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Glossary

Our website contains many references to terms commonly used in either the IT industry or commercial agriculture.  While many of these terms are familiar enough, their specific application in one or both of these industries may have additional or more specific meanings.  Terms will also have links to additional information where applicable.

Activity

Generally this refers to a specific type of work.  Most organizations define a list of activities that cover all of the work performed by their staff\, organized by category\, department\, etc. This may also refer to a 3-digit code that references such an activity.

In some cases it also refers to a block of work that defines the activity\, worker\, location\, start time\, end time\, duration (may include deducted time for breaks)\, and other data pertaining to the activity.  This is also sometimes referred to as an "activity block" or a "punch" in some instances.

Allocation Rule

An allocation rule is used to help apply a portion of a worker's time to different areas where that 'allocation' can be more specfic than an idividual punch or activity block. For example\, a person may drive a forklift for the day\, but a portion of their time needs to be allocated to greenhouse work and a portion needs to be allocated to grading work. An allocation rule is used to help define the business logic explicitly for those hours or costs to be allocated in that way.

Application Exception

Generally this refers to an error that has been encountered while using any of the Oasis applications. Sometimes the error is actually a bug in the program where something unexpected has occurred that it cannot recover from. At other times\, it may be that an invalid date or number has been entered\, and needs to be corrected before continuing. This is almost always accompanied by a more detailed explanation of what has happened and what actions\, if any\, need to be taken to prevent the error from appearing again.

Authenticator

The Oasis Authenticator is just a tool used to help make it easier to login to the Oasis Desktop app or the Oasis Tablet app by presenting a QR Code with encrypted authentication information. For example\, after logging into the Oasis Desktop app\, the Oasis Authenticator can be displayed. The Oasis Tablet app can then read the QR Code and login using the same credentials.

Automated Error Reporting

Any time an application exception or other critical error is encountered by any of the Oasis applications\, an error report is automatically created and logged with the 500 Foods bug tracking database\, and appropriate notification emails are sent to developers responsible for each application. This entire process is automated\, and typically includes more than enough information to figure out what has gone wrong. In some instances\, a developer may need to find out more about what was happening immediately prior to the error.

Batch

Refers to a collection of plants\, typically of the same type\, age\, generation\, etc. Batches may contain a few dozen plants or several hundred plants.

Bay

Greenhouses are often subdivided into many different area\, with or without physical barriers between them. Produce greenhouses are typically also configured with long paths (commonly also referred to as rows) of plants. A bay usually refers to a set number of these paths\, often set between rows of structural posts in the greenhouse. Often\, bays have five rows but it may be different in any given facility.

Break

Usually refers to paid work breaks. Paid breaks are tracked throughout the Oasis system and can be reported on\, used in allocation reports and so on. Often breaks are 'included' in other activites using a mechanism called 'linked activities' whereby the timee or cost allocated to a break that is taken during or after an activity is included in the activity. Most of the time\, breaks are included in shift definitions and are not punched by workers directly.

Category

Sometimes referred to as an activity category\, a category refers to a set of related activities. Some organizations group activities together by job function (categories like crop work vs. maintenance for example)\, whereas other organizations may group activities by where they take place (categories like greenhouse vs. packing). The choice of how to organize activities in this way is largely arbitrary. Categories are assigned using the Activity Manager. Note that as there is no historical tracking of category assignments to a particular activity\, the category doesn't usually change once activities have been initially setup.

Classification

Sometimes referred to as payroll classfication or worker class or just class\, this is usually used as a way to run different payrolls for workers. For example\, workers that are paid directly by an organization might be assigned to a "direct" classification\, whereas workers that are paid via a labour contractor would be assigned a classification corresponding to that particular labour contractor. Running payroll or other related reports will often have Classification as one of the parameters or criteria for the report.

Coding Rule

See Allocation Rule.

Configuration Parameter

Throughout the Oasis system\, there are many instances where a record is being added to a view and the record contains fields with a list of choices. Often\, these choices are organization-specific or need to be altered\, augmented or otherwise amended for a particular situation. Most of these 'lists' can be found in the Configuration Manager\, and many have been assigned a specific number\, referred to as a Configuration Parameter. For example\, Configuration Parameter #0 is a list in the Configuration Manager that contains the options for 'Worker Status' in the Worker Manager. There are more than 200 such configuration parameters in the Oasis system.

Context Menu

This is the menu that pops up when right-clicking somwhere in the Oasis Desktop application. The menu that appears will likely be different depending on where you click (the 'context' is different). This is used in many places throughout the application and it would be helpful to become familiar with the different options available in the context menus that have been provided. Context menus are not used nearly as much in the other applications as a traditional mouse is often not present.

