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Term	Acronym	Definition
1SYNC™		1SYNC was established from the consolidation of Transora and UCCnet in August 2005. 1SYNC operates as a not-for-profit subsidiary of GS1 US to help the industry maximize the value of data synchronization. 1SYNC offers a range of data synchronization services that eliminate costly data errors, increase supply chain efficiencies, and promote the advancement of next-generation technologies, such as the Electronic Product Code. 1SYNC is headquartered in Lawrenceville, NJ with offices in the U.S., Brazil, France, Mexico, and the U.K. Visit www.1SYNC.org for more information.
2005 Sunrise		An industry initiative of United States and Canadian companies to become capable of scanning and processing EAN-8 symbols, EAN-13 symbols, and 12-digit Universal Product Code symbols at the point-of-sale by January 1, 2005. Because 2005 Sunrise may require system changes for companies, GS1 US recommends that companies become GTIN Compliant to prepare for GS1 DataBar (RSS) symbols, data synchronization using the Global Data Synchronization Network, and EPC tags.
2005 Sunrise Compliant		A company that can scan and process EAN-8 and EAN-13 symbols in addition to 12-digit Universal Product Code symbols at point-of-sale. Compliant companies process and store the product identification numbers scanned from EAN-8, Universal Product Code, and EAN-13 symbols in their entirety. Note: These product identification numbers are properly referred to as Global Trade Item Numbers. Erroneous practices include dropping Check Digits and extracting the Company Prefix to identify the supplier. Companies that parse or change the Global Trade Item Numbers must discontinue this practice. Compliant companies do not erroneously assign numbers in their internal applications using U.P.C. Prefixes of 1, 8, or 9.
2D symbology		Bar code symbols designed to increase data capacity beyond linear bar code symbols while still being readable by optical means. Two categories of two-dimensional symbols exist: multi-row (or stacked) and matrix. A Composite Component is a stacked two-dimensional symbol and a GS1 Data Matrix symbol is a matrix two-dimensional symbol.
3rd Party Logistics Provider	3PL	Party providing logistics-related services, such as transportation management, supply chain management, warehousing, re-packing products, distribution, and/or assembly.
Accredited Standards Committee X12	ASC X12	The accredited American National Standards Institute committee responsible for the development and maintenance of American National Standards for Electronic Data Interchange.
Acknowledgement		In the global data synchronization process, this is an Extensible Markup Language response to a command returned to the originator. Every command needs a response. Acknowledgement messages are standardized and may contain the following information: confirmation of message receipt, success/failure of processing for syntax and content, or reason code for each type of failure.
active tag		A class of RFID tag that contains a power source, such as a battery, to power the microchip’s circuitry. Active tags transmit a signal to a reader and can be read from 100 feet (approximately 31 meters) or more.
activity diagram		A representation of relationships of activities that have a clear input and a clear output.
actor		An entity that performs action on or receives action from a use case.
Add-On Symbol		A bar code symbol used to encode information supplementary to that in the main EAN/UPC bar code symbol.
addressable imaging resolution		The maximum number of image positions along a straight line one inch in length that can be addressed by the designer. This resolution would exclude further resolution-enhancing techniques performed by the imaging device or software that are beyond the control of the designer.
Advance Ship Notice	ASN	The Electronic Data Interchange transaction that provides the receiving company with advance data on shipments to better plan workloads and receipt processing.
Align Data Business Requirement Group	ALIGN BRG	In the Global Standards Management Process, the scope of this group is to create, document, and maintain the business requirements of the business parties, their items, and prices using process and data models. The group develops and maintains business process models and supporting process diagrams, class diagrams, and data attribute listings maintained in the data repository.
alphanumeric	AN	Describes a character set that contains alphabetic characters (letters), numeric digits (numbers), and other characters, such as punctuation marks.
American National Standards Institute	ANSI	A private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the United States voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system.
ANSI-based verifier		An instrument designed to measure the various characteristics of printed bar code symbols to determine if they meet the requirements of the ANSI X3.182–1990 Bar Code Print Quality Guideline.
