account statement - Unique format, set up like a letter to the counterparty showing all transactions completed with one account.
accounting period - An accounting period, usually a full month, is used in CATS as a reference to a period of time determined by a user. CATS allows you to have 18 operation accounting periods. Each accounting period is determined by the previous period's end date and the current period's end date. Several accounting reports use columns referring to Periods 1 through 18. Periods can be isolated (the data frozen as of a date and copied to a separate area).
accrued cost - The cost difference between what has been expected and what has been paid.
active (on contract) - The opposite of complete. If a contract is active, then postings and changes can be made to the contract.
adjustment - An adjustment refers to either a manual or automatic entry made to the general ledger that affects the balance of an account.
aged trial balance - Allows user to review outstanding account invoices
aging (report) - CATS uses the due date on invoices to calculate the days overdue (or the age of the invoice:) and create an aging invoice report.
allocation - Allocation is the application of inventory to a sales contract item. Marks or location screens may be fully or partially allocated to a sales item.
archive - The archiving process takes closed contracts, invoices, and other items older than a certain number of years and removes them from your system.
arrival month to futures table - You can define specific shipment periods in CATS that point to futures positions. This is done via the arrival month to futures table.

bank reconciliation - CATS transactions that affect a bank can be matched against your bank's statement in the bank reconciliation area to ensure that all items are correct.
basis - The basis refers to how an item is weighed or priced. If the basis is per pound (lb), then the price will be calculated per pound.
batch processing (of invoices) - CATS can affect multiple invoices - printing, posting, and deleting them in bulk based on filters set up in the batch processing area.
billed - Refers to the units, weight, and amount on sales invoices against a purchase or sale contract.
B/L terms - Bill of lading terms, a code used on loans.
booked - Refers to if a purchase invoice is booked against a contract or location screen.
budget - Create a budget in CATS that restricts or reports on the difference between the amount predicted in the budget for each G/L account and the amount booked on invoices.
buyer code - The counterparty code on a sale contract, usually referred to as the “Customer” in common business practice. buyer history report - A list of all contracts to X buyer code for the entire system.

charged - Amount on purchase invoices for a contract.
chart of accounts - The way in which your General Ledger is set up. This determines which groups of G/L numbers print where on the Trial Balance, Income Statement, and Balance Sheet reports.
check contracts feature - The check contracts procedure recalculates the units and weight balances on all open contracts and informs you of any issues on them. The printout it provides can help find discrepancies in CATS.
choosers - A chooser is a list of entries displayed when you ask CATS to show you anything that has more than one record. An example is the list shown when picking Loc or Marks from a contract main screen.
claim invoice - Special invoice for use with claims.
clear transactions - A procedure to mark that bank transactions cleared the bank account in a particular month and year.
close year - A procedure that closes out a 12-month period, based on the latest isolation of each period. The ending balances for the final period become the opening balances for the new year.
codes - CATS uses codes as shorthand for values throughout the system. Grade codes, for example, are comprised of six letters or numbers. When you enter a code, CATS will pull in the information related to that code in the code table.
columns - What information CATS will display about each record on a report, e.g. contract no., grade, price, units.
commission invoices - Depending on your settings, CATS can post automatic commission invoices with the same date and number as their related inventory invoices. These commission invoices show up in the general ledger and on open invoice reports against the broker's account code.
confirm(ation) - The contract confirmation, also called the written contract, is a legal document that can be signed by two parties to formalize the details of a legal agreement relating to the sale or purchase of material. Confirmations should include the type and quantity of the material, the shipment and payment terms of the contract, and any conditions relating to the delivery of the material.
constants - Internal calculations CATS uses to convert from MT to Lbs, for example.
contract history report - A contract history report shows an at-a-glance view of contracts.
contract status report - A report that lists the status of open contracts. Status refers to which fields have been filled in on the St! screen on contracts - e.g. Date Mailed, Date Signed, etc.
complete (on contracts) - When a contract has no balance in units, weight, or amount, or if the contract will not be fulfilled but is considered finished, you can mark it complete in CATS. When marked complete, no postings may be made to this contract and no information may be changed on it unless it is marked active again. Reports that filter for the “Active Status” of “Active” will not show completed contracts.
cost analysis - Cost to market calculation
costs - Price of goods
credit - Money/payment received by you.
cost codes - Three-digit codes that allow you to determine which general ledger codes will be used to post costs on invoices that reference inventory.
credit limit - Limit for the amount you can sell to a customer without receiving a warning or (depending on settings) prevention of more sales.
crop year - Year that material was grown. Coded field in CATS.
CT number - Every transaction that enters the General Ledger is assigned a Cash Transaction (CT) number. CATS can assign these numbers for you or you may enter them when creating transactions.
currency - The type of money a transaction is using. Your default currency is used to convert all transactions.

