This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ===== CATS Glossary (A-Z) ===== ==== A ==== **account statement** - A unique report format that is set up as a letter to a counterparty, showing all finalized transactions with an account.\\ **accounting period** - A period of time, usually a month long, that is used as a time reference determined by the user.\\ **accrued cost** - The cost difference between what was expected and what was paid.\\ **active (on contract)** - The opposite of //complete//. If a contract is active, postings and changes can still be made to it.\\ **adjustment** - Refers to a manual or automatic entry made to the general ledger that affects the balance of an account.\\ **aged trial balance** - Allows the user to review open account invoices.\\ **aging (report)** - CATS uses the due date on invoices to calculate the number of days past due and create a report based on that.\\ **allocation** - Allocation is the application of inventory to a sale contract item.\\ **archive** - The archive process takes closed contracts, invoices, and other items older than a certain number of years and removes them from the system.\\ **arrival month to futures table** - Defines specific shipment periods that point to futures positions.\\ ==== B ==== **bank reconciliation** - Transactions affecting a bank can be compared against the bank statement to ensure correctness.\\ **basis** - Refers to how an item is weighed or priced (e.g., by the pound).\\ **batch processing (of invoices)** - CATS can affect multiple invoices at once based on filters.\\ **billed** - Refers to the units, weight, and value on sale invoices against a contract.\\ **B/L terms** - Bill of Lading terms, a code used in loans.\\ **booked** - Refers to whether a purchase invoice has been booked against a contract or location screen.\\ **budget** - Creates a budget that restricts or reports the difference between the budget and the actual amount posted.\\ **buyer code** - The counterparty code on a sale contract, usually referred to as the "Customer".\\ **buyer history report** - A list of all contracts for a given buyer in the entire system.\\ ==== C ==== **charged** - The amount on purchase invoices for a contract.\\ **chart of accounts** - Determines how the General Ledger is organized and where groups of numbers are printed.\\ **check contracts feature** - A procedure that recalculates the units and weight balances on all open contracts.\\ **choosers** - The list of entries shown when there is more than one record available (e.g., Loc or Marks chooser).\\ **claim invoice** - A special invoice for use with claims.\\ **clear transactions** - A procedure to mark that transactions have cleared the bank in a particular month/year.\\ **close year** - The procedure that closes out a 12-month period and sets the beginning balances for the new year.\\ **codes** - Abbreviations for values throughout the software used to represent tables.\\ **columns** - What information the system will display about each record in a report.\\ **commission invoices** - Automatic commission invoice postings related to inventory.\\ **confirm(ation)** - Contract confirmation or written contract; the legal document that formalizes the agreement.\\ **constants** - Internal calculations used by CATS for unit conversion (e.g., MT to Lbs).\\ **contract history report** - Shows a quick and summarized view of contracts.\\ **contract status report** - Lists the administrative status (ship dates, signature dates, etc.) of open contracts.\\ **complete (on contracts)** - When a contract has no more balance and is considered closed to changes.\\ **cost analysis** - Market cost calculation.\\ **costs** - Price of goods.\\ **credit** - Money or payment received by you.\\ **cost codes** - Three-digit codes that determine the general ledger accounts for inventory cost posting.\\ **credit limit** - The maximum amount of sale allowed for a customer before warnings or blocks occur.\\ **crop year** - The year the material was grown.\\ **CT number** - Cash Transaction number assigned to every entry in the General Ledger.\\ **currency** - The type of money a transaction is using.\\ ==== D ==== **debit** - Money owed or paid by you.\\ **default settings** - Automatically returning to a pre-selected option.\\ **delete** - To remove a record from the system.\\ **delivery orders** - A traffic form that selects available marks for delivery to a customer.\\ **departments** - Internal subdivisions under each division that can have their own general ledger.\\ **deposits** - Money received into your bank account.\\ **destination** - A code used to determine where material will be sent.\\ **difference report** - Calculates the difference between two versions of the same report at different times.\\ **differential** - An adjustment to the market price of material added to the final price.\\ **disbursements** - Payments made by you.\\ **divisions** - The main internal structure with separate general ledgers and their own departments.\\ **double-entry bookkeeping** - Every entry has an equal and opposite debit and credit.\\ ==== E ==== **end of period** - The current accounting period is closed.\\ **error log** - Where system error messages are stored for technical review.\\ **error message** - Occasional messages that inform you of system issues; these should be reported to support.\\ **exception reports** - A report showing futures lots linked to purchase contracts.\\ **exchange rate** - The rate of a currency product.\\ **exdock price** - \\ **exposure** - The value of all purchase and sale contracts with no invoices in the system.\\ ==== F ==== **finalized** - Turns a proforma or provisional invoice into a new, final invoice.\\ **final invoice** - An invoice for material with a fixed weight and price.\\ **FLO number** - \\ **fonts** - Refers to the size, weight, color, and style of text characters.\\ **foreign currency** - Any currency other than the system's default currency.\\ **forms** - Traffic documents (orders) requesting action from third parties.\\ **futures trades** - \\ ==== G ==== **G/L - general ledger** - The book of record where all system transactions are recorded.