ANSI Symbol Grade		A symbol grade per the ANSI X3.182–1990 Bar Code Print Quality Guideline.
antenna		The conductive element that enables a RFID tag or reader to send and receive data.
aperture		A physical opening that is part of the optical path in a device such as a scanner, photometer, or camera. Most apertures are circular, but they may be rectangular or elliptical.
Applicability Statement 1	AS1	The draft specification standard by which vendor applications communicate Electronic Data Interchange data over Simple Mail Transport Protocol. When implemented, AS1 enables users to connect, deliver, and reply to data securely and reliably over Simple Mail Transport Protocol.
Applicability Statement 2	AS2	The draft specification standard by which vendor applications communicate Electronic Data Interchange or Extensible Markup Language data over the Internet using Hypertext Transfer Protocol. When implemented, AS2 enables users to connect, deliver, and reply to data securely and reliably over Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
Applicability Statement 3	AS3	The draft specification standard by which vendor applications communicate Electronic Data Interchange data over the Internet via File Transfer Protocol. When implemented, AS3 enables users to connect, deliver, and reply to data securely and reliably over File Transfer Protocol.
Application Identifier	AI	The field of two or more digits at the beginning of an element string that uniquely identifies its format and meaning within the GS1 System.
Application Service Provider	ASP	Third-party software distribution and/or management service. Generally provides software via a wide area network from a centralized data center. Allows companies to outsource and more efficiently upgrade software.
Application Standards		Rules for producing and applying technical standards to specific business problems. Examples: The framework for implementing the EPCglobal Network in a sector or guidelines for the physical application of tags to products.
as-is model		Representation of the current business process.
Asset Type		A number assigned by the owner of an asset to uniquely identify a type of returnable asset within a Global Returnable Asset Identifier.
assorted pack/setpack	AP	This may be a consumable pack with a front end scannable bar code physically attached, or it may be simply a logistical pack with or without a physical bar code that is used by the manufacturer for breakage prevention or other logistical purpose, but is not the primary logistical shipping unit. All components of the pack have their own separate scannable bar codes physically attached.
attribute		(1) A piece of information reflecting a characteristic related to an identification number, e.g., an expiration date with a Global Trade Item Number; (2) A specification, feature, or characteristic that describes the physical, compositional, or structural properties of a good or service.
Attribute/Value Pairs	A/VP	The transport mechanism to pass attributes as an extension to the core attributes through the Global Data Synchronization Network.
authentication		A mechanism that allows the receiver of an electronic transmission to verify the sender and the integrity of the content of the transmission through the use of an electronic key or algorithm, shared by the trading partners. This is sometimes referred to as an electronic signature.
autodiscrimination		The capability of a reader to automatically recognize and decode multiple bar code symbologies.
Auto-ID Labs		Academic entity headquartered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology originally chartered to research and develop Electronic Product Code technologies and applications along with five other research universities around the world: the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom; the University of Adelade in Australia; Keio University in Tokyo, Japan; Fudan University in Shanghai, China; and the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. See www.autoidlabs.org for additional information including updates to the labs and their progress.
Automatic Identification and Data Capture	AIDC	Technology associated with the creation and acquisition of machine-readable data. The primary technologies are bar codes and radio frequency identification.
background		The lighter portion of a bar code symbol, including the spaces between the bars and, where required, Quiet Zones.
bar		The dark (low reflectance) rectangular element of a bar code symbol.
bar code		A precise arrangement of parallel lines (bars) and spaces that vary in width to represent data.
bar code character		A group of bars and spaces that represents a letter, number, or other information.
bar code density		The number of symbol characters that can be represented in a specific unit of measure.
bar code master		See film master.
bar gain/loss		The increase/decrease in bar dimensions due to effects of the reproduction and printing processes with two-dimensional symbols; bar gain applies to height as well.
bar height		The dimension of a bar (line) measured from top to bottom.
Bar Height Reduction	BHR	The uniform Bar Height Reduction of a bar code symbol in the film master or digital bar code file corrects for anticipated bar growth in the imaging or printing process.
bar width		The thickness of a bar (line) measured from one of its edges to the other.
