Glossary
No resource would be complete without a comprehensive glossary of terms. We’ve compiled a list of terms and their definitions to better help you navigate.
DRDA IBM's Distributed Relational Database Architecture.
DOM Document Object Model an internal-to-the-application, platform-neutral and language-neutral interface allowing programs and scripts to dynamically access and update the content, structure and style of documents. Typically, XML parsers decompose XML documents into a DOM tree that the application can use to transform or process the data.
Distinguished name A set of data that identifies a real-world entity, such as a person in a computer-based context.
Direct Store Delivery (DSD) A method of delivering product from a distributor directly to the retail store, bypassing a retailer's warehouse. The vendor manages the product from order to shelf. Major DSD categories include greeting cards, beverages, baked goods, snacks, pharmaceuticals, etc.
Digital signature An electronic signature that can be applied to any electronic document. An asymmetric encryption algorithm, such as the Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) algorithm, is required to produce a digital signature. The signature involves hashing the document and then encrypting the result with the sender's private key. Any trading partner can verify the signature by decrypting it with the sender's public key, recomputing the hash of the document, and comparing the two hash values for equality. See hash function, private key, public key, and RSA.
DES Digital Encryption Standard. A standard, U.S. Government symmetric encryption algorithm that is endorsed by the U.S. military for encrypting unclassified, yet sensitive information. The Data Encryption Standard is a block cipher, symmetrical algorithm (extremely fast) that uses the same private 64-bit key for encryption and decrypting. This is a 56- bit DES-CBC with an Explicit Initialization Vector (IV). Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) requires an initialization vector to start encryption. The IV is explicitly given in the IPSec packet. See triple DES, and symmetric algorithm.
Decryption The process of transforming cyphertext into plaintext.
DCE Distributed Computing Environment from the Open Software Foundation, DCE provides key distributed technologies such as RPC, distributed naming service, time synchronization service, distributed file system and network security.
Database Middleware Database middleware allows clients to invoke services across multiple databases for communications between the data stores of applications. This middleware is defined by standards such as ODBC, DRDA, RDA, etc
Data Transformation Transformation is a key function of any EAI or inter-application system. There are two basic kinds: syntactic translation changes one data set into another (such as different date or number formats), while semantic transformation changes data based on the underlying data definitions or meaning.
Data Source Party that provides a community of trading partners with master data. The data source is officially recognised as the owner of this data. For a given item or party, the source of data is responsible for permanent updates of the information that is under its responsibility (GCI definition). A data source is also known as ÒPublisher.Ó Examples of data sources: manufacturers, publishers and suppliers.
Data Pool A data pool is a repository of GCI/GDAS data where trading partners can obtain, maintain and exchange information on items and parties in a standard format through electronic means. Multiple trading partners use data pools in order to align/synchronise their internal master databases (GCI GDS definition).
Data Loading A data source sends a full data set to its home data pool. The data loaded can be published only after validation by the data pool and registration in the global registry. This function covers:
Data Level Integration A form of EAI that integrates the different applications' data stores to allow the sharing of information among applications. It requires the loading of data directly into the databases via their native interfaces and does not allow for changes in business logic.
Data integrity Verifies that data has not been altered. One of two data authentication components.
Data authentication Refers either to data integrity alone or to both integrity and origin authentication (although data origin authentication is dependent upon data integrity.)
