| Backflush | Method for issuing (reducing on-hand quantities) materials to a production order. In backflushing the inventory is issued automatically when production is posted against a specified operation. A backflushing program uses the quantity completed to calculate the quantities of the components used through its bill of material (BOM) and reduce on-hand balances by this amount. |
| Backorder | An order that is past its mandated shipping date because the product is out-of-stock. |
| Backup | 1. (v) to make a copy of a file or program for the purpose of restoring the data if the masters were to be lost, damaged, or otherwise unavailable for use. 2. (n) a copy of a master file or program. To be most effective from a security standpoint, backup files are frequently stored at off-site locations. |
| BAFO | Best and Final Offer - A clarification or refinement of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process. All or only selected bidders may be invited to participate in subsequent bids or may be asked to submit their best technical and financial proposal. |
| Bandwidth | The amount of data that can be moved through a particular network interface in a given period of time, typically measured in megabits per second (Mbps). For example, a regular Ethernet line has a bandwidth of 10 Mbps (10 million bits per second). Note that bandwidth is sometimes measured as the bandwidth in one direction (half-duplex), and sometimes as the total in both directions (full-duplex). |
| Barcode (bar code) | A series of bars and spaces encoded to correspond to alpha-numeric characters. Barcodes are designed to be read by scanners (readers) and converted into data. |
| Barcode Printer | A printer capable of converting data into a barcode. A bar code printer can provide faster printing, since it is usually dedicated to printing ASCII bar codes and does not require the computer or separate computer software to send an image of a bar code to the printer head. |
| Barcode Scanner (bar code reader) | Any device, portable or fixed, that can convert barcode images into data. |
| Batch Picking | A method of order picking in which all orders are grouped into small batches. All the orders in the batch are picked in one pass. |
| Beta Testing | A test for a computer-related product prior to commercial release. Beta testing is the last stage of testing and normally can involve sending the product to beta test sites (clients) outside the company for real-world exposure and feature enhancements. Beta test sites typically benefit from their early exposure to new versions and their influence surrounding additional feature requests specifically targeting their operating environment - they receive the benefits of designing their own software without having to build it themselves. Beta testing is often preceded by a round of testing called alpha testing. |
| Bill of Material | Lists materials (components or ingredients) required to produce an item. Multilevel Bills of Material also show subassemblies and their components. |
| Bin | A physical storage container for to store mutiple units of the same SKU. Bins can be of of corrugated cardbord, plastic, or metal. Bin can also be the storage location or slot of the product. |
