CATS Glossary (A-Z)
CATS Glossary (A-Z)
A
account statement - A unique report format that is set up as a
letter to a counterparty, showing all finalized transactions with an
account.
accounting period - A period of time, usually a month long, that is
used as a time reference determined by the user.
accrued cost - The cost difference between what was expected and
what was paid.
active (on contract) - The opposite of complete. If a contract is
active, postings and changes can still be made to it.
adjustment - Refers to a manual or automatic entry made to the
general ledger that affects the balance of an account.
aged trial balance - Allows the user to review open account
invoices.
aging (report) - CATS uses the due date on invoices to calculate the
number of days past due and create a report based on that.
allocation - Allocation is the application of inventory to a sale
contract item.
archive - The archive process takes closed contracts, invoices, and
other items older than a certain number of years and removes them from
the system.
arrival month to futures table - Defines specific shipment periods
that point to futures positions.\
B
bank reconciliation - Transactions affecting a bank can be compared
against the bank statement to ensure correctness.
basis - Refers to how an item is weighed or priced (e.g., by the
pound).
batch processing (of invoices) - CATS can affect multiple invoices
at once based on filters.
billed - Refers to the units, weight, and value on sale invoices
against a contract.
B/L terms - Bill of Lading terms, a code used in loans.
booked - Refers to whether a purchase invoice has been booked
against a contract or location screen.
budget - Creates a budget that restricts or reports the difference
between the budget and the actual amount posted.
buyer code - The counterparty code on a sale contract, usually
referred to as the “Customer”.
buyer history report - A list of all contracts for a given buyer in
the entire system.\
C
charged - The amount on purchase invoices for a contract.
chart of accounts - Determines how the General Ledger is organized
and where groups of numbers are printed.
check contracts feature - A procedure that recalculates the units
and weight balances on all open contracts.
choosers - The list of entries shown when there is more than one
record available (e.g., Loc or Marks chooser).
claim invoice - A special invoice for use with claims.
clear transactions - A procedure to mark that transactions have
cleared the bank in a particular month/year.
close year - The procedure that closes out a 12-month period and
sets the beginning balances for the new year.
codes - Abbreviations for values throughout the software used to
represent tables.
columns - What information the system will display about each record
in a report.
commission invoices - Automatic commission invoice postings related
to inventory.
confirm(ation) - Contract confirmation or written contract; the
legal document that formalizes the agreement.
constants - Internal calculations used by CATS for unit conversion
(e.g., MT to Lbs).
contract history report - Shows a quick and summarized view of
contracts.
contract status report - Lists the administrative status (ship
dates, signature dates, etc.) of open contracts.
complete (on contracts) - When a contract has no more balance and is
considered closed to changes.
cost analysis - Market cost calculation.
costs - Price of goods.
credit - Money or payment received by you.
cost codes - Three-digit codes that determine the general ledger
accounts for inventory cost posting.
credit limit - The maximum amount of sale allowed for a customer
before warnings or blocks occur.
crop year - The year the material was grown.
CT number - Cash Transaction number assigned to every entry in the
General Ledger.
currency - The type of money a transaction is using.\
D
debit - Money owed or paid by you.
default settings - Automatically returning to a pre-selected
option.
delete - To remove a record from the system.
delivery orders - A traffic form that selects available marks for
delivery to a customer.
departments - Internal subdivisions under each division that can
have their own general ledger.
deposits - Money received into your bank account.
destination - A code used to determine where material will be sent.
difference report - Calculates the difference between two versions
of the same report at different times.
differential - An adjustment to the market price of material added
to the final price.
disbursements - Payments made by you.
divisions - The main internal structure with separate general
ledgers and their own departments.
double-entry bookkeeping - Every entry has an equal and opposite
debit and credit.\
E
end of period - The current accounting period is closed.
error log - Where system error messages are stored for technical
review.
error message - Occasional messages that inform you of system
issues; these should be reported to support.
exception reports - A report showing futures lots linked to purchase
contracts.
exchange rate - The rate of a currency product.
exdock price -
exposure - The value of all purchase and sale contracts with no
invoices in the system.\
F
finalized - Turns a proforma or provisional invoice into a new,
final invoice.
final invoice - An invoice for material with a fixed weight and
price.
FLO number -
fonts - Refers to the size, weight, color, and style of text
characters.
foreign currency - Any currency other than the system’s default
currency.
forms - Traffic documents (orders) requesting action from third
parties.
futures trades -\
G
G/L - general ledger - The book of record where all system
transactions are recorded.
