GLOSSARY

Enterprise Integration and Communications Systems

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SAA (Systems Application Architecture)
IBM announced SAA as a collection of selected software interfaces, conventions and protocols that were published in 1987. SAA is a framework for development of consistent applications across future offerings of the major IBM computing environments: MVS, VM, OS/400 and OS/2.
Safety Stock
(1) In general, this is a quantity of stock planned to be in inventory to protect against fluctuations in demand and/or supply. (2) In the context of master scheduling, safety stock can refer to additional inventory and/or capacity planned as protection against over planning or as a market hedge. [APIC].
SAMA
Scientific Apparatus Manufacturer Association. An organization of companies which produce control equipment sensors, etc. See also SAMA Diagrams.
SAMA Diagram
SAMA Diagrams are a common way to represent control logic that includes continuous, binary logic, and sequential functions.
Sample Plan
Sampling inspection conducted to learn about the quality of a product lot by inspecting a small number of units of the product (the sample) drawn from that lot. The prime purpose is to classify lots as acceptable or unacceptable. A sampling plan is a set of instructions on how to conduct the sampling inspection. [JURA].
SAP
Service Access Point. The connection point between a protocol in one OSI layer and a protocol in the layer above. SAPs provide a mechanism by which a message can be routed through the appropriate protocol as it is passed up through the OSI layers.
SAP
A popular German supplier of Enterprise Integration Software.
SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)
A software package that obtains data from production environment activities and uses it for a variety of applications. These applications include simple control, monitoring, trending and data collation for upstream use.
Scheduled Audit
Audits of quality plans are usually conducted on a scheduled basis. The schedule provisions for new products or projects (during the original planning or after launching the product), for stable product lines (audits are performed on a regular cycle), and for particular quality problems, such as product, performance, customer feedback and audit reports. [JURA].
Schedule of Operations
The actual assignment of starting and/or completion dates to operations or groups of operations to show when these must be done if the manufacturing order is to be completed on time. These dates are used in the dispatching operation. [APIC].
Scheduled Maintenance
Maintenance scheduled at a factory-wide level, for example, if power is going to be shut down for the entire factory or the plant will be shut down for two weeks, etc.
SCN
Specification Change Notice. A document that describes changes to an approved specification. The SCN is incorporated as part of the specification after customer approval. [SAMA].
Sensor
A device that monitors a process variable (temperature, pressure, flow, position) and transmits a voltage or current proportional to that measured variable to a control system.
Serial Identification
A serial number or block number used with a part number to denote each unit (a lot has a quantity of several units) in a family of similar items. It provides for affectivity identification of design changes. [SAMA].
Service Level
A measure of delivery performance in the form of a percentage of the number of items or dollars on actual customer orders that were shipped on schedule for a specific time period compared to the total that were planned to be shipped for that time period. [APIC]. This can also include back orders, items shipped, orders past due and age by week. In manufacturing, the service level can be measured by shortages, missed promise dates and excess.
Shrinkage Factor
A percent factor that compensates for expected loss during the manufacturing cycle by either increasing the gross requirements or by reducing the expected completion quantity of planned and open orders. The shrinkage factor affects all uses of the part and its components, and the scrap factor. Relates only to one usage. [APIC].
Simulation
The representation of certain features of the behavior of a physical or abstract system by the behavior of another system. Typically refers to a mathematical model that emulates a physical and/or logical system.
SME
Society of Manufacturing Engineers (see CASA/SME).
SNA (Systems Network Architecture)
A layered network architecture developed by IBM. The layers isolate applications from system networks, services, enabling users to write applications independent of the lower networking software layer.
SNAP (Sub-Network Access Protocol)
Provides a mechanism to uniquely identify private protocols above LLC.
Source Address
The physical (hardware) address of the node that transmitted the frame.
Spares
Parts used for the repair/maintenance of an assembled product. Typically, they are ordered and shipped at a date later than the shipment of the product itself. [APIC].
SPC/SQC
(Statistical Quality Control/Statistical Process Control) A set of techniques based on statistical principles and methods used to regulate the quality of products and processes.
