Glossary#

Rebus Terms Glossary#

3PL billing module#: An optional module that lets a third party logisitics (3PL) provider generate invoices systematically or manually for a client based on activities done for that client.
adjustment#: Correction of inventory or stock records to bring them into agreement with the findings of the actual (physical) inventory. Inventory adjustments can only be done through the WMS, but their details can be shown on a widget.
alert#: An automated email notification that’s triggered by some metric meeting some pre-defined threshold. An alert can be set up through a widget’s settings menu.
billing cycle#: Part of the 3PL billing module. How often invoices are generated and sent to clients. Billing cycles are set up for each client and are linked to at least one functional area.
billing event#: Part of the 3PL billing module. Activity done for a client of a 3PL logistics provider, is chargeable to the client, and whose details are captured by the host system.
cascading widget group#: A group of widgets where each ‘child’ widget takes parameter values from a ‘parent widget’. Configured on the Cascading Widget Configuration screen. See also child group.
charge configuration#: Used in the 3PL billing module. A configuration setup that lets you determine how much is charged for a billing event.
child group#: A subgroup of widgets within a cascading widget group set up so that only one widget in the child group is displayed at a time based on which metric is clicked in the parent widget.
condition#: An expression that’s evaluated to see if it’s true when a widget is being populated. Each row in the database source table is evaluated against all the conditions in the widget’s filter criteria. Those rows that evaluate as ‘true’ are selected to populate the widget. See also parameter, constant.
condition function#: An widget builder function that evaluates an expression and returns one of two specified return expressions.
constant#: A widget condition whose value a user can’t change on the dashboard. See also parameter.
dashboard#: A web page component that shows views of data relevant to a business or operation. In Rebus, it’s a collection of widgets with user-defined parameters that gives you a status update on how your business or team is doing.
DATE#: Fields of this datatype show the time and date of a transaction in UTC format. They have ‘DATE’ in the field’s name (e.g: COUNT_DATE). The sysdate() function returns dates in this format.
DATE_LOCAL#: Fields of this datatype show the time and date of a transaction in the facility’s local time. They have ‘DATE_LOCAL’ in the field’s name (e.g: COUNT_DATE_LOCAL).
drill down path#: Defines the next widget that opens when you click on an item in a widget to drill down and see greater detail. The drill down path also defines what parameters are passed from the higher-level widget to the query that populates the lower-level widget. Set up in the Widget Drill Down Configuration screen.
enhanced join#: A type of join that lets you join multiple data collections on multiple fields that can be found in both sources instead of just one field as with the regular join. You can build widgets that use enhanced joins through the Join Collection stage of the Widget Builder screen.
ERP status#: Part of the QA module. An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) status is a more readable version of a global status .
external user#: User who will be logging in using an email address that is not part of your company’s domain. External users must be assigned to the external user profile.
FS user#: ‘FS’ stands for ‘Federated Services’. An FS user account can login to Rebus using single sign-on credentials from Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS).
functional area#: Part of the 3PL billing module. A category that can be applied to a set of related activities. When setting up the 3PL Billing module, you assign functional areas to billing cycle configurations, which are linked to an invoice configuration.
future transaction#: Part of the 3PL billing module. A recurring transaction that has not yet reached its effective date.
global status#: Used within the QA module. A product status used within company. Can be mapped to more readable labels and to statuses on other systems at third party logistics providers. See also ERP status and group status.
grouping#: A unique transaction ID number assigned to each transaction by the WMS.
group status#: Used within the QA module. A product status in a third party logistics systems that be mapped to your company’s global status .
identity provider#: An identity provider (IDP) is a system entity that creates, maintains, and manages identity information for users or systems while providing authentication services to relying applications within a federation or distributed network.
