ABA
American Bankers Association
ACH
Automatic Clearing House
actual charges
Total calculated charge for a billing period that is billed to a customer account. The actual charge amount is what is due and is recorded in the general ledger account.
actual consumption
Consumption amount the customer used during a billing period.
additional responsible party
Customer who is assigned to a location as a secondary person. Another customer is primary for the account.
adjustment
Correction you manually make to a customer’s account to add or change a dollar amount and correct a consumption error.
alternate address
Different address for a customer, such as VA for vacation home and WH for winter home.
alternate customer ID
Additional ID value set up for a customer. You can set up any part of the customer record information as an alternate ID to use in searching or identifying customers.
amount due
Amount of payment that is expected from a customer account. If the customer account is budget billed, this amount is the difference of the current balance minus the deferred balance.
amp
Abbreviation for the electrical term amperes.
amperes
Unit to measure the strength of an electric current for a meter.
Annual interest earned
Total amount of interest earned on deposits for a customer. This is the amount that you report to the Internal Revenue Service.
ARP
Additional Responsible Party
Automatic Clearing House
Standard developed by the Federal Reserve used to process bank draft information.
Average consumption-flat rate code
Average amount of consumption used during a billing period by a service set up as a flat rate service.
bank draft date
Month, day, and year when CIS creates a draft note to debit a customer’s banking account for a utility payment.
banked consumption
Allocated consumption amount that is not used by a customer account during a billing period.
bar code
Series of vertical bars and half bars that represent the correct zip code information for the address on a piece of mail. The US Post Office automatically scans these codes to sort pieces of mail.
base consumption
Preset allocated amount of consumption for a specific billing period. You can preset the amount for each class within a service.
batch ID
User ID associated with the batches that are sent from SunGard Public Sector’s Cash Receipts application.
batch transaction
Accounting transactions that are grouped and sent to one of SunGard Public Sector’s general ledger applications to process accounting transactions during the update process.
BEACON
Equifax Decision Power Software term that identifies a model that predicts the future risk of a consumer account going delinquent. The model uses information in the consumer credit file to obtain a score based on risk level. The higher the score, the lower the risk associated with a consumer’s account.
bill header record
Information that CIS stores about a customer’s bill that displays when you inquire about charges to a customer’s account.
bill types
Restricted code set up by SunGard Public Sector that identifies the type of a bill in charge and combined account histories.
billing multiplier
If you use consumption factors, the billing multiplier is the product of the meter multiplier and the consumption factor set up for the service. When you apply consumption factors to the service at the location, you verify that CIS calculates the correct billing multiplier for the service location. If you do not use consumption factors, then the billing multiplier is the same as the meter multiplier.
Biochemical Oxygen Deficiency
Readings that measure how contaminated the sewage is with compounds that are not normally processed.
Biological On Demand
Readings that measure how contaminated the sewage is with compounds that are not normally processed.
BOD
Biochemical Oxygen Deficiency or Biological On Demand.
budget bill amount
Amount that a customer account pays each billing period that they are on budget billing.
budget billing process
Process of calculating a monthly average amount that the customer is always charged for a service and billing cycle regardless of the actual service charge.
cash account
Account that records the receipt of currency, money orders, or checks.
CASS
Coding Accuracy Support System
charge type
Identifies the method used to calculate bills for customer accounts.
charge unit
Unit of measure for consumption that you define for a particular service, such as TGAL for thousands of gallons or KWH for kilowatt hours.
CIS
SunGard Public Sector’s Customer Information System software application.
class
Identifies the type of business or occupancy at a particular location, such as CO for commercial, NP for nonprofit, R for residential, or I for industial.
Coding Accuracy Support System
Certification offered by the National Customer Support Center to verify the accuracy of zip codes, delivery points, and carrier routes.
conversion multiplier
Number that is used to transfer the read unit of measure for a meter to the bill unit of measure. If you read a meter in one unit of measure but bill in a second unit of measure, the read consumption must be changed to the bill consumption before charges are applied.
CR
SunGard Public Sector’s Cash Receipts software application.
credit amount
Amount that is refundable to a customer account.
current balance
Total amount, debit or credit, that is updated to a customer account. This balance is reported to the general ledger account.
customer account
A customer is assigned to a location to be a customer account. The account number uses both the customer ID and the location ID.
customer ID
Unique ID number assigned to a utility customer. You use the ID to retrieve customer information. ID numbers are automatically generated by CIS.
customer/location function
Function that provides a direct path to the customer maintenance and inquiry options associated with the location, customer, or customer account you currently have open.
cut-off exemption
Code you define to exclude customer accounts from the cut-off listing. You can exempt delinquent customer accounts permanently or for a specified period of time.
cycle
Locations that you group together for billing. You can perform various utility processes for all or specific customer accounts within a cycle. A cycle may have one or more routes.
