Glossary
Working definitions for the company context, permissions, roles, and commercial terms in an enterprise data conversation.
A data-partnership conversation becomes easier when everyone is using the same words. These are Avelence's working explanations of the terms that appear during assessment and introduction. The signed agreement, not this glossary, defines any contractual rights.
What is operational data?
Operational data is information produced as an organization does its work. It can include support histories, project records, sales activity, internal documentation, and engineering workflows. A system name tells you where records may exist. It does not establish their contents, usefulness, or licensing permissions.
Workflow data
Records that help describe a sequence of work: what happened, what context was available, what action was taken, and what followed. The links between events can matter as much as the events themselves.
Dataset and corpus
A dataset is a defined collection of records. A corpus is a term often used for a body of material collected for analysis or model development. Neither term implies that the collection is complete, usable, or legally cleared.
Cross-system context
The relationship between work recorded in different tools. For example, a support issue might be related to an engineering task and an updated knowledge article. Whether those links exist and can be used has to be established rather than assumed.
What is the difference between a data profile and the data itself?
A data profile describes the material at a high level. It can identify systems, approximate history, broad categories, and known restrictions without exposing the operating records.
| Profile information | Underlying records |
|---|---|
| Support platform used | Actual support conversations |
| Approximate years available | Exported historical records |
| Engineering workflow category | Source code, issue text, or review content |
| A known confidentiality constraint | The confidential agreement or customer material |
Avelence's initial assessment asks for the profile, not the records. Do not include examples of private records simply to make a form response feel more complete.
Sample
A limited portion of underlying material used to evaluate a proposed dataset. A sample can still contain sensitive information. It is not interchangeable with a high-level profile and should only move under a separately agreed process.
Who does what in a partnership?
Data holder
The organization holding or controlling the records. Possession or technical access alone does not establish permission for every proposed use.
Rights holder or licensor
The party entitled to grant the particular rights described in an agreement. Whether a company can grant those rights is a question for the actual records, obligations, and proposal.
Data partner
In Avelence's public language, the proposed counterparty involved in reviewing or arranging a data-licensing opportunity. The exact role can differ. Ask who signs, who processes, who receives, and who pays.
Introducer
A person or organization bringing a willing company into the conversation. The role does not require access to the company's underlying records.
Which rights-related terms need attention?
Scope
The boundary of the proposed arrangement. It may describe records, time periods, permitted uses, recipients, or exclusions. It should be specific enough for both parties to understand what is and is not included.
License
Permission to use material under stated conditions. Do not assume that retaining ownership answers every important question. Duration, permitted uses, sublicensing, exclusivity, and termination can still matter.
Exclusivity
A restriction on other uses or arrangements, as defined in the actual agreement. Ask what is exclusive, for whom, and for how long. A broad label on a landing page is not a complete definition.
Sublicensing
Permission for one party to grant specified use rights onward to another. The actual agreement should explain whether it is allowed and what boundaries apply.
How should privacy terminology be understood?
Anonymization and pseudonymization
These are not synonyms. The UK Information Commissioner's Office explains that pseudonymization reduces the link to a person but does not, by itself, take the information outside data-protection law. Removing names alone is not proof that identification is no longer reasonably possible. See the ICO's explanation of pseudonymization.
In a specific proposal, ask what treatment is performed, how it is checked, what residual risks remain, and which contractual responsibilities apply. Avelence does not present all partners' handling methods as a single shared standard.
Provenance
The available information about where material came from and how it reached its current form. Provenance can inform a review; it should not be used as a substitute for confirming the required permissions.
What do the commercial terms describe?
Upfront payment and recurring compensation
An upfront payment describes a payment event, not automatically the complete rights arrangement. Recurring compensation may depend on later uses, licensing events, or other conditions. Review the trigger, calculation basis, reporting, and timing rather than the label alone.
Attribution
The accepted record of who originated an opportunity. Avelence's own record and a downstream partner's accepted registration are separate. A visit through a link does not automatically resolve duplicate claims or establish a payment entitlement.
Milestone
An event used to track progress or trigger a contractual outcome. A submitted profile, a signed agreement, an accepted dataset, and cleared funds are different milestones.
How should this glossary be used?
Use it to prepare questions, not to settle a legal interpretation. Ask each proposed partner to explain its own definitions. Keep the response with the relevant proposal so that later decisions are based on the same information.
For practical preparation, use the readiness checklist and questions to ask a data partner.
Method and limitations
The commercial and workflow descriptions are Avelence's introductory terminology. The distinction between anonymization and pseudonymization is supported by the ICO guidance linked above. The glossary is not a contract, legal advice, a privacy certification, or a list of guaranteed program features.
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