Bar Width Reduction	BWR	The uniform Bar Width Reduction of a bar code symbol in the film master or digital bar code file corrects for anticipated bar growth in the imaging or printing process.
base unit	BU	The lowest level of the item hierarchy (packaging configuration). May not have any children.
basic types		Structures used to enforce restrictions on basic data types defined by the World Wide Web Consortium Extensible Markup Language schema specification. Restrictions describe the length of strings, integers, and floats, and can be predefined accordingly.
batch EDI		The pre-scheduled transmission or receipt of Electronic Data Interchange data.
batch load		Technique for uploading or downloading data. A batch can be scheduled to process at a specific time for a number of transactions.
batch process		A non-interactive technique for application processing.
bearer bars		Bars surrounding a bar code symbol to prevent misreads or to improve print quality of the bar code symbol. Mandatory by GS1 System standards for ITF-14 symbols.
Bill of Lading	BOL	A legal contract between a carrier and a shipper that provides shipment details for the movement of freight.
Bill of Lading Number		The actual number assigned to a Shipment Identification Number [AI (402)] under which the goods are shipped. It is used only for truckload and Less-Than-Truckload shipments. It may be matched to a 214 Transportation Carrier Shipment Status transaction set to enable the scheduling of receiving functions by the retailer. It also may be used for carrier claims.
Bill of Lading Serial Number		See Shipper Reference.
billing unit		An item that is priced and invoiced in trade between two parties, at any point in the supply chain.
bonus pack		A trade item that has increased quantity, e.g., net weight, count, or volume, and is sold at the same price as the regular quantity item.
bracket		Grouping used by supply side trading partners to define specific operational characteristics that justify differences in pricing to demand side trading partners, e.g., Full Truckload, efficiencies in processing orders, Electronic Data Interchange, quantity, or weight.
bracket price		Price assigned by the supply side trading partner and offered to the demand side trading partner for meeting bracket conditions. This price is shown to the demand side trading partner as the “list price” for each product within each bracket.
brand		A specific product within a category, as indicated by an identifying mark or name. The brand name is the distinctive name of a product, the word part of a trademark, or the name of the manufacturer.
Brand Owner		Entity (party) owning and in most cases manufacturing a trade item, making them responsible for: (1) allocating GS1 System numbering and bar code symbols on a given trade item as the administrator of a GS1 Company Prefix; (2) establishing the consumer-recognizable name to uniquely identify a line of trade items or services.
Brick		Lowest level detail of a classification scheme. Below a category and subcategory level. See Global Product Classification.
Business Message Standard	BMS	A document containing global voluntary standards for the exchange of electronic business documents using Extensible Markup Language within the GS1 System. These documents should be used in conjunction with GS1 Extensible Markup Language Schemas.
business process		A set of activities that represent all the alternative methods of performing the work needed to achieve a business objective.
Business Requirement Document	BRD	A Global Standards Management Process document that formally identifies the requirements of a given business process, electronic message, or other standard developed within the GS1 System. It is developed in conjunction with a Business Requirement Group and is finalized by a vote by that group after a period of public review. The Business Requirement Document is retained, archived, and versioned for future use.
Business Requirement Group	BRG	A group within the Global Standards Management Process that reviews and reaches consensus on business practice standards. Standards are organized by process, e.g., order, deliver, as per the Global Business Model, to ensure interoperability across industries and industry sub sectors.
Business Requirement Worksheet	BRW	A document used by a Business Requirement Group to expand on and derive further detail about the requirements of a given business process, electronic message, or other standard developed within the GS1 System. This document is used in the business process modeling and data modeling process to develop the Business Requirement Document. The Business Requirement Worksheet is not retained, archived, or versioned.
Business-to-Business	B2B	The practice of buying and selling between companies through electronic transactions.
candidate attribute		An attribute that is under evaluation by the Global Standards Management Process Task Group. Once ratified, it becomes part of the GS1 System standards.
cardinality		Refers to the number of possible occurrences of an element.
carrier		(1) The party that provides freight transportation services; (2) A physical or electronic mechanism that carries data.
case	CA	The standard shipping unit level. May contain children in a single instance.
