Glossary
Get definitions for the terminology used in Phocas.
This page lists some of the common terms associated with the Phocas products. Where applicable, the Business Intelligence (BI) equivalent terms are included.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | M | O | P | R | S | T | U | W
A
Administrator
An administrator is a Phocas user who has permission to access the Administration module to manage user accounts, manage shared content such as favorites and folders, and configure the functionality of your Phocas site.
In the Budgets & forecasts module, there are other types of administrators: budget administrator and headcount administrator.
Advanced search
Advanced search is a rules-based search tool available in the Analytics module used to locate specific data, typically to create a report or favorite.
Activity filter
In the Analytics module, the activity filter is a menu in the toolbar used to filter the data in the grid to see data that either did or didn't have transactions in the selected period. It's useful for identifying inactive customers (those who aren't buying) or products that aren't selling.
In the Financial Statements module, you can use the activity filter to identify active or inactive items.
Alert
An alert is a type of favorite you can set to appear on your homepage as a color-coded summary that automatically updates. It's useful for monitoring performance against pre-defined targets.
Analytics
Analytics is a Phocas module you use to analyze data in operational (non-financial) databases. Visit www.phocassoftware.com for more information.
B
Bulk update
The Bulk Update feature allows administrators to assign the same permissions and settings to a group of users simultaneously.
C
Chart
A chart is a visual representation of your data. Chart types in Phocas include Bar, Bullet, Column, Area, Bubble, Line, Pie, and Gauge. The type of charts that are available depend on the module you are using and the analysis you are doing. Charts are available in the Analytics, Financial Statements and Budgets & Forecast modules.
Column
The Phocas grids consist of vertical columns and horizontal rows. A column can represent a dimension (categorical data like Region or Product), a measure (quantitative data like Sales or Profit), or a property (descriptive details like Name or Code).
Column header
In the Phocas grids, the column header in the top area of each column displays the column name and sometimes provides access to various actions.
In BI terminology, the column header is technically a dimension attribute. Rather than simply being column labels, attributes help categorize data, for example, Product Name, Region, or Date.
Configuration
Configuration is a general term used throughout Phocas to describe the setup or composition of an item. The Configuration page in the Administration module contains sections related to various Phocas functionality.
CRM
CRM is a Phocas module you can use to manage your customer relations. It integrates with the Analytics module. Visit www.phocassoftware.com for more information.
Custom mode
Custom mode is available in the Analytics module. It allows you to get a customized view of your data by editing and rearranging the existing columns in the grid, and creating new columns and calculations.
Custom period
A custom period is a temporary date range you apply to your current analysis. See Periods, Analytics > Apply a custom period and Financial Statements > Apply a custom period.
D
Database
In Phocas, a database is a collection of raw data sources organized into streams, dimensions, measures, and properties, to provide a structure for analysis. They're built using Designer within the Administration module and refreshed at set intervals. Common types of databases are Sales, Purchases, Inventory, Finance, and General Ledger. A finance database is a special type of database that brings consolidated financial statements into Phocas for analysis.
Although the term database is used throughout Phocas, in BI terminology it's technically a data cube. A data cube is structured for fast, multi-dimensional data analysis, while a traditional database is optimized for transactional storage.
Dashboard
A dashboard presents a visual summary of your most important information. You can have many dashboards, including those you created yourself and those shared with you by other users.
Default period
The default period is the time period you see first when you open a database. This is initially set by your administrator (when they give a user access to a database) but you can change it for your own account, so that each time you open the database, that date range is applied.
Defined period
A defined period is a dynamic time period (date range) specific to a database, such as Current Month or Rolling Months. Defined periods are displayed in the Period menu in the Analytics and Financial Statements grids and are the easiest way of adjusting a date range. They are based on a period type, such as Year or Month, and are typically set up by administrators. If you have permission, you can add your own defined periods. See Periods, Change the period (in Analytics) and Change the period (in a financial statement).
Designer
Designer is an administration tool that allows you to design and build your own database in Phocas.
