Enterprise Glossary

21 CFR Part 11

Regulations issued by the US FDA establishing criteria for electronic records and electronic signatures. Compliance is mandatory for life sciences.

Learn how our Pharma RMS automates Part 11 compliance.

Access Control

Security mechanisms that dictate who can view, edit, or delete specific documents or enter physical archive spaces.

ALCOA+

A global framework ensuring data integrity. Data must be Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original, Accurate, Complete, Consistent, Enduring, and Available.

AMC (Annual Maintenance Contract)

Agreements for the maintenance of hardware/software. Often tracked within a contract repository to monitor expiration and renewal dates.

API (Application Programming Interface)

A set of protocols allowing different software systems (like an ERP and a DMS) to communicate and share data seamlessly.

Audit Trail

A secure, immutable, time-stamped electronic log that records who created, modified, viewed, or deleted a record.

See our Audit & Compliance Solution.

Automated Workflow

The digitization of a business process, automatically routing documents from one stakeholder to the next based on predefined business rules.

Barcode Tracking

Using printed scannable codes to digitally map and track physical assets (like folders or archive boxes) to specific shelves and locations.

Batch Record

Detailed documentation of the manufacturing process for a specific batch of a pharmaceutical product. Must be strictly archived.

Boolean Search

An advanced search technique combining keywords with operators like AND, OR, and NOT to produce highly specific file retrieval results.

Bulk Import

The automated process of ingesting massive amounts of legacy files or spreadsheet data into a new system to avoid manual data entry.

Chain of Custody

The chronological documentation showing the seizure, custody, control, transfer, and disposition of physical or electronic records.

Cloud DMS

A Document Management System hosted on remote servers, accessed via the internet, removing the need for local hardware maintenance.

Compliance

The act of conforming to rules, such as local laws (DPDP), industry regulations (FDA), or international standards (ISO).

Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM)

The proactive administration of a contract from initiation and execution, through performance and eventual renewal or expiry.

Data Encryption

Translating readable data into an unreadable format to prevent unauthorized access during storage (at rest) or transmission (in transit).

Data Integrity

Ensuring that data remains accurate, complete, and reliable throughout its entire lifecycle without unauthorized tampering.

Data Residency

The physical or geographic location where an organization's data is stored. Critical for Indian enterprises complying with national laws.

Document Management System (DMS)

Software used to track, manage, and store documents, reducing paper trails and maintaining a history of version edits.

Explore DocPro's Core Platform.

DPDP Act

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act dictates how enterprises must legally collect, store, and protect the personal data of Indian citizens.

See how we secure HR records.

Electronic Signature (e-Signature)

A legal, digital marker used to indicate agreement or approval on an electronic document, replacing a physical wet-ink signature.

Enterprise Content Management (ECM)

A broader strategy and toolset (beyond DMS) used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content and documents related to organizational processes.

Expiry Alert

Automated notifications sent to stakeholders 30, 60, or 90 days before a document (like a contract or compliance certificate) lapses.

Full-Text Search

A powerful search feature that examines all the words in every stored document in a repository, not just the file names or metadata tags.

Granular Permissions

Highly specific access settings that dictate exact user rights, such as allowing a user to view a document but restricting their ability to download or print it.

GxP

An acronym for "Good Practice" quality guidelines (e.g., GMP for Manufacturing). Used heavily in regulated pharmaceutical industries.

Hybrid Cloud

An infrastructure setup that combines on-premise, private servers with public cloud environments, providing flexibility and strict security compliance.

Immutable Record

A document or database log that cannot be altered, edited, or deleted once created, serving as absolute proof for internal or external auditors.

Indexing

The process of categorizing documents by associating them with search tags, text, and metadata to make them easily retrievable.

ISO 27001

An international standard detailing best practices for an Information Security Management System (ISMS), ensuring data confidentiality and integrity.

Legacy Data Migration

The complex process of moving historical data, files, and records from an outdated system or physical filing cabinet into a modern digital platform.

Master Service Agreement (MSA)

A foundational contract outlining baseline terms and conditions for all future transactions between two parties.

Metadata

Information that describes other data. In a DMS, metadata includes document type, author, creation date, and expiration tags, enabling lightning-fast search retrieval.

Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

A legally binding contract establishing a confidential relationship. The parties agree that sensitive information they may obtain will not be made available to others.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

Technology that automatically recognizes and extracts text within digital images or scanned physical documents, making the text fully searchable.

On-Premise Deployment

Installing and running software infrastructure locally on an organization's own physical hardware servers, rather than on a remote cloud.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Any data that can be used to distinguish or trace a specific individual’s identity, such as national ID numbers, biometric records, or financial information.

Purge / Data Destruction

The formal, documented process of permanently deleting digital files or physically destroying paper records once their legally required retention period has ended.

Quality Assurance (QA)

The maintenance of a desired level of quality in a service or product, heavily reliant on perfect documentation and verifiable audit trails.

Records Management System (RMS)

Software explicitly designed to govern the lifecycle of official business records, including tracking the location of physical archival boxes via barcodes.

Retention Policy

An organizational rule detailing exactly how long specific types of data must be kept for legal or compliance reasons before being destroyed.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

A security mechanism that restricts system access based on a user's role within the organization (e.g., "Viewer", "Approver").

Routing

The process of electronically moving a document from one specific department or executive to another to gather necessary approvals or signatures.

SaaS (Software as a Service)

A software delivery model where a centrally hosted application is licensed on a subscription basis, accessed via a standard web browser.

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

A contract establishing a set of deliverables that one party has agreed to provide another. Turnaround times for document approvals are often governed by internal SLAs.

Single Source of Truth

The practice of structuring information so that every data element is stored exactly once, ensuring all users base business decisions on the same exact document version.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

A security process requiring users to provide two different authentication factors (e.g., a password and a mobile OTP) to verify themselves.

Vendor Contract

A legal agreement detailing the goods or services a supplier will provide. Managing these requires strict expiry tracking.

Version Control

The management of multiple revisions of a document. Strict versioning prevents unauthorized overwrites and ensures teams view the most current iteration.

Watermarking

Superimposing a logo or text (like "CONFIDENTIAL" or a user's IP address) onto a document to discourage unauthorized downloading, printing, or sharing.

Workorder

A formally documented, digital request utilized in physical records management to authorize the picking, delivery, re-filing, or destruction of an archived asset.