Corrections

As workers punch in activities throughout their day\, there are times when mistakes are made\, or when changes need to be made to the punches that were collected. The administrative work of reviewing and updating those records is generally referred to as "corrections". There is in fact a Daily Corrections report to help with this\, but the activity generally involves ensuring that the worker data collected is accurate and complete enough to be able to use the information for payroll. This work is usually done in the Labour Manager.

Database

Virtually all of the data that is contained within an Oasis system is contained within a database. Generally speaking\, this is a collection of tables\, rows and columns that are stored on a centrallized and dedicated server that provides secure\, optimized and efficient access to all the data wihtin it. There are many commercial databases available\, including the likes of IBM's DB2 Database\, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle's portfolio of database products.

DBMS

Acronym for Database Management System. See also Database.

Department

Refers to a part of an organization responsible for one of its key functions\, like the HR department or the Accounting department. Within Oasis\, departments can be defined in different ways\, including by activity in the Activity Manager and also in Allocation reports.

Density

Generally refers to plant density\, expressed as number of plants per square metre. Densities are managed in the Density Manager and are used primarily in calculating worker performance figures (min/100pl for example). They are updated several times per year as plant densities change throughout the life of a typical crop.

Direct Worker

Someone that is directly employed by the primary organization.  Some organizations treat labour data collected from direct workers differently than labour data collected from workers provided by a labour contractor.  Some organizations also differentiate between direct hourly workers and direct salary workers.  These tend to be simply different ways of organizing the data that is collected into different reports.  For example\, excluding management-type workers from certain kinds of performance reports. See also Employee and Worker.

Division

Similar to a department\, a division typically represents part of an organization\, but split up by physical location rather than by organizational function. For example\, an organization that operates in two different cities might want to report on costs separately\, so the workers in each location would be assigned to separate divisions\, though they may be performing many or all of the same tasks.

Employee

Normally the term 'employee' is not used anywhere in the Oasis system as many Oasis customers make use of both regular employees\, workers from labour contractors\, other contract labour\, and so on. The closest equivalent term would likely be Direct Worker. See also Worker.

Export

Data within the Oasis system is usually accessed through the Oasis Desktop application or one of the other Oasis applications. Sometimes\, however\, it is necessary to access this data using other programs. Most data can simply be exported directly from any view or any report. Supported formats vary depending on the export mechanism used\, but typically support PDF\, text files\, Excel files and XML files.

Filter

When using a view in the Oasis Desktop application\, filters are the criteria that can be selected to show subsets of data. Filters are typically set by using the black triangles in the column headers of a view\, or the filter customization tool that is avaiable using the 'customize' button that appears at the bottom-right of the view when a filter is enabled.

Greenhouse

While greenhouse typically refers to the physical structure of a greenhouse\, in the Oasis context it may refer to just a portion of a facility if several structures are present. Typically greenhouses are constructed in stages. Stages constructed at one time may be considered one greenhouse even though it may span several free-standing structures. Designations of what is a greenhouse or a phase or a room or any other designation is naturally organization-specific\, not dictated by any presets in the Oasis system.

Grid

See View

Hours Worked

As Oasis is primarily a labour management system\, one of its key uses is to track worker hours for purposes of performance and payroll. Hours Worked appears in many places throughout the system and reflects how many hours an individual has worked in a specified period of time\, such as a payroll period. Sometimes this is filtered to show a specific activity\, and it may or may not include breaks.

Incentive

Incentives are defined in the Activity Manager\, and are typically setup as an additional $/hr amount paid to workers who meet or exceed certain productivity targets. There may be incentive tiers\, group incentives\, and incentive caps. There may also be penalties for not meeting minimal performance targets or quality metrics\, which can be deducted from any other incentives earned.

IPM

IPM is an acronym for Integrated Pest Management and refers typically to a system for tracking and managing pests and diseases within a typical horticulture crop. Depending on the organization this may include managing applications of pesticides or the introduction of beneficial insects to combat other pests. Oasis IPM is a subset of the Oasis system generally that is focused on IPM-related activities.

IPM Record

An IPM Record refers to the data that is collected and managed within the Oasis IPM system. Each record represents a part of the system. Some records are used to store bug counts from sticky cards. Some records store other observations or measurements. And yet others might store activity or application information.

Job Cost

This is a generic term referring to reports that list hours or labour costs associated with different activities\, typically grouped by activity category and/or by worker team. This is often the basis for using an Oasis system or any other "ABC" or Activity-Based Costing system.

Linked Activity

An activity that is related to another activity. For example\, a break activity may be linked to the activity that precedes it. Typically breaks aren't split out of payroll report data\, with the cost of the breaks simply being included in the activity that was being performed at the time of the break. Particularly when breaks are added in automatically by the system\, which is most often the case.

Modifier/Modified

For most views within the Oasis Desktop application\, there is a Modifier/Modified text block that appears at the top of the Utility Panel to the right of the view. This shows who the last person was that modified the currently selected record in the view\, as well as when that modification was made. Some views may also have a more detailed transaction-type history associated with them\, but most views just track who the last editor was.

