Glossary
G
Action record
Record containing all data necessary for notificati-
ons to the municipality.
The action record is generated for the water divisi-
on and given to the municipality so that it can levy
waste water fees.
Active energy
Component of apparent energy which is actually
used to do work.
Active power
Component of apparent power which is actually
used to create power.
It is used to convert electric power into mechanical
or thermal power.
Advance payment
Budget billing amount specified in the budget bil-
ling plan. It is paid before the utility company has
rendered services.
Allocation month
Month that determines the starting point for the
reading of data required for thermal gas billing (such
as calorific value, temperature, and gas law devia-
tion factor).
Apparent power
Total electrical power of a reference value.
It is usually measured in kilovolt amperes (kVA).
Base period
Time period in which periodic meter readings are
performed.
This period serves as the basis for extrapolation and
updating of annual consumption.
Basic device category
Grouping together of devices of the same category.
Examples include meters, transformers, and audio-
frequency ripple control receivers.
Best-rate billing
Determination of the most favorable rate for the
customer using several alternatives.
Billing class
Classification of contracts within one division, for
example, residential contracts or nonresidential
contracts.
Glossary
Billing order
Data record created during the meter reading order
creation relevant to billing. A billing order is crea-
ted for each contract.
Billing schema
Structure that defines the order in which variant
programs for rates to be billed must be executed.
Billing-related device installation
Allocation of a device to a utility installation.
Upon billing-related installation, meter reading or-
ders can be created for the registers of the device,
and the device is included in billing of the utility
installation.
Billing-related device removal
Termination of the allocation of a device to a utility
installation. The device remains technically installed,
meaning it remains installed in the device location.
Blocking
Certain sequential quantity areas (for demand or
energy) where specific prices apply for each area.
This is to prevent higher consumption from being
cheaper than lower consumption.
Budget billing
Fixed partial payment on the expected bill, which
is charged in advance.
These partial payments are charged on budget bil-
ling due dates. For the utility company, budget bil-
ling payments are down payments on the bill, which
is charged later.
Budget billing amount
Fixed partial payment on the expected bill, which
is charged in advance.
These partial payments are charged on budget bil-
ling amount due dates. For the utility company,
budget billing payments are down payments on the
bill, which is charged later.
Budget billing cycle
Time difference in months between two budget bil-
ling amount due dates.
Budget billing plan
Basis for the budget billing request. It is used for
managing all budget billing plan items for a con-
tract in a billing period.
Glossary-1
G Glossary
Budget billing request
Process in which customers are requested to pay
their budget billing amounts.
Budget billing requests are entered in the system as
statistical line items. According to country, they can
serve as the basis for a bill (actual debit entry).
Calibration validity
Statutory time period that determines when an ex-
ternally certified device must be recertified.
Calorific value
Conversion factor indicating how many kWh of
energy are obtained from one cubic meter of gas.
The calorific value is calculated using several influ-
ence parameters.
Calorific value district
Part of the gas supply grid in which the calorific
value of the gas is the same.
Cash deposit
Amount of money a utility company requires from
customers with poor credit standing or expected bad
payment behavior before services are rendered.
There are several ways in which cash deposits can
be paid back.
Check number
Random number generated for each order during
meter reading order creation.
It checks that the allocation of meter reading data
to the corresponding registers is correct.
Command
Signal sent out by a utility company that triggers
certain actions in ripple-control receivers.
Command group
Grouping together of several commands in a logi-
cal way.
Example: for street lighting, the command group is
made up of the commands turn on, diminish power,
and turn off.
Glossary-2
Compaction factor
Factor by which the waste volume is reduced when
the waste is compacted.
Waste is compacted using either a compactor or a
device attached to the vehicle.
Company consumption
Energy that a utility company uses for its own pur-
poses, such as for lighting its own building.
This is different from the energy it uses during the
production of energy (plant consumption).
Connection
Link between the supply grid and the installations
being supplied.
The connection is represented as an equipment
master record in the Plant Maintenance (PM) appli-
cation component.
Connection object
Link between installation and postal regional
structure.
