Glossary of terms

Glossary of terms for Harmony Suite 3.0.0

The terms below have the following meanings in Harmony.

Access Control

A mechanism to check for the presence of valid software license key, authorised user/password combination and other security controls.

Administrator

A person with the highest level of permissions for making changes to Harmony. Administrators can change, add and delete core entries as well as customised entries. See also Power Users and Guests.

Administration User Interface

A user interface panel that helps to manage all product capabilities, rules, etc. Primarily intended for non-technical users.

AMAS

Address Matching Approval System is an Australia Post certification program used to measure the accuracy of address matching software.

API

Application Programming Interface, or Application Program Interface. An interface between the operating system and application programs. It includes the way the application programs communicate with the operating system, and the services the operating system makes available to the programs. For example, an API may make it possible for programs that run under it to open windows and display message boxes.

Append

A process where identifier element(s) of input data is used to lookup an authoritative data source in order to obtain corresponding additional data elements (information) that is available in the authoritative data source.

Argument Record

The record currently being compared with other records in a queue.

Best Record

When a group of records match, matching will attempt to select the record that is the "best" to retain (i.e., the record with the most complete information). This is also referred to as the "retained record". See also Retained Record.

Breadcrumbs

A list of pages that indicates your position within a website, typically shown at the top of the page. Breadcrumbs show your navigation trail in a site with deep site architecture. For example: Configure > Match Engine > Key generation Configuration.

BSP

Barcode Sort Plan

CAI

Configurable Application Interface. A software layer in Harmony’s application architecture that aims to systematically interface Harmony with clients' applications and processes.

A CAI component is an independently deployable software component that assembles one or more PDP components to deliver some business specific data processing functionality to client applications and processes.

Categorise

A process that identifies whether names contain joint names, single names, person names or company names etc.

ccTLD

A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory. E.g. .au, .nz, .sg etc.

CIQ

Customer Information Quality. The OASIS group of standards incorporating xCIL and its name and address subsets, xNL, xAL and xNAL.

Cleansing

The process of standardising, appending and correcting data (usually incoming name and address data).

Client Application Process (CAP)

A client specific process outside of Harmony. For example, the client application that calls the Harmony function

Client Data

Customer names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. Also called Customer Identity Data

Client Roles

Client roles are used to allow specific implementation requirements for different systems within the organisation. The different systems could be different users, departments or requirements within the same system.

Concepts

An object with a specific purpose within a knowledge base.

Concepts include: Lexical Concepts, Root concepts and Restricted concepts. See also Root concepts and Restricted concepts.

Confidence Level

The level of certainty to which the data can be trusted.

Configuration Manager

A product administrator facility to specify and maintain configuration parameters and rules that govern the behaviour of the product.

Conjunction

Terms that indicate a relationship between two entities, for example JOHN AND MARY SMITH, where the conjunction is AND.

Core

Those parts of the standard Harmony product that were either supplied by Mastersoft or added later by an Administrator.

Core entries

Entries, such as alternative Titles or Street Types, that are in the standard Harmony product (either supplied by Mastersoft or added later by an Administrator). See also Customised entries.

Customer Identity Data

Customer names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. Also called Client Data

Customised sorting entries

Client-specific entries, such as alternative Titles or Street Types, that have been added by Power Users within your organisation (i.e., not by Mastersoft). See also Core entries.

Data correction

A process where certain incorrect input data values are automatically corrected by the software. This could include misspelled name, address details etc. This process could look up a product dictionary as a reference, but generally excludes looking up to any authoritative data sources.

Data model

A model for a group of concepts. For example, address is a data model. Names (including personal names and company names) are also data models.

DD

Deployment descriptors XML files which accompany all Java modules and applications to describe how each is to be deployed and which options the deployment tool is to use.

Dropdown list

A dialog box item showing only one entry until its drop down arrow is clicked. It then displays a list of options from which to choose.

EIS

Enterprise Information System (but also known as Executive/Enterprise/ Everyone’s Information/Intelligence System/Service/Software). A system that lets upper management view the organization’s performance at a highly summarised level and usually in a graphical representation.

EJB

Enterprise Java Beans. A component architecture for the development and deployment of object-oriented, distributed, enterprise-level applications. Applications written using the Enterprise JavaBeans architecture are scalable, transactional, multi-user and secure

Entity

An individual/organisation that exists independently of other individuals/ organisations appearing in the same name field.

Exception

A data item which fails parsing.

Format Transform

A process where input data is transferred into a native format for the product’s internal use. This also applies to transforming input/processed data into a different output data format as required.

GC

Garbage Collection. The identification and removal of Java objects that are no longer in use.