Module

This term refers to a component of either the Oasis Desktop or Oasis Tablet application. These applications are divided up into different Modules\, each with their own security and permissions attributes. The general idea is to have each module cover a particular business or job function\, with all of the related reports and editors available in that one place. The Labour Manager and the IPM Manager are examples of modules. In each\, there are a number of different things that can be done\, tailored specifically for the person who is doing that kind of work.

PayRate

A payroll reecord that defines a specific pay mechansism for a particular worker. Typically this is an hourly rate for a greenhouse worker\, defined in the Worker Manager Pay Rates tab. Each block of work can only be matched with one PayRate record\, though several PayRate records are typically active for each worker at any particular time.

Punch

Usually refers to a specific entry made at a TimeClock.  This is defined by the worker number\, start time\, location\, and various other data pertaining to the activity or worker in question.  This is more of a colloquialism that comes up during discussions\, and doesn't generally appear as a term directly anywhere.

Report

Refers to a pre-formatted and largely fixed mechanism for viewing data that can be found in many places throughout the various Oasis applications. Reports generally present data in a nicely-formatted and structured way\, rather than the adhoc type of output that can often be generated using a View. Reports can be printed\, exported as Excel or PDF files\, e-mailed\, and so on. They are the most frequently used mechanism when publishing or sharing information from an Oasis system.

Section

Greenhouses can be divided up into different sets of areas depending on the purpose. In Oasis\, section refers to sets of paths that have some structural or operational commonality. Sections may be defined to mirror irrigation or climate zones or some other aspect. In greenhouses where plants are managed in different stages of growth\, sections may be assigned to areas for each\, eg. nursery and harvest sections.

Sector

While most of the terms used to describe areas or subsets of a greenhouse\, like phase or section\, typically refer to sets of paths\, a sector defines an area that runs perpendicular to paths. For example\, there may be four sectors on either side of the centre path of the greenhouse\, with sectors labelled as A\, B\, C and D. The sector can then be used to describe a location within a given path or bay.

Shift

Refers to a specific grouping of workers that is used throughout the Oasis system and includes information about the hours worked and other elements pertaining to labour. Similar to Teams\, Shifts can also be used for grouping on reports and for access control. A worker can only be a member of one shift on any particular day.

Supervisor

This term has two different but related meanings. The first is a reference to a person that is responsible for a set of workers. Greenhouse workers for example might work as a team and that team may have a supervisor that oversees what they are doing. The second use of this term is when it is used to describe an area within a greenhouse. Some organizations manage work by assigning supervisors to look after specific areas. Sort of like 'bay ownership' where a single individual is responsible for the activities of one bay of plants. In this usage\, areas of the greenhouse are assigned to a supervisor explicitly\, which can then be used when running reports and comparing performance\, for example.

Team

Refers to a specific grouping of workers that is used throughout the Oasis system. Generally speaking\, this refers to a grouping that is working in the same location\, doing the same job\, supervised by the same managers and typically paid the same wages. For example\, a thinning team or a grading team. This grouping is then used on various reports as well as for restricting access to certain data. A worker can only be a member of one team on any particular day.

TimeClock

Refers to both the software used for data entry as well as the physical stations where people punch their activities throughout the day.  Sometimes referred to simply as "clock"\, these kiosks are simply laptops setup to run the application in a kiosk-type environment.

Utility Panel

Within the Oasis Desktop application\, each module is usually structured with a primary view\, and tabs that contain other secondary views or other functions. In most cases\, the right side of the module or tab often has a separate section that shows the most recent Modifier/Modified information for the currently selected record of the view that is beside it\, as well as other buttons for reports or other functions. This is knowns as the "Utililty Panel" due to the nature of these other funcions. Often\, they contain buttons that can make changes to multiple records at once\, or reports that can show information not readily discernable from the view.

Variety

In a typical produce greenhouse\, the term variety is used to describe the type of plant that is being grown. Beef tomatoes versus cherry tomoatoes for example. If there are differences between groups of plants that affect how they are grown\, managed\, sold\, etc. then they are separated with a more specific variety name to help keep track of them.

View

Throughout all of the Oasis applications\, there is a common display element\, called a view\, that looks very much like a table or a spreadsheet\, with labelled columns denoting fields and rows of data representing records in the underlying database table. There may be references using the term Grid which is what is used internally in development.  Generally a View is restricted to representing data that resides in a single underlying database table\, though there are exceptions.  Views can typically be sorted\, grouped or organized in different ways\, and can often be printed.  Note that a View is very different from a Report however.

Worker

Most of the time\, people are listed throughout the system as workers.  In some organizations\, this is a synonym for employee\, but in situations where labour contractors are used\, referring to their people as "employees" is generally discouraged\, so a blanket term of worker is used instead\, covering all people regardless of who provides the paycheque.  See also Direct Worker and Employee