This is usually a building, but can also be a piece of
property or other facility, such as a fountain or con-
struction site. The connection object corresponds to
the functional location in the Plant Maintenance (PM)
application component.
Connectivity information
Information about the physical links between no-
des of a supply grid.
This information states whether or not the supply
medium is transmitted between two nodes. It is usual-
ly derived from a network information system (NIS)
or from a geographical information system (GIS).
Construction class
First summarization level in the classification of de-
vice categories.
Several similar device categories can be grouped
into one construction class.
Contract
Agreement between business partner and utility
company that applies to a single division.

The contract contains control data for billing pur-
poses, for creation of the budget billing plan, and
for contract accounts receivable and payable.
Contracts for services (for example, maintenance
contracts) are managed by the Sales and Distribution
(SD) application component.
Contract demand limit
Upper limit on the demand of a connection.
Control relationship
Register relationship in which one register opera-
tes simultaneously with another in order to control
the other register’s readings.
Convergent billing
Billing procedure in which one utility company
includes the billing amounts for the services of a
third party together with its own on one bill.
In contrast to intercompany billing, postings in con-
tract accounts receivable and payable are managed
using the gross procedure (that is, including tax) and
transferred to general ledger as transitory items.
Creation date
Date on which the master data was created.
Customer information
Function which gives a utility company a quick and
comprehensive overview of a customer’s data. This
may include information on the customer’s utility
service, bill, or account.
This information allows a clerk to handle questions
directly while talking to a customer.
Delimitation
Division of billing values caused by data changes
within the billing period. Example: on the date when
a duty is changed, the calculated consumption and
the settlement price must be split up.
Demand meter
Meter for measuring demand.
The maximum demand in a certain time period
(such as every 15 minutes) is measured.
Demand price
Price per unit of demand to be billed for a certain
period (such as one year).
Glossary G
Dependent validation
Validation of meter reading data.
This check applies to several registers in one device,
installation or contract.
Device
Individual, physical object that is to be maintained
as an autonomous unit. Devices can be:
❑ Counting devices (meters)
❑ Controlling devices (ripple control receivers)
❑ Data processing devices (converters)
❑ Devices with protective or adjustive functions
(pressure controllers)
A device corresponds to a piece of equipment in the
Plant Maintenance (PM) application component.
Device category
Grouping together of devices with the same techni-
cal characteristics (data). Examples include single-
rate meters and double-rate meters.
The device category corresponds to material in the
Materials Management (MM) application component.
Device category description
Description of device category.
This can be either the manufacturer’s name for the
device or any name you give the device category.
Device group
Grouping of devices into a logical unit. This faci-
litates data entry. For example, if you enter the num-
ber of a device in a group during installation, all of
the other devices in that group are automatically
displayed for processing.
Example:
In the device group integrated water meter there are
two separate water meters that are installed toge-
ther (as a unit), but meter separately and are billed
individually.
Device installation reversal
Function that cancels an erroneous installation of a
device.
Glossary-3
G Glossary
Device location
Location within a connection object where devices
are installed. Device locations correspond to functio-
nal locations in the Plant Maintenance (PM) applica-
tion component.
Device modification
Change in the following parameters for devices:
❑ Device category
❑ Register group
❑ Input/output group
❑ Command group
In the case of installed electronic meters, modifica-
tion refers to reprogramming.
Device replacement
Replacement of a device with another device from
the same or similar category.
Device requirements planning
Tool for planning the expected need for devices and
the work associated with their periodic replacement.
This tool gives the user an overview of how many
devices of a device category must be replaced every
year.
Disconnection costs
Costs which arise as a result of disconnection of a
utility service.
Disconnection order
Document which aids a field service employee in
collecting a payment from a customer or disconnec-
ting a customer’s utility service.
Discount
Contractual or rate regulation concerning a reduc-
tion in the amount charged to a customer.
Division
Company-internal key for the division category
that is predefined by the Utilities Industry (IS-U)
component.
One or more divisions are allocated to the division
category.
For example, a utility company might divide the
division category water into drinking water and
waste water.
