Solving Automation Reporting Problems with Dream Report Renee Sikes Applications Engineer Dream Report Brand Manager
Agenda • Challenges in automation reporting • How Dream Report meets these challenges • Real examples of Dream Report in use: • Energy Consumption Management • OEE and Performance • Preventative Maintenance Reports • Sales information • Q&A
Reporting for Automation • Common Problems • Accessing both real-time and historical data from numerous sources • Costly to implement • Requires IT, programming skills • Manual data entry • Distribution and automation of reports • Resource intensive • Costly to maintain • Mobile support • Quality support and training • Licensing Dream Report is the solution!
Agenda • Challenges in automation reporting • How Dream Report meets these challenges • Real examples of Dream Report in use: • Energy Consumption Management • OEE and Performance • Preventative Maintenance Reports • Live Demo • Commercial Review • Q&A
Reporting for Automation • Common Problems • Accessing both real-time and historical data from numerous sources • Costly to implement • Requires IT, programming skills • Manual data entry • Distribution and automation of reports • Resource intensive • Costly to maintain • Mobile support • Quality support and training • Licensing Dream Report is the solution!
Solution: Breadth and Depth of Data Connectivity Options • Aggregates data from real time data sources, and existing historical sources • Access process and alarm data • Designed for both Continuous and Batch processes • Complements existing SCADA and MES applications
How? Variety of Data Types and Sources • Supports direct connection to existing OPC data sources • OPC DA, OPC HDA, OPC A&E • Can be connected to one or multiple ODBC databases • SQL Server, Oracle, MS Access, etc • Built-in custom drivers for connecting to a variety of historians • Ex. iFix/Proficy, Emerson, Pi, etc.
Reporting for Automation • Common Problems • Accessing both real-time and historical data from numerous sources • Costly to implement • Requires IT, programming skills • Manual data entry • Distribution and automation of reports • Resource intensive • Costly to maintain • Mobile support • Quality support and training • Licensing Dream Report is the solution!
Solution: Reduce Engineering Time • Speed up report development time by 15-20 times • Quickly and easily bring data into valuable, professional looking reports with Project Wizard • Use in virtually any industry
How? Project Wizard • Quickly develop project basics • Continue design in normal working mode • Easy-to-use, intuitive wizard • Project Name • Connect to a Data Source • Define Data Archiving Parameters • Define Batch Information • Report Design
Reporting for Automation • Common Problems • Accessing both real-time and historical data from numerous sources • Costly to implement • Requires IT, programming skills • Manual data entry • Distribution and automation of reports • Resource intensive • Costly to maintain • Mobile support • Quality support and training • Licensing Dream Report is the solution!
Solution: Provide easy to use interface • Dream Report offers many integrated tools to make analysis of data painless • Simple design interface • Dynamic Data Objects • Perform simple or complex calculations • Basic Math • Complex Expressions • “Smart” functions
How? Dynamic Data Objects • Automatically extract data from data source to build reports dynamically • Simple to add to a report • Simple configuration windows • Display values in widget format • 16 Different Dynamic Object Types with 100s of configuration options • Simple Statistical Objects • Compound Data • Expression Data • Dynamic Text • Page Number • Advanced SQL Condition • Date&Time • Item Table • FreeTable • Automatic Statistical Table • Step Table • SQL Query Table • AlarmTable • Pie Graph • Bar Graph • Line Chart • Indicator
How? Automatic Setpoint Analysis • Smart analysis of processes based on a stability setpoints • Automatic detection of stability periods, as well as entry and exit points of those stability periods • Calculate ROC before and after setpoint • Automatically determine process success or failure based on setpoints
Reporting for Automation • Common Problems • Accessing both real-time and historical data from numerous sources • Costly to implement • Requires IT, programming skills • Manual data entry • Distribution and automation of reports • Resource intensive • Costly to maintain • Mobile support • Quality support and training • Licensing Dream Report is the solution!
Solution: Manual Data Entry Options • Dream Report 4+ provides new Manual Input driver • Writes values directly to database • Provides a Manual Values Editor to enter values • Desktop and web portal interface
How? Manual Values Editor • Use date/time picker to set timestamp of data • Manual driver tracks • Original Values • Each value correction operation • Separate timestamps of the operation and the value associated time • Extract manual values for reporting by: • All values • Only original values • Only validated values • Only non-validated values
Reporting for Automation • Common Problems • Accessing both real-time and historical data from numerous sources • Costly to implement • Requires IT, programming skills • Manual data entry • Distribution and automation of reports • Resource intensive • Costly to maintain • Mobile support • Quality support and training • Licensing Dream Report is the solution!
