Glossary of Diamond Online Terms
As Diamond Online may be a new concept to many, we try to use consistent terminology for which the following glossary may help.
Technical Terminology
Diamond Desktop
This is the Desktop you have at your disposal when logged in to Diamond Online. It will have the familiar Start button on the lower left and allow the use of common Windows tools like Windows Explorer and Calculator.
Applications
These are the programs you have available to use once logged in to Diamond Online. They will normally include Diamond Accounts and optionally include word processing, spreadsheet, database, graphic or other business productivity software. Diamond Payroll may also be available.
RDP
This stands for Remote Desktop Protocol and is commonly used to say the Desktop, Applications and all associated data stored and used remotely, ie: on a high-performance server.
RDP Client
To access the Diamond Desktop, a specific program called an RDP Client will be required (see below for the simple Web-based Login). All recent versions of Windows come with 'MSTSC' which is Microsoft's standard RDP Client and absolutely fine for accessing Diamond Online. This program can be accessed in a number of ways. Please see: Different Ways to Access your Remote Desktop.
Web-based Login
It is possible to connect to your Diamond Desktop directly from the web, using any type of Internet connection (dial-up connections will face performance issues, but it is still usable). The form on the Login page allows this connection. There may be some security issues to overcome or extra components to install. Please see: Overcoming Security Issues in Internet Explorer 7.
Local System
This is the PC in your location, used to access the Internet and Diamond Online. Although the specification does not need to be particularly high, the system should be stable, regularly updated with Microsoft Update (or equivalent for your Operating System) and contain updated Antivirus software.
Local Resources
When connected to Diamond Online and viewing the Diamond Desktop it may be extremely useful to have some files available from the disk drive on your Local System, or have the ability to write files to these disks. It is also common to print to printers connected to your Local System. These disk drives and printers are known as Local Resources and can be enabled for sharing during the Login process.
Account and Product Terminology
Server Administrator
This is effectively the technical administration department for Diamond Online.
Group Administrator
Typically an accountant or organisation that looks after a number of Clients and can share access to their Data Sets. The actual Client needs to be aware that their data can be viewed and edited by this Group Administrator.
User
This is an individual, within Group Administrators or Clients, with a
specific login (username and password) to access whatever they have
been granted permission to access. This is normally access to the
Diamond Desktop, Diamond Accounts and five Data Sets.
Data Set
This is the database that comprises the set of accounts. Typically a
Client will contain five Data Sets. Initially, four of these will be
blank ready for input of your business data and one will cnotain data
for a fictitious sample company, called "Discovery Wines", which allows
for testing and training.
Client
The combination of multiple Data Sets and Users that make a usable system. A Client typically consists of 5 Data Sets and 1 User at the entry level, although a Client can consist of any number of Data Sets and provide multi-user access to the system.
Client Block
A Group Administrator can organise Clients into a group, known as a Client Block. This allows the Group Administrator to see all Clients they manage with a single username and password.