G/L Accounts - Sub-ledgers with balances used for debits and
credits.
G/L Statement - An activity report for one or more general ledger
accounts.
gain - The profit or loss (P&L) on a trade.
grade codes - Classification codes that indicate the type of
material being bought or sold.\
H
hedges - Entries attached to contracts for price protection in
future trades.
hold feature - Creates a reservation for a specific account without
creating a sale.
HTML printing - Printing to a spreadsheet or browser allowing for
external editing.\
I
index files - Files used to maintain the organization and integrity
of the database.
inland insurance -
insurance reports - A type of traffic report.
intend report - A report containing only items with an “Intend”
status.
inventory - For accounting purposes, when charged units are greater
than billed units.
inventory transactions report - A list of all invoice transactions
for the current year.
invoice - A document to manage inventory, costs, and billing in
CATS.
invoice on hold - Places a hold on an invoice to prevent posting.
isolated period - Creates a separate data folder preserving the
state of data at a specific date.\
J
journal entries - Transactions that directly debit and credit the general ledger, using only G/L numbers.\
L
ledger scan - All invoices and transaction history for the current
financial year.
liquidate - To remove a trade from the list of open trades. The open
trade is moved to a list of liquidated trades for a price you input.
loan -
location field -
location screen - The location screen represents a distinct amount
of physical material in a particular location. All the traffic
information for the material is represented here.\
M
main contract screen - The main screen of the contract summarizes
general information about a specific purchase or sale contract.
main menu - The starting point for the program.
marine insurance - Is used to report the units, weight, and value of
items that are afloat as of the end of a particular month.
market price - In CATS, this is defined as the Exchange price +
the Valuation Differential.
marks -\
N
net physical position report - This report presents the entire
physical position (all contract items, fixed or unfixed) entered into
CATS.
new area - New Area is an option from the main menu that allows
users to either switch from one connected company to another or switch
to working in an isolated area.
notes - Notes are freeform fields where you can store information on
various screens.\
O
on account invoice - A G/L entry that appears as an open invoice on
reports and for a counterparty account, used to indicate a credit due to
overpayment of invoices.
open futures position report - A list of all open futures trades in
the system in report format.
open invoice report -
open position - For Purchases, the Charged units are
less than the Contract units. For Sales, the Billed
(sale invoiced) units are less than the Contract units.
open shipment (report type) - A traffic report type that shows you
all items with no Vessel/Ship code in the Location 3 field, that is not
in WH.
option calculator -
order (reports) -
orders (traffic) -
overall position report - The overall position report gives a
summary of the complete position, including physicals and futures
exchange trades.\
P
password - A string of characters that allows access to a computer,
interface, or system.
payment instructions - How payment is requested/accepted.
period - In CATS, a period is an accounting period, usually a
month long, that may be isolated. Certain actions can only be performed
on transactions during the same period as the date of the transaction.
position -
posting - Posting a transaction (including invoices) moves the
transaction from a pending file to the General Ledger, where it will now
affect the G/L numbers associated with it. Once a transaction is posted,
you can review both sides of it in the General Ledger.
price-fixing - A trade that fixes the price on a contract item,
partially or fully. Each lot represents a lot on the exchange. When you
enter a price fixing, you enter the price agreed upon and CATS adds the
differential to get the fixed price.
prime rate - Uses a table of interest rates for a date range to
calculate interest on a G/L Account, on a single amount, or on a list of
amounts and dates.
print menu - A menu used by CATS to determine where and in what file
format you want your output to print - e.g., Printer, PDF, Transfer
folder.
product - The highest level of classification for material in CATS.
Examples of products are Coffee, Rubber, Cocoa, Meats.
production - Also called processing or tolling, the
transformation of material from one product or grade code to another.
profit - Typically defined as sell price minus buy cost.
proforma invoice - An invoice for material with no final weight.
proof amount - The amount left over when applying money to invoices,
G/L numbers, or accounts. The proof amount is applied to on account
invoices or G/L numbers to balance the transaction.
provisional invoice - An invoice for material with no final price.\
Q
‘Q’ and ‘q’ entries - General Ledger transactions, sometimes entered
directly by users into G/L accounts, and other times automatic entries
created by CATS to move the balance on an invoice to another, updated
invoice.
quality - A coded field that can be used to further identify
material.
quantity - Amount in contract units.