cycle billing
Process to bill customer accounts.
cycle/route
Combination of locations and sections of locations that are grouped together for billing and processing purposes.
daily average calculation
One method used to calculate the winter quarter average amount.
debit amount
Amount a customer owes.
deferred balance
Value that represents the difference between the actual charges and the budgeted charges for a budget billed customer account. The deferred balance can be a debit or credit amount. The deferred balance is not reported to the general ledger account.
degree day factor
Percentage used to account for a year that is predicted to be colder or warmer than normal.
delinquency exemption
Code you define to exclude customer accounts from receiving delinquent notices. You can exempt delinquent customer accounts permanently or for a specified period of time.
demand consumption
Highest amount of service used by a customer account during a billing period.
deposit sponsor
Designation used when another customer pays the deposit for a second customer account service.
discount account
General ledger account that records amounts deducted from utility bills because of early payment.
download
Method used to transfer cycle and route information to a personal computer so that it can be loaded to a hand-held device before collecting meter readings.
exception billing
Process to bill customer accounts where you enter meter readings and run a billing update. Customer accounts with error messages are placed in off-cycle processing.
FDF
Field Definition File
Federal EIN
Employer identification number assigned to an organization by the government.
Federal tax ID
Number assigned by the federal government that specifically identifies your organization.
Field Definition File
Description of the file used to transfer the meter reading information from the server to the PC and from the PC back to the server.
force bill
Process that overrides the "Hold" placed on a customer account, and CIS bills the customer account.
generic codes
User-defined codes that CIS uses to process data.
GL
General ledger
GMBA
One of SunGard Public Sector’s general ledger software applications.
good credit criteria
Maximum number of violations allowed for each credit offense before customer accounts are not eligible for good credit deposit refunds.
gross amount
Total charges on a bill before the discount is applied.
HHMMSS
Military time format in which the first two digits indicate the hour, the second two indicate the minute, and the last two indicate the second.
ID
Identification
INFISYS
One of SunGard Public Sector’s general ledger software applications.
initial reading
Beginning dial read for a meter component. If a meter has more than one register, it should have a unique reading component and initial read for each register.
initiation date
Start date of a service for a customer at a service location.
inside/outside
Part of the rate group that indicates whether a particular location is physically in or out of the jurisdiction.
installation date
Date the meter is installed at a location.
intelligent printer data stream
Type of printer used to print OCR postal bar codes.
IPDS
Intelligent Printer Data Stream
IRS
Internal Revenue Service
issue date
Date a service or work order was added or initiated.
journal receivers
File that contains a snapshot of each record changed from one update to the next. The snapshot includes the information before the change and the information after the change.
jurisdiction
Code that identifies the geographic groupings for billing purposes.
kilowatt-hour
Unit of measure for electricity. One kilowatt-hour is energy needed to use 1,000 watts of power over a one-hour period.
kilowatts
Unit of measure for electricity. One thousand watts equals a kilowatt.
lien account
General ledger account that records amounts in lien processing. These amounts move from a receivable account to a lien account.
Life-To-Date
Accumulation of interest or consumption over the life of a customer account.
limit 1 and 2
Limit set up for consumption usage as a check to verify meter readings. The limits are set as percentages of the historical consumption amount used in comparison with the current consumption reading. The limits apply to low readings and to high readings (that is, each limit has two readings). If the consumption is less than the low reading, the consumption may be too low. If the consumption is greater than the high reading, then the consumption may be too high. An organization may set up two limits (low 1/high 1; low 2/high 2) to better quantify usage decreases or increases.
L-T-D
Life-To-Date
mass update
Change to a status or a cycle/route that applies to all customer accounts at one time.
master account
Customer account that receives the billing in a master account billing setup. The master account is billed for all charges from the related or subsidiary accounts. The charge type on the master account is "MA."
master account billing
Process that bills charges from one customer account to another customer account.The customer account that receives the billing is the master account, and the customer account where the charges are generated is the subsidiary account. The charge type is "MA."
master location
Location used to track and bill consumption charges for a metered service from a single or from multiple locations. The consumption from the related locations is either added to or subtracted from the master location. Master locations have a charge type of "ML."
meter multiplier
If you calibrate or slow down the meter so that the register rolls over less frequently, the meter multiplier is the number you use to indicate how much the meter is slowed down. For example, you slow down the meter so that it rotates a quarter turn for each unit of consumption. It takes four units of consumption before the register dial completes one turn. The meter multiplier is four.
multiple meters
More than one meter at a location using the same service code.
net amount
Amount of the current charges and previous balance minus the discount amounts, if you allow discount amounts for customers who pay the bill by a specific date.
nonrestricted generic codes
Codes that are defined by the user for CIS to use in processing information.