Glossary-4
Division category
Type of supply or service which is predefined in
the Utilities Industry (IS-U) component.
Examples of division categories are: 01 electricity,
02 gas, 03 water.
Dunning
The process of customer and internal notifications
to ensure collection of unpaid bills.
Duty
Duty on the net amount of a bill, differing from re-
gion to region. Examples: compensation tax, Bigge
surcharge.
Employee billing
Billing for employees of utility companies.
Employees receive more favorable terms for some
divisions.
Energy charge
Unit price for electricity, such as cents/kWh.
Entry
Recording of meter reading results.
There are three ways of entering data:
❑ Fast entry
❑ Single entry
❑ Data transfer from non-SAP systems
Excess demand
Positive difference of the demand actually used and
the demand agreed upon in the contract.
External certification
Technical inspection and renewal of a measuring
device by a licensed technician.
The measuring accuracy of the device is inspected
according to legal requirements.
Extrapolation
Procedure that can be used for forecasting the follo-
wing:
❑ Meter readings
❑ Budget billings
❑ Simulation values
❑ Period consumption

Facts
Concrete values (such as 100 kW) or keys (for pri-
ces, for example) that are allocated to operands and
are valid for a specific period.
According to the level on which the facts are alloca-
ted, they can refer to installation facts, rate category
facts or rate facts.
Final billing
Billing triggered when a customer moves out or
when the service territory is transferred to another
supplier.
Flat rate
Billing record that is used when a certain value
cannot be measured, for example, if using a meter
would be uneconomical.
Flat rates break down as follows:
❑ Flat-rate consumption
❑ Flat-rate amounts
Formal validation
Plausibility check of meter reading data.
This check applies mainly to tables and fixed values.
Franchise contract
Contract between a utility company and the muni-
cipality about payment of a franchise fee. The fran-
chise contract applies to only one division.
Franchise fee
Payment by the utility company to municipalities
whereby the utility company obtains the right to
supply energy directly to customers in these regi-
ons. This allows the utility company to use public
traffic routes for the laying and operation of lines.
The franchise fee is determined for each division in
a separate franchise contract.
Franchise fee group
Company’s own grouping of business partners that
are subject to the same franchise fee conditions, such
as major customers.
Full device installation
Technical and billing-related installation performed
in one step. The device is installed in a device loca-
tion and allocated to a premise.
Glossary G
Full device removal
Billing-related and technical removal performed in
one step.
Function class
Second summarization level in the classification of
device categories.
Several device categories or construction classes
(each containing several device categories) can be
grouped into one function class.
Gas billing according to standard cubic meters
Type of gas billing in which the gas quantity supp-
lied to the customer is billed based on the gas volu-
me correction factor.
Gas billing type
Classification for gas billing.
There are three gas billing types:
❑ Thermal gas billing
❑ Gas billing according to standard cubic meters
❑ Volumetric gas billing
Gas law deviation factor
Quotient of the compressibility factors of a gas in
normal and operating conditions.
Gas volume correction factor
Conversion factor used for converting an operating
volume (measured gas quantity) into a standard
volume.
Independent validation
Validation of meter reading data based on validati-
on parameters and tolerance limits dependent on
consumption.
This validation applies to one specific register.
Industry
Name for the branch of industry to which an instal-
lation belongs, such as trade or construction.
Initial access
Initial access to the random number table during
the sampling procedure.
Start access consists of a starting line and several
starting columns.
Initial data creation
Function aiding the creation of one premise and all
the installations belonging to it.
Glossary-5
G Glossary
Input/output group
Group of interfaces of one or more device catego-
ries or devices.
Example: a group of several pulse input points and
a modem interface in the case of remote meters.
Installation
Group of all devices, registers and flat rate billing
values that are:
❑ Specific to a division
❑ Allocated to a premise
❑ Grouped together for billing purposes
One premise can have several installations. These
installations can refer to the same or different divi-
sions.
Installation removal
Permanent dismantling of an installation, whereby
energy supply is stopped completely.
Installation shutdown
Temporary dismantling of all meter devices, whe-
reby no energy is supplied to the installation for a
limited period.
