Glossary

Plain definitions of the words that come up when these products are compared, with a link from each to where it applies. Where a term names something BlueArc does not do, the entry says so.

Accounting and tax

BAS (business activity statement)

The form an Australian business lodges to report GST, PAYG withholding and other tax obligations for a period, usually quarterly or monthly. Preparing one means the period has to be coded and reconciled first, which is why the state of the books and the state of the BAS are the same question. Accounting software for small business and sole traders

Bulk lodgement

Lodging returns or statements for many clients in one action rather than one at a time. It is an accounting firm concern rather than a single business one: the work is identical per client, so the saving is in the repetition. Accounting software for a firm and the clients it looks after

One ledger

A single shared set of books that a business and its accounting firm both work in, as against each side holding its own file and passing copies back and forth. The distinction decides whether the two are ever out of step with each other. BlueArc Accounting, shared books for a business and its firm

Award interpretation

Working out what an employee is owed under the modern award that covers them, taking in classification, penalty rates, overtime, allowances and loadings. It is a distinct piece of payroll software and BlueArc does not do it: BlueArc Accounting localises payroll and tax rules across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, which is a different and narrower thing. BlueArc Accounting, shared books for a business and its firm

Product compliance

SDS (safety data sheet)

The document a supplier provides for a chemical or material, listing its composition, hazards, handling and the substances it contains. It is the raw evidence behind almost every product compliance question, which is why what a system does with a sheet after it arrives matters more than whether it can store one. SDS management, reading the sheet rather than filing it

VOC (volatile organic compound)

A carbon based compound that evaporates readily at room temperature. Products are often subject to limits on total VOC content, so the content has to be calculated from what the data sheets declare. BlueArc calculates it with a deterministic, rules based engine rather than a model that estimates, so the same inputs give the same result every time. Product compliance software, a position you can defend

Product compliance

Showing that a product meets the rules that apply to it, and being able to evidence that position when a customer or a regulator asks. It is about what is in the product and what may be sold, and is a different field entirely from the information handling sense of the word compliance. BlueArc Compliance, product and materials compliance

CAS number

A unique identifier assigned to a chemical substance by the Chemical Abstracts Service. Because names vary between suppliers and languages, the CAS number is what makes it possible to check a declared substance against a restricted list reliably. Product compliance software, a position you can defend

Construction

Live cost position

What a job has cost so far measured against its budget, kept current as the work runs rather than assembled after it. A position built only on invoices received lags the job; one that also counts committed cost, meaning what has been ordered but not yet billed, shows the problem while there is still time to act. Construction estimating, the quote that becomes the budget

Quote to closeout

The full span of a job, from pricing the work through to finishing it and closing the file. Software often covers one end well and the other badly, so the useful question is whether the quote and the final cost live on the same record. BlueArc Construction, quote to closeout cost control

Three way match

Checking a supplier bill against the order and against what was actually received before it is paid. If the three agree the bill is clean; if they do not, the difference is worth finding before the money leaves rather than after. Construction software for builders and subcontractors

Takeoff

Measuring quantities off drawings to build up a price, usually with a rate library or price book behind it. The word estimating is used for both takeoff and fast quoting, which are different problems: BlueArc does quoting connected to the job and does not do plan measurement or bill of quantities import. Construction estimating, the quote that becomes the budget

Maintenance, fleet and how we build

CMMS (computerised maintenance management system)

A system that holds an asset register and schedules the maintenance, inspections and compliance work against it, so what is due on which piece of equipment is a matter of record rather than recall. BlueArc MMS, maintenance for safety critical equipment

Preventive maintenance

Servicing equipment on a schedule, by time or by usage, to stop a failure rather than respond to one. It is the opposite of reactive maintenance, and on safety critical equipment it is usually what a regulator or an insurer expects to see evidenced. BlueArc MMS, maintenance for safety critical equipment

NHVR electronic work diary

An approved electronic record of a heavy vehicle driver work and rest hours, used in place of the written work diary under the Heavy Vehicle National Law. It is a specific approved device category and BlueArc does not provide one: Fleet Precheck covers the daily vehicle check with an NHVR aligned checklist, which is a separate obligation. Fleet Precheck, the daily heavy vehicle check done right

Human in control AI

A design rule where software reads the mess and proposes the work, but a person confirms every decision that has a consequence. At BlueArc it is the line that nothing invoices, ships or lodges itself: the automation prepares, and a named person signs off. What human in control AI means in practice

Common questions