Explorer’s Data

Overview

IFS OI Explorer uses IFS OI Server to deliver data from any number of data sources or calculations, on demand.

This article describes the different types of data that Explorer can display, and how Explorer displays and interacts with the data.

Related: See more about data formats and data types in IFS OI Server.

 

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Data Flow

IFS OI Server fetches data for IFS OI Explorer's pages, trends and hierarchies.

Tabular Data

Typically, tabular data is used to populate charts, data tables and pivot tables, utilising large sets of data.

Explorer requests the data using user-controlled variables or default values on a page, to set query parameters.

Tabular Data is retrieved from a relational database by Server (using dataset queries that are stored in the Server database), then displayed on Explorer pages.

Time Series Data

Time series data is used in Explorer Trends, or on graphical display components such as tanks, meters and gauges on Explorer Pages. Data labels can be used to show time series (tag) data on a schematic diagram, showing changing values for different date selections, or for different selected entities.

Typically, Explorer requests the data when a user navigates through a page hierarchy, selecting various entities, or when a user changes periods using one of the various time picker controls.

Time series data is retrieved from an historian, using a Server Adaptor specially suited for the type of historian, or from a relational database, using Server's Relational Adaptor, and then displayed on Explorer pages.

Attribute Values

Tags can be assigned to an entity's attribute values, so that this becomes time series data. (Other options for an attribute value are fixed values, which can be of type: Boolean, Date Time, Decimal, Duration, Integer, or String.)

Calculations

Tags can form part of a calculation expression. Calculations that use tags are also time series data.

Digital State Sets

Digital State Sets can be defined in Server and then applied to tags and calculations.

Here are some examples of digital state sets:

Digital State 1			Digital State 2			Digital State 3
Name	Value		Name	Value		Name	Value
Off	0		Off	0		Off	0
On	1		On	1		On	1
			Open	2		Fail	2
			Closed	3

Tags or calculations that are assigned a Digital State Set will display the string value (Name) from the Digital State Set in place of the corresponding digital value (Value) from that State Set, when used in any of the following of Explorer’s page components:

• Data Label
• Text Label
• Status Tile
• Data Table
• Table Layout

For example, a data label’s value is a calculation that has the Digital State 3 digital state set assigned. When the calculation returns the value 0, the data label displays ‘Off’. When the calculation returns the value 1, the data label displays ‘On’, and when the calculation returns the value 2, the data label displays the value ‘Fail’. For any other value, the data label displays that value, as there is no matching name in this digital state set.

 

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Data Presentation

Explorer pages and trends are designed to display data for diagnostics and analysis.

Some of the IFS OI Explorer components used to display or access data:

Component Description Trend An Explorer trend displays time series data, such as tags and attributes, over a selected period. Chart IFS OI Explorer charts work together with user controls to display your data interactively, as lines, bars, areas, dots or pie sectors. Data Table The Data Table displays data in tabular format, that can be configured for sorting, filtering, totals and other features. Pivot Table IFS OI Explorer Pivot Tables provide a fast way for the end-user to interactively analyse, summarize and present data. Graphical displays such as Tank, Level Meter, Pressure Meter, Gauge These displays represent real-world assets such as tanks or gauges, and change in appearance with changing data (for example, a tank appears fuller or emptier, as the underlying data changes). Target Bar, Target Variance Bar IFS OI Explorer pages have several statistical components for comparing actuals against targets. Label and Data Label Labels can change depending on various selections made on a page, providing context and meaning. The Data Label displays a single numeric data value, and is often used on schematics when you want to display the value of a single entity attribute. Image The image component holds an image that can change, depending on configured conditions. Hyperlinks to external websites Hyperlinks can be used to access external websites that are contextually relevant. Tags and Attributes Tags and attributes are time series data items that can be added to trends or viewed on pages, as is or as part of calculations, to help you diagnose problems and visualise value changes over time.

Examples of Visual Components Pie Chart - Monthly Production Target Label - Gas Production A Meter showing a value of 25. This value can change dynamically.

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Interactive Controls and Data Selections

Explorer also provides interactive controls, allowing the end-user to choose which data to view.

Data Selection Components

Below are just some of the IFS OI Explorer components that are used to interact with data.

Component End-user interaction Date Picker, Date/Time Range Picker Choose your data period, using one of Explorer's time pickers. Hierarchy picker, hierarchy, entity selector, breadcrumb Pick a hierarchy from the hierarchy picker, and then navigate through the page hierarchy. The breadcrumb allows you to drill down into a hierarchy. Read more about navigation and hierarchies in this article. Trend Controls, such as Time Range,  Sample Method and Sample Interval. Choose a trend time range, and specify how IFS OI Server fetches the data and how the trace lines is displayed. Combo Box, Option Links, Multi Select List. Select from the available options in a Combo Box or Option Links, for example, such as product type, or reporting type.

Example Selecting NGL from Option Links changes the Label and the Chart Data

The Explorer page designer chooses what data to use for a component, and selects this data using the Data Selector editor.

Depending on what a component is used for, there can be up to five separate Data Categories for a page designer to choose from, when selecting data.

	Dataset	Tabular data returned from a dataset datasource.
	Ad hoc Calculation	An ad hoc calculation using tags and/or attributes.
	Attribute	A piece of data describing a specific characteristic of an entity.
	Tag	A piece of data or a calculation. (This can also be referenced by an attribute.)
	Value	A fixed or variable numerical value, defined in Studio.

 

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Hyperlinks and Data Selections

Explorer hyperlinks use Variable Mapping to send data selections to the destination page, trend, or URL.

Explorer Trends and Data Selections

The Explorer trend has several controls, which determine how the trend data is fetched.

 

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Writing Data

Explorer allows users to update data for tags and attribute values, overwriting their existing value for a single data point.

Data Organised in Hierarchies

Hierarchies are used for navigating through entities that have been logically modelled to suit the solution. For example, you could have an Equipment hierarchy, a Geographical hierarchy, and an Accounting hierarchy, each giving a different perspective on data relationships. Server stores the hierarchy structure, which is then displayed in Explorer in the hierarchy panel. You can set up your own hierarchy in Server, or use a hierarchy from a separate data source, using a hierarchy sync; this hierarchy is refreshed during scheduled hierarchy syncs, retrieving the latest data to Server from the relevant data sources.

Hierarchies can be used on pages - for example in the breadcrumb or the hierarchy components.

A Hierarchy Picker on a Page A Breadcrumb using the "Test Time Series Hierarchy"

A Hierarchy on a Page

You can also view, search and navigate through hierarchies or search for tags from any Explorer Page or Trend, from the Home, Page and Studio ribbon tabs.

Related: Learn more about Hierarchies in IFS OI Server.

 

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Comments to Describe Data

Comments are used to describe data in IFS OI Explorer. IFS OI Explorer trends and some pages allow you to capture comments and replies, about entities or tags on the page or trend. Comments are stored in IFS OI Server, with context and an audit history, to facilitate searching, filtering and linking.