GeoCode Quality Indicator/Level

Identifier representing the geocoding accuracy. Values are:

Value 1 — XY coordinates are an exact match to the Land Information New Zealand reference address point (http://www.linz.govt.nz)

Value 2 — XY coordinates are an exact match ignoring sub-dwelling address elements

Value 3 — Manual geocoding match to a street

Given Names

The first name and middle names of an individual. For example John George Jones.

Ground Floor

The street level of a building. In many countries this is known as the first floor. In countries that use the “ground floor” term, the first floor is one level above the street.

GUI

Graphical User Interface. A graphics-based user interface that incorporates icons, pull-down menus and a mouse. See also UI.

Guest users

Normal data entry users of Harmony. Guests can cleanse and search data using Harmony, but cannot make changes to any underlying selection criteria. See also Administrator and Power User.

HAVE

The Harmony Address Validation Engine matches addresses against a specific Source of Truth and assigns the correct Delivery Point Identifier (DPID) for the Australian and New Zealand Postal Address Files (PAF) and geocode information for New Zealand GeoPAF and Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF).

Inference

The last step in Match cycle where the software determines the level and type of match of two input records using inference techniques. This level of match value can be any value between Perfect Match to No Match and the type of match is a Match Group. The inference engine takes the results from the matching of the lower level components to make a decision,

Inquiry Key

A pair of keys generated that define a range of existing records to be retrieved on a database. Also known as Enquiry key

JCA

Java Connector Architecture. A standard architecture for connecting the J2EE platform to heterogeneous enterprise information systems (EIS).

JDBC

Java Database Connectivity. An application program interface (API) specification for connecting programs written in Java to the data in popular databases. The application program interface lets you encode access request statements in structured query language (SQL) that are then passed to the program that manages the database. It returns the results through a similar interface.

JDK

Java Development Kit. A software development package from Sun Microsystems that implements the basic set of tools needed to write, test and debug Java applications and applets. While the Sun version is the best known, there are Java platforms from other developers.

JMS

Java Messaging Service. Java interface to Message-Oriented Middleware (MOM) products

JNDI

Java Naming Directory Interface. A standard extension to the Java platform that provides Java-enabled applications with a unified interface to multiple naming and directory services in the enterprise.

Job Profile

A batch file, created and saved in Harmony Batch Cleansing that contains full specifications for cleansing nominated data using nominated cleansing processes. Job Profiles can be defined and saved to suit any situation required.

JRE

Java Runtime Environment. The package of software that must be installed on a machine in order to run Java applications. It does not include development tools.

JSP

Java Server Pages. An extension of the Java Servlet technology that allows java code to be embedded in HTML pages. JSPs use XML tags and scriptlets written in Java to encapsulate the logic that generates the content for the page. It passes any formatting (HTML or XML) tags directly back to the response page. In this way, JSPs separate the page logic from its design and display.

JVM

Java Virtual Machine. JVM is the cornerstone of the Java programming language. It is the component of the Java technology responsible for crossplatform delivery. The JVM is an abstract computing machine and (just like a real computing machine) has a defined instruction set. The JVM knows nothing of the Java language, only of a particular file format, the class file format. A class file contains JVM instructions (or bytecodes) and a symbol table, as well as other required information.

KB

Knowledgebase — a collection of rules that govern the behaviour of Harmony.

Key Generation request

A call to the Key generation module to return the keys to the specified parameters.

Key Range Generation Request

One of the key stages of Harmony RealTime is to generate a range of keys depending on the input. Key range generation function uses the selected keyset and then applies the offset range on top of the key generated to generate a range of keys

Key Generator

A process where key data elements of input data string are used to build an identifier (Match Key) to aid in rapid searching. This Match key is stored as additional data to the original input data.

Key Sets

Sets of individual search keys that can be run against data using one selection.

Knowledgebase Manager

A product administrator facility to help populate and maintain the knowledgebase that governs the behaviour of the product.

Lexical

Of or relating to the vocabulary, words, or morphemes of a language.

Load Key

A single key generated for loading of a database index.

Locales

Locale represents the linguistic environment to which a group of concepts is applicable. For example, Australian English is a locale, while UK English is a different locale.

Logical Record

A record containing the details of a single entity. There may be multiple logical records for each physical record.

LRU

Least Recently Used. An algorithm that removes the least recently used item from a store when space is required.