\\ **G/L Accounts** - Sub-ledgers with balances used for debits and credits.\\ **G/L Statement** - An activity report for one or more general ledger accounts.\\ **gain** - The profit or loss (P&L) on a trade.\\ **grade codes** - Classification codes that indicate the type of material being bought or sold.\\ ==== H ==== **hedges** - Entries attached to contracts for price protection in future trades.\\ **hold feature** - Creates a reservation for a specific account without creating a sale.\\ **HTML printing** - Printing to a spreadsheet or browser allowing for external editing.\\ ==== I ==== **index files** - Files used to maintain the organization and integrity of the database.\\ **inland insurance** - \\ **insurance reports** - A type of traffic report.\\ **intend report** - A report containing only items with an "Intend" status.\\ **inventory** - For accounting purposes, when charged units are greater than billed units.\\ **inventory transactions report** - A list of all invoice transactions for the current year.\\ **invoice** - A document to manage inventory, costs, and billing in CATS.\\ **invoice on hold** - Places a hold on an invoice to prevent posting.\\ **isolated period** - Creates a separate data folder preserving the state of data at a specific date.\\ ==== J ==== **journal entries** - Transactions that directly debit and credit the general ledger, using only G/L numbers.\\ ==== L ==== **ledger scan** - All invoices and transaction history for the current financial year.\\ **liquidate** - To remove a trade from the list of open trades. The open trade is moved to a list of liquidated trades for a price you input.\\ **loan** - \\ **location field** - \\ **location screen** - The location screen represents a distinct amount of physical material in a particular location. All the traffic information for the material is represented here.\\ ==== M ==== **main contract screen** - The main screen of the contract summarizes general information about a specific purchase or sale contract.\\ **main menu** - The starting point for the program.\\ **marine insurance** - Is used to report the units, weight, and value of items that are afloat as of the end of a particular month.\\ **market price** - In CATS, this is defined as the **Exchange price** + the **Valuation Differential**.\\ **marks** - \\ ==== N ==== **net physical position report** - This report presents the entire physical position (all contract items, fixed or unfixed) entered into CATS.\\ **new area** - New Area is an option from the main menu that allows users to either switch from one connected company to another or switch to working in an isolated area.\\ **notes** - Notes are freeform fields where you can store information on various screens.\\ ==== O ==== **on account invoice** - A G/L entry that appears as an open invoice on reports and for a counterparty account, used to indicate a credit due to overpayment of invoices.\\ **open futures position report** - A list of all open futures trades in the system in report format.\\ **open invoice report** - \\ **open position** - For **''Purchases''**, the **''Charged''** units are less than the **''Contract''** units. For **''Sales''**, the **''Billed''** (sale invoiced) units are less than the **''Contract''** units.\\ **open shipment** (report type) - A traffic report type that shows you all items with no Vessel/Ship code in the Location 3 field, that is not in WH.\\ **option calculator** - \\ **order (reports)** - \\ **orders (traffic)** - \\ **overall position report** - The overall position report gives a summary of the complete position, including physicals and futures exchange trades.\\ ==== P ==== **password** - A string of characters that allows access to a computer, interface, or system.\\ **payment instructions** - How payment is requested/accepted.\\ **period** - In CATS, a **period** is an accounting period, usually a month long, that may be isolated. Certain actions can only be performed on transactions during the same period as the date of the transaction.\\ **position** - \\ **posting** - Posting a transaction (including invoices) moves the transaction from a pending file to the General Ledger, where it will now affect the G/L numbers associated with it. Once a transaction is posted, you can review both sides of it in the General Ledger.\\ **price-fixing** - A trade that fixes the price on a contract item, partially or fully. Each lot represents a lot on the exchange. When you enter a price fixing, you enter the price agreed upon and CATS adds the differential to get the fixed price.\\ **prime rate** - Uses a table of interest rates for a date range to calculate interest on a G/L Account, on a single amount, or on a list of amounts and dates.\\ **print menu** - A menu used by CATS to determine where and in what file format you want your output to print - e.g., Printer, PDF, Transfer folder.\\ **product** - The highest level of classification for material in CATS. Examples of products are Coffee, Rubber, Cocoa, Meats.\\ **production** - Also called **processing** or **tolling**, the transformation of material from one product or grade code to another.\\ **profit** - Typically defined as sell price minus buy cost.\\ **proforma invoice** - An invoice for material with no final weight.\\ **proof amount** - The amount left over when applying money to invoices, G/L numbers, or accounts. The proof amount is applied to on account invoices or G/L numbers to balance the transaction.\\ **provisional invoice** - An invoice for material with no final price.\\ ==== Q ==== **'Q' and 'q' entries** - General Ledger transactions, sometimes entered directly by users into G/L accounts, and other times automatic entries created by CATS to move the balance on an invoice to another, updated invoice.\\ **quality** - A coded field that can be used to further identify material.\\ **quantity** - Amount in contract units.\\ **'?' (question mark)** - A menu option always visible where the menu is available in CATS, the question mark menu has frequently used items and shortcuts in it.