Catalogue Item	CI	The representation of a trade item as it is stored in a catalogue for the data synchronization process. The Catalogue Item is uniquely identified by a Global Trade Item Number + Global Location Number + Target Market combination (commonly referred to as a key).
Catalogue Item Confirmation	CIC	Refers to electronic communication from the Data Recipient through the Global Data Synchronization Network to the Data Source indicating what action has been taken on the Catalogue Item, received through the Catalogue Item Notification. Confirmation is not mandatory. When used, it provides the following choices: (1) Synchronized: Data is integrated, in sync, and added to the synchronization list. (2) Accepted: Data is added to the synchronization list and is in the process of being integrated. (3) Rejected: Data will no longer be synchronized or updates will no longer be provided. (4) Review: A request to the Data Source to “review” their data because the Data Recipient has received inconsistent data, which they cannot synchronize. If the data was previously synchronized, it will be removed from the synchronization list.
Catalogue Item Confirmation State	CICS	The four states are: Accepted, Rejected, Review, and Synchronized.
Catalogue Item Dates		A class of information used to describe the dates of the action taken on the Catalogue Item record.
Catalogue Item Notification	CIN	A business message used to transmit trade item information from a Source Data Pool to a Recipient Data Pool and ultimately to a Data Recipient.
Catalogue Item Publication	CIP	A business message standard used by a Data Source to trigger the distribution of trade item information. This triggering results in the creation and distribution of a Catalogue Item Notification.
Catalogue Item Subscription	CIS	A business message within the Global Data Synchronization Network used to establish a request (subscription) from a Data Recipient to a Recipient Data Pool, to the GS1 Global Registry who then forwards the message to the Source Data Pool(s) and ultimately to the Data Source. The Data Source would then publish the requested trade item information and it will synchronize on a continuous basis.
category		A classification assigned to an item that indicates the higher level grouping to which the item belongs. Items are put into logical groupings to facilitate the management of a diverse number of items.
Category Hierarchy		The classification of products by department, category, and subcategory; for example, “Bakery, Bakery Snacks, Cakes.”
Category Management	CM	A joint process between retailer and manufacturer where service and product categories are managed as strategic business units, producing enhanced business results by focusing on delivering consumer value.
category scheme		Structured grouping of category levels used to organize and assign products. See Global Product Classification.
certification		The process of conveying a mark or “seal of compliance” from an authority to a vendor’s products and/or services that passes a pre-determined level of conformance to standards. Certification also includes the rules for using and maintaining the mark and how the mark is communicated.
Change Catalogue Item		The command to update an existing Catalogue Item record.
change request	CR	Formal request document used to review recommendations, request changes and updates to products and documentation.
Charge Couple Device	CCD	A type of image scanner that uses an array of photodiodes to capture an image of a bar code.
Check Digit		A digit calculated from the other digits of an element string, used to check that the data has been correctly composed or correctly keypunched.
Child		In a hierarchical product structure, the Child represents any item that resides at a subordinate level of a parent Global Trade Item Number. A Child can also be a Parent of another Global Trade Item Number that is subordinate. The Child/Parent relationship is often referred to when describing the Product Hierarchy.
choreography		The business transactions are sequenced relative to each other in a choreography. The business transaction choreography describes the ordering and transitions between business transactions or sub collaborations within a binary collaboration.
Class		Utilized in the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code as a logical grouping of commodities sharing similar essential properties or characteristics.
Code 128		A variable length bar code symbology capable of encoding the full ASCII 128 character set and other special characters. See GS1-128 bar code symbol.
Collaborative Commerce		The processes, technologies, and supporting standards that allow continuous and automated exchange of information between trading partners. Describes how businesses communicate with one another to drive down the cost of the supply chain.
Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment	CPFR®	A set of business processes that entities in a supply chain can use for collaboration on a number of retailer/manufacturer functions towards overall efficiency in the supply chain. CPFR is a registered trademark of the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions Association.
