1.1 Glossary

This document uses the following terms:

Active Directory: The Windows implementation of a general-purpose directory service, which uses LDAP as its primary access protocol. Active Directory stores information about a variety of objects in the network such as user accounts, computer accounts, groups, and all related credential information used by Kerberos [MS-KILE]. Active Directory is either deployed as Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) or Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS), which are both described in [MS-ADOD]: Active Directory Protocols Overview.

Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI): A directory service model and a set of Component Object Model (COM) interfaces. ADSI enables Windows applications and Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) clients to gain access to several network directory services, including AD DS.

alert: (1) An Internet message that is sent to subscribers automatically to notify them when user-defined criteria are met. Alerts are generated automatically when items such as documents, webpages, list items, sites, or other resources on a server are changed.

(2) A message that is passed to a protocol client to notify it when specific criteria are met.

alert subscription: A request to receive an Internet message automatically when user-defined criteria are met. Such messages are generated automatically when items such as documents, webpages, list items, sites, or other resources on a server are changed.

application server: A computer that provides infrastructure and services for applications that are hosted on a server farm.

ASP.NET: A web server technology for dynamically rendering HTML pages using a combination of HTML, Javascript, CSS, and server-side logic. For more information, see [ASPNET].

Asynchronous JavaScript + XML (AJAX): A web programming model that incorporates a set of web technologies including Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML), cascading style sheets (CSS), Document Object Model (DOM), XML, Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT), XMLHTTPRequest (XHR), and JavaScript. AJAX is designed to make user interaction with the web more responsive.

atom feed: An XML structure that contains metadata about content, such as the language version and the date when the content was last modified, and is sent to subscribers by using the Atom Publishing Protocol (AtomPub), as described in [RFC4287].

audience: A named group of users that is used for targeting content.

authentication: The act of proving an identity to a server while providing key material that binds the identity to subsequent communications.

authentication mode: One of several modes in which an authentication exchange may be performed.

authorization: The secure computation of roles and accesses granted to an identity.

back-end database server: A server that hosts data, configuration settings, and stored procedures that are associated with one or more applications.

blog: A website that contains a series of posts about a subject and is arranged in reverse chronological order. Also referred to as web log.

browser-enable: The process of converting an InfoPath form template into a format that can be rendered in a web browser, and publishing it to and activating it on a protocol server that is running InfoPath Forms Services.

browser-enabled form template: A form template that is published to a protocol server that is running InfoPath Forms Services and is also activated for use on that server.

Business Connectivity Services (BCS): A set of services that enables interaction and integration with back-end data in a line-of-business (LOB) system, including external data and related services. BCS includes the Business Data Connectivity (BDC) service.

Business Data Connectivity (BDC): A shared service that stores information about business application data that exists outside a server farm. It can be used to display business data in lists, Web Parts, search results, user profiles, and custom applications. Previously referred to as Business Data Catalog.

calculate: The process by which computations in a workbook are performed.

Central Administration site: A SharePoint site that an administrator can use to manage all of the sites and servers in a server farm that is running SharePoint Products and Technologies.

change log: A log of changes, such as add and delete, that are made to objects that are stored on a back-end database server. Applications can use this information to identify changes that occurred on those objects.

Collaborative Application Markup Language (CAML): An XML-based language that is used to describe various elements, such as queries and views, in sites that are based on SharePoint Products and Technologies.

column: A single set of data that is displayed vertically in a worksheet or a table.

connection string: A series of arguments, delimited by a semicolon, that defines the location of a database and how to connect to it.

content database: A database that is stored on a back-end database server and contains stored procedures, site collections, and the contents of those site collections.

content source: A set of options for specifying the type of content to be crawled and the start addresses for the content to be indexed. A content source is defined by the protocol handler that is used to access specific systems, such as SharePoint sites, file systems, and external websites. A content source can contain up to 500 start addresses.

crawl: The process of traversing a URL space to acquire items to record in a search catalog.

crawler: A process that browses and indexes content from a content source.

credential: Previously established, authentication data that is used by a security principal to establish its own identity. When used in reference to the Netlogon Protocol, it is the data that is stored in the NETLOGON_CREDENTIAL structure.

dashboard: A visual interface that displays a related group of interactive scorecard and report views. It provides views into key measures that are relevant to a business practice or process. Dashboard elements provide capabilities, such as shared filters, that enable users to perform tasks such as highlighting trends, comparing data, and controlling the data that is displayed.

data connection: (1) A link between an application and a data source. Data connections can be used to query and submit data.

