Chapter 10. Tools

Table of Contents

10.1. Online View
10.1.1. History Online Graph Management
10.1.2. Online Screen Management
10.1.3. Online Alarm Signaling Configuration
10.1.4. Online Template
10.1.5. Data import scheduler
10.2. Report scheduler
10.2.1. Management
10.2.2. Task properties
10.3. Import Editor
10.4. CMMS Spread Sheet Import
10.5. CMMS Spread Sheet Export
10.6. Import
10.7. Export
10.8. OPC
10.8.1. OPC configuration
10.8.2. Set OPC Information
10.8.3. Remove OPC information
10.8.4. Show / hide OPC information
10.9. Meas. Setup

10.1. Online View

The Online View allows you to display statuses, trends or parameters from Prueftechnik online systems in tabular and graphic form as historical and as instantaneous values. Settings in the Online View can be changed only by users with the corresponding privileges. An Editor for templates is available. The templates can be linked to one another, so that you can construct a View consisting of several pages.

An autostart function allows automatic starting of OMNITREND Web with an Online View window following user login at the PC (so far limited to the single-user version, however).

Figure 10.1. Online View

Online View

The view screens can be conveniently configured in templates using the Online Editor. A view can contain text, graphics, an online screen, a history online graph, alarm signaling, links and background picture. Some of these objects (e.g. online screen, history online graph) must in part be preconfigured beforehand before they can be inserted in a template.

The Online View functions can be enabled in the OMNITREND Web software management given a corresponding license (see License Management). Each online device requires a license. Online is a function license and can also be operated as stand-alone without a basic license. If at least one license is available, the menus for editing and displaying online elements are enabled.

10.1.1. History Online Graph Management

History Online Graph Management allows you to display existing history online graphs, create new ones and edit or delete existing ones. The graphs created here are intended for integration in an online template. To each history online graph a unique name is assigned, which can be found in the history online graph list.

Figure 10.2. History Online Graph Management

History Online Graph Management

Figure 10.3. History Online Graph

History Online Graph

10.1.1.1. History Online Graph Properties

Clicking "Edit" in the History Online Graph Management takes you to the Properties dialog box of the select history online graph object. The "Channels" button in the History Online Graph Properties determines which online data channels are to be displayed in the history online graphs. To this end an Editor dialog box opens for selecting the possible online channels from the tree. Click "Settings" to define the appearance (colors, grid, edges, etc.) of the graph. The "History" field specifies the time period of the data in minutes that is read out from the database and subsequently displayed for each channel in the graph. The period is always the current time of the display minus the set number of minutes. You can enter or change the name and the description of the history online graph object in the corresponding fields.

Figure 10.4. History Online Graph Properties

History Online Graph Properties

10.1.1.2. History Online Graph Editor

In this dialog box you can select the data records to be displayed in the history online graphs. Channels that are not online channels, such as manual entries, offline channels of manual devices, are not available for selection. Selections in an upper level of the tree select or deselect all subjacent channels. A check mark in the square with white background signifies that this branch and all subjacent ones are selected. A check mark in the square with gray background signifies that subjacent branches are selected only in part. An empty square signifies no subjacent branches are selected.

Figure 10.5. History Online Graph Editor

History Online Graph Editor

10.1.1.3. History Online Graph Settings

The History Online Graph Settings allow you to change the appearance of the history online graph. The heading is centered in the uppermost line within the graph. The wording can be changed in the field next to the designation "Headline" and the color can be determined using the corresponding button. Further color settings for the axes, canvas background and diagram background are possible. Clicking the corresponding button opens a window with different color selection options. Further buttons determine whether a frame, the grid or a short time format is to be displayed. In the scroll mode you can switch the function for zooming in the graph using the "Show zoom window" option on and off and switch the output of the current cursor position on and off by clicking "Show cursor position". The current cursor position is shown at the bottom right in the graph. The following values are displayed: ("Time in hours:minutes:seconds" / "Values of the y-axis in the units of the activated y-axis channel") and underneath the date. In the time mode, "Move by steps" determines whether new values are added and old values removed continuously or in blocks on attaining the maximum number of points in the graph. "Continuously" means that each newly added value effects replotting of the graph, which can result in flickering of the display for fast intervals. In this case refreshing the values in the graph in blocks is recommended.

