Glossary
We know that learning a new system comes with learning new terminology. This glossary gives clear explanations of terms you'll encounter while using the platform, from document statuses and approval workflows to system features and account settings.
Whether you're new to Zudello or need a quick refresh, this guide helps you understand the exact meaning of terms within our platform.
Terms
A
Active milestone: The current milestone in an approval flow that contains pending approval steps requiring action from approvers.
Active status: A setting that shows whether records such as items or suppliers are active. When active, records can be selected on documents. Inactive records will not show as available for selection.
Add approver: A feature that allows you to include additional approvers in an existing approval step for enhanced document review.
Approval flow: The step-by-step path a document takes to get approved, showing who needs to approve it and in what order.
Approval milestone: A main section of the approval process that contains one or more related approval steps.
Approval notifications: Messages sent by email or Microsoft Teams to let you know when you need to approve a document.
Approval reminders: Manual notifications sent to approvers who haven't yet approved a document to keep approval processes moving efficiently.
Approval rules: Settings that control how documents are sent for approval and what conditions must be met before approval can be given.
Approval status: A document status (Approval) that shows the document is waiting for someone to approve it.
Archive: A way to store documents that you processed outside of Zudello or that no longer need attention, while keeping them separate from deleted documents.
Audit history: A complete record of every change made to a document or record in Zudello, including who made the change, when they made it, and what was changed.
Authenticator app: A mobile application that generates time-based verification codes for two-factor authentication, such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator.
B
Blocking errors: Critical validation issues that prevent document submission or approval and must be resolved before the document can progress through your workflow.
Board view: A way to view your documents arranged in columns by status, similar to a kanban board. This helps you see where documents are in your workflow.
Bulk approval: A feature that allows you to approve multiple documents simultaneously, helping you manage high volumes of approvals efficiently.
Bulk actions: Features that let you perform the same task on multiple documents at once, such as assigning users or changing statuses.
Bulk reminders: A feature that allows you to send approval reminders for multiple documents at once, saving time when managing large numbers of pending approvals.
C
Change approver: A feature that allows you to reassign a pending approval step to a different user or user group when the original approver is unavailable.
Change team: A feature that allows you to move documents from one team to another within your organisation when they've been uploaded or emailed to the wrong team.
Convert: A feature that lets you move a document from one module and/or submodule to another, such as turning a quote into a purchase order.
Convert to PO: A dedicated feature that streamlines procurement by converting supplier quotes directly into purchase orders, eliminating manual data entry.
Credit: A document from a supplier that reduces the amount you owe them, often issued to correct an invoice or provide a refund. Also known as a credit note, a credit memo, a refund, or an adjustment.
CSV file: A file that stores data in a simple text format, with each piece of information separated by commas. These files are commonly used for importing and exporting data. Excel files and Google sheets can be saved as CSV files.
Customer: An individual or organisation that buys goods or services from your business.
Customer record: Information about a customer stored in Zudello, including their name, billing details, and default settings for their transactions.
D
Default coding: Settings that automatically apply specific values like subsidiary and location to documents you manually upload to Zudello.
Default document types: Predetermined document types that are automatically assigned to incoming documents based on the matched supplier to ensure appropriate processing rules are applied.
Default settings: A section in your profile where you set team-specific preferences like default coding and default team selection.
Default team: The team you see when you log in to Zudello. If you work with multiple teams, you can change your default team in your Profile settings.
Default team settings: Options that control which team you see when you log in and how documents are processed for that team.
Delegation of authority (DOA): Rules that control who can approve different types of documents and up to what amount. These rules use the dimensions selected on each transaction to determine who needs to approve it.
Detailed view: A way to view audit history that shows changes in a table format, making it easy to see exactly what changed in each field.
Dimensions: Classification codes you assign to transaction lines, such as department, account, cost centre, and tax rate. Dimensions help organise transactions in your accounting system and can affect who needs to approve them.