Installation structure
Description of devices built into an installation.
It mainly contains data necessary for billing the con-
tract associated with the installation.
Installer
Person authorized by the utility company to per-
form installations.
The utility company determines the installers and
the service territories for which they are authorized.
Installer directory
List of authorized installers in a service territory and
of other companies of interest to a utility company
(for example, architects).
Intercompany billing
Billing procedure in which one utility company crea-
tes a single bill for the end customer, including ser-
vices of several companies all having separate ba-
lance sheets. This one company also maintains joint
contract accounts receivable and payable for the
customer for all other companies.
Glossary-6
Contract accounts receivable and payable contain
the information specific to company codes and
transfer the data to separate general ledgers.
Internal certification
Technical inspection and renewal of a measuring
device by the utility company itself.
The measuring accuracy of the device is tested using
company standards.
Internal certification period
Period defined by the utility company that deter-
mines when an externally or internally certified
device must be recertified.
Interpolation
Automatic extrapolation of a meter reading result
from another meter reading result within the entry
interval. The entry interval is entered in the meter
reading unit.
Example:
Periodic meter reading: April 15
Move-out: April 18
Entry interval: April 01 to 30
The meter reading order for the final meter reading
(to take place on April 18) is suppressed. The meter
reading result is extrapolated from the meter rea-
ding result of the periodic meter reading.
Invoicing
Interface between billing and contract accounts re-
ceivable and payable.
It is used for the following functions:
❑ Posting to a customer account
❑ Creating the collective document for the
general ledger
❑ Supplying information for statistics
❑ Printing the bill
Lot size
Number of devices in a sampling lot used in a sam-
pling procedure.

Meter reader payment
Payment for the services of a meter reader or distri-
butor.
These persons are compensated according to the
service rendered.
Example:
The meter reader is paid according to the number
of registers read, and the distributor according to
the number of customer newsletters distributed.
Meter reading
Register reading displayed by a device.
Meter readings are stored in the system as meter
reading results.
Meter reading announcement
Notification to the customer indicating the meter
reading date and the installations to be read.
Meter reading category
Classification of meter readings.
The following predetermined meter reading cate-
gories exist:
❑ Meter reading by the utility company
❑ Meter reading by the customer
❑ Automatic estimation
❑ Interpolated meter reading
Meter reading document
Data record which is the basis for meter reading
orders and meter reading results .
Meter reading documents first exist as meter rea-
ding orders in the system. Documents become me-
ter reading results as soon as specific meter reading
data (such as readings or notes from the meter rea-
der) is available to the system.
Meter reading interval
Period in which only one meter reading and the re-
lated billing are to be carried out.
If the system establishes in meter reading order pro-
cessing that a meter reading order was already crea-
ted within the relevant period, or that a meter rea-
ding result already exists, the meter reading order
with lower priority is suppressed on the basis of
the priority of the meter reading reasons.
Glossary G
Meter reading order
Data record created during meter reading order
creation. It contains data specific to the register and
information for the meter reader.
Meter reading order creation
Procedure for creating meter reading documents
and preparing for entry of meter reading results.
This procedure also includes preparation for billing,
depending on the meter reading reason indicated
by the user. This applies to the following meter rea-
ding reasons:
❑ Periodic meter reading
❑ Interim meter reading with billing
❑ Final meter reading with move-in/out
❑ Service territory handover with billing
Meter reading result
Meter reading that has been taken or estimated and
that is stored in the system for a certain date.
Meter reading time
Time (e.g. hours) required to read a meter reading
unit.
Meter reading type
Customer-defined meter reading category.
Each meter reading type is allocated to one of the
following meter reading categories:
❑ Meter reading by the utility company
❑ Mete reading by the customer
❑ Automatic estimation
A utility might, for example, divide the meter rea-
ding category Meter reading by the customer into the
meter reading types Entry via telephone and Entry
via internet.
Meter reading unit
Installations grouped together according to region,
consisting of built-in devices and their registers.
Installations are grouped this way for purposes of
meter reading and device management.
The meter reading unit is the basis for the meter
reader’s work list.