‘?’ (question mark) - A menu option always visible where the menu is
available in CATS, the question mark menu has frequently used items and
shortcuts in it.\
R
ratio -
receipts - Receipts are used to apply payments received by you to
your sales invoices, to a counterparty account, or to a general ledger
account.
recover an allocation - The recover feature is used to remove
inventory from a sale contract. We refer to this act as recovering a
location screen or removing an allocation.
reversal (invoice) - This type of invoice is simply a complete
opposite of the original invoice that effectively negates the first
invoice. For a purchase, this means removing units and weight from
inventory and removing the amount due. For a sale invoice, this means
returning units and weight to inventory and removing the amount
credited.
reindexing process -
remarks - A remark is a note that can be included in an edit field.
You can save a remark and import it into a field. This will help you
from having to type the same text over and over again.
report formats -
reports -
reservation report -
retained earnings -
returns -
revision - An updated version of a confirmation that allows you to
keep the previous version.
rights - CATS uses a rights-based system to determine which user can
access specific menu functions in CATS. If a user does not have access
to a particular menu item, that item will not appear when that user is
logged into CATS.\
S
sales -
samples - Details about the sampling of specific traffic material.
seller history report - This report gives a history of sales or
purchases for a particular account.
shipment position -
scan -
status of contract -
status of invoice -
subsidiary account types -
suspense account -
system Variables -\
T
taxes and 1099 reporting -
terms -
to-be-fixed -
tracking - When certain actions are taken in CATS, those changes are
put into a “tracking” file. This can be reviewed from the tracking
report or the track maintenance area. These actions include: changes to
important fields, selecting of inventory, creation of contract
confirmation, posting of invoices, allocations, and more.
trade journal -
trader - The user ID of the trader can be displayed on contracts.
Separate from the user ID who created the contract.
trades -
traffic forms - Delivery Orders, Sampling Orders, and all other
forms related to traffic movements.
traffic reports - Reports where each line item represents either a
mark or a location screen.
traffic screen -
traffic terms -
transaction -
transportation cost recalculation -
trial balance - The Trial Balance report shows all activity for the
entire general ledger. It combines the Income Statement and Balance
Sheet into one report, to give an overall picture of the state of
accounts.\
U
unfixed - A contract item or portion of an item is unfixed when
there is no final fixed price for that item. Lots can be fixed
individually from the item screen. Unfixed amounts are displayed on
reports using the terms “TBF” (To be fixed) or “Unfixed”.
unposting invoices - The unposting procedure removes the posted
invoice entries from the general ledger and allows users to edit the
invoice.
update (on invoices) - The update menu feature on invoices is used
to modify, reverse, finalize, or copy an invoice to create a new
invoice.
users - A user is a single entry in the user file, representing a
person at your company who uses CATS. The number of users allowed in
your version of CATS is determined by your license agreement.\
V
valuation - Valuation
is the base market level for particular material, with any added costs
that you choose to include. This allows you to see potential profit on
the market, value of material for insurance purposes, etc.
vendor invoices - Vendor invoices are used for any transactions that
are not payments for inventory. Freight costs, insurance, and even rent
or maintenance services can be items on vendor invoices. Vendor invoices
can be related to a purchase contract, sale contract, or neither.
vessel code -
vessel sheet -
voyage code -\
W
warehouse - In CATS, a warehouse where material is stored is
represented by a warehouse code.
warehouse exposure report - A report that calculates the value of
material stored in each warehouse code or account and determines your
exposure based on that value.
washout - A transaction that matches inventory against one another
for little to no profit. This can be used with items that have claims
against them. A washout invoice has both purchase and sale sides on it.
weighing terms - Terms related to when and where the weighing of
material will happen, agreed upon for a contract. The terms can also
carry a percentage allowance of variance. If the weight loss or gain
goes over this percentage, you can create a weight adjustment invoice
that calculates amount owed/due you.
written contract - The legal document that is signed by both parties
as an agreement to buy or sell material. This term is interchangeable
with “contract confirmation” or “confirmation”.\
Y
year end - In CATS, when we refer to the “year end”, we are indicating the fiscal (financial) year end. This depends entirely on your accounting period settings. Your fiscal year can run from 01/01 to 12/31 or from 05/01 to 04/30, for example.\
Z
‘Z’ menu option - The menu option “Z” when reviewing contracts,
items, or location screens will allow you to switch between purchase and
sale contracts by calling up the contract number chooser. If you are
reviewing a purchase item, and pick Z, CATS will call up the sale item
chooser.
zero inventory - Occasionally you will have small balances on
invoice that come from differing currency rates. CATS has a zero
inventory feature that looks for invoices without any inventory balance
and zeroes out the default currency (usually USD) balance for those
invoices.\