Figure 10.6. History Online Graph Settings

History Online Graph Settings

10.1.2. Online Screen Management

The screens created here are intended for integration in an online template. Each online screen is assigned a unique name, which is then contained in the screen list. The dialog box of the Online Screen Management offers the following functions:

View - Display the select online screen

New - Create a new online screen object

Edit - Edit the select online screen

Delete - Delete the select online screen

Properties - Open the Properties dialog box for the select online screen

Figure 10.7. Online Screen Manager

Online Screen Manager

If you wish to create a new online screen, click "New". This starts the "Online Screen Editor", in which you can define the online channels to be displayed in the Screen Table.

10.1.2.1. Online Screen Editor

Clicking "New" or "Edit" in the "Screen Management" starts the Online Screen Editor.

First specify the base node of the view. This can be the plant or machine fleet, a location, a machine train or assembly, a machine or a measurement point. The base node is depicted in the view in the left column with logo, picture and hierarchical path information. The rows to be displayed in the table can be selected from the level directly under the base node. If the base node is an assembly, then the "children" will be the machines. The other columns represent the connection status to the online system, the alarm and sensor status and a maximum of 5 instantaneous values per row. When the view is opened, first the latest values are read out from the database and displayed. In the background a connection to each online system is set up and then the table is continuously refreshed with the instantaneous values. Double-clicking a row opens the history online graph for this row with the trend values in a new window. The online values are drawn as lines at adjustable intervals in the history online graph. If the history online graph is not opened, then opening is not permitted (see Online Screen Properties).

Figure 10.8. Online Screen Editor

Online Screen Editor

Selection of the base node

The base node be a plant or machine fleet, a location, a machine train or assembly, a machine or a measurement point. Navigate with the mouse in the machine tree to the corresponding position and click "Base node". The base node is indicated in the tree by the blue background color. Clicking "Base node" deselects the item (even if you are at a different position in the tree).

Selection of the child nodes

The rows to be displayed in the table can be selected from the level directly under the base node. If the base node is an assembly, then the "children" will be the machines.

Special features:

1. If the base node is a location, machine train or a machine, a maximum of 5 instantaneous values per row can be selected. If the base node is a measurement point, the you can select all instantaneous values below the measurement point, and they will be displayed as column values.

2. For the selection the user has available only tree parts from an online device. All terminal points of offline devices are hidden.

10.1.2.2. Online Screen Properties

An "Online Screen" has the following properties: - Name of the online screen - Description of the online screen -Definition of the plotter history

Figure 10.9. Online Screen Properties

Online Screen Properties

10.1.2.3. Online Screen View

After the menu function "View" in the "Screen Management" has been executed, a new Online Screen window is opened. Several online screens can be opened.

Figure 10.10. Online Screen

Online Screen

The menu appears above in the window. The menu items File, View and Help are available. In the File menu you can open the Plotter (history online graph) if you have selected a row in the table; you can also save a screenshot of the current screen as a PDF in the database and exit the Screen view. The "View" menu item allows you to refresh the online data. That is, you can immediately request and display current data from the online devices. The instantaneous values are otherwise requested from the online devices in adjustable intervals. The Help button takes you directly to the Help information for the opened window. Plotter and Refresh data can be directly started in the button bar. Moving the mouse cursor over it also displays the corresponding Tool tip.

Figure 10.11. Menu bar

Menu bar

The static display area shows in the left half of the screen the base node, with the company logo, the image of the base node, which can be determined by the user, and the hierarchical path information. The right half of the screen contains the dynamic display area. Here the table is displayed with the changing instantaneous values. The particular rows contain the selected objects that were selected directly under the base node by the user. If the base node is an assembly, then the objects ("children") will be the machines. The other columns represent the connection status to the online system, the alarm and sensor status and a maximum of 5 instantaneous values per row.