(2) A collection of information, such as the type and location, that defines how to connect to an external data source, such as a database, web service, SharePoint list, or XML file.

(3) A connection between an InfoPath form template and an external data source, as specified by settings in an InfoPath form template (.xsn) file or a Universal Data Connection (.udc, .udcx) file.

data macro: A component that implements application logic and enables recognition of built-in actions and tasks for list items.

data range: A set of consecutive scale-out partition keys.

database application: A set of objects, including tables, queries, forms, reports, macros, and code modules, that are stored in a database structure.

decomposition tree: A data visualization tool that facilitates analysis of complex information by using a hierarchical scheme. It enables users to find the root cause of the value of a specific, key performance indicator (KPI).

deployment package: A collection of files that can be used to deploy and manage customizations, such as add-ins, to a computer. It consists of an application manifest, a deployment manifest, and related package files.

directory service (DS): A service that stores and organizes information about a computer network's users and network shares, and that allows network administrators to manage users' access to the shares. See also Active Directory.

discovery case: A site that contains information relevant to an electronic discovery (eDiscovery) case such as a custodian, a discovery source, and saved searches.

discovery source: A repository of documents and other types of content that are relevant to the electronic discovery (eDiscovery) case.

distribution list: A collection of users, computers, contacts, or other groups that is used only for email distribution, and addressed as a single recipient.

document: An object in a content database such as a file, folder, list (1), or site. Each object is identified by a URI.

document library: A type of list that is a container for documents and folders.

Document Workspace site: A SharePoint site that is based on a Document Workspace site template and has a template identifier value of "1". A Document Workspace site is used for planning, posting, and working together on a document or a set of related documents.

embed code: A block of data containing information needed to embed a video in a user interface element. This information can include the path to the video, the height and width of the video, and so on.

EntityInstance: A set of Field values that have a unique identity that represents a specific instance of an Entity, and are stored in a line-of-business (LOB) system.

event: (1) Any significant occurrence in a system or an application that requires users to be notified or an entry to be added to a log.

(2) An action or occurrence to which an application might respond. Examples include state changes, data transfers, key presses, and mouse movements.

external data: Data that is stored in a repository outside a workbook.

external list: A container that is within a SharePoint site and that references a set of EntityInstances that are sourced from a line-of-business (LOB) system. It has a customizable schema that is composed of one or more Fields.

farm: A group of computers that work together as a single system to help ensure that applications and resources are available. Also referred to as server farm.

file: A single, discrete unit of content.

font: An object that defines the graphic design, or formatting, of a collection of numbers, symbols, and letters. A font specifies the style (such as bold and strikeout), size, family (a typeface such as Times New Roman), and other qualities to describe how the collection is drawn.

form: A document with a set of controls into which users can enter information. Controls on a form can be bound to elements in the data source of the form, such as fields and groups. See also bind.

form digest validation: A type of security validation that helps prevent an attack wherein users are tricked into posting data to a server.

form file: An XML file that contains data that is entered into an InfoPath form by using a web browser or Microsoft InfoPath.

form library: A type of document library that is optimized for storing and displaying data in XML-based forms.

form server: A server that can host XML-based electronic forms and that supports rendering those forms in a web browser.

form template: A file or set of files that defines the data structure, appearance, and behavior of a form.

form template (.xsn) file: A cabinet (.cab) file with an .xsn file name extension that contains the files that comprise a form template.

forms authentication: An authentication method in which protocol clients redirect unauthenticated requests to an HTML form by using HTTP. If the protocol client authenticates the request, the system issues a cookie that stores the credentials or a key for reacquiring the identity. In subsequent requests, the cookie is submitted in request headers and the requests are authenticated and authorized by an ASP.NET event handler that uses the validation method that is specified by the protocol client.

front-end web server: A server that hosts webpages, performs processing tasks, and accepts requests from protocol clients and sends them to the appropriate back-end server for further processing.

globally unique identifier (GUID): A term used interchangeably with universally unique identifier (UUID) in Microsoft protocol technical documents (TDs). Interchanging the usage of these terms does not imply or require a specific algorithm or mechanism to generate the value. Specifically, the use of this term does not imply or require that the algorithms described in [RFC4122] or [C706] must be used for generating the GUID. See also universally unique identifier (UUID).

group: (1) A named collection of users who share similar access permissions or roles.