Dimension
A dimension is a group or set of data comprising individual data elements from a database, for example customers, products, sales reps. Dimensions are used in multiple Phocas modules in different ways, such as:
Analytics > Filter data (use dimensions), Add levels to the grid and Compare data with Matrix mode.
Financial Statements > Filter the financial information, View financial information in a matrix, and Manage dimension groups
Budgets & Forecasts > Filter a worksheet, Add a level, and Create filtered budgets.
Drill down
Drill down is a technique that allows you to move from a summary-level view to more detailed view of your data, often by clicking on a data point to reveal underlying data. In BI terminology, this is called drill-down analysis.
E
Export
The Export function converts data into another format, ready for use in other applications. You can export from several modules, see Analytics > Export data, Financial Statements > Export a financial statement, and Budgets & Forecasts > Export a workbook.
F
Favorite
A favorite is an analysis point, often a chart, that has been saved for quick access. Favorites are listed on your homepage. They can be shared with other users or placed in folders for others to access.
Financial Statements
Financial Statements, they will not update or roll over is a Phocas module you can use to analyze the data in a financial database, which is usually based on General Ledger data, viewable within the Profit and Loss (P&L), Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Trial Balance statements.
Filter
Although the term filter is used throughout Phocas, in BI terminology it's technically slice and dice. Instead of simple filtering, you can break down data into different views and perspectives.
Fixed date
Fixed dates are static. They do not update or rollover according to today's date, unlike offset dates.
Focus
The Focus tool (spelt differently to Phocas) allows you to concentrate on specific rows of data. See Analytics > Focus on data and Financial Statements > Select and focus on data.
Folder
A folder is used to share information in Phocas. You might have access to various folders containing dashboards and/or favorites.
G
Grid
A grid is a general term used across several Phocas modules. It is sometimes called the Phocas grid, statement grid, results screen or query screen. It refers to the workspace where you can view, interact and analyze the data. it contains columns and rows of data.
In BI terminology, the grid is technically an interactive data table or a pivot table, depending on the available actions. A data table displays data dynamically, allowing you to sort and filter within a structured table format. Whereas, a pivot table allows you to reorganize and summarize data dynamically; pivot dimensions, change aggregation methods (sum, average, count), and analyze data from multiple perspectives without modifying the underlying dataset.
H
Home dashboard
A home dashboard is a dashboard that you have set to use as your homepage.
Homepage (home screen)
The homepage is the first screen you see when you sign in to Phocas. It shows the dashboards, favorites, alerts, and databases that you have access to. Clicking the Phocas logo from anywhere in the product will return you to the homepage.
M
Matrix
A matrix is a different view of your data in the grid, whereby the dimensions become the columns (rather than the default period columns). It is a similar concept to a pivot table. See Analytics > Use Matrix mode and Compare data with Matrix mode, and Financial Statements > View financial information in a matrix (change column groups).
Measure
A measure is a data element that can be quantified. In Phocas, these measures (data values) are displayed as columns of numbers. Selecting certain measures to view for a particular dimension will display columns of data relating to that dimension. See Analytics > Change the measures and Financial Statements > Change the measures.
Mode
A mode is a pre-defined view of data that displays particular columns in the grid in the Analytics module. The modes that are available depend on your permissions and current analysis; they include Period mode, Moving move, Matrix mode, and Variance mode.
Month to date
Month to date is an option in the Analytics module that you can use to compare values in the current calendar month with values in the corresponding month in a previous year. It includes transactions for the earlier month only up to the same date as the current day.
O
Offset
Offset dates relate to periods. It's an option that allows you to set a date (or date range) based on today's date, so that rather than entering a fixed date range (such as Start: January 2024 and End: March 2024), you can define a dynamic date range such as Year to Date or Last month.
Owner
An owner is the creator of a particular dashboard or favorite. If you created it, then you are the owner.
In Budgets & Forecasts, the owner is the person who initially created the budget or forecast, or was subsequently given the responsibility to manage it.
