> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.in8sync.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.in8sync.com/getting-started/glossary.md).

# Glossary

Plain-language definitions for every term you'll meet in SphericalBRM + POS, whether you're setting it up or using it day to day.

A reference for the terms used across the rest of the documentation. Definitions are written in plain language — where a term means something slightly different to an admin than to someone on the shop floor, both meanings are given.

## A

### Attribute

A property that describes a product — Color, Size, Material. Attributes can be used to filter and search products.

## B

### Barcode

The pattern of black and white lines on a product's label. When scanned, it identifies the product.

## C

### Cart

A temporary holding area for products you want to order. You add items while browsing, then submit the cart as an order.

### Cash Drawer

The cash compartment attached to a register, and the system's record of cash activity during a shift. You open the drawer at the start and close it at the end; <code class="expression">space.vars.productName</code> tracks the starting amount, every movement, and the closing balance.

### Catalog

The collection of products available to browse and order from. Catalogs include products, categories, pricing and stock information, and different subsidiaries can have different catalogs.

### Category

A group of related products within a catalog — Men's, Women's, Accessories. Categories can be nested.

### Checkout

The final step of a sale, where you confirm the order and take payment.

### Contact

An individual person linked to a company record. Contacts can be given their own login and role.

### Convert Quote

Turning a quote or estimate into a confirmed order. Once converted, the quote is locked and the order moves into processing.

### Credit / Store Credit

A balance on a customer's account that can be put toward purchases.

### Customer

A company or individual that buys from your organization. Customers can be given portal access to browse and order.

### Customer Display

A second screen facing the shopper during a sale, separate from the cashier's screen. It shows order lines, totals, payment progress and promotions, and during a return it shows return lines and refund status. The cashier launches it from the order screen.

### Customer Hold Rule

A rule that automatically puts an order into pending approval based on conditions such as the customer's credit limit, the order type, or the payment method. With no rules set, all orders proceed normally.

## D

### Dashboard

The home screen you land on after signing in. It shows summaries, quick links and key numbers.

### Default Address

The shipping address selected automatically on a new order. You can change it per order.

### Discount

A reduction in price, either a percentage or a fixed amount. It can apply to one line or the whole order.

### Draft Order

An order that's been started and saved but not submitted. You can come back and finish it later.

## E

### Employee

A staff member in your organization. Employees are assigned roles that determine what they can do in the portal.

### End-of-Day Report

The summary produced when a register is closed for the day: total sales, a breakdown by payment method, cash drawer totals, and any discrepancy.

### Entity

Any person or organization in the system — employees, customers, vendors, partners and contacts.

### Entity Type

The classification of a person or organization: Employee, Customer, Vendor or Partner. Entity type determines which portal and features they can reach.

## F

### Filter

A way to narrow a list. Filtering orders by Shipped shows only shipped orders.

### Float

The cash in the drawer at the start of a shift. Also called starting cash.

### Fulfillment

Preparing a confirmed order for shipment — picking the items, packing them, adding a packing slip and handing off to the carrier.

## G

### Gift Card

A prepaid card with a stored value that can be used for purchases.

### Gift Card Status

The current balance and validity of a gift card — whether it's active, expired or empty. There's also a Gift Card Status block admins can add to a page, which looks a card up without applying it to an order.

## I

### Invoice

A document showing what was ordered, the quantities, prices and total due.

### Item / Product

Something available for sale. Each item has a name, price, SKU and other details.

## L

### Line Item

One row on an order, representing a single product and its quantity. An order with three different products has three line items.

### Location

A physical or logical place where your business operates or holds stock — a store, warehouse or office. Stock levels differ by location.

## M

### Modal

A pop-up that overlays the current page without navigating away. Used for confirmations, quick-entry forms and pickers.

### Module

To an admin, a single page within a workflow — a dashboard module, an order form module, a catalog module. To someone using the portal, it's simply one of the areas listed in the sidebar.

### Module Type

The kind of page a module represents: Dashboard, Page, Order Form, Catalog, Reports, Modal, Header Navigation, Sidebar Navigation or Public. The type determines what can be placed on it in the Page Builder.

## O

### Order

A request to purchase one or more products. Once submitted it moves through processing, fulfillment and delivery.

### Order Form

The screen for creating and editing an order — adding products, choosing a customer, applying discounts, picking a shipping method and submitting.

## P

### Packing Slip

A document included with a shipment listing what's in the package.

### Page Builder

The drag-and-drop tool in the Admin Portal for designing portal pages. You drag ready-made components onto a canvas and configure each one. No coding needed.