Glossary-7
G Glossary
Mobile data entry
Portable data entry system employed by utility com-
panies, for example for entry of meter readings.
Move-in
Registration for utility service by the customer.
This is different from moving into the residence.
Move-in date
Date on which the billing-related aspects of the con-
tract with the customer begin.
The move-in date serves the following functions:
❑ It is the scheduled date for the meter reading
at move-in
❑ It is the start of the next billing period
Move-in notification
Notification to the municipality regarding the in-
stallation of a water installation.
The utility company uses this notification to inform
the municipality of new customers (for waste wa-
ter billing).
Move-in/out
Function whereby the move-out of one customer
and possibly the move-in of another customer can
be entered for one or more contracts of a contract
account.
Move-out
Cancellation of utility service by the customer.
This is different from moving out of the premise.
Move-out date
Date on which the billing-related aspects of the con-
tract with the customer end.
The move-out date serves the following functions:
❑ It is the scheduled final meter reading date
❑ It is the key date for the final billing
Multiple meter reading order creation
Order creation which enables you to enter more than
one meter reading in a certain period.
Multiple-contract maintenance
Simultaneous maintenance of all contracts of a con-
tract account that have not been terminated.
Glossary-8
With the exception of move-in and move-out data,
all data for the contracts of a contract account can
be changed and checked for consistency using this
function.
Mutual help
Service mutually agreed upon by utility companies
that allows a utility company to demand payment
on an outstanding bill from customers who have
moved into the service territory of another utility
company.
Note
Explanatory text for master data or transaction data.
Notes can be subdivided into themes for individu-
al business entities. These are called note types.
Example: contract
❑ Note type 1: general terms and conditions
❑ Note type 2: contract notes
❑ Note type 3: special agreements
❑ Note type 4: general processing notes
Note from the meter reader
Information from the meter reader for entry of me-
ter reading results.
In conjunction with the control note, the note from
the meter reader initiates certain processes or follow-
up actions in recording of meter reading results.
Note to the meter reader
Information the meter reader needs in preparation
for the meter reading (such as “get key first”) or for
the meter reading itself (that the device was read
several times by the customer, for example).
Notification interval
Time span between creation of notifications and
normal entry of meter reading data.
Operand
Individually determined symbolic name for the as-
signed values that are used as input and output
parameters in variant programs.
One or more operands are allocated to an operand
category.

Operating volume
Volume of a gas quantity under current physical
conditions.
Outsorting
Procedure whereby a document is placed on an ex-
ception list if it has failed validation during billing
or invoicing. The clerk must check and, if necessa-
ry, release each outsorted document.
Outsorting check group
General term for a group of checks to be performed
for the purpose of outsorting bills.
Parameter record
Data record which contains control data for gene-
rating schedule records.
Period consumption
Consumption or demand for a register that is rele-
vant to meter reading in a period with a maximum
of 365 days.
Period consumption is used for extrapolating me-
ter reading results if no representative meter rea-
ding result is available.
Period for general terms of utility service
Statutory time period which guarantees that the
customer is informed of a budget billing amount or
of a bill amount at least two weeks prior to the due
date.
Period length
Value that, in conjunction with the period catego-
ry, controls the length of a billing or meter reading
period.
Period-end billing
Additional billing at the end of a period whereby
the customer is billed for the closed period, for ex-
ample, by means of backbilling.
Period-end billing schema
Schema containing the steps required for period-
end billing.
Glossary G
Periodic billing
Consumption billing performed in regular intervals.
The time sequence of this billing process is defined
in scheduling.
Examples:
❑ Annual consumption billing
❑ Monthly billing
❑ Bimonthly billing
Periodic replacement
Replacement of devices that must be replaced as
required by law or other rules.
Plant consumption
Energy that a utility company uses during the pro-
duction and distribution of energy.
Political entity
Element of the political regional structure, such as a
county.
Political regional structure
Division of a service territory according to political or
administrative criteria, such as states and counties.
Portion
Group of contracts that are to be billed together.
Premise
Enclosed spatial unit which is supplied with energy,
such as an apartment or factory.
