Glossary

A powerful way to search for data in NOW Privacy using Query Builder, our graphical drag-and-drop tool for constructing search queries. It uses more than 90 metadata fields that NOW Privacy finds for you when it crawls your data.

See also: simple search

connector

One of several components that allow the NOW Privacy crawler to communicate with a data source. The configuration required for a new data source depends on the connector.

crawler

The component of NOW Privacy that examines and analyses, extracts, and stores the data in your data sources. After a crawler has successfully completed its job, you can run searches and workflows, and explore with dashboards.

crawl job

A job definition describes a set of documents, specifying:

  • the source of those documents

  • where they should be sent (datasets in NOW Privacy)

  • when this activity should take place

crawl mode

The way that the crawler behaves when a crawl is finished. Can be either “crawl once”, in which case the crawl is completed and no further action is taken, or “continuous”, in which case the data source is re-crawled periodically to check for changes.

custom fields

Metadata fields that you create when you’re working with database data sources.

dashboard

A collection of visualisations of your data. Each dashboard has a theme; for example: Privacy or Duplication. You can drill down into your data in any dashboard visualisation.

datarole

Another name for security groups, in the context of the API.

See also: security group

dataset

Every data source belongs to a dataset. You create and name your datasets based on your needs. For example, you might have datasets called: HR, Admin, IT, and Finance.

data source

Something that NOW Privacy can retrieve data from. For example, it might be a file share, an email server, a Microsoft SharePoint server, or a database table.

eqf

NOW Privacy query file: Contains one or more queries that can be imported into NOW Privacy and executed.

fuzzy matching

Our simple search feature gives you the option of fuzzy matching.

Fuzzy matching allows you to search for matches that are less than 100% perfect. In a search for accommodation, a fuzzy search would include documents that contain common misspellings such as accomodation. Another example is names: a fuzzy search for Jenny would include Jenni.

index

A collection of items stored in a manner optimised for searching.

indexing

The process of creating an index of your data in NOW Privacy.

item

Something that NOW Privacy has crawled. Common item type are a document, an email, or a database row.

metadata

Metadata is information about your data. For example, it might be the file size or type. Or it might be credit card numbers or unencrypted passwords in your data items. You can search the metadata fields using Query Builder.

OCR

Optical Character Recognition. A technology that allows you to convert some types of image documents into editable and readable text.

parent document

A ZIP or tar file, for example. It contains one or more other files. See also: Child document.

PII

Personally identifiable information. That is, any data that could identify a specific individual. You can think of PII as any information that could be used to distinguish one individual from another and could be used to de-anonymise anonymous data.

post processing

Data ingestion happens in two phases: crawling and then post processing. Post processing takes a deeper look at the data. It’s the phase that looks for things like credit card numbers, free-text passwords, and mentions of ethnicity.

role

Another name for permission, in the context of the API.

security group

A logical way of granting users permission to see datasets. A security group has one or more members plus a list of datasets. Any member of the group can access any of those datasets.

similar items

When you run a search and find an item of interest, you can search for other items that are like it.

A quick way to search for data. It gives you easy access to many of the most important metadata fields.

See also: advanced search

SMB

Server Message Block. It is a network protocol used by Windows-based computers that allows systems within the same network to share files.

It allows computers connected to the same network or domain to access files from other local computers as easily as if they were on the computer’s local hard drive.

SPI

Sensitive Personal Information is a specific set of special categories that must be treated with extra security. For example: credit card numbers, racial origin, religious belief.

SSL certificate

An SSL certificate creates a secure link between NowVertical's website and your browser. By ensuring that all data passed between the two remains private and secure, SSL encryption stops hackers.

tag

A tag is a metadata field. But instead of coming from the data source, you apply it yourself, either manually or using NOW Privacy workflows.

topics

NOW Privacy automatically extracts topics it find in your data. You can see them on the Data Overview dashboard. You can use them in simple search, advanced search, and workflows.

URI

Unique Resource Identifier. A name that identifies a crawled item in NOW Privacy uniquely so that, for example, two files with the same name from two different data sources can be separately identified.

vault

Our secure credential storage mechanism.

workflow

A workflow is a combination of an advanced query that can run on a schedule and a set of actions that NOW Privacy can apply automatically to the items it finds. In NOW Privacy the action is tagging. More actions will be available soon.

workflow manager

A user who can view, edit, and share other users’ workflows.

workflow owner

The user who created an automated workflow.

workflow query

The query that selects the items a workflow will work on. You can define workflow queries in Advanced search and Data subject search.

workflow editor

The user who created an automated workflow or any user the workflow has been shared with for editing.