PDA Technical Glossary

PDA Technical Reports are highly valued membership benefits because they offer expert guidance and opinions on important scientific and regulatory topics and are used as essential references by industry and regulatory authorities around the world. These reports include terms which explain the material and enhance the reader’s understanding.

The database presented here includes the glossary terms from all current technical reports. The database is searchable by keyword, topic, or by technical report. Each definition provided includes a link to the source technical report within the  PDA Technical Report Portal.

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Data Lake
A storage repository that holds, in a structured way, a vast amount of raw data, including metadata, in its native format until it is needed. (TR84)

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Data Integrity Controls
Controls put in place to either minimize the potential for a data integrity issue to occur or, if an issue does occur, the controls applied to increase the probability of detection.(TR84)

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Data Vulnerability
An indicator of data’s level of exposure to data integrity failures due to intrinsic weaknesses in manufacturing processes, data-capture technology, and human factors or a combination thereof.(TR84)

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Data Process Flow Map
A flow map that uses a baseline process flow map and overlays the data flow. (TR84)

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Quality Unit
An independent quality unit/structure with authority to fulfill certain pharmaceutical quality system responsibilities (7). (TR84) An organizational element within a pharmaceutical company with the authority and responsibility for quality as defined by 21 CFR 211.22 (11). The quality control unit typically comprises the quality control and quality assurance functions. (TR88)

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Historian
A type of database designed to archive automation and process data. (TR84)

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Peer Review
A review of data by a colleague who has a similar level of responsibilities as the person performing the activity or capturing the data. (TR84)

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Critical Process (CP)
A process that impacts a critical quality attribute of the intermediate, drug substance or drug product being manufactured and therefore should have established critical process parameters that can be monitored or controlled to ensure that the process produces the desired quality.

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Audit Trail Review Assessment (ATRA)
A tool that can be used to help determine what elements within the audit trail should be reviewed, and the frequency at which the review should take place for each part of the audit trail where a review is required.

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True Copy (WHO)
A true copy is a copy of an original recording of data that has been verified and certified to confirm it is an exact and complete copy that preserves the entire content and meaning of the original record including, in the case of electronic data, all essential metadata and the original record format as appropriate.(TR80)(TR84)

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True Copy (FDA)
21 CFR 211.180(d) requires records to be retained "either as original records or true copies such as photocopies, microfilm, microfiche, or other accurate reproductions of the original records". Electronic copies can be used as true copies of paper or electronic records, provided the copies preserve the content and meaning of the original or raw data, which includes associated metadata and the static or dynamic nature of the original records.(TR80)(TR84)

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True Copy (MHRA)
A copy (irrespective of the type of media used) of the original record that has been verified (i.e., by a dated signature or by generation through a validated process) to have the same information, including data that describe the context, content, and structure as the original.(TR80)(TR84)

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Data Integrity (FDA)
Refers to the completeness, consistency, and accuracy of data. Complete, consistent, and accurate data should be attributable, legible, contemporaneously recorded, original or a true copy, and accurate (ALCOA).(TR80) (TR84)

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Data Integrity (WHO)
The degree to which data are complete, consistent, accurate, trustworthy and reliable and that these characteristics of the data are maintained throughout the data life cycle. The data should be collected and maintained in a secure manner, such that they are attributable, legible, contemporaneously recorded, original or a true copy and accurate. Assuring data integrity requires appropriate quality and risk management systems, including adherence to sound scientific principles and good documentation practices.(TR80) (TR84)

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Data Integrity (MHRA)
The degree to which data are complete, consistent, accurate, trustworthy, reliable and that these characteristics of the data are maintained throughout the data life cycle. The data should be collected and maintained in a secure manner, so that they are attributable, legible, contemporaneously recorded, original (or a true copy) and accurate. Assuring data integrity requires appropriate quality and risk management systems, including adherence to sound scientific principles and good documentation practices.(TR80) (TR84)

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Data Lifecycle (MHRA)
All phases in the life of the data (including raw data) from initial generation and recording through processing (including transformation or migration), use, data retention, archive/retrieval and destruction.(TR80) (TR84)

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Audit Trail (WHO)
The audit trail is a form of metadata that contains information associated with actions that relate to the creation, modification or deletion of GXP records. An audit trail provides for secure recording of life-cycle details such as creation, additions, deletions, or alterations of information in a record, either paper or electronic, without obscuring or overwriting the original record.(TR80)

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Risk Control
Items in place and/or actions to implement risk management decisions. (TR44) Actions implementing risk management decisions. (TR54-2) (TR54-5) (TR84)

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