Glossary

Term or Acronym	Definition

Term or Acronym	Definition
Batch stream	A batch stream is a stream that processes high volumes of data in batch(es) within a specific time period. It can process large amounts of records in one transaction, for example when reading files from an Amazon S3 bucket. For batch streams, Flush happens only when a stream is run.
Bounded Stream	A bounded stream is a unidirectional Stream that processes finite input units, for example, complete files or a fixed amount of rows in a database. Example Collecting .csv files via SFTP and only setting a "committed" checkpoint for a particular input file once it is guaranteed an entire file has been successfully processed.
Collector	A collector is a Function that collects data from a Source.
Collection	The process of Usage Engine acquiring data from a Source. Examples Collecting .csv files from an S3 bucket by acting as an HTTPS client Collecting RESTful requests by acting as an HTTPS server
Client Mode	Client mode is a communication mode where Collectors initiate outgoing requests. Examples Usage Engine acting as an HTTPS client. Usage Engine acting as an SFTP client. Usage Engine acting as a JDBC client.
Custom References	Custom references refer to an optional feature that is used with SAP-related functions. When enabled it allows you to specify one or more typeCode and id values in the relevant usage records.
Decode	Decoding is the process of parsing input from a Source and converting it into Records in a format that can be sent across a Route.
Destination	Destination is an endpoint to which data is sent from a Stream.
Encode	Encoding is the process of formatting a Record into a format that can be understood by a Destination.
Endpoint	An endpoint is an interface used by the service to connect to an Asset. An endpoint may function in either Server mode or Client mode.
Flush	The flush operation forces the stored/buffered (aggregated) data to be passed to the next function in the stream.
Forwarder	A forwarder is a Function that sends data to a given Destination.
Forwarding	The process of sending data to a Destination.
Function	A function accepts input, applies logic to it, and then returns a result. Functions can be stateful.
HTTP Response Headers	This is an option found within the HTTP Client collector and processor function, intended to support the sending out of response headers in the network stream. The users can enter a custom value in the result header key and associated result key to configure the target web service.
Notification Group	A notification group is an email list to which automated messages regarding erroneous events related to streams are being sent. The content of the error messages includes stream execution errors, missing files, and related events.
Payload	Payload is the content of the record.
Record	A record is a unit of data that can be processed by a Function or multiple functions and sent across Routes.
RegEx (Regular Expression)	The use of regular expressions implies the creation of custom schemes to which various operations can be executed.
Real-time stream	A real-time stream processes data in real-time. The data size is unknown, infinite, and continuous. In real-time streams, the data output rate is as fast as the data input rate. When the incoming data is continuous and requires immediate response, real-time streams should b used, for example when data is continuously sent via an HTTP collector. In real-time streams, the Flush happens after every 60 seconds.
Route	A route is a link between two Functions, across which data flows.
Session	A representation of aggregated records that is stored before being flushed out.
Solution	A solution is a set of Streams that together solve a particular customer problem.
Source	A source is an Endpoint from which data is collected into a Stream using a given protocol and data format.
Stream	A stream is a graphical representation of data flowing from a Source, through a series of Functions, to a Destination.
Time To Live (TTL)	Time to Live is a mechanism that limits the lifespan of data in an environment. It is used in functions like Aggregation to express the date and time when a record expires.
Timeout	Timeout is a method that allows you to set a timer for the execution of a certain function. Timeouts enable more efficient usage of limited resources. The idea is that in when a system must wait for something to happen, rather than waiting indefinitely, the waiting will be aborted after the timeout period has elapsed.
Transaction	A transaction is a unit of data that is being processed inside a stream. The definition of a completed transaction is when the stream processes it without any errors. The transactions are by design limited to their specified data sources. A transaction can refer to a file that is being processed in a stream or a result set from a query. Data Correction also creates transactions for reference which are considered to be separate processes. For more information, see Transaction Safety.
Transactions Per Second (TPS)	Transactions Per Second is a metric showing the number of transactions per second (tps) that can be processed by a given web service. This value can be calculated using this formula: Tps value for a function = Total number of output events handled by the function / Duration of the stream