# Glossary

OpenCRVS uses a consistent set of concepts across modules:

* **Event** – a civil registration event type such as birth, death, marriage, etc.
* **Record** – the data instance for a single event.
* **Notification** – a preliminary capture of event details that may form the basis of a formal declaration.
* **Declaration** – a formal statement that an event has taken place.
* **Registration** – the process by which an event record is reviewed and legally registered.
* **Certified copy / certificate** – an official document representing a registered event.
* **Informant** – the person who formally reports the event.
* **Workflow** – the ordered steps and rules that govern a record through its lifecycle.
* **Status** – the state of a record in the workflow (for example, Draft, Notified, Declared, Registered).
* **Action** – a user or system operation that changes a record or its status (for example, Notify, Declare, Validate, Register, Correct, Issue certificate).
* **Form** – the structured data capture for an event, defined by fields, conditional logic, and validations.
* **Business rule** – a configurable rule that validates data or controls workflow behaviour.
* **Administrative unit** – the organisational unit responsible for services for a specific area.
* **User / role** – the authenticated user and their permission set.


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