(2) A named collection of quick links, colleagues, or memberships for the purpose of organization.

hierarchy: A logical tree structure that organizes the members of a dimension such that each member has one parent member and zero or more child members.

home page: On the World Wide Web, a document that serves as a starting point for a set of webpages and other files in a website.

HTTP GET: An HTTP method for retrieving a resource, as described in [RFC2616].

hyperlink: A relationship between two anchors, as described in [RFC1866].

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML): An application of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) that uses tags to mark elements in a document, as described in [HTML].

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): An application-level protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems (text, graphic images, sound, video, and other multimedia files) on the World Wide Web.

identity: A digital persona that is associated with two key pairs, one for encrypting data and another for signing data.

immediate translation job: A translation job that contains only one translation item and is executed as a higher priority than a typical translation job.

index server: A server that is assigned the task of crawling.

Internet Information Services (IIS): The services provided in Windows implementation that support web server functionality. IIS consists of a collection of standard Internet protocol servers such as HTTP and FTP in addition to common infrastructures that are used by other Microsoft Internet protocol servers such as SMTP, NNTP, and so on. IIS has been part of the Windows operating system in some versions and a separate install package in others. IIS version 5.0 shipped as part of Windows 2000 operating system, IIS version 5.1 as part of Windows XP operating system, IIS version 6.0 as part of Windows Server 2003 operating system, and IIS version 7.0 as part of Windows Vista operating system and Windows Server 2008 operating system.

inverted index: For each token that is encountered in a corpus of indexed items, a data structure that stores a list of postings that identify which documents matched and a list of occurrences that identify which position in each document.

item: A unit of content that can be indexed and searched by a search application.

legal hold: A restriction that prevents a document from being modified or transactions from being entered for a record.

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP): The primary access protocol for Active Directory. Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an industry-standard protocol, established by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), which allows users to query and update information in a directory service (DS), as described in [MS-ADTS]. The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol can be either version 2 [RFC1777] or version 3 [RFC3377].

line-of-business (LOB) system: A software system that is used to store business data and can also contain business rules and business logic that support business processes.

list: (1) A container within a SharePoint site that stores list items. A list has a customizable schema that is composed of one or more fields.

(2) An organization of a region of cells into a tabular structure in a workbook.

list item: An individual entry within a SharePoint list. Each list item has a schema that maps to fields in the list that contains the item, depending on the content type of the item.

list template: An XML-based definition of list settings, including fields and views, and optionally list items. List templates are stored in .stp files in the content database.

master secret: A key that is used to symmetrically encrypt and decrypt credentials and single sign-on (SSO) tickets.

master secret server: A protocol server that stores and can provide a master secret in response to a request from a protocol client.

Meeting Workspace site: A SharePoint site that is based on a Meeting Workspace site template and has a template ID value of "2". A Meeting Workspace site is used for planning, posting, and working together on meeting materials.

membership: The state or status of being a member of a member group. A membership contains additional metadata such as the privacy level that is associated with the membership.

metadata store: A database that is stored on a back-end database server and contains all stored procedures and storage for the MetadataObject types.

OLE DB: A set of interfaces that are based on the Component Object Model (COM) programming model and expose data from a variety of sources. These interfaces support the amount of Database Management System (DBMS) functionality that is appropriate for a data store and they enable a data store to share data.

Online Analytical Processing (OLAP): A technology that uses multidimensional structures to provide access to data for analysis. The source data for OLAP is stored in data warehouses in a relational database. See also cube.