invoice configuration#: Part of the 3PL billing module. A template that defines which details are shown on an invoice and how the line items are grouped.
isolation group#: When viewing widgets on dashboards, members of an isolation group can see only the data that the group’s isolation rule authorizes them to see regardless of how those widgets are otherwise set up to display data.
join#: An operation that establishes a connection between two or more database tables based on matching columns, thereby creating a relationship between the tables. You can build widgets that use joins through the Join Collection stage of the Widget Builder screen. See also enhanced join
kiosk mode#: A mode that offers full screen display.
local user#: A user who logs in using a Rebus username and password.
metric#: A standard measurement adopted by an industry to measure performance, quality, and risk.
Open Authorization (OAuth)#: A token-based authentication and authorization standard that allows third-party services to use users’ account information to log them in.
organization#: The organization record holds contact details and configuration preferences of the organization whose data is being collected and displayed on Rebus. Each Rebus environment has only one organization record. An organization record has an associated record for each system and facility.
parameter#: A widget condition whose value a user can change. See also constant.
PHI#: Personal Healthcare Information. PII that has health information.
PII#: Personally Identifiable Information. Information that can be used to identify an individual (e.g., name, birthdate, ID number) or sensitive information that can be linked to an individual.
profile#: Determines what screens and widgets a user can access. Each user must be assigned to a user profile.
quarantined transaction#: A transaction from the WMS that couldn’t be converted into an activity in Rebus due to a configuration error. I.e., a user record, activity type, or activity group isn’t set up in Rebus for the transaction. See also incomplete transaction.
query#: A structured request for data from a database. Each widget is populated by a query. You can create your own custom query.
recurring transaction#: Part of the 3PL billing module. A billing event that’s scheduled to regularly repeat. E.g., a recurring storage fee.
report#: Data organized as a grid that’s printable and exportable as a PDF. Reports are accessed through Menu -> Widget Administration -> Report Viewer.
runtime#: Time when a database query is executed to retrieve data to populate a widget.
SAML#: Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is an open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between parties, in particular, between an identity provider and a service provider. SAML is an XML-based markup language for security assertions (statements that service providers use to make access-control decisions).
sign-on#: An activity that signals the start of a labor user’s working day. Each facility must be configured with one sign-on activity type. See also sign-off.
stage#: A widget builder stage lets you select or manipulate data in a particular way. To prepare data for your widget, set up a sequence of stages. Each stage performs some operation on the data and then passes the resultant data set onto the next stage for further processing.
sub-menu#: An expandable and collapsible menu of options (e.g., dashboards) that you can set up in the Menu panel.
super user#: A type of user who can see all screens and view query results as a data set to better troubleshoot the results.
superwidget#: A widget that shows in a single chart the combined data of more than one active widget. A superwidget’s data set is a union of the data of its component widgets.
system#: Host database that holds the source data that’s used to populate widgets.
timezone ID#: A Timezone ID code allows Rebus to determine whether Daylight Savings Time is observed in a jurisdiction and to account for that when displaying time. You apply these codes to systems and facilities. For more information about the timezone ID codes of the tz database, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones .
UOM#: Unit of Measurement. Can also refer to a customizable unit of measure that you configure in the 3PL billing module and that’s used to calculate the charges for billing events.
white labeling#: Functionality that allows you to customize your Rebus application by using your organization’s logo and title.
WMS#: Warehouse Management System
widget#: A GUI component that presents a dynamic visualization of data with user-defined parameters. Rebus has a default set of out-of-the-box widgets, but you can build your own custom widgets. In Rebus, you can set up a widget that uses a query to pull data from a data collection and presents it in a graphical format. Widgets are added to dashboards.