Document chat: A feature that lets you discuss a document directly within Zudello.
Document number: A unique identifier for each document in Zudello, often matching the number on the original document from your supplier or customer.
Document status: A label that shows where a document is in your workflow, such as new, approved, or rejected. Understanding document status helps you quickly find documents that need your attention.
Document totals: The final amounts on a document, including subtotal, tax, and total amount.
Document validations: Automated checks that ensure documents meet business requirements and data accuracy standards before processing.
Draft status: A document status (Draft) showing that someone has started creating or editing a document but has not submitted it for approval yet.
Drop-down menu: A menu that opens when clicked to show a list of options you can choose from. Drop-down menus help keep the interface clean while giving you quick access to different choices.
Duplicate detection: Zudello's automatic system that identifies when the same document is received via multiple sources and prevents duplicate processing.
E
Email upload: A way to add documents to Zudello by sending them as email attachments to your team's Zudello mailbox address.
Employee: A person who works for your organisation and may need reimbursement for expenses or travel costs.
Employee record: Information about an employee stored in Zudello, including their name, payment details for reimbursements, and which departments they belong to.
Export template: A saved set of settings that defines what data you want to export from Zudello and how you want it formatted.
F
Field mapping: The process of connecting columns in your import file to the corresponding fields in Zudello during data import.
Force approve: An action that immediately approves all current approval steps on a document, usually done by administrators. You must enter a reason for forcing approval, which is saved in the audit trail.
From date: The date when approval delegation begins, allowing another user to handle your approval responsibilities.
G
Goods receipt: A document that records the physical receipt of goods against a purchase order, used in three-way matching processes.
GR pending status: A document status (GR Pending) showing that an invoice is linked to a purchase order but needs a goods receipt to be matched before it can be processed.
H
Header row: The first row in a CSV file that defines what data is contained in each column, used during importing to map fields correctly.
History tab: A section in Zudello that shows you all changes made to a document, including who made them and when.
I
Import file: A file containing data that you want to add to Zudello, typically in CSV or TXT format. The file must follow specific formatting rules to import successfully.
Inbox tab: A section that shows all email communications related to a document, including the original email that contained the document and any replies.
Inbox templates: Pre-written email subjects and messages with placeholders that automatically personalise communication when placing orders with suppliers.
Information validation: Minor validation issues or suggestions that don't affect document processing but help maintain best practices.
Invoice: A document from a supplier requesting payment for goods or services they have provided.
Invoiced status: A purchase order status showing that the order has been fully matched to invoices and is no longer available for matching.
J
K
L
Layout: The way information is arranged on your screen. Zudello offers three layouts: list view, board view, and table view. You can choose the layout that works best for you.
Line level coding: The process of adding classification codes and other information to individual lines on a document, such as account codes or tax rates.
List view: A way to view your documents as a vertical list, with each document showing as a card with key information.
M
Management tree approvals: An approval process that follows your organisation's management structure. Documents are sent to each manager up the chain until someone with a high enough approval limit approves the transaction.
Manual upload: A way to add documents to Zudello by dragging and dropping files or selecting them from your computer, rather than sending them by email.
Mention: A feature that lets you send another user a notification about a message in the document chat.
Module: A main section of Zudello that groups related features together, such as purchasing, sales, or inventory.
N
Notification settings: Controls that let you choose which types of email updates you receive about document changes and approvals for each team.
O
P
Partially invoiced status: A purchase order status showing that the order has been partially matched to invoices but still has remaining quantities available for matching.
Partially received status: A purchase order status showing that the order has been partially matched to goods receipts but still has remaining quantities available for receipt.
Payment terms: Rules that define when invoices should be paid relative to their issue date, automatically calculating due dates for supplier transactions.
Pending status: A purchase order status showing that the order has been approved and is ready to be sent to the supplier.
Placeholders: Dynamic content markers in inbox templates that automatically replace with specific document information like document numbers, amounts, or supplier names when emails are sent.