Major Conjunction

A name context term that describes a relationship where the entities involved have different roles, depending on whether they are on the left hand or right hand side of the conjunction. For example, JOHN SMITH IN TRUST FOR WILLIAM SMITH is different to WILLIAM SMITH IN TRUST FOR JOHN SMITH

Matching

A process where two data records (inputs) are compared to check for similarity. The check can be made on a single or multiple data elements. Matching returns a narrow range of records that have actually matched the Subject

MDEX

MSI Data EXpert (MDEX) layer. This layer contains the core knowledge-driven expert systems for inferencing, analysing and matching data. The use of expert system technology, which is characterised by the modelling and the application of human expertise in the analysis and matching of names and addresses, represents the unique approach of Mastersoft to data processing.

MeshBlock

The MeshBlock is the smallest geographic unit for which statistical data is collected and processed by Statistics New Zealand. A MeshBlock is a defined geographic area, varying in size from part of a city block to large areas of rural land

Metrics/Diagnostics Log

Capability of the software to leave a process trail to assist in diagnosis of issues. This trail data could consist of elapsed time, rules applied, before and after data image and other data elements that can assist in problem solving and fine tuning of the product. The level of information recorded should be determined by a configuration setting as the level of details recorded is inversely proportional to the product performance.

Middle Names

A person's names occurring between the first name and last name. The middle name forms part of the given name.

Minor Conjunction

A name contest term that indicates a joint relationship, where the related entities are treated as a unit but there is no significance in the order of the entities.

NADIS

Name and Address Data Integrity Software — Mastersoft’s former range of data quality products.

NZ MapGrid

A full grid reference is 14 numbers, made up of a 7-figure Easting and a 7-figure Northing. This is referred to as NZMG (New Zealand Map Grid) data. This data can be translated and interpreted by GIS software to display topographical and map data.

· Latitude 􀁘 7-digit easting Co-ordinate of DPID location in New Zealand Map Grid format

· Longitude 􀁘 7-digit northing Co-ordinate of DPID location in New Zealand Map Grid format

OASIS

Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards. A global consortium that drives the development of e-business and web service standards.

PAF

Postal Address File is a database of Australian postal addresses within Australia Post’s delivery network.

Parcel ID

Spatial object unique identifier for the land parcel in which the postal address resides.

Parsing

The process where software accepts an unstructured string of characters (data) as input and converts those into a standard data structure as output by applying a set of predefined rules.

Passed Error

Input data that has passed cleansing, however the elements of name or address are not correctly identified.

Pattern

An arrangement of concepts used by Harmony to map the input data

Pattern ID

A unique identifier for a pattern in the knowledge base which is used to help identify which patterns were used within the parsing process.

PDP

Pluggable Data Processing. The aim of PDP is to separate ad hoc data processing functions from the parsing and matching engines that produce the output used by the data processing functions. Each data processing function uses standard APIs to register its interest in the output of parser and/or matcher, and then receives in-flight output produced by the parser.

PDP modules

Pluggable Data Processing modules can be chained together so that the output of one PDP module can be the input of another module, which can then be the input of yet another module, etc. This enables complex data processing modules to be dynamically constructed from existing and simple modules.

PDP SDK

Pluggable Data Processing Software Development Kit The Harmony PDP SDK is designed for Mastersoft partners and customers to develop and release their own PDPs to enrich customer data being processed.

The main purpose of this extension is to make Harmony more customisable to produce enterprise data quality solutions. In this process, you are able to develop new PDPs for the product that use APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). The objective of PDP/SDK is to develop friendlier and consistent interfaces that protect underlying functionality whilst providing additional usability.

Popups

Mini-topics that are used to display a small amount of information in a small “popup” window. In Harmony Help, rest your mouse cursor over green text in a Help topic to display a yellow popup window containing the definition of the word or phrase.

Power Users

A Harmony user with permissions/privileges that allow him/her to add, delete and edit Customised entries, but not core entries. See also Administrator and Guest users.

Rejects

Records that do not pass cleansing.

Retained Record

The record identified as the best record to retain from a cluster of duplicates. See also Best Record

Restricted concepts

Concepts which are used internally within the parsing engine but cannot be modified or disabled by the user. See also Concepts and Root concepts.

RFC 622/2822

RFC 2822 standard specifies a syntax for text messages that are sent between computer users, within the framework of "electronic mail" messages.

This standard supersedes the one specified in RFC 822 "Standard for the Format of ARPA Internet Text Messages", updating it to reflect current practice and incorporating incremental changes that were specified in other RFCs.

This standard specifies a syntax only for text messages. In particular, it makes no provision for the transmission of images, audio or other sorts of structured data in electronic mail messages.

ROAD

Relation-Oriented Address Directory

Root concepts

The highest level concept for a data model. Every data model should have a root concept. See also Concepts and Restricted concepts.

Scrub/Scrubbing

See Cleansing. An overall data quality improvement process that can consist of a number of sub-processes or steps.