Labor Module Glossary#

activity#: An activity represents a work task or an event that must be accounted for in your operation’s schedule.

If you have the Labor Module turned on in your Rebus enviornment, each activity can be associated with an activity group and can have multiple steps. It has attributes of time, facility, measurement, work category and whether it’s essential (i.e., Whether you want to measure performance for activities of this activity type). Such activities can be a standard direct activity, or a standard indirect activity. Activities like break s, meetings, and sick-time would usually be considered non-essential. See also step, activity group.
activity adjustment#: A manual change to the schedule of activities. In Rebus, activity adjustments can be either adding a new activity (a ‘new’ adjustment’) or inserting an activity into an already existing activity (a ‘mass’ adjustment’). Done through the Activity Adjustment screen. See also mass adjustment.
activity group#: Used to group multiple types of transactions from the WMS under a single activity type in Rebus. See also step, activity.
auxiliary field#: Holds values that Rebus uses to select transactions from the WMS and convert each into an activity in the labor module. The auxiliary fields together make up a ‘mapping scheme’ for an activity group. The auxiliary fields have to be configured by the Rebus team.
AUX constant#: An auxiliary field used as a constant in a time component. An AUX constant must hold a numerical value, but the value itself doesn’t necessarily have to be constant. For example, if you have multiple tasks whose durations are calculated based on a variable value in an auxiliary field, then you can set it up as an AUX constant and use it as a time component for those tasks.
base shift#: The shift that stores a user’s measurable hours.
break#: A pause in work. In Rebus, breaks are configured for a shift and automatically inserted into an existing activity. A user has to be part of a shift to get automatically inserted breaks.
enhanced mapping#: A mapping scheme that allows the use of multiple auxiliary field s to link activities to activity group by selecting one value per auxiliary field and establishing restrictions and constraints.
fatigue allowance#: Additional time given to labor users to recover from physical exhaustion caused by prolonged work. The fatigue allowance is added to the activity’s goal time. For more information, see Fatigue Allowance.
goal hours#: Standard amount of time expected for labor users to complete an activity. An activity’s goal time can vary depending on the nature of the activity, and other factors that may affect their ability to complete the task efficiently. To accommodate to the different factors that influence the goal time, it can comprise the default time measurement (TMU), travel distance, time component s, and fatigue allowance . The goal hours are used to compute the performance percentage.
incomplete transaction#: A transaction from the WMS that couldn’t be converted into an activity in Rebus due to a validation error. Usually, these are two-step transactions that are either missing a step or the two steps don’t match with regard to user or quantity.
indirect hours#: Time spent by employees on non-essential, non-productive activities. E.g., meetings, breaks, lunch time.
Labor Module#: Rebus module that shows how effectively your warehouse staff are performing.
labor overall performance#: Expressed as a percentage. Goal hours/Measured hours for all tracked users across all activities.
labor user#: A user in the WMS who has been set up in the Rebus Labor Module. If you want a user’s time to be tracked by the Rebus labor module, that user needs to be set up in the labor module.
labor user group#: Used for reporting purposes. A group is set up for each group of labor users whose performance you want to measure at a group level. A labor user can belong to only one labor user group. A labor user group is associated to a particular facility.
mass adjustment#: A manual schedule change that involves inserting an activity into an already existing activity. Can be used to account for unexpected interruptions to ongoing activities.
measured hours#: Actual time spent on activities that the enterprise wants to measure, such as those configured with time goals on the Activity Configuration screen. Depending on the nature of the activity, the measured time can be the time of the standard direct activity, or a combination of the standard direct activity, standard indirect activity, and off-standard indirect activity. The measured hours are used to compute the performance percentage.
non-essential#: Qualification applied to a non-productive activity (e.g., breaks, meeting, cleaning). A.k.a. ‘indirect activities’. Non-essential activities have two steps: A start step and a stop step. Rebus automatically adds a stop time to a non-essential transaction when another transaction begins.
off-standard indirect activity#: A work task that supports warehouse operations and is essential to complete production work. These activities are usually unplanned or ad-hoc, arising from special circumstances or exceptions to normal warehouse operations, and do not have a calculated goal time.
performance percentage#: goal hours/measured hours. I.e., How much time the activity took as a percentage of the goal time. The goal is set up for an activity type when its TMU is set up.
shift#: A recurring period in which groups of workers perform similar tasks in relay. In Rebus, each labor user can be assigned to shifts. A user can be assigned to multiple shifts so long as they are not scheduled for the same day of the week. Each shift is specific to a facility.
sign-off#: An activity that signals the end of a labor user’s working day. Each facility must be configured with one sign-off activity type. See also sign-on.
simple mapping#: A mapping scheme that links activities to an activity group by putting multiple values into an auxiliary field.
standard direct activity#: A work task associated with handling the product from receiving to shipping. Examples include receiving, put away, replenishment, picking, loading, etc.
standard indirect activity#: A work task associated with processes that don’t directly relate to on standard direct activities, but are necessary for the production process. Examples include repacking, returning, palletizing, etc.
step#: A component of an activity that stores the activity’s duration. Most activities have only one step, but some have two and they can have even more.
TMU#: Time Measurement Unit. 1 TMU = 36 milliseconds or 1 hour = 100,000 TMU.
WLM#: Warehouse Labor Management
work category#: Used for reporting purposes. Apply a work category to activity types that you want to measure at a group level.

