DataFlow Glossary

Plain-English definitions of the accounting, order-processing and integration terms used across DataFlow. Terms are grouped by area, and link through to the relevant module or integration where one exists.

Nominal Ledger

The general ledger that sits at the centre of DataFlow. Every other module posts its transactions here, so the Nominal Ledger holds the complete financial picture of the business.

Trade Ledgers

The collective name for the Sales Ledger and Purchase Ledger, which record what customers owe you and what you owe your suppliers. Both post through to the Nominal Ledger.

Sales Ledger / Purchase Ledger

The Sales Ledger records customer accounts, invoices and receipts; the Purchase Ledger records supplier accounts, invoices and payments. Together they make up the Trade Ledgers.

Chart of Accounts

The structured list of nominal codes used to classify every transaction, such as sales, purchases, assets and liabilities. It defines how figures are organised for reporting.

Cost Centre

A reporting dimension that sits alongside the Chart of Accounts, letting you analyse the same nominal figures by department, branch, project or other unit.

Analysis Groups

User-defined groupings that categorise accounts or transactions for reporting, so you can summarise activity by whatever segments matter to your business.

Apportionment

The splitting of a single posting across several cost centres using a percentage table, for example spreading a shared overhead cost across departments.

Cash Book

The record of money moving in and out of your bank accounts, covering receipts, payments and transfers, and reconciling to the bank statement.

Journal / Recurring Posting / Reversing Journal

A journal is a manual posting between nominal accounts. A recurring posting repeats automatically each period, while a reversing journal is automatically reversed in the following period, which is useful for accruals and prepayments.

Period Close

The ordered end-of-period routine that finalises the ledgers for a month or year, ensuring all transactions are posted and balanced before the next period opens.

Control Totals

Running totals used to check that batches of transactions balance and that the ledgers agree, helping to catch data-entry errors before they are posted.

Aged Debtors / Aged Creditors

Reports that show outstanding customer balances (debtors) and supplier balances (creditors) grouped by how long they have been overdue, such as current, 30, 60 and 90 days.

BACS / AUDDIS

BACS is the UK bank-to-bank payment scheme used for direct debits and credits. AUDDIS (Automated Direct Debit Instruction Service) is the process for lodging and managing direct debit instructions electronically.

VAT Journal

The record of VAT amounts arising from transactions, used to build the VAT return and reconcile the tax owed to or reclaimable from HMRC.

MTDfB (Making Tax Digital for Business)

HMRC's programme requiring businesses to keep digital records and submit VAT returns through compatible software. DataFlow files returns directly to HMRC under these rules.

EC Sales List / Intrastats

Returns covering trade with other countries: the EC Sales List reports goods and services supplied to VAT-registered businesses abroad, while Intrastat records the movement of goods across borders.

Nine-box VAT return (VAT 100)

The standard UK VAT return, laid out in nine boxes covering output tax, input tax and the net position, submitted to HMRC as the VAT 100.

Order Processing

The module that handles the sales cycle from quotation through to invoice, keeping the Sales Ledger and Stock Control updated as orders move through each stage.

Quotation / Sales Order / Delivery (Despatch) / Sales Invoice / Credit Note

The documents in the sales cycle: a quotation offers goods to a customer, which becomes a sales order when accepted, a delivery (or despatch) when goods are sent, a sales invoice when charged, and a credit note when value is refunded or corrected.

Works Order

An instruction to assemble or manufacture stock, drawing components from inventory and building them into a finished item such as a kit.

Quick Order

A streamlined entry screen for capturing an order rapidly, suited to high-volume or counter-style sales where speed of entry matters.

Stock Control

The module that tracks inventory levels, movements and valuation across warehouses and bins, feeding order processing and the Nominal Ledger.

Kit

A stock item made up of a bill of components, so that assembling or selling the kit draws down the individual parts it is built from.

Bin

A specific location within a warehouse where stock is held, allowing items to be tracked down to a precise shelf or area.

Batch / Serial Tracking

Methods of tracing individual stock items: batch tracking follows groups that share a batch number, while serial tracking records each unit by its unique serial number.

Layered pricing

A pricing structure with default prices that can be overridden by per-customer price lists, so the correct price is applied automatically at order entry.

Stock valuation

The method used to value inventory, such as average cost, standard cost or FIFO (first in, first out), which determines the cost carried against each item.

Job Costing

The module that gathers costs and revenues against individual jobs or projects, so you can see the profitability of each piece of work.

Timesheets

The recording of time worked by staff against jobs or activities, feeding labour costs into job costing and payroll.

Document Store

A central repository for attaching and retrieving documents such as invoices, delivery notes and correspondence against the relevant records.

Dashboard

A configurable summary screen that presents key figures and indicators at a glance, giving an overview of business performance.

Audit Trail

A record of who changed what and when, providing a traceable history of transactions and amendments for control and compliance.

Authority Limit / Document Authorisation

Controls that require documents such as purchase orders to be approved by a user with sufficient authority, with limits setting the value each person can sign off.

Inter-Company Processing

The handling of transactions between separate companies within the same group, so that dealings between them are recorded consistently on both sides.

Consolidation

The combining of figures from several companies into a single set of accounts, giving a group-wide view of financial performance.

Multi-company

The ability to run more than one company within DataFlow, each with its own ledgers, while sharing common setup and reporting where useful.

User-Defined Fields (UDFs)

Extra fields you can add to records to capture information specific to your business, beyond the standard fields provided.

Payment Practices Report

A report on how promptly a business pays its suppliers, supporting the UK duty for larger companies to report their payment practices and performance.