WMS A WMS is software for managing storage locations, stock levels and warehouse movements. It organises goods receipt, put-away, picking and shipping. Connected to the shop, it…
- WSDL WSDL is a description language for SOAP web services. A WSDL file specifies which functions an interface offers and which data it expects. Older ERP installations often provide…
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