Travel Time Matrix Glossary#

attribute matrix#: A matrix that has strings (a.k.a. attributes) instead of time values as lookup values. The attribute is usually a defined zone (e.g., ZONE1, ZONE2, ZONE3) that can be used in another numeric matrix to arrive at a time value.
horizontal travel distance#: The distance travelled on a ground level from one location to another; it’s calculated along the X and Y axis of a warehouse’s cartesian map. It partly makes up the travel distance.
location X, Y, Z coordinates#: Cartesian coordinates that locate a warehouse location by its distance from an origin (0,0,0) where three orthogonal axes cross. The x-coordinate is measured along the east-west axis, the y-coordinate is measured along the north-south axis, and the z-coordinate measures height or elevation.
matrix#: A table that holds a set of coordinates called vector s and an associated ‘lookup value’.
numeric matrix#: A matrix that has up to three locations as vectors and a numeric time value as a lookup value.
time component#: A subset of the time it takes to complete an activity. Each time component is added to calculate a user’s expected time to complete an activity. Time components are added to activity types in the Activity Configuration screen. A time component maps an activity type to one or more matrices.
travel distance#: The distance travelled from one location to another location to complete an activity. Rebus always calculates the shortest travel distance. It can comprise the horizontal travel distance, the vertical travel distance, or both.
Travel Distance Map#: A configured table that Rebus uses to determine the shortest travel distance; it contains the following information about all the warehouse’s locations: 1) The location’s identifiable attribute value: taken from transactions pulled from your WMS and stored in Rebus. 2) The location’s X,Y,Z coordinates.
vector#: A coordinate that when combined with other vectors in the same matrix row points to an associated ‘lookup value’ like a time value or an attribute.
vertical travel distance#: The distance travelled to pick or deposit inventory on a given level; it’s calculated along the Z axis of a warehouse’s cartesian map and counted twice for a given location. It partly makes up the travel distance.

Labor Planning Glossary#

demand#

Any type of work that requires labor costs from warehouse staff to complete it. Examples: outbound orders, inbound receipts, work orders, production, directed tasks, etc.

Demand Type#

Setup that classifies a demand. It contains the Historical Widget and the Future Widget. An example of a Demand Type is one you would name ‘Outbound Orders’ to classify the demand of outbound orders.

Forecast Definition#

Setup that’s executed to forecast labor costs for a demand.

Future Widget#

Used to get the total future quantities of a demand. A future widget can be either:

An active widget populated with data records imported from your WMS. It contains data about an upcoming demand. It could be the same widget that’s assigned as the Historical Widget.

An active widget populated by a custom data entry form used for what-if type of planning. The custom data entry form contains forecasted data about the demand based on a study of historical data and patterns.

Historical Widget#

Used to get the total historical quantities of a given demand. It’s populated with data imported from your WMS and therefore captures historical and current data about the demand.

labor costs#

measured hours and goal hours for completing an activity.

Labor Definition#

Setup that groups one or many activities. It contains the Labor Definition Source.

labor definition source#

Used to get the total historical labor costs for a given demand. It captures current and historical data about one or more activities, including the historical labor costs.

Labor Planning#

Rebus module that forecasts labor costs for an upcoming demand based on historical trends and a Forecast Definition.

Plan Definition#

Setup of a collection of Plan Mapping s.