10.1.3. Online Alarm Signaling Configuration

In the Online Alarm Signaling settings can be made for each online device defining what is to be displayed in case of a change of state. It can be set that an acoustic signal sounds on the PC and an event entered in the database on occurrence or confirmation of the displayed state. An alarm signaling element may be inserted only once per template page and should also occur once only within a template series interconnected by links. Otherwise messages may be multiply displayed and recorded.

Figure 10.12. Online Alarm Signaling

Online Alarm Signaling

10.1.3.1. Online Alarm Signaling Settings

The Settings define certain procedures for alarm and warning states and for open sensors. For example: the playback of a certain sound file or the specification of which events should be recorded in the given case. In addition, you can set the users for whom the autostart for the Online Warn Signaling is activated. These users will then be notified directly after the login whether alarms, warnings or open sensors are present.

Figure 10.13. Online Alarm Signaling Settings

Online Alarm Signaling Settings

10.1.4. Online Template

Online templates are prefabricated screen windows for the fast and simple monitoring and inspection of individual machines, machine parks or entire locations. A template can contain text, graphics, an online screen, a history online graph, alarm signaling, links, digital display, signal lamp and background picture. Some of these objects (e.g. online screen, history online graph, alarm signaling) must in part be preconfigured beforehand before they can be inserted in a template.

Figure 10.14. Example of an autostart configuration

Example of an autostart configuration

10.1.4.1. Online Autostart Configuration

Figure 10.15. Online Template Configuration

Online Template Configuration

In the "Online autostart configurations" dialog box new "autostart configurations" can be created, edited, deleted or their properties managed. The list contains all previously created objects. To change an object, you must first select it. Since the objects are interlinked, before deleting you should remove the links to them from other templates.

10.1.4.2. Online Autostart Properties

Figure 10.16. Online Template Properties

Online Template Properties

In the "Online autostart properties" you can assign users to the autostart configuration who will automatically have the configuration displayed after logging in. You can also adapt the names and enter descriptions.

10.1.4.3. Online Autostart Editor

Figure 10.17. Online Template Editor

Online Template Editor

In the Online Autostart Editor you can conveniently create autostart screens with the following elements by dragging and dropping:

  1. Text elements

  2. Image elements

  3. History graph elements

  4. Online screen elements

  5. Alarm signaling elements

  6. Digital display elements

  7. Signal lamp elements

Text elements can contain a fixed text that must be entered or a predefined text from the database. Links to other autostart configurations can be set in text elements, thereby interconnecting several online templates.

"Image elements" allow the display of machines, assemblies and other items in the online screen. As with texts, use of images saved in the database is possible. Images should be changed before use to JPG or GIF format if possible with an image editing program and reduced and compressed as much as practically possible (recommended: 10-50 KB if possible), since large images in (e.g.) BMP format require a lot of disk space, which may be required elsewhere in the application.

History online graph elements allow the display not only of current measurement values but also of historical measurement values over a certain stretch of time in the past. In this way the previous curve can be immediately assessed on starting (a prerequisite is the recent import of the data to the database) and the further progression observed online.

Online screen elements allow the fast tabular survey of the parameters.

Online alarm signaling elements allow the fast survey of current states (warning, alarm, sensor error, etc.) of the connected online devices.

Digital display elements display the current measurement value in digital form. Normal and alarm states can be differentiated by the background color.

Signal lamps are state indicators for a branch in the tree (e.g. machine, measurement point), similar to a traffic light.

10.1.4.3.1. Text Properties

"Text properties" are identical to the text properties "Text properties" of the text elements in the Template Editor for reports, apart from a few restrictions. For example, no page number, data sources, etc. may be used; the corresponding objects are grayed out.

