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FME Terminology

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Term	Synonyms or GUI Location	Definition
attribute		Individual elements of a reader or writer feature type. In this example, the feature type is Zone and the attributes are Name, Owner, and Category.
attribute, format	format attribute	An attribute that contains data that is part of the format specification. Format attributes are prefixed with the format abbreviation, for example igds_level or autocad_color.
attribute, FME	FME attribute	An attribute that is generated by FME when a source dataset is read. It contains information about the data that is used internally by FME. FME attributes are prefixed with "fme" (for example, fme_geometry or fme_color).
attribute mapping		The process of connecting source feature type attributes to destination feature type attributes. This is how FME performs schema mapping.
attribute transformation		The act of restructuring the non-spatial component of an FME feature: the attributes relating to the physical geometry undergo a change that produces a different output. See Geometric Transformation.
attribute, user	Feature Type dialog	User-created information that belongs to a feature. The attribute may have been part of a source dataset or may have been created within FME.

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Term	Synonyms or GUI Location	Definition
breakpoint		Adding a breakpoint to a workspace connection tells Workbench to inspect the features at that location. Running a workspace with breakpoints is a useful way to debug a workspace.
canvas		The FME Workbench canvas is where users graphically define a translation. This definition is called a "workspace" and can be saved for re-use later.
coordinate system		Each reader and writer in a workspace is assigned a coordinate system. FME will automatically try to determine the correct coordinate system from the dataset, for formats that store coordinate system information (for example, Shapefiles). Coordinate Systems can be set in the Navigator pane.
custom format		A custom format is a workspace (reader) that can be used to preprocess data, as if it were a data format on its own. Once created, it will be accessible from the Reader/Writer Gallery.
custom transformer		A custom transformer is a sequence of standard transformers condensed into a single transformer. Any existing sequence of transformers can be turned into a custom transformer

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Term	Synonyms or GUI Location	Definition
database connections		Database connections provide a convenient and secure way to store and reuse connection parameters to a database service.
Data Inspector		An FME Desktop tool for viewing data in any FME-supported format for verification and debugging purposes.
Data Streaming Service		An FME Server service that accepts and runs transformation requests, as specified by a workspace, and returns the results as a data stream.
Data Upload Service		An FME Server service that allows users to upload source data or other files for running workspaces.
date		See Standard FME Date/Time Format.
datetime		See Standard FME Date/Time Format.
destination dataset (writer)		The name and location of the workspace output.
data restructuring		See transformation
data transformation		See transformation
difference		See Standard FME Date/Time Format.
duration		See Standard FME Date/Time Format.
Engine		The component of FME that processes job requests by running workspaces.

Term	Synonyms or GUI Location	Definition
factory		Factories are core-level FME components. They can operate on zero or more FME features, producing zero or more FME features. At the user level, factories are used by transformers.
feature		A feature in FME is an individual item within the translation. Typically a GIS or cartographic feature consists of a geometric representation plus a set of related attributes. FME can restructure either of these components. Features in FME have a flexible, generic representation; they have a basic FME definition that is unrelated to the format from which they originated.
feature-based processing		FME transformers can carry out transformations on either one feature at a time, or on a whole set of features at once. In FME, we call this set of features a "group." By default, the group is ALL features entering the transformer. However, the "Group By" parameter in a transformer can define several groups based on the value of an attribute. See Group-By Processing.
feature count		The feature count display in FME Workbench shows how many features passed through each connection. The display continuously updates as features pass through the workspace.
feature mapping		The process of connecting source feature types to destination feature types.
feature type (reader)	another word for "layer"	Objects on the Workbench canvas that define the schema of the data being read. Most importantly, they define two specific things: the layers being read from a source dataset, and the attributes that those layers possess.
feature type (writer)		Objects on the Workbench canvas that define the schema of the data being written. Most importantly, they define two specific things: the layers being written to a destination dataset, and the attributes that those layers will possess.
feature type	Parameters	In Feature Type dialogs, this tab includes the name of the feature type, and other format-specific parameters that apply only to this feature type.
	Attributes	A piece of user-created information that belongs to a feature. The attribute may have been part of a source dataset or may have been created in an ad-hoc manner within FME. Not all formats accept user attributes and the ones that do sometimes put restrictions on it.
	Format Attributes	Built-in FME attributes that you can "expose" or make visible so that you can set them to particular values and connect them to other format-specific attributes. These attributes allow a wide variety of special things to be done with formats (like setting line thickness, creating special entities, setting particular bits or bytes).
FFS		The FME format shortname for FME Feature Store (FFS).
.fme		FME mapping file extension (FME Quick Translator)
FME Cloud		FME Cloud is an FME Server on a Safe-provided platform, where users pay only for the computing resources they use.
FME_HOME		FME installation folder
FME Objects		FME Objects enables software applications to directly read and write data formats. It's intended for straightforward translations without any transformations in the middle. FME Objects includes data processing functionality such as polygon formation and topology building. See also FME SDK.
FME SDK		Developers can use the FME Plug-in SDK to develop a format reader and/or writer.
FME Server		FME for the Enterprise: Provides organization-wide access to FME's advanced data transformation and integration platform. FME Server enables data translation, processing, and distribution to be added to any web, desktop or mobile application.
FME Server Database		The FME Server component that stores job and repository data.
FME Hub	Create Workspace dialog	The FME Hub is a site for sharing FME functionality such as custom transformers, templates, web connections, and custom formats. (This was previously called the FME Store.)
.fmw		FME workspace file extension
.fmwt		FME template file extension
function		FME functions are core-level FME components. At the user level, functions are used by transformers.