Plan Mapping#

Associates a Demand Type and a Labor Definition. Using mapping attributes, it associates the demand to relevant activities. It also defines the mapping method.

mapping method#

Determines how future labor costs are calculated.

Chart Design Glossary#

area#: A line chart where the area between the line and the argument axis is shaded or colored. See also stacked area and full stacked area.
argument axis#: In a chart, usually the reference line that runs horizontally from left to right (a.k.a., the x-axis). Shows the range of values (e.g., time, locations, people) by which a relevant metric (e.g., orders, inventory, hours worked) are grouped and plotted. See also value axis.
bar#: A bar chart uses horizontal or vertical bars to show measurements. It’s the best type to display quantities that need to be easily compared side by side. See also full stacked bar and stacked bar.
bubble#: A bubble chart lets you plot data points on a chart and show for each three different variables: One along the x-axis, a second along the y-axis and a third shown by the size of the circle around the data point. Bubble charts can be used to compare and show relationships. Note: Too many bubbles can make the chart hard to read.
card#: A card widget shows just one numeric value on a colored background. A card is a good choice when there’s one important value that doesn’t have an upper or lower limit. For values that have an expected range, creating a linear gauge could be a good option.
chart#: Widget type that plots data along axes usually in the form of a bar chart or a line chart.
circular gauge#: A widget type that resembles a car’s speedometer. Has indicator colors along the gauge’s circular track. Good type to use when you need to show the real-time value of a single important metric that’s measured along a continuous scale.
dual axis chart#: Dual-axis charts overlay two different charts with a shared argument axis, but potentially different value axis scales (one for each series). This can be useful to show a direct comparison between the two sets of values, while also including the context of the argument axis variable. It is common to use different base chart types, like the bar and line combination, to reduce confusion of the different axis scales for each axis.
full stacked area#: A stacked area chart where the colored sections represent proportionally by how much the measurements of each series differ from each other rather than the absolute values.
full stacked bar#: A stacked bar chart where each bar is the same height, and the colored sections are shown as proportions of the bar rather than as absolute values.
full stacked line#: A stacked line chart where the lines show proportionally by how much the measurements of each series differ from each other rather than the absolute values.
grid#: Displays data in rows and columns like an excel spreadsheet. Best used when you have data items that the user will be comparing by visually scanning values across a row.
line#: A line chart displays data as a series of data points connected by straight lines. It’s best for when you need to show how the value of a metric trends over time.
linear gauge#: A widget type that presents a metric along a straight horizontal scale. Good type to use when you need to show the real-time value of a single important metric that’s measured along a continuous scale.
pie chart#: Widget type that visually presents data items as slices of a pie. Can be a good option if your goal is to present quantities whose relative sizes need to be judged visually and you want to convey the idea that all the data items form a cohesive whole.
range bar#: A bar chart that represents ranges between a minimum value and a maximum value as a bar. Best used to compare value ranges and when you want to focus on the maximum and minimum values. Note that each bar shows you the extreme values but gives no information about the distribution of values inside the range. See also range area.
range area#: A type of area chart where the colored areas represent ranges between a minimum value and a maximum value at each point in the argument axis. See also range bar.
series#: All values in the same row or column of a data set.
spline#: A spline chart is a line chart that shows smooth curves through the data points instead of straight lines.
spline area#: A spline chart where the areas between the measurement lines are colored.
stacked area#: An area chart that shows the measurements from different series stacked on top of each other. Each color represents the gap between a series’s measurements and the one beneath it. Stacked area charts are useful for comparing multiple series changing over time. Can be confusing if the series’s lines cross each other.
stacked bar#: A bar chart that shows the measurements from different series stacked on top of each other. Each bar is segmented into colored sections, with each color representing a series. This chart type lets you see how different measurements add together to make a whole. Good choice if you need to see part-to-whole comparisons that don’t involve too many series. See also full stacked bar.
stacked line#: A line chart that shows the measurements from different series stacked on top of each other. Stacked line charts are useful for comparing multiple series changing over time.
step line#: A step line chart is a line chart that does not use the shortest distance to connect two data points. Instead, it uses vertical and horizontal lines to connect the data points in a series forming a step-like progression. The vertical parts of a Step chart denote changes in the data and their magnitude.
step area#: A step chart where the areas between the measurement lines are colored.
value axis#: In a chart, usually the reference line that runs vertically from top to bottom (a.k.a., the y-axis). Shows the values for a relevant metric (e.g., orders, inventory, hours worked) in relation to another range of values on the argument axis (e.g., time, locations, people). See also argument axis.