debit - Money owed or paid by you.
default settings - Revert automatically to (a pre-selected option).
delete - Remove a record from the system.
delivery orders - Traffic forms that allow you to select marks available for delivery to a particular customer.
departments - Under each division is at least one department. Each department can have its own general ledger.
deposits - Money received into your bank account.
destination - Code used to determine where material is being shipped.
difference report - Difference reports, use saved versions of a report format to calculate the difference in records between two versions of the same report printed at two separate times.
differential - An adjustment to the market price of material. Added into the final price/valuation price of material.
disbursements - Payments made by you.
divisions - An internal structure for using CATS. A division has a separate general ledger and its own departments.
double-entry bookkeeping - CATS uses double-entry bookkeeping. This means that all entries, including invoices, have a debit to one G/L number and a credit to another G/L number. Even invoices work this way: $36,345.75 is added to GL # 11000, for accounts receivable. -$36,345.75 is put against the sales GL# 40000. Receipts, disbursements, general journal entries, invoices, and bank transfers all use this method.

end of period - Current period is closed.
error log - Where error messages are stored. New Data Systems uses the error log to review errors received by users.
error message - Occasionally, you may see an error message in CATS. You can choose to attempt to Ignore the message, but it may appear again. Inform New Data Systems of all error messages you receive.
exception reports -This report shows futures lots that are tied to purchase contracts.
exchange rate - The rate of an exchange product.
exdock price -
exposure - Exposure is the value of all purchase and sale contracts against a particular account without invoices in the system. So if you create a contract and do not invoice it, the value of the material will be counted as exposure.

finalized -Takes a proforma/provisional invoice and creates a new final invoice.
final invoice - An invoice for material with fixed weight and price.
FLO number -
fonts - Fonts refers to the size, weight, color and style of typed characters.
foreign currency - Any currency that is not the CATS system default currency. You may use multiple currencies for all features in CATS.
forms - Traffic forms, also called traffic orders, are documents that request action or information from certain parties. The delivery order, for example, requests that specific material be delivered by the shipper to the customer. These forms can reference one location screen or include marks from multiple screens and contracts.
futures trades -

G/L - general ledger - The accounting ledger in CATS. Broken down by G/L account (subledgers). Every transaction in CATS goes against the general ledger.
G/L Accounts - Subledgers for the G/L. Each has a balance and is used for debits/credits.
G/L Statement - A report of activity for one (or several) G/L accounts.
gain - The P&L on a trade.
grade codes - Grades indicate the type of material being purchased/sold. Grades are the smallest level of material, under category and subcategory. Each grade can use a different market differential.

hedges - In CATS, you can have entries that attached to contracts that hedge the price of a future trade. These are referred to as hedges. They are against a specific futures month and price, usually made via a broker.
hold feature - This feature will create a hold for a specific account, with no sale created.
HTML printing - Print to a spreadsheet, browser, or document using HTML printing. This allows you to edit the document in a native HTML or other program.

index files - Along with the database files, CATS has index files used to keep everything in shape.
inland insurance -
insurance reports - Type of traffic report.
intend report - A report of just items with Intend status.
inventory - The Charged units are more than the Billed units. Only applies to Purchase contract items. This is for the purposes of accounting.
inventory transactions report - A list of all transactions (invoice items) for the current year.
invoice - Invoices allow you to manage your inventory, costs, and other items in CATS.
invoice on hold - Put a hold on the invoice to prevent posting. The hold must be removed before the invoice can be posted.
isolated period - Isolating a period creates a separate folder of data that preserves the state of the data as of the date of isolation.

journal entries - Transactions that directly debit and credit the general ledger, using only G/L numbers.

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 are 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.

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 -

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.

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.

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 takes 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' 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.

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.

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 -

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.
traffic screen

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.

valuation - 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 -

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”.

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' 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.