Price adjustment clause
Control for the price adjustment factor, which is
multiplied by a basic price to obtain a current price.
Price class
Classification of device categories that are treated
the same with respect to price.
In conjunction with the price level, the price class is
used to determine the rental price.
Print/debit entry date
Date used when:
❑ The budget billing request run generates the
print document for the budget billing plan
item
❑ The partial bill run posts the budget billing
plan item as a debit
Glossary-9
G Glossary
Proration
Division of a billing period due to changes in data.
Example:
A rate changes in the middle of the month. Con-
sumption is calculated using the old rate for the first
half of the month and the new rate for the second
half of the month.
Purchase contract
Agreement between a utility company and a custo-
mer. The customer (for example, a small power pro-
ducer) provides the utility company with services,
usually power.
Quantity-based price
Price that has a quantity reference but no time refe-
rence, such as an energy price ($/kWh).
Rate
Billing rule for a register or a reference value that
refers to all the billing-related steps executed during
billing.
A rate consists of one or more variant programs,
which are part of the billing schema.
Rate category
Classification of an installation for billing purposes.
In conjunction with rate type, the rate category is
used to determine the rate.
Rate fact group
Grouping of individual facts that are allocated to a
rate.
Several rate fact groups can be allocated to one rate.
Rate fact groups enable you to use the same rate
but apply different operand values.
Example:
Rate fact group X contains the rate facts minimum
demand = 20 kW and discount rate = 10%. If a custo-
mer uses 20 kW, a discount of 10% is granted.
Rate type
Classification of a register, flat rate or reference va-
lue for billing purposes.
In conjunction with rate category, the rate type is
used to determine the rate.
Glossary-10
Reactivation costs
Costs of resuming utility service after a disconnection.
Reactive energy
Component of apparent energy that does not yield
energy.
It arises when electromagnetic fields are built up
or broken down (in transformers or motors, for
example) in connection with alternating voltage.
Reactive power
Component of apparent power that does not yield
work.
It arises when electromagnetic fields are built up
or broken down (in transformers or motors, for
example) in connection with alternating voltage.
Reconnection (installation)
Procedure whereby a disconnected installation is
reconnected when the reason for disconnection no
longer applies.
Reference value
Value not measured by registers that is used for cal-
culating charges.
This is normally a charge for the provision of ener-
gy or water.
Examples:
❑ Number of households for calculating the
service charge
❑ Connection load of a lighting unit for calcu-
lating the energy price in conjunction with the
burning hour calendar
Regional structure area
Role-specific grouping of regional structure groups.
The regional structure area can be used, for example,
for meter reading order creation in order to determi-
ne maintenance planning plants.
Register
Device that measures consumption, energy, etc.
This can refer to an actual register or a display in an
electronic device.
Register category
Register attribute used for interpreting meter rea-
ding results.

The attribute specifies whether it is a cumulating or
a balancing register. It also determines whether it is
a watt register, an energy, or consumption register.
In the cumulative register category, the difference
in register readings is considered. In the balancing
register category, the absolute quantity is conside-
red.
Example:
meter reading result = 10 (previous meter readings = 5)
-> absolute quantity = 10
-> difference = 10 - 5 = 5
Register group
Group of registers that belong to one or more de-
vices or device categories.
Register identification
Description of the function of a register.
Examples:
❑ Reactive power
❑ Apparent power
❑ Reactive energy
❑ Standard cubic meters of gas
Register relationship
Relationship of registers to each other. The registers
can also belong to devices in different installations.
Examples:
❑ Serial switching
❑ Control relationships
❑ Allocation of reactive to active registers
Register type
Indicator for the rate time zone to which a register
is allocated.
This does not necessarily mean that this time zone
must be identical to the time zone used in billing.
Rental price
Price for supplying the customer with a measuring
device (such as a meter) for a certain period of time.
For the electricity division, the rental price also inclu-
des the charges for meter reading, settlement and
collection.
Glossary G
Sales support
Function which aids marketing by selecting groups
of customers according to certain criteria.
Sample device
Device which is randomly pulled out of a sample
lot of devices for a spot check.