\\ ==== R ==== **ratio** - \\ **receipts** - Receipts are used to apply payments received by you to your sales invoices, to a counterparty account, or to a general ledger account.\\ **recover an allocation** - The recover feature is used to remove inventory from a sale contract. We refer to this act as recovering a location screen or removing an allocation.\\ **reversal (invoice)** - This type of invoice is simply a complete opposite of the original invoice that effectively negates the first invoice. For a purchase, this means removing units and weight from inventory and removing the amount due. For a sale invoice, this means returning units and weight to inventory and removing the amount credited.\\ **reindexing process** - \\ **remarks** - A remark is a note that can be included in an edit field. You can save a remark and import it into a field. This will help you from having to type the same text over and over again. \\ **report formats** - \\ **reports** - \\ **reservation report** - \\ **retained earnings** - \\ **returns** - \\ **revision** - An updated version of a confirmation that allows you to keep the previous version.\\ **rights** - CATS uses a rights-based system to determine which user can access specific menu functions in CATS. If a user does not have access to a particular menu item, that item will not appear when that user is logged into CATS. \\ ==== S ==== **sales** - \\ **samples** - Details about the sampling of specific traffic material. \\ **seller history report** - This report gives a history of sales or purchases for a particular account. \\ **shipment position** - \\ **scan** - \\ **status of contract** - \\ **status of invoice** - \\ **subsidiary account types** - \\ **suspense account** - \\ **system Variables** - \\ ==== T ==== **taxes and 1099 reporting** - \\ **terms** - \\ **to-be-fixed** - \\ **tracking** - When certain actions are taken in CATS, those changes are put into a "tracking" file. This can be reviewed from the tracking report or the track maintenance area. These actions include: changes to important fields, selecting of inventory, creation of contract confirmation, posting of invoices, allocations, and more.\\ **trade journal** - \\ **trader** - The user ID of the trader can be displayed on contracts. Separate from the user ID who created the contract. \\ **trades** - \\ **traffic forms** - Delivery Orders, Sampling Orders, and all other forms related to traffic movements.\\ **traffic reports** - Reports where each line item represents either a mark or a location screen.\\ **traffic screen** - \\ **traffic terms** - \\ **transaction** - \\ **transportation cost recalculation** - \\ **trial balance** - The Trial Balance report shows all activity for the entire general ledger. It combines the Income Statement and Balance Sheet into one report, to give an overall picture of the state of accounts. \\ ==== U ==== **unfixed** - A contract item or portion of an item is unfixed when there is no final fixed price for that item. Lots can be fixed individually from the item screen. Unfixed amounts are displayed on reports using the terms "TBF" (To be fixed) or "Unfixed".\\ **unposting invoices** - The unposting procedure removes the posted invoice entries from the general ledger and allows users to edit the invoice.\\ **update (on invoices)** - The update menu feature on invoices is used to modify, reverse, finalize, or copy an invoice to create a new invoice.\\ **users** - A user is a single entry in the user file, representing a person at your company who uses CATS. The number of users allowed in your version of CATS is determined by your license agreement.\\ ==== V ==== **valuation** - [[cats:questions:contracts:contractvaluation|Valuation]] is the base market level for particular material, with any added costs that you choose to include. This allows you to see potential profit on the market, value of material for insurance purposes, etc.\\ **vendor invoices** - Vendor invoices are used for any transactions that are not payments for inventory. Freight costs, insurance, and even rent or maintenance services can be items on vendor invoices. Vendor invoices can be related to a purchase contract, sale contract, or neither.\\ **vessel code** - \\ **vessel sheet** - \\ **voyage code** - \\ ==== W ==== **warehouse** - In CATS, a warehouse where material is stored is represented by a warehouse code.\\ **warehouse exposure report** - A report that calculates the value of material stored in each warehouse code or account and determines your exposure based on that value.\\ **washout** - A transaction that matches inventory against one another for little to no profit. This can be used with items that have claims against them. A washout invoice has both purchase and sale sides on it.\\ **weighing terms** - Terms related to when and where the weighing of material will happen, agreed upon for a contract. The terms can also carry a percentage allowance of variance. If the weight loss or gain goes over this percentage, you can create a weight adjustment invoice that calculates amount owed/due you. \\ **written contract** - The legal document that is signed by both parties as an agreement to buy or sell material. This term is interchangeable with "contract confirmation" or "confirmation". \\ ==== Y ==== **year end** - In CATS, when we refer to the "year end", we are indicating the fiscal (financial) year end. This depends entirely on your accounting period settings. Your fiscal year can run from 01/01 to 12/31 or from 05/01 to 04/30, for example.\\ ==== Z ==== **'Z' menu option** - The menu option "Z" when reviewing contracts, items, or location screens will allow you to switch between purchase and sale contracts by calling up the contract number chooser. If you are reviewing a purchase item, and pick Z, CATS will call up the sale item chooser.\\ **zero inventory** - Occasionally you will have small balances on invoice that come from differing currency rates. CATS has a zero inventory feature that looks for invoices without any inventory balance and zeroes out the default currency (usually USD) balance for those invoices.\\ cats/glossary.txt Last modified: 2026/04/16 19:13by sophia