# Product Overview

# RFID Terminology

Key terms and acronyms that you will encounter throughout the RFID Enterprise Server documentation include the following.

For terminology more specific to RFID operations at the edge, see RFID Terminology in WebLogic RFID Edge Server Product Overview.

#### action

The lifecycle stage of the activity described by an EPCIS event (limited to `ADD`, `DELETE`, or `OBSERVE`).

#### AggregationEvent

An EPCIS event that describes objects that are physically related to one another such that there is a containing, parent, entity (for example, a pallet) and a series of contained, child, objects (for example, cases on a pallet).

#### Applicability Statement 2 (AS2)

A specification for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) between business partners using HTTP or HTTPS as the transport mechanism.

#### AS2

See Applicability Statement 2 (AS2).

#### company prefix

In the GS1 system of codes, an identifier assigned to a managing entity (company or organization).

#### dwell time

The time an object resides at a given location.

#### edge

Networked computers and devices operating at the "edge" of an enterprise, that is, outside the traditional enterprise data center. Edge servers are close to physical operations in warehouses, distribution centers, and factories, as opposed to corporate headquarters.

#### Electronic Product Code (EPC)

Method of product identification that uniquely identifies objects (items, cases, pallets, locations, and so on) in the supply chain and can be used to track them. EPCs are often written to RFID tags.

#### EPC

See Electronic Product Code (EPC).

#### EPC Class

See EPC ID pattern.

#### EPC ID pattern

A URI-formatted string that specifies a set of EPCs of a particular type. EPC ID patterns are used by the Serial Number Assignment Service to check EPCs in and out of pools, and by EPCIS to indicate which item is involved in a QuantityEvent. Also called EPC Class. Example: `urn:epc:idpat:sgtin:0614141.100734.[400-499]`.

#### EPCglobal

RFID industry standards group. See the EPCglobal Web site at `http://www.epcglobalinc.org/`.

#### EPCIS

See EPC Information Service (EPCIS).

#### EPC Information Service (EPCIS)

Refers to both a standard definition of business-level EPC data and a standard set of services and interfaces for capturing and querying that data. EPCIS is defined by an EPCglobal standard. Implemented in WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server as several services, which collectively are responsible for capturing event information, storing it, and providing access to the stored event data and master data. See also EPCIS event.

#### EPCIS event

Observation of EPC-related activity, expressed at the business level. EPCIS events typically have four informational dimentsions: what (which EPCs or other entities participated in the event), when (the date and time of the event), where (the location where the event took place and where the entities are expected to be afterward), and why (what business transaction was taking place and what is the business condition of the entities afterward).
An EPCIS event consists of an event type and one or more named event fields.

#### event data

A set of EPCIS events.

#### event field

A named field within an EPCIS event, such as Event Time, EPC, Business Step, etc. The value of a field may be a primitive type (such as an integer or timestamp), an identifier for which there may be associated master data, or a list of primitive types or identifiers.

#### event type

One of several possible EPCIS event structures a given event conforms.

#### Extensible Markup Language (XML)

Markup language used to describe and transmit data across many different systems. For more information, see `http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml`.

#### Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)

A code defined in the GS1 (formerly known as EAN.UCC) General Specifications identifying a particular class of object such as a product. It is made up of a company prefix and an item reference. (For information about the standards organization GS1, see their Web site at `http://www.gs1.org/`.)

#### GTIN

See Global Trade Item Number (GTIN).

#### item reference

An identifier assigned to a particular class of objects or items.

#### JMS

Java Message Service.

#### master data

A set of master data types, together with the master data attributes associated with master data entries of those types.
Master data is information that can be associated with event data to provide descriptive context for interpreting the event data. For example, the following value in an ObjectEvent generated at the edge identifies where the event took place:
`bizLocation=urn:epc:id:sgln:0614141:33254.0`
The master data that is associated with that `bizLocation` might be123 Elm Street, Burlington, Iowa, US. The structure of master data is a set of name/value pairs. In RFID Enterprise Server, you create and manage master data using the Master Data Administration Console. The master data is associated with event data by the Reporting Service and by the Data Exchange Service.

#### master data attribute

A name/value pair associated with an individual master data entry. The name part of a pair is a QName. The value part of a pair may be a value of arbitrary type.

#### master data child

A master data entry that is assigned as an attribute of a master data entry that serves as its parent. The parent/child relationship indicates that the parent contains the child. For example, the parent "shipping_carton_ABC" can contain the children "box1," "box2," "box3," etc.

