This glossary explains 20 terms that come up when a company orders automation: from workflow and API to iPaaS, RPA and escrow. Each definition runs to a few dozen words and leads to a process, an expert or a Qerify page where you can see it in practice.
An API (application programming interface) is a set of rules that lets one program ask another for data or to perform an operation, without going through its screens. Through an API a shop passes orders to a warehouse and an invoicing app fetches customer details. A system without an API usually makes an integration more expensive.
See also: System integrationWebhook
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system keeps contacts, conversation history and sales opportunities in one place. The most common automation is entering enquiries from forms and ads into it without retyping. That way a salesperson sees a new contact straight away, not the next day.
See also: System integrationTrigger
An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system runs the core operations of a company in one place: orders, warehouse, accounting and often HR. Automation connects it to the shop, the bank and the CRM so that data is not retyped by hand. In small companies the role of an ERP is sometimes played by a warehouse and accounting program.
See also: APISystem integration
Escrow is a payment safeguard: the money for a stage of work is paid in advance and held until the client accepts the result. On Qerify the client pays the stage amount into escrow before work starts, so the contractor knows the payment exists and the client pays only for an accepted result.
See also: Milestone
ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) is a three-step way of moving data: pulling it from the sources, tidying it, for example unifying dates and currencies, and saving it in the target place, such as a data warehouse or a reporting sheet. In companies it is mostly used for reports that gather data from many systems.
See also: APISystem integration
iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) is a cloud platform for connecting applications without writing an integration from scratch. It offers ready connectors to popular systems and a visual flow editor. Make and Zapier are examples. It is usually billed as a subscription that depends on the number of operations performed.
See also: System integrationNo-codeWorkflow
Low-code is an approach to building applications and automations in which most of the work happens in a visual editor and code is added only where ready-made blocks are not enough. It is more flexible than no-code but requires an understanding of programming logic. Examples of tools are n8n and Retool.
See also: No-codeNode (n8n)
A milestone is a separate part of a project with its own scope, deadline and amount, which the client accepts on its own. Splitting a project into milestones reduces risk for both sides: you pay for a finished part and the contractor is paid as the work progresses. On Qerify every milestone is covered by escrow and settled after acceptance.
See also: Escrow
No-code means building applications and automations from ready-made blocks in a visual editor, without writing code. It lets you create an internal tool, a website or a data flow without a developer. Popular tools are Make, Zapier, Bubble, Webflow and Airtable. The line with low-code depends on whether any code has to be written at all.
A node in n8n is a single step of a flow: reading from an application, transforming data, a condition or sending a message. Nodes are joined by lines into a workflow and data passes from one to the next. The counterpart of a node in Make is a module, and in Zapier a step.
See also: WorkflowScenario (Make)Zap (Zapier)
A process audit is an analysis of how repetitive tasks actually run in a company, done to decide which ones to automate first. The result is a list of processes with an estimate of hours saved and implementation cost. On Qerify this audit is called Discovery, and you run it before ordering your first implementation.
See also: Process automationWorkflow
Process automation means handing repetitive work that a person does today over to software: data moves between systems on its own, documents reach the right people, and the customer gets a reply without waiting. It is most often built on Make, n8n or Zapier, and for larger needs as a web application.
See also: WorkflowNo-codeProcess audit
RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is software that imitates a person working at a computer: it clicks, types data and copies it between windows. It works where a system has no API and its screen is the only way in. UiPath is an example of such a tool. When an API exists, an integration is the more stable option.
See also: APISystem integration
A scenario in Make is a single automation built from connected modules, started on a schedule or by an event. Each module performs one operation, for example fetching an order, processing data or sending an email. One scenario usually handles one process, such as issuing invoices.
Self-hosting means running a tool on your own server instead of in the vendor cloud. In automation it mostly concerns n8n, which you can install yourself. It gives more control over data, but the company is then responsible for updates, backups and server security. It is chosen when regulations or company policy require data to stay in-house.
See also: Node (n8n)Low-code
System integration is connecting two or more programs so that they exchange data on their own, without manual retyping. It can work through an API, webhooks, ready-made connectors of an iPaaS platform or file exchange. The scope and cost depend on the number of systems and on whether they have an open API.
A trigger is the event that starts an automation: a new order, a message in an inbox, a submitted form or a chosen time. Every flow begins with a trigger, followed by further steps. A trigger can check an application at regular intervals or receive a webhook. A well-chosen trigger decides whether the automation reacts at once or later.
A webhook is an address to which one system sends a notification when something happens in it, for example when someone places an order. The receiver reacts at once instead of asking for new data every few minutes. Webhooks underpin many automations in Make, n8n and Zapier.
A workflow is a sequence of steps through which a task passes from start to finish, for example an order from placement to shipping. In automation it is recorded in a tool that carries out the steps on its own. In n8n a workflow consists of nodes, in Make it is called a scenario, and in Zapier a Zap.
See also: Node (n8n)Scenario (Make)Zap (Zapier)
A Zap is a single automation in Zapier: one trigger and at least one action, for example a new lead from a form creates a contact in a CRM and sends a notification. Zaps are built in a visual editor without code. Zapier bills usage in tasks, that is, completed actions.
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