DARK MATTER Software, AI and hardware glossary
The terms you'll hear while building your system, explained in business language.
- AI chatbot
- An assistant that talks with your customers (for example on WhatsApp), answers common questions and hands off to a person when needed.
- API
- A gateway that lets two systems talk. For example, it lets your POS send sales to your accounting without retyping data.
- Backend
- The part of the system you don't see: server, database and business rules that process information.
- CRM
- A system to manage customers and sales opportunities: who they are, what stage they're in and the next step.
- E-invoicing
- Issuing digital invoices that are valid before the tax authority, such as e-CF in the Dominican Republic.
- ERP
- A system that ties business areas (sales, inventory, purchasing, finance) into a single database.
- Fault code (DTC)
- A code the vehicle's computer reports when it detects a problem, such as P0420. It is read through the OBD-II port.
- Frontend
- What the user sees and touches: the screens, buttons and forms of a website or app.
- Geofence
- A virtual zone on a map. The system alerts you when a vehicle or person enters or leaves it.
- IoT (Internet of Things)
- Connected physical devices that send data: GPS trackers, temperature sensors, meters.
- MFA (multi-factor authentication)
- A sign-in that asks for more than a password, such as a code on your phone, to protect accounts.
- Multi-tenant
- One platform serving several companies, each with its data kept separate. It is the foundation of a SaaS.
- MVP
- A first version with the minimum needed to solve the main problem and start using it, before adding more features.
- Native and cross-platform app
- A native app is built separately for Android and iOS; a cross-platform app (such as Flutter) uses one codebase for both with similar performance.
- OBD-II
- A vehicle's diagnostics port. A tracker plugged into it reports speed, RPM, fuel and fault codes.
- POS (point of sale)
- A system to ring up sales at the counter: sales, cash, inventory and reports. A custom one adapts to sales by weight, wholesale or credit.
- SaaS
- Software used over the internet for a subscription, with nothing to install.
- SEO
- Practices that help your site show up on Google when someone searches for what you offer.
- Telemetry
- Data a device sends remotely and continuously, such as a vehicle's position and engine status.
- Webhook
- An automatic notice one system sends to another when something happens, for example when a new lead arrives.