OCR
Optical character recognition
online journal
Track changes that a user makes to a customer master file. The files record the interactive changes made. You can view this information while processing in CIS.
optical character recognition
Scan line that includes customer account information that prints on a bill.
out meter reading
Current reading for the meter you remove from a location. CIS uses the previous meter reading and the out meter reading to determine consumption for the meter.
payment plan
Series of payments to be made by a customer to pay delinquent charges or charges that are unusually high. You and the customer agree on the amount and the frequency of each payment.
PC
Personal computer
pending
Total dollar amount of all posted transactions that have not been updated to a customer account record. Once you submit an update process, CIS removes the pending amount and displays $.00. Pending amounts can be a debit or a credit.
posted transactions
Utility transactions (payments or charges) entered for a customer account. CIS holds posted charges in "Pending" status until you perform an update and the transaction is applied to the customer account record.
posting
Applying the charge or the meter reading to the customer account records.
posting priority
Order in which payments apply for billed charges.
pre-notes
Trial run process by which CIS verifies that customer and bank information is correct before implementing bank drafting for a customer account.
prepaid vouchers
Checks that you type or write by hand (manual checks).
query
Method by which you can search CIS data files for information or reporting needs. The query runs from a server command and is not accessible from a CIS menu.
ratcheting
Process of billing customer accounts for their largest historical demand consumption over a specified period of time. CIS reviews the demand consumption for a customer account over the previous number of months you specify and compares the highest previous demand consumption with the current month demand consumption. CIS calculates a demand charge based on the higher demand consumption amount.
rate class
Same as class. Code you define to identify the type of business or occupancy at a particular location.
rate group
Group of components used to calculate charges for a customer account. The components are jurisdiction, class, and inside/outside.
reading component
Code that you define to indicate the units of measure for a meter register.
receivable
General ledger account to record the amount of utility charges that are to be collected.
receivable account
General ledger account to record amounts of utility charges that are to be collected.
receivable code
User-defined code that indicates the account that money is distributed to by one of SunGard Public Sector’s general ledger software applications, the order in which CIS applies payments to customer accounts, or the penalty code for a receivable.
recurring charge
Credit or debit amount that is placed on a bill for a customer account on a specified basis. For example if you want to apply a $5 credit for elderly customers, you can use a recurring charge and have this credit automatically apply every month.
related location
Location with metered services that also has consumption tracked by another meter at a master or a totalizer location.
renewable service
Service that is billed on a customer account asking for a voluntary contribution. The customer can choose whether to pay the amount. If the amount is not paid, it is removed from the customer account balance with no penalty or delinquency fee. The charge is applied each year on a renewable basis.
responsible party
Same as additional responsible party.
restricted generic codes
Codes used to process information. Restricted codes are system-defined and are set up by SunGard Public Sector. You cannot modify or change these codes.
revenue
Income earned by providing services to customer accounts.
rollover consumption
Indicates that the meter has passed the maximum number that can be read on the dials and has started recording consumption from a zero reading.
route
Section of locations within a cycle.
secondary charge
Billing for a service demand reading, such as kilowatt-hours.
settle-up processing
Applies the deferred balance for budget billed customer accounts to the account balance. This should be done on an annual basis.
shut-off
Process of discontinuing services for a customer account that is delinquent in paying charges.
SIC
Standard Industry Code
spooled file
File that holds output data waiting to print.
subordinate account
In a master billing account, the customer account that generates the charges for the services. The bill goes to the master account.
subsidiary account
In a master billing account, the customer account that generates the charges for the services. The bill goes to the master account.
surcharge
Additional charge assessed to specific locations.
suspense account
General ledger liability account where overpayments are retained. Entries made to the general ledger liability account offset the amount of overpayment entered in the suspense cash account.
System i5
IBM's application server formerly known as the AS/400 or iSeries.
Total Suspended Solids
Readings that measure how contaminated the sewage is with compounds that are not normally processed.
totalizer location
You can track and compare consumption totals for metered services from single or multiple locations. With totalizer locations, a single meter tracks consumption that is also being tracked by one or more meters at other locations. The single meter is at the totalizer location. The other service meters are at related locations. Charges are billed to the related locations. The consumption from the related locations is either added to equal the total at the totalizer location or subtracted to have the totalizer location total equal zero. Totalizer locations have a charge type of "TL."
TSS
Total Suspended Solids
upload
Method used to transfer meter readings for a cycle and route from the PC to the server. Readings from hand-held devices are loaded to the PC before transferring the information to the server.
usage
Consumption amount for a rate class.
warehouse location
Location where your organization keeps a meter or a miscellaneous inventory item that is not installed at a location.
write off account
Account that records amounts written off as uncollectible.
Year-To-Date
Accumulation of interest or consumption for a customer account for the period of one year. The year can be a calendar year or a fiscal year.
Y-T-D
Year-To-Date