Metrics Glossary#

correct count#: A count transaction where the manually counted quantity equals the system recorded quantity. See also incorrect count.
count accuracy#: Expressed as a percentage. Number of correct count s/Number of total counts. See also location count.
external order cycle time#: Total time in hours between the order creation date received from the customer’s system and the trailer dispatch date/order completion date. See also internal order cycle time.
incorrect count#: A count transaction where the manually counted quantity does not equal the system recorded quantity. See also correct count.
internal order cycle time#: Total time in hours between the WMS Order add date and the trailer dispatch date/order completion date. See also external order cycle time.
location count#: A manual count of all units at a particular location in the warehouse. If the number of manually counted units at the location matches the system expected quantity, then the location count will be considered ‘correct’. Otherwise, it will be ‘incorrect’. See also correct count, count accuracy.
location count accuracy#: Expressed as a percentage. Number of correct location counts/Number of total location counts. See also location count , correct count, count accuracy
perfect order percentage#: Total orders that were shipped without a shortage or overage / Total of orders shipped.
perfect order line percentage#: Total of order lines that were shipped without a shortage or overage / Total of order lines shipped.
perfect order quantity percentage#: Quantity shipped/Total ordered quantity
space utilization#: Expressed as a percentage. Used volume / Total volume available
UOM count accuracy#: Expressed as a percentage. Number of total correct quantity counts / Number of total quantity counts. See also count accuracy, correct count.

Function and Data Types Glossary#

argument#: Specific input to a function. Also known as an independent variable.
boolean#: Data type that has two possible values: ‘True’ or ‘False’.
double#: A number that can have a floating point. I.e., a decimal point.
Eulers number#: A number that’s used as the base for natural logarithms. Approximately equal to 2.71828.
expression#: Mathematical phrase that can contain string values, numbers, fields, and operators (like add,subtract,multiply, and divide).
integer#: A whole number. I.e., one that can be expressed without a fraction component.
ISO 8601 format#: International standard covering the exchange of date- and time-related data.
number#: Literal representation of a number’s full value.
standard deviation#: Indicates how far from the minimum and maximum the average of the measured time is. A low standard deviation indicates that the process is consistent.
string#: A data type that stores text, both characters and spaces.

Warehouse Mapping Glossary#

automated property#: Map object property used to import a warehouse map and the ID values of map objects with a .csv file.
Bottom-Up method#: Method of designing a warehouse map that begins with building the components of the location’s layer.
color mapping#: Associating colors with absolute or relative values using a color picker tool.
component#: Building blocks of a warehouse map that interlock to make up a whole.
composite property#: A map object property comprised of simple properties.
data source#: Determines how a map layer’s objects are populated with data values.
ID value#: Matches a map object with values from the existing data source.
labelling pattern#: The direction in which to systematically assign a value to a component’s simple property.
layer#: Displays color-coded data values in the Warehouse Maps widget by grouping map objects of the same type.
map object#: A shape drawn on a layer that represents a warehouse space, such as a zone, aisle, bay, location, etc.
simple property#: Map object property used to assign a simple ID value to a map object or build a composite property.
Top-Down method#: Method of designing a warehouse map that begins with drawing the parent object of the highest layer and subdividing it to create child objects.
warehouse map#: Interactive two-dimensional map used as a template for creating Warehouse Maps widgets.
Warehouse Mapping#: Rebus module that lets you create warehouse maps that are colored by data values and give you real-time visual representation of warehouse operations and issues.
Warehouse Maps Widget#: Colored representation of data about a warehouse’s locations, where data values are represented as different colors.

Glossary

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