E

EBCDIC
acronym for Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code; an 8-bit code used on IBM mainframes and other large computers.

Editing
software capability of changing data in a document, such as inserting, deleting, copying, or moving characters.

Electronic commerce
use of Internet technology and Web pages for conducting business.

Electronic data interchange (EDI)
use of computers with communications capabilities to exchange data between businesses; technology used for just-in-time inventory monitoring.

Electronic eavesdropping
accessing email messages intended for someone else, without authorization.

Electronic mail (email)
messages sent from one computer to one or more other computers, with each recipient and sender having a separate mailing address (mailbox).

Emoticon
keyboard-constructed icon used in email to indicate the writer's intended feelings.

Encapsulation
a reference to a technique in an object-oriented system in which data is packaged together with its corresponding procedures.

Encryption
a coding procedure often used for security purposes when data is to be transmitted.

End user
general reference to a person who uses computers for one or more common purposes, such as for office applications and decision-making activities.

Enterprise resources planning (ERP)
software that helps to manage and coordinate the cross-functional operations of a business.

Entity-relationship (E-R) diagram
a tool that shows relationships between (or among) entities, which are the items of interest.

Ethics
appropriate behavior, such as professional standards of conduct in business professions.

Executive information system (EIS) software
easy-to-use system designed to provide summary data to top-level executives, with a drill-down capability to view additional details as needed.

Expert system software
a form of artificial intelligence software that includes a reasoning capability; designed to assist in decision making by basing recommendations on information provided by experts.

Explanation facility
feature includes in an expert system to provide additional information to the computer user, such as rules used or path followed to reach a conclusion.

Extranet
use of Internet technology for communications with organizations in which data must access internal intranets.