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Term	Synonyms or GUI Location	Definition
group-by processing		FME transformers can carry out transformations on either one feature at a time, or on a whole set of features at once. In FME, we call this set of features a "group." By default, the group is ALL features entering the transformer. However, the "Group By" parameter in a transformer can define several groups based on the value of an attribute.
History (window)		Displays the workspace editing history. It is a form of tree-based undo/redo that allows a user to revisit previous revisions in a workspace.
interval		See Standard FME Date/Time Format.
job queue		An FME Server mechanism to distribute jobs to specific FME Engines, and control job priority.
Job Submitter Service		An FME Server service that accepts and runs workspace job requests.
KML Network Link Service		An FME Server service that accepts and carries out transformation requests, as specified by a workspace, and returns the results as a KML Network Link.
keyword		A "shortname", or abbreviation, that FME uses internally to identify formats.

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Term	Synonyms or GUI Location	Definition
log (window), translation log		Displays translation results. Information includes: ERROR: a problem has caused FME to terminate processing. WARN: a minor processing problem. FME will complete the translation, but the output may be adversely affected and should be checked. INFORM: a piece of information that may help determine whether their translation has been processed correctly. STATS: information on the number of features read from the source and written to the destination datasets.
mapping file		Before FME Workbench introduced workspaces (in 2001), all translations were performed using mapping files. A mapping file (.fme file) is a series of ASCII commands that FME uses to run an translation. Mapping files can still be run through the FME Quick Translator, using functions and factories (instead of transformers) to process the data.
Navigator		A structured list of objects and parameters that represent and control all of the components on the (workspace) canvas.
notification		A message generated by the FME Server Notification Service.
Notification Service		An FME Server service that pushes data to and from FME Server in the form of messages when an event occurs.
null		In general, avoid using the word "null" to mean missing or empty. For example, empty Excel cells are sometimes referenced as null values. Avoid using the phrase null string, as it can mean either null string value or empty string. The term null should accompany null values, null terminators, or null geometries.
<null>		When describing output from a Workbench component, null should be spelled the same way as it is output. Currently, this spelling is <null>.
NULL		When used in a code snippet (for example, a SQL statement) or when referring to a NULL pointer, use NULL.

O-Q

Term	Synonyms or GUI Location	Definition
parameter		Any part of a dialog where you can enter or select information (for example, feature type parameters).
period		See Standard FME Date/Time Format.
port		A Port is an input or output arrow on an object in FME Workbench. A port on the left of an object is an input port; a port on the right is an output port.
Process Monitor		The component of FME Server that provides fault tolerance, and ensures that FME Server Core and Engines are always up an running.
publisher	publication	A component of the FME Server Notification Service that receives content from clients over a supported protocol, and delivers the content to FME Server in the form of a notification.
Quick Add		Quick Add is a function where you click on the Workbench canvas and start typing a search term.