This device is then dismantled and inspected in or-
der to evaluate the quality of the entire sample lot.
Sample lot
Any number of devices grouped together to perform
a sampling inspection for the following purposes:
❑ To extend the calibration validity of these
devices (official sample lot)
❑ To inspect the quality of these devices
internally (internal sample lot)
Sampling procedure
Procedure whereby any number of devices is grou-
ped together to perform a sampling inspection for
the following purposes:
❑ To extend the calibration validity of these
devices officially (official sample lot)
❑ To inspect the quality of these devices
internally (internal sample lot)
Scaling
Certain sequential quantity areas for demand or
energy. When one quantity area is exceeded, a dif-
ferent price applies to the total quantity. In this way,
higher consumption can be cheaper than lower con-
sumption.
Schedule record
Data record in which individual dates are mana-
ged, such as meter reading dates, billing dates, and
budget billing amount due dates.
Scheduled meter reading category
Classification of a scheduled meter reading.
The following predetermined scheduled meter rea-
ding categories exist:
❑ Meter reading by the utility company
❑ Meter reading by the customer
❑ Automatic estimation
Glossary-11
G Glossary
Scheduling
Planning and controlling of the following functions:
❑ Meter reading order creation
❑ Billing
❑ Determination of budget billing amount
due dates
Schema
Structure that defines the sequence in which vari-
ant programs (calculation/processing steps) must
be executed.
Schema step
Single component (variant program) of a schema.
Season
Division of a year into fixed periods that do not
overlap and that add up to exactly one year. Sepa-
rate conditions apply to each period, which are ta-
ken into account in billing.
Example:
Different prices apply to the winter and summer
seasons:
❑ Winter season, 10/1 - 3/31: $0.21 per kWh
❑ Summer season, 4/1 - 9/30: $0.15 per kWh
Security
Deposit which a business partner must give the uti-
lity company as a new business partner or business
partner with bad credit standing.
The following types of securities exist:
❑ cash deposits
❑ noncash deposits
Security deposit
Deposit which a business partner must give the uti-
lity company as a new business partner or as a busi-
ness partner with poor creditworthiness.
The following types of security deposits exist:
❑ Cash security deposit
❑ Noncash security deposit
Glossary-12
Security deposit transfer
When a business partner relocates, a link is esta-
blished between the old contract for the old address
and the new contract for the new address. At the
same time, any cash or noncash security deposits
are automatically transferred from the old contract
to the new contract.
Serial switching
Register relationship in which one or more registers
are connected in a series.
The demand of all the registers in a series is measu-
red by the first register in the series.
Service frequency
Frequency with which a service (such as emptying)
takes place for a container in waste management.
The service frequency is only valid for a certain time
slice. The external scheduling and dispatching sy-
stem uses the specified frequency and time slice to
determine the exact dates.
Example:
The service frequency is specified as every first Tu-
esday of the month. The time slice is from 01/01/
99 to 03/31/99. On the basis of this data, the exter-
nal system determines the following dates:
❑ Tuesday 01/05/99
❑ Tuesday 02/02/99
❑ Tuesday 03/02/99
Service price
Unit price per reference value for providing electric
power for a certain period of time.
Service window
Specified period of time in which a waste manage-
ment service is to take place, for example, only bet-
ween 09:00 and 11:00.
Spare device
Additional device selected in the process of drawing
devices for inspection.
This device is used when a device selected for inspec-
tion is not suitable (due to damage, for example).

Standard volume
Volume of the gas quantity under the following stan-
dard physical conditions:
❑ Standard temperature (Ts) = 273.15 K
❑ Standard pressure (Ps) = 1.01325 bars
Standby power
Electrical power that a utility company keeps on re-
serve for customers who produce their own energy.
This power is used in case there is a temporary full
or partial power outage caused by a malfunction,
or if there is a shutdown due to an inspection.
Street route
Sequence for reading the registers in a meter reading
unit.
Supplemental demand
Electric power that a utility company supplies to
customers who produce their own energy. This co-
vers the customer’s power need that surpasses in-
plant generation.