P
Period
A period is a unit of time, or a date range, for which data is displayed. This is a core concept in Phocas.
Permissions
Permissions affect what you can see and do in Phocas. There are user permissions and database permissions, both of which are managed by your administrator.
Property
A property is a data element that provides qualitative or descriptive information about a dimension. For example, for the Customer dimension, you might have properties such as address or phone number. See Analytics > Change the properties and Financial Statements > Change the properties.
R
Record count
The record count displays at the bottom right corner of the grid. It is the number of rows on all pages.
Restrictions
Restrictions are applied by Administrators to users and databases, usually in combination, as part of managing permissions, i.e., access to data and functionality in Phocas. See Overview of access to data.
Row
The Phocas grids consist of vertical columns and horizontal rows. Each row represents a unique data entry, with its values coming from multiple columns (dimensions, measures, or properties) that define its attributes.
Although the term row is used throughout Phocas, in BI terminology it's technically a record (tuple).
Q
Query
In Phocas, you can search for specific data and filter (slice and dice) the data using the tools in the grid. The grid updates accordingly, displaying the results of those actions.
In BI terminology, this request to retrieve specific data from a dataset is technically called a query. More specifically, as you use tools rather than write SQL, it's called a user query.
S
Search
There are search boxes in several places in the Phocas modules. Typing a search term into the search box is the simplest method of finding specific data but some modules offer more advanced search functionality. Searching is sometimes referred to as filtering, as the action filters out data that doesn't match your search term. See Analytics > Search for data and Search mode, and Budgets & Forecasts > Filter by keyword (search for an item).
Share
Sharing information in Phocas is a means of collaborating. You can share a dashboard or a favorite with someone, or put the information in a folder to be accessed by others. Who you can share with is determined by permissions.
Status bar
The status bar is a bar above the Analytics and Financial Statements grids that displays the selections and settings you have applied to your analysis. It's sometimes incorrectly called breadcrumbs by users due to its appearance.
Stream
A stream is a single data series in a database that comes from your ERP or other source. Databases can be made up of multiple streams from different sources. For example, a Sales database might have Orders and Budget streams in addition to the Sales stream. Streams are used in multiple Phocas modules in different ways, such as:
Analytics > Change the stream and Stream mode.
Financial Statements > Change the current data.
Budgets & Forecasts > Publish a budget, forecast or data in another worksheet tab.
Subscribe
You can subscribe to favorites, dashboards, and alerts to stay up-to-date with all the latest changes to those items.
Summary view
Summary view is the first screen you see in Analytics or Financial Statements after selecting a database, giving you a high-level view of data.
T
Total
The Phocas grids often contain a Total column or row that contains the aggregation of the measures. For example, total profit or total sales. In BI terminology, the total is technically an aggregated measure.
Transaction
In Phocas, a transaction represents the most detailed record of an event, such as an invoice line, that forms the basis of aggregated data. The transactional data comes directly from your ERP system.
Although the term transaction is used throughout Phocas to refer to an individual business event, in BI terminology it's technically a fact stored in a fact table. A fact represents a measurable recorded business event, such as a sale, whereas a transaction generally refers to an individual event in an operational system.
Transform
The Transform feature in Designer allows administrators to create a new column containing a simple calculation, and join or duplicate columns.
U
User
A user is someone who has a Phocas account. Each user might have different permissions in different sections of Phocas. Typically, only administrators can add and manage users.
User-defined period
A user-defined period is a date range added to the Period menu in Analytics or Financial Statements by a user for their own personal user. It is retained for future use, in comparison to a custom period (see above) which is temporary. Administrators can set defined periods for a database that are available for all users of that database. See Getting started > Periods, Analytics > Change the period and Financial Statements > Change the period.
User maintenance form
The User maintenance form is available to administrators. This form is used to create new user accounts and to view and change settings and permissions for existing user accounts.
W
Widget
Widgets are individual items that make up a dashboard. Common widgets include charts and favorites.
Last updated
Was this helpful?