Term	Synonyms or GUI Location	Definition
reader		The component in a translation that reads a source dataset. A reader reads a single format of data, but can read any number of datasets in that format.
resource reader	Readers > Add Reader as Resource	Allows you to insert a reference to a dataset to be used in the workspace. This reader will not perform any actual data reading, except when up-to-date schema is required at runtime.
reader parameters		Reader Parameters control how FME reads the data. The Reader Parameters button is accessible in the Add Reader and Generate Workspace dialogs. Parameters are visible in the Workbench Navigator after FME generates the workspace.
Reader and Writer Gallery		The Workbench dialog that displays FME-supported formats.
Repository		A logical container in FME Server for storing groups of related items, including workspaces, source data, custom formats, custom transformers, and templates.
Resources		A collection of FME Server files that are used to run and debug workspaces, and perform other administrative tasks, and which can be shared between workspaces across repositories.
REST Service		An FME Server service that provides an underlying REST-based communication mechanism for client-service applications.
role		A security group to which each user of FME Server must belong, and which defines the permissions of its users.
run til cancelled		An FME Server directive to run a job continuously until it is explicitly cancelled.

Term	Synonyms or GUI Location	Definition
schedule		A task in FME Server that specifies running a workspace at specific times in the future on a repeating or non-repeating basis.
schema		Safe defines schema as the structure of a dataset or, more accurately, a formal definition of a dataset’s structure. Schema is similar to the term data model; however, FME schema does not generally include data model relationships.
schema editing		Schema editing is the process of altering the destination schema to customize the structure of the output data. For example, renaming an attribute from the source to the destination.
schema mapping		The process of connecting the source schema to the destination schema in a way that ensures the correct Reader feature types are sent to the correct Writer feature types and the correct Reader attributes are sent to the correct Writer attributes
shortname		An abbreviation that FME uses internally to identify formats. Format shortnames are visible in the Reader/Writer Gallery.
source dataset (reader)		The name and location of the workspace input.
subscriber	subscription	A component of the FME Server Notification Service that receives notifications from FME Server, and delivers the content to clients over a supported protocol.
System Share		The installation location for FME Server Repositories and Resources.

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Term	Synonyms or GUI Location	Definition
template	File > Save As Template	Templates allow you to create a workspace with/from a predesigned format and structure. Both a workspace, and the data required to run it, can be bundled together and shared.
temporal value/type		See Standard FME Date/Time Format.
time		See Standard FME Date/Time Format.
time to live		An FME Server directive that specifies how long a job remains in the job queue before it is removed without having run.
timestamp (in log)		FME processing time is the amount of time that FME was actively processing (not how long the workspace took to complete). The absolute start and end times often differ from FME processing time because non-FME processes, such as a database query, add to the absolute time taken without adding to the FME processing time.
Token Service		An FME Server service that allows users to generate security tokens using an account name and password.
topic		An FME Server Notification Service keyword that acts as the recipient of a publisher, or the origin of a subscriber.
transformation	Content Transformation	The ability to alter the substance of a dataset. Manipulating a feature's geometry or attribute values is the best example of how FME can transform content.
	Geometric Transformation	Reorganization, or FME's ability to channel data from source to destination in an almost infinite number of arrangements. This includes the ability to merge data, divide data, reorder data, and define custom data structures. Transforming a dataset’s structure requires knowledge of schemas.
	Structural Transformation	The act of restructuring the spatial component of an FME feature: the physical geometry of the feature undergoes some type of change to produce a different output. See Attribute Transformation.
transformer		The building blocks used in FME Workbench. Each transformer has a specific function. They can be used alone in a simple workspace, or combined to create complicated processes.
Transformer Gallery		An FME Workbench window (part of the user interface) that contains the FME transformation tools.

W-Z

Term	Synonyms or GUI Location	Definition
Web Application Server		The FME Server component that runs the FME Server Web Services, Web User Interface, REST API, and other web clients.
web service connections		Web service connections provide a convenient and secure way to store and reuse connection parameters to a web service.
Web User Interface		Web-based application for administering FME Server and running workspaces from FME Server.
workspace		The FME Workbench canvas is where users graphically define a translation. This definition is called a "workspace" and can be saved for re-use later.
writer		The component in a translation that writes a destination dataset. A Writer writes a single format of data. In general it also writes just a single dataset.
writer parameters		Writer Parameters control how FME writes the data. The Writer Parameters button is accessible in the Add Writer and Generate Workspace dialogs. Parameters are visible in the Workbench Navigator after FME generates the workspace.