#### master data entry

An identifier that names one of the alternatives modeled by a master data type.
A master data entry identifies a real entity tracked in a supply chain. A master data entry is always based on a master data type, which defines the characteristics the master data entry can have. For example, a master data entry based on the Business Location type might contain the following information: `- ID = urn:epcglobal:epcis:mda:rsale:1214171:30054.0` `- name = "My Location"` `- address = "123 Elm Street"` `- city = "Burlington"` `- state = "Iowa"` `- country = "US"`

#### master data type

A named template that specifies a set of master data attribute names for a set of related master data entries. Informally used to refer both to the master data type and the set of all the master data entries that populate it.

#### ObjectEvent

An EPCIS event that captures information pertaining to one or more physical objects identified by EPCs.

#### QName

A qualified name as defined in Namespaces in XML, available at http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml-names.

#### QuantityEvent

An event that happens to a specified number of objects all having the same type, but where the individual instances are not identified. For example, a QuantityEvent could report that an event happened to 200 boxes of widgets, without identifying specifically which boxes were involved. QuantityEvents can serve as a bridge between RFID systems and legacy inventory systems that do not identify individuals.

#### Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

Method of identifying unique items by using radio waves. Typically, an RFID reader communicates with an RFID tag, which holds digital information in a microchip.

#### reader

See RFID reader.

#### RFID

See Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

#### RFID device

Generic term for an RFID reader or an RFID-enabled printer.

#### RFID Edge Server

Software deployed at remote sites where there are RFID readers (such as warehouses, distribution centers, and retail stores) for monitoring and filtering incoming tag data, for managing devices (such as configuring and monitoring RFID readers and printers), and for enabling local workflows.

#### RFID reader

Generic term for a hardware device, also referred to as a physical reader, which reads EPC values from or writes EPC values to RFID tags. The reader has one or more antennas, which emit radio waves and receive signals back from the tag.

#### RFID tag

A microchip connected to one or more antennas, packaged so that it can be attached to an object to be tracked. The tag receives and sends signals to RFID readers.

#### Serialized Global Location Number (SGLN)

A standard for identifying unique physical locations. It is made up of a company prefix and a self-assigned location reference.

#### Serialized Global Trade Item Number (SGTIN)

An EPC identity type. It is made up of a GTIN and a serial number (unique identifier assigned to an individual object).

#### Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC)

Serial Shipping Container Code, an EPC identity type and code defined in the GS1 (formerly known as EAN.UCC) General Specifications. It consists of a company prefix and a serial reference (identifier assigned to a specific shipping unit).

#### SGLN

See Serialized Global Location Number (SGLN).

#### SGTIN

See Serialized Global Trade Item Number (SGTIN)

#### Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

A protocol for exchanging XML messages, usually via HTTP. See `http://www.w3.org/TR/soap`.

#### SOAP

See Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).

#### SSCC

See Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC).

#### subscription

In the context of configuring report generation, a subscription is defined by a query and a corresponding set of query parameters that provide values for the variable parts of the query, an endpoint URL that identifies the subscriber and delivery transport, and controls that determine when a report should be generated.

#### tag

See RFID tag.

#### TransactionEvent

An EPCIS event that describes the association or disassociation of physical objects to a business transaction.

#### Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)

A unique name that represents the address or location of a resource, typically on the Internet. URIs are used by the RFID Edge Server to specify the destinations for asynchronous notifications.
See also Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and Uniform Resource Name (URN). For more information about URIs, URLs, and URNs, see http://www.w3.org/Addressing/.

#### Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

A URI that identifies a resource via a representation of its primary access mechanism (for example, its network "location"), rather than identifying the resource by name or by some other attribute(s) of that resource. See also Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).

#### Uniform Resource Name (URN)

A URI that is required to remain globally unique and persistent even when the resource ceases to exist or becomes unavailable. See also Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).

#### URI

See Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).

#### URL

See Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

#### URN

See Uniform Resource Name (URN).

#### Web Services Description Language (WSDL)

An XML format for describing Web services. For more information, see`http://www.w3.org/TR/wsdl`.

#### WSDL

See Web Services Description Language (WSDL).

#### XML

See Extensible Markup Language (XML).

#### XSD

See XML Schema Definition (XSD).

#### XML Schema Definition (XSD)

An XML-based language used to describe and control XML document contents. For more information, see `http://www.w3.org/XML/Schema`.