Commodity		Utilized in the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code as the lowest level of the classification structure. Includes both products and services.
Commodity ID		A four-digit number within a VMN-12. This four-digit number is used to designate the commodity for the item that is weighed or measured and then sold.
Common “Core” Components		Common ”Core” Components examples are QuantityType, PartyIdentificationType, and MeasurementType.
Company Prefix		See GS1 Company Prefix and U.P.C. Company Prefix.
compliance checks		The set of rules used to logically check the compliance of an attribute/process to a set of standard criteria. The GS1 System standards are used to establish the criteria for compliance checking.
compliance testing		Testing done to judge a hardware or software product’s compliance to a particular standard. This is generally a pass/fail test, which also provides guidance if a product fails to comply.
Composite Component®	CC	Refers to the two-dimensional symbol component within a composite symbol.
Composite Symbology®		A GS1 System composite symbol consists of a linear component (encoding the item’s primary identification) associated with an adjacent two-dimensional Composite Component (encoding supplementary data, such as batch number or expiration date). The composite symbol always includes a linear component so that the primary identification is readable by all scanning technologies and so that two-dimensional image scanners can use the linear component as a finder pattern for the adjacent two-dimensional Composite Component. The composite symbol always includes one of three multi-row two-dimensional Composite Component versions (CC-A, CC-B, CC-C) for compatibility with linear and area Charge Couple Device scanners and with linear and rastering laser scanners.
concatenation		The representation of several element strings in one bar code symbol.
conformance		Agreement of a product or service specification with a specified standard. Conformance is not equivalent to certification until testing has been conducted and a certification mark has been assigned.
conformance testing		See compliance testing.
consignee		Party identified as the final recipient of freight/goods and the physical point of delivery, unless a ship-to party is identified.
consignor		The party by whom the goods, cargo, or containers are sent. The physical dispatch can be done by another party. Synonym: shipper.
constraint		The conditional constraints that specify the mandatory composition of the business document in certain contexts.
consumer packaged goods	CPG	Consumer packaged goods are consumable goods such as food and beverages, footwear and apparel, tobacco, and cleaning products.
consumer unit		The unit as sold by the retailer to the consumer.
consumer unit indicator	CUI	Identifies whether the current hierarchy level of a trade item is intended for ultimate consumption. For retail, this trade item will be scanned at point-of-sale. At retail, this data is commonly used to select which Global Trade Item Numbers should be used for shelf planning and for front end point-of-sale databases.
content models		The rules for the configuration of element and/or data content allowable in instances of an element type.
Content Owner		Entity (party) responsible for organizing the information enclosed within the Extensible Markup Language message and submission of message to the GS1 Global Registry.
context sensitive definitions		Refers to a program feature that changes depending on what you are doing in the program.
Continuous Replenishment Program	CRP	The concept of continuous supply of goods between supplier and trading partner based on automated exchange of current demand, inventory, and stock management information, within the framework of an agreed supply policy. The aim of continuous replenishment is to achieve a responsive and precise flow of product to the store with minimum stock holding and handling.
contrast		See Symbol Contrast.
core attribute		Attribute whose definition is common across all industries and geographies.
Core Business Processes		Specific industry, geographic, and governance business practices that are common and reusable. Examples are order, forecast, and invoice.
Core Data		Common, reusable data elements across various business processes. They can be mandatory or optional. Core Data is a common denominator upon which extensions are built. Examples: Global Location Number, Global Trade Item Number.
Core Extensions		Data or data constructs specific to more than one process, industry, or sector but not used across all.
Correct Item		Refers to a command that allows incorrect data to be altered in ways that would not normally be allowed by standard Global Trade Item Number Allocation Rules. All other validations still apply. This process is intended to correct errors, not to circumvent the validation process.
corrected BWR		The uniform reduction in the bar widths of a bar code symbol based on whole imaging device dots.
corrected magnification		A process of altering the desired dimensions of a bar code symbol to create modules consisting of a consistent integer number of addressable imaging device dots.