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC): A standard software API method for accessing data that is stored in a variety of proprietary personal computer, minicomputer, and mainframe databases. It is an implementation of [ISO/IEC9075-3:2008] and provides extensions to that standard.

permission: A rule that is associated with an object and that regulates which users can gain access to the object and in what manner. See also rights.

personal site: A type of SharePoint site that is used by an individual user for personal productivity. The site appears to the user as My Site.

picture library: A type of document library that is optimized for storing digital pictures or graphics.

portal site: A type of SharePoint site that can act as an umbrella to other sites and can be used by a large organization.

presentation: A collection of slides that are intended to be viewed by an audience.

principal: In Kerberos, a Kerberos principal.

property promotion: A process in which a field in an InfoPath form is made available for display as a column in a SharePoint list or the name of an Outlook folder, or for use as a parameter in a Web Part connection.

property set: A set of attributes, identified by a GUID. Granting access to a property set grants access to all the attributes in the set.

publish: The process of making an InfoPath form template available for people to fill out by using Microsoft InfoPath or a web browser.

published: A condition of portions of a workbook that are marked as being available to the user when that workbook is processed by a protocol server.

query: A formalized instruction to a data source to either extract data or perform a specified action. A query can be in the form of a query expression, a method-based query, or a combination of the two. The data source can be in different forms, such as a relational database, XML document, or in-memory object. See also search query.

query server: A server that has been assigned the task of fulfilling search queries.

remote procedure call (RPC): A communication protocol used primarily between client and server. The term has three definitions that are often used interchangeably: a runtime environment providing for communication facilities between computers (the RPC runtime); a set of request-and-response message exchanges between computers (the RPC exchange); and the single message from an RPC exchange (the RPC message).  For more information, see [C706].

scorecard: A report that depicts organizational and business performance by displaying a collection of key performance indicators (KPIs) with performance targets for those KPIs. Each KPI compares actual performance to goals for an area. A scorecard can be organized hierarchically and typically contains visualization tools such as trend charts and conditional formatting.

search query: A complete set of conditions that are used to generate search results, including query text, sort order, and ranking parameters.

search service application: A shared service application that provides indexing and querying capabilities.

Secure Store Service (SSS): A service that is used to store credentials for a user or a group of users. It enables applications, typically on behalf of a user, to authenticate and gain access to resources. Users can retrieve only their own credentials from the secure store.

Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML): The set of specifications that describe security assertions encoded in XML, profiles for attaching assertions to protocols and frameworks, request/response protocols used to obtain assertions, and the protocol bindings to transfer protocols, such as SOAP and HTTP.

server: A replicating machine that sends replicated files to a partner (client). The term "server" refers to the machine acting in response to requests from partners that want to receive replicated files.

service application: A middle-tier application that runs without any user interface components and supports other applications by performing tasks such as retrieving or modifying data in a database.

shape: A collection of qualifiers, such as names, and quantifiers, such as coordinates, that is used to represent a geometric object. A shape can be contained in a document, file structure, run-time structure, or other medium.

share: A resource offered by a Common Internet File System (CIFS) server for access by CIFS clients over the network. A share typically represents a directory tree and its included files (referred to commonly as a "disk share" or "file share") or a printer (a "print share"). If the information about the share is saved in persistent store (for example, Windows registry) and reloaded when a file server is restarted, then the share is referred to as a "sticky share". Some share names are reserved for specific functions and are referred to as special shares: IPC$, reserved for interprocess communication, ADMIN$, reserved for remote administration, and A$, B$, C$ (and other local disk names followed by a dollar sign), assigned to local disk devices.

site: A group of related pages and data within a SharePoint site collection. The structure and content of a site is based on a site definition. Also referred to as SharePoint site and web site.

site collection: A set of websites that are in the same content database, have the same owner, and share administration settings. A site collection can be identified by a GUID or the URL of the top-level site for the site collection. Each site collection contains a top-level site, can contain one or more subsites, and can have a shared navigational structure.

site definition: A family of site definition configurations. Each site definition specifies a name and contains a list of associated site definition configurations.

site membership: The status of being a member of a site and having a defined set of user rights for accessing or managing content on that site.

site template: An XML-based definition of site settings, including formatting, lists, views, and elements such as text, graphics, page layout, and styles. Site templates are stored in .stp files in the content database.