### Partner

A partner company that works with your organization. Partners can be given portal access with their own role and workflow.

### Payment Method

How a customer pays — cash, card, gift card, store credit.

### Payment PIN Authorization

A setting that requires an employee to enter a PIN before the payment screen opens. It can check against the employee's own PIN or a fixed PIN set by the admin, and it records who authorized the payment. Separate from PIN Override.

### PIN

A numeric code used to identify an employee or approve a restricted action such as a discount or a void.

### PIN Override

A security feature requiring a PIN to reach a workflow or a sensitive component. Used for register access, manager-only actions and shared devices. PINs live on each user's NetSuite record and every entry is recorded.

### Portal

One of the three web applications: the Admin Portal for configuration, the User Portal for daily work, and the Public Portal for public browsing.

### POS (Point of Sale)

The system and process for ringing up in-person sales.

### POS Assignment

The settings controlling which locations and registers an employee can use, and how they sign in — choose manually, auto-select, or lock to one register.

### Preset

A ready-made set of theme settings you can apply and then customize.

### Provision

Granting someone access to log in. Provisioning connects a person's NetSuite record to a portal login and their assigned workflow.

## R

### Receipt

A record of a completed sale given to the customer, printed or emailed.

### Receiving

Accepting and logging incoming stock — scanning items, checking quantities and condition, and confirming receipt.

### Refund

Money returned to a customer, usually after a return. It can go back to the original payment method or as store credit.

### Register

A point-of-sale workstation. Each register has a cash drawer and tracks who is operating it and what's been processed.

### Reorder

Placing a new order using the items from a previous one.

### Return

Bringing a product back after purchase. The return process handles the item and issues a refund or store credit.

### Role

A user's assigned position — Cashier, Sales Rep, Manager. The role links to a workflow, so it determines everything the user can see and do.

## S

### Saved Order

An order saved for later, for example when a customer wants to keep shopping before checking out. Saved orders can be recalled at any time.

### Session Variable

A temporary value stored while a user is signed in. Session variables pass information between pages during a single session and clear at sign-out.

### Single Sign-On (SSO)

Signing in with existing company credentials, such as a Microsoft or Google account, instead of a separate username and password.

### SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)

A unique code identifying a specific product. No two products share a SKU.

### Sort

Changing the order of a list — products by price, orders by date.

### Split Payment

Paying for one purchase with two or more payment methods, such as part cash and part card.

### Stock / Inventory

How many units of a product are available.

### Subcategory

A smaller group within a category. Within Electronics you might have Phones, Tablets and Accessories.

### Subsidiary

A business unit, division or region. Each subsidiary can have its own products, currency, tax rules, branding and workflows. What a user sees is tailored to the subsidiary they sign in to.

### Subtotal

The cost of the items before tax, shipping and discounts.

### Suspend a Sale

Pausing a sale and saving it so you can come back to it — useful when a customer needs to step away.

## T

### Tax

The amount added to the total as required by local tax law. Calculated automatically.

### Theme

The visual appearance of your portal: colours, fonts, logo, and light or dark background. Themes can be set per subsidiary.

### Tracking Number

A code from the shipping carrier that lets you follow a package to delivery.

### Transaction

A business document or recorded event — a sales order, invoice, cash sale, return, void or payment.

## U

### Unit of Measure

How a product is sold: each, case, box, pair, dozen, gallon. It affects both price and quantity.

## V

### Variation / Variant

A specific version of a product. A t-shirt might vary by size and colour.

### Vendor

A supplier that provides goods or services to your organization. Vendors can be given portal access.

### Void

Cancelling a transaction completely, as if it never happened. Different from a return, which handles specific items.

## W

### Widget

A small panel on a dashboard showing one piece of information, such as today's sales total.

### Workflow

The top-level configuration that decides what a user sees when they sign in. A workflow is a set of modules tailored to a role — a Cashier workflow might have a POS page and a catalog, while a Manager workflow adds reports.

## Related

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Key Concepts</strong></td><td>The core ideas behind <code class="expression">space.vars.productName</code>.</td><td><a href="/getting-started/key-concepts.md">Key Concepts</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>What is</strong> <code class="expression">space.vars.productName</code><strong>?</strong></td><td>The platform at a glance.</td><td><a href="/getting-started/what-is-spherical-brm.md">What is SphericalBRM + POS?</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Getting Help</strong></td><td>Where to go when you're stuck.</td><td><a href="/end-user-guide/faq/getting-help.md">Getting Help</a></td></tr></tbody></table>