Specification
A document that describes the major technical requirements for an item. May also include the procedure for determining that the requirements have been met. [SAMA].
Specification List
Lists which are used to maintain the current status of specifications for the product. They list all released specifications in consecutive or numerical order, the current status of each specification (change status/completion, etc.) and the title. [SAMA].
Specification Tree
A drawing showing the indentured relationships among specifications independent of the assembly or installation relationships of the items specified. The tree shows the dependency of specifications on other specifications. [SAMA].
SQL (Structured Query Language)
A relational data language that provides a consistent, English keyword-oriented set of facilities for query, data definition, data manipulation and data control. It is a programmed interface to relational DBMSs. IBM Research introduced SQL as the main external interface to its experimental relational DBMS, System R, which it developed in the 1970s.
Standard Costs
The normal expected (target) costs of an operation, process or product, including labor, material and overhead charges, computed on the basis of Past performance costs, estimates or work measurement. [APIC].
Standard Time
The length of time that should be required to (a) set up a given machine or operation, and (b) run one part/assembly/batch/end product through that operation. This time is used in determining machine requirements and labor requirements. Also, it is frequently used as a basis for incentive payrolls or cost accounting. [APIC].
Station Management
The portion of Network Management that applies to the lowest two OSI layers.
Statistical Quality Control
A means of controlling the quality of a product or process by the application of the laws of probability and statistical techniques to the observed characteristics of such product or process.
Stop Order
An order used to notify manufacturing or testing to stop work on an item for the C1 List because an engineering change is in process. It is used to avoid waste of labor or material on an item that will have to be scrapped or reworked due to the change. [SAMA].
Sublayer
A subdivision of an OSI layer (e.g. the IEEE 802 Standard divides the link layer into the LLC and MAC sublayers).
Subsystem
A collection of logically connected functions that implement a particular function in the system.
Subsystem Specification
A specification which establishes the functional, performance and design criteria for the design, development, testing and production of equipment that performs a major function and is essential to the completeness of a system. [SAMA].
Supply Order
A time-phased replenishment order from MRP for purchasing material or parts.
Supply Order Planned
A suggested order quantity and due date created by MRP processing, when it encounters net requirements. Planned orders only exist within the computer and can be changed or deleted before they are released. Planned orders at one level are exploded into gross requirements for the next level. [APIC].
Supply Order Status
The status of the supply order includes whether it is on schedule or if it will be overdue.
Symbolic Processing
A type of processing that primarily uses symbols rather than numeric representations of data. In expert systems, symbols are not restricted to a numeric context, but may represent objects, concepts, and processes. [DEC].
System
An organized collection of personnel, machines, and methods required to accomplish a set of specific functions.
System Architecture Diagram
A graphical representation of the physical systems and communications architecture. All major computing and network devices are depicted including human interfaces (e.g. terminals and personal computers), computing and communications servers, as well as LANs, and WANs. Any network device which may change protocols is represented (eg. Routers, Bridges and Gateways), however, physical or electrial transitions are not (e.g. hubs, or connectors), unless a media change occurs such as a conversion from twisted pair to coaxial cable.
It is often useful to structure system architecture diagrams in "levels" with fast response devices such as controllers and PLCs at the lower levels, and corporate information systems at the highest level. Although there are many ways to divide functionality, the following is suggested as useful for most process industries.
System Development
The process of selecting and functionally integrating distinct devices, mechanism, and subsystems necessary for optimum performance of the operation of the joined system.
System Engineering
A formal, phased approach to producing a significant new system or major changes to an existing system. It stresses teamwork among users and technical personnel, a series of major milestones, and thorough documentation to assure compliance with performance and schedule goals.
System Parts List
A tabulation of applications, cumulative quantities and affectivity of all parts, components and assemblies within a system. [SAMA].
System Requirements Definition Phase
The portion of system development whose purpose is to investigate a company, or part of a company, in sufficient depth to produce a firm business proposition involving a changed method of operation. It results in a statement of the functional requirements of new systems.
System Specification
The specification which establishes the functional, performance and design criteria for the design, development, testing and production of a complete system. This specification allocates the system into functional entities identified as configuration items. [SAMA].