Slide Library: A type of a document library that is optimized for storing and reusing presentation slides that conform to the format described in [ISO/IEC-29500:2008].

SOAP: A lightweight protocol for exchanging structured information in a decentralized, distributed environment. SOAP uses XML technologies to define an extensible messaging framework, which provides a message construct that can be exchanged over a variety of underlying protocols. The framework has been designed to be independent of any particular programming model and other implementation-specific semantics. SOAP 1.2 supersedes SOAP 1.1. See [SOAP1.2-1/2003].

social data: A collection of ratings, tags, and comments about webpages and items on a SharePoint site or the Internet. Individual users create this data and, by default, share it with other users.

social networking: The use of websites and services that provide enhanced information and interaction capabilities with regard to people and resources.

social rating: A user-defined value that indicates the perceived quality of a webpage or item on a SharePoint site or the Internet. Individual users create these ratings and, by default, share them with other users.

social tag: A user-defined keyword and hyperlink to a webpage or item on a SharePoint site or the Internet. Individual users create these tags and, by default, share them with other users.

solution gallery: A gallery that is used to store solution packages.

solution package: A compressed file that can be deployed to a server farm or a site. It can contain assemblies, resource files, site and feature definitions, templates, code access security policies, and Web Parts. Solution packages have a .wsp file name extension.

task: An object that represents an assignment to be completed.

TCP/IP: A set of networking protocols that is widely used on the Internet and provides communications across interconnected networks of computers with diverse hardware architectures and various operating systems. It includes standards for how computers communicate and conventions for connecting networks and routing traffic.

term: A concept or an idea that is stored and can be used as metadata.

term label: A string that is used as the display value for a term. Each term label is associated with a specific language.

term set: A collection of terms that are arranged into and stored as a hierarchy or a flat list.

term store: A database in which managed metadata is stored in the form of term sets and terms.

translation job: A set of translation items which are created at the same time and share the same machine translation settings, including target language.

Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): A string that identifies a resource. The URI is an addressing mechanism defined in Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax [RFC3986].

Uniform Resource Locator (URL): A string of characters in a standardized format that identifies a document or resource on the World Wide Web. The format is as specified in [RFC1738].

Universal Data Connection (.udc, .udcx) file: An XML file that has a .udc or .udcx file name extension that contains user credentials and other authentication information that is used to connect to a data source.

user profile: A collection of properties that pertain to a specific person or entity within a portal site.

User Profile Service: A data source that stores, provides, and applies information about users.

user profile store: A database that stores information about each user profile.

video container: A data type that stores information needed to display videos on a collaboration server.

view: See form view (Microsoft InfoPath), list view (SharePoint Products and Technologies), or View (Microsoft Business Connectivity Services).

web application: A container in a configuration database that stores administrative settings and entry-point URLs for site collections.

web control: A server-side component that encapsulates user interface and related functionality.

Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning Protocol (WebDAV): The Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning Protocol, as described in [RFC2518] or [RFC4918].

Web Part: A reusable component that contains or generates web-based content such as XML, HTML, and scripting code. It has a standard property schema and displays that content in a cohesive unit on a webpage. See also Web Parts Page.

web server: A server computer that hosts websites and responds to requests from applications.

web service: A unit of application logic that provides data and services to other applications and can be called by using standard Internet transport protocols such as HTTP, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Web services can perform functions that range from simple requests to complicated business processes.

website: A group of related pages and data within a SharePoint site collection. The structure and content of a site is based on a site definition. Also referred to as SharePoint site and site.

workbook: A container for a collection of sheets.

workflow: (1) An automation of business processes that passes business documents and tasks automatically from one user to another for action, according to a defined sequence.

(2) A structured modular component that enables the automated movement of documents or items through a specific sequence of actions or tasks that are related to built-in or user-defined business processes.

workflow association: An association of a workflow template to a specific list or content type.

workflow events: An event that starts or resumes a workflow instance.

workflow instance: An instance of a workflow association that performs on a list item the process that is defined in a workflow template.

XML: The Extensible Markup Language, as described in [XML1.0].