SDK

Software Development Kit

Searching

The process of locating a range of records that may match a subject name and address. These are referred to as potential matches. (In contrast, matching returns a narrow range of records that have actually matched the Subject.) Searching and matching work together to locate the set of records relevant to the application at hand. Searching returns a wide range of records that may be related to the subject, and matching does a detailed comparison of each of these against the subject.

Search Keys

A key that is used to find potential records in a data source. Also known as an Enquiry Key.

Search Key techniques

The logic that is used to determine how to find the potential matches in a particular data source.

SLD

A second-level domain (SLD) is a domain that is directly below a top-level domain (TLD). For example, in example.com, example is the second-level domain of the .com TLD.

SOAP

Simple Object Access Protocol. A lightweight protocol for exchange of information in a decentralised, distributed environment. It is an XML based protocol that consists of three parts: an envelope that defines a framework for describing what is in a message and how to process it, a set of encoding rules for expressing instances of application-defined data types, and a convention for representing remote procedure calls and responses.

Sources of Truth

HAVE currently supports: Australian Postal Address File, and New Zealand Postal Address File.

Standardisation

The process of replacing a word with another with the aim of having a more consistent output across all records.

State

The largest division within a country recognised by the national postal service.

Sublocality

Divisions within Towns that are too small to be recognised by the national postal service.

Surname

The family name in western cultures. Referred to as the “Last Name” in some countries.

Synonyms

Literally, synonyms are words of the same or very similar meaning. In address matching, however, synonyms are usually places, types, etc. that are deemed to be the same (usually by the national postal authority). For example, St and Street; Nth Sydney and North Sydney.

TBA

To Be Advised.

Town

The smallest division within a country that is recognised by the national postal service.

TPS

Transactions Per Second. A measurement of database Performance/Throughput.

UI

User Interface. The parts of a computer system or program which can be seen (or heard or otherwise perceived), and the commands and mechanisms people use to control its operation and input data.

UNA Format

Universal Name and Address Format. A Mastersoft standard for the storage of name and address data in which every element of name and address is classified

User Modified Entries

Client-specific entries, such as alternative Titles or Street Types, that have been added by Power Users within your organisation (i.e., not by Mastersoft). See also Core entries.

Validating

A process that refers input data to an authoritative data source (source of truth) to check for validity.

Warning

A message issued when an unusual condition has occurred during cleansing.

Web Services

Simple, self-contained applications which perform functions, from simple requests to complicated business processes. The web services model uses WSDL, UDDI and SOAP/XMLP. A WSDL description is retrieved from the UDDI directory. WSDL descriptions allow the software systems of one business to extend to use those of the other directly. The services are invoked over the World Wide Web using the SOAP/XMLP protocol. Each of the components is XML based.

WLS

Weblogic Server. BEA WebLogic is a J2EE application server and also an HTTP web server by BEA Systems for Unix, Linux, Microsoft Windows, and other platforms. WebLogic supports Oracle, DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, and other JDBC-compliant databases. WebLogic Server supports WS-Security and is compliant with J2EE 1.3.

WSDL

Web Services Description Language. An XML format for describing network services as a set of endpoints operating on messages containing either document-oriented or procedure-oriented information. The operations and messages are described abstractly, and then bound to a concrete network protocol and message format to define an endpoint. Related concrete endpoints are combined into abstract endpoints (services).

XAL

eXtensible Address Language The objective of xAL is to describe a common structure for International Addresses to enable any applications that want to represent addresses in a common standard format

XCIL

eXtensible Customer Information Language The objective of xCIL is to describe a common structure for representing customer centric information in a common standard format

XCRL

eXtensible Customer Relationships Language The objective of xCRL is to describe a common structure for representing effective customer relationship centric information in a common standard format

XML

eXtensible Markup Language. A W3C-recommended general-purpose markup language for creating special-purpose markup languages, capable of describing many different kinds of data. In other words, XML is a way of describing data. An XML file can contain the data too, as in a database. It is a simplified subset of Standard Generalised Markup Language (SGML). Its primary purpose is to facilitate the sharing of data across different systems, particularly systems connected via the Internet.

XML Schema

A description of a type of XML document, typically expressed in terms of constraints on the structure and content of documents of that type, above and beyond the basic syntax constraints imposed by XML itself. An XML schema provides a view of the document type at a relatively high level of abstraction.

XNAL

eXtensible Name and Address Language The objective of xNAL is to describe a common structure for Personal/Organization Names and Addresses that would enable any applications that want to represent customer names and addresses in a common standard format

XNL

eXtensible Name Language The objective of xNL is to describe a common structure for Personal and Organization Names that would enable any applications that want to represent customer names in a common standard format.