Surcharge
Amount established in the contract or rate that is
included in the customer’s bill amount.
Surcharges do not refer to amounts that a utility
company collects only for forwarding to another
entity, such as taxes and duties.
Technical device installation
Physical installation of a device in a device locati-
on. Relationships with other registers and device
can be defined upon technical installation. Techni-
cal installation is a prerequisite for billing-related
device installation.
Technical device removal
Physical removal of a device from a device location.
Technical removal cannot be performed until bil-
ling-related removal has been performed, that is,
the device must no longer be allocated to the utility
installation.
Technical installation
Division-related unit installed in a premise.
Glossary G
The technical installation is modeled for the utili-
ties industry as a piece of equipment in the Plant
Maintenance (PM) application component. If you do
not wish to create this unit (for example, a flat-rate
installation) as a device, you can create it as a tech-
nical installation for the Plant Maintenance and Ser-
vice Management components.
Examples of technical installations are:
❑ Night storage heating stove with cable
❑ Night storage heating stove without cable
❑ Fuse box
❑ Distribution cabinet
❑ Electrical outlet
Thermal gas billing
Type of gas billing in which the operating volume
(measured gas quantity) is converted into a heat
quantity using the gas volume correction factor and
the calorific value. This heat quantity is then billed.
Time slice
Time interval within which a specified object was
not changed.
Time-based price
Price that has both a time and quantity reference,
such as a demand price ($/kW/365 days).
Transformer group
A group of transformers.
There are certain inspections regarding the permis-
sible combination of transformers and the compa-
tibility of their windings.
Time-based price
Price that has both a time and quantity reference,
such as a demand price ($/kW/365 days).
Transformer group
A set of transformers that must meet certain requi-
rements regarding the permissible combination of
transformers and the compatibility of their win-
dings.
Unbilled revenue reporting
Consumption proration used for determining and
valuating quantities sold and billed for the balance
sheet of the closing balance period.
Glossary-13
G Glossary

Usage type Volumetric gas billing

Key for the rate time zone to which a register is al- Type of gas billing in which the recorded gas quan-
located with respect to installation and billing. tity, measured as a volume (for example, in cubic
meters), is billed.
Vacant status
Status of a contract or installation if a move-in does The recorded operating cubic meters are not con-
not occur directly after a move-out. verted to standard pressure and temperature con-
ditions.
During vacant status, the customer-related fields in
the contract or installation are deleted, as are the Waste amount
meter reading notes about the customer. A contract Amount of waste per time unit.
or installation remains in vacant status until another
move-in is registered. Waste disposal service
Service in the Waste Management component, such
Validation as a container service, container delivery, or contai-
Test of meter reading data for plausibility before it ner removal.
is entered into the system.
Waste level
Validations can be divided into the following three Specification of the level to which a container is filled.
categories:
❑ Formal Weighting
Procedure for determining expected values when
❑ Independent making extrapolations.
❑ Dependent
Winding group
Validation class Group of windings which applies to one or more
Grouping of independent validations, that is, vali- devices or device categories.
dations for individual registers. The validation class This group contains at least one primary and one
is entered in the rate. secondary winding.
Validation group Yearly advance payment
Grouping of dependent validations, that is, valida- Payment that a customer makes a year in advance
tions for several registers. The validation group is for a service to be rendered by the utility company.
entered in the register relationship.
In most cases, the utility company grants a discount
Variant program for using this payment method.
Module in rates or schemas that contains a billing
rule.
Volume correction factor
Ratio of the standard volume of a gas to its opera-
ting volume.
Using the volume correction factor, a current opera-
ting volume can be converted into a physical stan-
dard volume. This is required when the energy con-
tent is to be calculated from the calorific value of the
gas, which always refers to the standard volume.
Formula for volume correction factor (VCF):
VCF = Ts * (Pamb + Peff) / (T * Ps * DF)
(Ts = 273.15 K, Pamb = air pressure, Peff = gauge
pressure of gas meter, T = gas temperature,
Ps = 1.01325 bars, DF = gas law deviation factor)

Glossary-14