10.1.4.3.2. Image Properties

The image properties are identical to the image properties "Image properties" of the Image Element in the Template Editor for reports.

10.1.4.3.3. History Online Graph Properties

Figure 10.18. History Online Graph Properties

History Online Graph Properties

In the History Online Graph Properties you can chose which history online graph is to be displayed. At least one history online graph must have been created.

10.1.4.3.4. Online Screen Properties

Figure 10.19. Online Template Online Screen Properties

Online Template Online Screen Properties

In the Online Screen Properties you can chose which online screen is to be displayed. At least one history online screen must have been created.

10.1.4.3.5. Digital Meter Properties

Figure 10.20. Online Template Digital Meter Properties

Online Template Digital Meter Properties

A digital meter numerically indicates the current actual value of a data source. In Digital Meter Properties you can select the source at "Select" and configure the display mode.

10.1.4.3.6. Signal Lamp Properties

Figure 10.21. Online Template Signal Lamp Properties

Online Template Signal Lamp Properties

Signal lamps indicate the normal state, a warning stage or alarms by means of traffic light colors. In Signal Lamp Properties you can set the appearance of the signal lamp and the source assigned to it.

10.1.4.3.7. Editor Properties

Figure 10.22. Online Template Editor Properties

Online Template Editor Properties

In the Editor Properties you can set the size of the template in pixels as well as a background color.

10.1.4.3.8. Background Image Editor

Figure 10.23. Online Template Background Image Editor

Online Template Background Image Editor

In the Background Image Editor you can position and scale background images. The background image properties correspond to the image properties

10.1.5. Data import scheduler

Use the data import scheduler to import device data so that they will be automatically retrieved by the OMNITREND Web at the times you specify and sorted in the database. In the menu "Tools->Online" click the command "Device data import scheduler" to start the process.

10.1.5.1. Management

The tasks are permanently stored in the database. To create a new task, go to "New". If you wish to display or configure a process for an individual task, select the task in the task table, and click "Edit". Use the "Delete" button in order to remove previously created tasks.

Figure 10.24. Data import scheduler management

Data import scheduler management

To execute a task once as a test, select the task in the task table, and click "Run". Use the "Activate" command to execute the task at the times you specified. Terminate the execution of the task by clicking" Deactivate".

10.1.5.2. Task properties

Clicking "New" to create a new task or "Edit" to change the properties of an existing task will open the "Data import scheduler task properties" dialog box.

10.1.5.2.1. General properties

The first tab, "Task", contains the general settings like the name and description of the task, import and saving options. The data can be imported either directly from the device or from the file system.

Notes:

  • The option "Import from device" is enabled only if a VIBNODE device is selected, since at present only this device type is supported for direct import.

  • If you have installed a multi-user version, the file system will be the file system of the server! The dialog box for selecting the source or backup directory forms the folder structure of the server as of the measurement data base directory. The base directory can be specified using the Administration Tool. The default setting depends on the operating system and generally corresponds to the pattern: "Program data/PRUFTECHNIK/OMNITREND/Web-server/database name/".

You can select the database or file system (backup) or both as the saving destination. In the case of a backup, the data files can be compressed into a Zip archive.

Figure 10.25. General task properties

General task properties

10.1.5.2.2. Schedule

In the "Schedule" tab you can specify the times at which the device data are imported.

Besides the start time you can also set the end time. Check the check box to allow input. Use the Calendar dialog box, accessible using the "Calendar" button, to select the date.

You have the choice between four periodicities. The possible settings vary depending on the selected option.

  • Minute cycle

    Frequency of the task execution in minutes, e.g. every 10th minutes.

  • Hourly

    Frequency of the task execution in hours, e.g. every 3rd hour.

  • Daily

    Frequency of the task execution in days, e.g. every day.

  • Weekly

    Besides the frequency of the task execution in weeks, you can also determine individual days of the week on which the task is executed.

Figure 10.26. Schedule settings

Schedule settings