Citywide Budgeting Glossary of Terms - PSD Citywide Inc - powered by HappyFox

Citywide Budgeting Glossary of Terms

Sep 11, 2026

This guide defines key terms, metrics, and labels used throughout the software and our support articles. Use this reference to familiarize yourself with the Citywide Budgeting (CWB) terminology and navigate the system with confidence.

Term	Definition
Account Number	A unique account identifier used to record and report financial transactions. In CWB, the Account Number is the COA Class Key for the Operating Class, typically formed from a combination of Key Segments.
Actual	Financial data imported from the ERP system representing real transactions that have occurred in the past.
API	Application Programming Interface. A method that allows CWB to exchange data with external systems programmatically.
Attributes	Configurable data structures used to store lists of related items and descriptive information for reporting, filtering, and relationships. Attributes that form part of a COA Class Key are called Key Segments.
Audit Logs	System-generated records that track user activity and changes made to data or configuration settings.
Benefits	Employee benefit costs and rules used in Salary Plan calculations, such as pension contributions, health benefits, or statutory contributions.
Budget	Planned financial amounts entered or calculated within CWB for a specific Year and Dataset.
Budget Spread	An operation used to distribute budget amounts across periods, such as months or quarters.
Capital Account Number	A unique account identifier used to record and report financial transactions. In CWB, the Capital Account Number is the COA Class Key for the Capital Class, typically formed from a combination of Key Segments which may or may not be the same as those used to form the COA Class Key for the Operating Class.
Capital Plan	The module used to manage capital projects, expenditures, financing, and long-term capital budgeting.
Capital Project	A project record used in Capital Plan to track capital expenditures, financing, and related project information.
Chart of Accounts (COA)	The organizational structure of financial accounts used for budgeting, reporting, and integration with a source ERP system.
COA Class Key	The composite account key created by combining configured Key Segments to uniquely identify each financial record.
Compensation Types	Categories of employee compensation, such as wages, overtime, or allowances.
Class	A configurable data structure, organized in columns and rows, that defines how financial data is stored within a Dataset.
Current Period	The active accounting or budget period currently being used by the system.
Dataset	A collection of related financial data for a specific purpose, version, or scenario.
Dataset Locks	Controls used to prevent users from editing data within a Dataset or specific periods.
Details	Additional descriptive or supporting information associated with an item, record, or project.
Employees	Staff records used in Salary Plan for compensation and benefit budgeting.
ERP	Enterprise Resource Planning system. The organization's primary financial or operational source system that can exchange data with CWB.
Financing	Funding sources used to support capital projects, such as reserves, grants, debt, or taxes.
Forecast	An estimate of future financial results based on assumptions, trends, or updated information.
General Ledger / General Ledger Accounts	The financial account structure used in the ERP system to record all accounting transactions.
Groups	Reporting categories used in Capital Plan to summarize expenditure or financing accounts for Views and Standard Reports.
Imports	An Operation used to load data into CWB from external files or systems.
Items	Individual values or records contained within a Key Segment or Attribute.
Item Relations	Relationships between Items that allow related data to be connected for reporting, filtering, and selection purposes.
Key Segments	Attributes that form part of the COA Class Key and represent components of the full account structure.
Limitations	Security and filtering rules used to restrict user visibility or access to specific data.
Login Logs	System-generated records showing user login activity, including dates and times of access.
Model Administration	The area used to configure the structural components of CWB, such as Classes, Attributes, Trees, Years and Datasets.
Node	A grouping point within a Tree used to organize and roll up Segment Items or other Nodes.
Operation	A system function or process used to perform actions on data within CWB, such as Imports, Budget Spread, Rollovers, or Sync Operations. Operations typically automate calculations, data movement, or system updates.
Operating Plan	The module used for operating budget preparation, forecasting, variance analysis and reporting.
Permissions	Security settings that control user access to modules, data, and system functions.
Positions	Organizational roles used in Salary Plan to define compensation structures and employee assignments.
Position Groups	Groups of positions that share common pay structures, hours of work, compensation rules, and benefits.
Project	The Key Segment designated to represent capital projects within Capital Plan.
Properties	Configurable characteristics or settings associated with an item, typically entered on a Details or Items tab.
Related Segments & Attributes	Segments or Attributes linked through Item Relations for reporting, filtering, and data selection purposes.
Role	A collection of permissions assigned to a user to control system access and functionality.
Rollovers	Operation used to copy or carry forward data from one Year or Dataset to another.
Roll-up	The process of summarizing detailed data into higher-level totals using Trees or other reporting structures.
Salary Plan	The module used to model employee wages, benefits, and other compensation-related costs.
Segment Items	Individual values contained within a Segment, such as a list of account numbers, departments, or projects.
Standard Report	A pre-configured report provided by the system.
Sync	An operation that summarizes and transfers data between modules, such as Salary Plan to Operating Plan.
System Administration	The area used to manage users, roles, permissions, and other system-wide settings.
Tab	A tabbed section at the top of a screen used to navigate between related pages or functions.
Tree	A hierarchical structure used to organize, group, and roll up Segment Items for reporting and selection purposes.
Users	Individuals with access to CWB based on assigned Roles and Permissions.
Variance	The difference between two financial amounts, such as Budget vs. Actual or Forecast vs. Budget.
View (also Worksheet)	A configurable worksheet-style screen used to display, enter, analyze, and report data.
Year	The fiscal or budget year associated with a Dataset or financial record. May also be referenced as a Current Year or a Prior Year.

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