Placed status: A purchase order status showing that the order has been sent to the supplier and is available for two-way and three-way matching.
PO missing status: A document status (PO Missing) showing that an invoice needs to be matched to a purchase order before it can be processed.
PO variance status: A document status (PO Variance) showing that an invoice's amounts are different from its purchase order by more than the allowed amount.
Price books: A system for managing comprehensive item pricing rules with advanced validations that automatically apply to purchasing and sales transactions.
Price validation: Automated checks that compare transaction pricing against configured price books to identify discrepancies and prevent overpayments.
Profile settings: The section where you manage your account preferences, including your password, default team, and notification settings.
Purchase order: A document sent to suppliers that formally requests specific goods or services and agrees to pay for them.
Purchasing module: A main section of Zudello where you manage all purchasing documents, including quotes, purchase orders, and invoices.
Q
QR code: A square barcode displayed during two-factor authentication setup that contains the secret key, which can be scanned by authenticator apps to set up automatic code generation.
Quote: A document from a supplier showing the cost of goods or services before you commit to buying them.
R
Ready exports: Previously generated export files that are available for download from Zudello's export system.
Received status: A purchase order status showing that the order has been fully matched to goods receipts.
Reject review status: The status (Reject Review) of a transaction that an approver has rejected and needs to be reviewed. After review, the transaction will either be fixed and sent for approval again or permanently rejected.
Related documents: Documents that are linked to each other in Zudello, such as a purchase order and its corresponding invoice.
Relationships module: A main section of Zudello where you manage all information about your suppliers, customers, and employees.
Reorder: A function that quickly recreates frequently ordered purchase orders with a single click, saving time on repetitive purchasing workflows.
Reprocess: A feature that allows you to choose which email source should be used for processing when duplicate documents are detected from multiple sources.
Requests submodule: A section that shows all transactions waiting for your approval in a given module.
Requisition: A document requesting approval to make a purchase, which becomes a purchase order once approved.
Revert: A feature that moves documents from a non-editable status back to an editable status, allowing you to make necessary changes.
S
Scanning status: A document status (Scanning) that shows Zudello is currently extracting information from the document. No user action is needed during scanning.
Submodule: A section within a module that handles specific types of documents or tasks, such as invoices within the purchasing module.
Supplier: An individual or organisation that provides goods or services to your business.
Supplier record: Information about a supplier stored in Zudello, including their name, payment details, and default settings for their transactions.
T
Table view: A way to view your documents in a spreadsheet-like format with rows and columns, making it easy to sort and compare information.
Tag: A label you can add to documents to help organise them and make them easier to find. Tags can have different colors and names to help identify different types of documents.
Three-way matching: A process that compares an invoice against both its purchase order and goods receipt to verify that everything matches before payment.
Timeline view: A way to view audit history that shows changes in time order, with related changes grouped together for easier understanding.
Two-factor authentication (2FA): An extra layer of security that requires a second form of verification beyond your password, typically using an authenticator app to generate time-based codes.
Two-way matching: A process that compares an invoice against its purchase order to verify that prices and quantities match before payment.
TXT file: A simple text file format that can be used for importing data into Zudello.
U
Unable to process status: A document status (Unable to Process) showing that Zudello could not send the document to your accounting system. The error message explains what went wrong.
Unsupported status: A document status (Unsupported) showing that Zudello does not recognise the type of document and cannot process it.
Until date: The date when approval delegation ends, returning approval responsibilities to the original user.
User group: A collection of users who share the same approval permissions.
UUID: A unique identifier that Zudello assigns to each record in the system. UUIDs are used when importing data to update existing records.
V
Validation warnings: Important validation issues that don't prevent document processing but may cause problems later and should be reviewed for data accuracy.
W
Wildcard: A blank field in an approval rule that matches any value, making the rule apply more broadly.
Workflow efficiency: How smoothly and quickly documents move through your Zudello process.
X
Y
Z
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