Corrected Special Symbol Characters		A process of altering the dimensions of a symbol character (representing the data characters 1, 2, 7, and 8) in a consistent, integer number of addressable imaging device dots.
corrugate		A material composed of one or more sheets of fluted paper, between flat sheets of paper, e.g., a brown box used for case packs.
Country Of Origin Labeling	COOL	A U.S. law requiring that retail seafood be labeled as to its country of origin, including whether farm-raised or wild caught.
coupon		A voucher that can be redeemed at the point-of-sale for a cash value or free item.
Coupon-12		A 12-digit Restricted Circulation Number for coupons structured according to the rules defined in the Target Market.
Coupon-13		A 13-digit Restricted Circulation Number for coupons structured according to the rules defined in the Target Market.
customer		The party that receives, buys, or consumes an item or service.
data alignment		The one-time synchronous exchange of data between trading partners, e.g., names, addresses, agreements, item information, price lists, or locations.
data carrier		A physical or electronic mechanism that carries data.
data character		A letter, digit, or other symbol represented in the data field(s) of an element string.
Data Driver®		An easy-to-use web-based tool that creates, defines, and manages globally unique identification numbers such as Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs), and Global Location Numbers (GLNs), and also sends product data directly to trading partners (data synchronization). Available only to GS1 US Partner Connections members.
data element		A basic unit of identifiable and definable data; a basic unit of data for the purpose of recording and interchange. Within the Electronic Data Interchange format, related data elements are grouped into segments.
data field		The smallest part of the data part of an element string that needs to be distinguished.
data mapping		Relationship between the ANSI ASC X12 message syntax and the user’s data.
data model		A method for describing data structures and a set of operations used to manipulate and validate that data. For example, a data model might specify that a customer record contains a customer name and credit card number and a product record contains a product code and price, and that there is a one-to-many relationship between a customer and a product.
Data Pool	DP	An entity that provides its customers data synchronization services and a single point of entry to the Global Data Synchronization Network. Data Pools must be certified per GS1 System standards to operate within the Global Data Synchronization Network. Data Pools interoperate with the GS1 Global Registry and each other. Example: 1SYNC Data Pool.
Data Recipient		Entity within the Global Data Synchronization Network that receives data from a Data Source.
Data Source		Entity that provides their Source Data Pool with master data. Responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of that data. The Source Data Pool is responsible for providing the Global Data Synchronization Network with master data. The Data Source is officially recognized as the owner of this data. For a given Item or Party, the source of data is responsible for permanent updates of the information under its responsibility.
data structure		The GS1 System data structures defined in the various lengths required for the different identification purposes, which all share a hierarchical composition. Their composition blends the needs of international control with the needs of the user.
data synchronization		Data synchronization is the electronic transfer of standardized product and location information between trading partners and the continuous synchronization of that data over time.
data titles		A standard abbreviated description of a data field; used to denote the Human Readable Interpretation of encoded data.
data type		A set of data with values having predefined characteristics. Examples of data types are: integer, floating point, unit number, character, string, and pointer. Usually a limited number of data types are built into a programming language. The language usually specifies the range of values for a given data type, how the computer processes the values, and how they are stored.
Declaration Data		Information that describes a declaration in a schema.
decodability		A parameter specified by ISO 15416 that measures how closely the Scan Reflectance Profile is to approaching decode failure for a given printed symbol.
decode		Converting the bars and spaces in a bar code symbol into its corresponding data. A parameter specified by ISO 15416 that determines if a bar code pattern of bars and spaces matches an existing valid symbology.
decoder		The part of the scanning system equipment that interprets the bar code.
defect		A parameter specified by ANSI/UCC-5 and ISO 15416 that measures voids present within bars and spots within spaces or Quiet Zones of a bar code symbol.
Delete Catalogue Item		The command used to flag the existing Catalogue Item record for deletion (the objective is to enable the eventual removal of the Catalogue Item record from the catalogue).
Deletion Date		Date assigned and stored in the catalogue of the Data Source reflecting the date the Catalogue Item was flagged for deletion. This date will also be stored in the GS1 Global Registry.