Solution: Scheduler and Automatic Distribution Methods • Automatically generates and distributes .pdf, .xls, and web-enabled reports • Automatic Schedule • Distribution Methods • Dynamic Report Generation • Web Portal
How? Automatic Report Generation • Generate on a schedule • Any time period, and combination of week days • Monthly, yearly, weekly, daily • Generate on a specific time interval • Define as many generation periods as you want • Generate on event • Use a data source item as a trigger for report generation
How? Automatic Report Distribution • Distribute reports to: • Web • Email • Print • File Server • Combine distribution methods for increased reliability
How? Dynamic Report Generation • Generates reports on demand, where time period is defined by user at runtime • Re-create lost reports • Increase time resolution for detailed problem analysis • Available in both Runtime Management Console and through Web Portal
Reporting for Automation • Common Problems • Accessing both real-time and historical data from numerous sources • Costly to implement • Requires IT, programming skills • Manual data entry • Distribution and automation of reports • Resource intensive • Costly to maintain • Mobile support • Quality support and training • Licensing Dream Report is the solution!
Solution: Reduce Resource Requirements • System Resources • Dream Report does not require a dedicated server class machine • Run on the same machine as OPC server, SCADA or historian • Human Resources • No specialized knowledge required • Simple configuration saves time and money • Can save the cost of a full-time job
How? Report Templates • Create Page and Report templates • Add features such as: • Header and footers • Report Settings • Tag Dictionary • Excel Export Settings • Save the template in a protected format
How? Virtual Report Instances • Create multiple pre-defined instances of the same report template • Use the same template with different pre-defined tags • Use built-in Search and Replace feature to quickly change out tags
Reporting for Automation • Common Problems • Accessing both real-time and historical data from numerous sources • Costly to implement • Requires IT, programming skills • Manual data entry • Distribution and automation of reports • Resource intensive • Costly to maintain • Mobile support • Quality support and training • Licensing Dream Report is the solution!
Solution: Provide Tools for Easy Maintenance • Dream Report creates and manages files and folders for you • User Management • Audit Trail and Version Control • Hot backup Configuration
How? File Folder management • Automatically name report files • Automatically copy reports to a backup location • Automatically create yearly or monthly sub folders • Automatically delete old files
How? User Management • Define Users and User Group Authorization for access to different project module • Control access to: • Designer Studio • Data configuration • Runtime engine: generating reports and stopping the engine • Web Portal • Define access rights for individual reports within a project
How? Audit Trail and Version Control • Track design versions of the report • Log and track all changes between versions • Roll-back to a specific version number • Version Control Elements: • Object configurations(tags, times, appearance, etc) • Deleting an object • Adding a new object • Moving an object location • Audit Trail Logs: • Version ID • Timestamp • User name • User comment • Modification Type • Object Type • Modification Description
How? Hot Backup Configuration • Increase reliability of your reports • Run a reporting station as a redundant system, tied to a main station • User defined rate for ping frequency to verify that primary node is running • Does not duplicate data or reports
Reporting for Automation • Common Problems • Accessing both real-time and historical data from numerous sources • Costly to implement • Requires IT, programming skills • Manual data entry • Distribution and automation of reports • Resource intensive • Costly to maintain • Mobile support • Quality support and training • Licensing Dream Report is the solution!
Solution: Provide Mobile Interface • Dream Report lets you access your reports from anywhere in the world • Access .pdf or Excel reports through the web • Publish to Intranet or Internet
How? Web Portal • Ideal solution for distributing and sharing reports over the Internet/intranet • Password protected to display only authorized reports • Visualize existing reports from the project from any web-enabled device • Generate any report on user demand in real-time • Manually enter data and log to a database
Reporting for Automation • Common Problems • Accessing both real-time and historical data from numerous sources • Costly to implement • Requires IT, programming skills • Manual data entry • Distribution and automation of reports • Resource intensive • Costly to maintain • Mobile support • Quality support and training • Licensing Dream Report is the solution!
Solution: Backed By Software Toolbox • Full documentation provided • Software Toolbox Sales and Technical Support Team Two hour target support response time: Average over 2011 ≈ 1 hour
Reporting for Automation • Common Problems • Accessing both real-time and historical data from numerous sources • Costly to implement • Requires IT, programming skills • Manual data entry • Distribution and automation of reports • Resource intensive • Costly to maintain • Mobile support • Quality support and training • Licensing Dream Report is the solution!
Solution: Easy Licensing Options • Dream Report offers several options: • Hardware Key • .dat file software license • Link to customer external license • iFix • Wizcon • PcVue
Agenda • Challenges in automation reporting • How Dream Report meets these challenges • Real examples of Dream Report in use: • Energy Consumption Management • OEE and Performance • Preventative Maintenance Reports • Sales Information • Q&A
Energy Efficiency Reporting Saving Energy requires: 1. Measure Energy Consumption 2. Locate cost centers and analyze them 3. Work out optimization decisions 4. Measure energy saving effect
Measure Energy Consumption • Integrated tools to get counter information • Automatic built-in “smart functions” to calculate consumption • Calculate and Display energy consumption as: - Numeric value - Chart - Bar graph - Dashboard - Energy Indicator • Integrated functions to calculate produced energy (for heating) • Integrated functions to calculate produced emission (for heating)
Locate Energy Cost Centers • Compare Energy Consumption between similar facility units • Compare energy consumption for the same unit for different periods • Use integrated reporting tools to measure Energy Efficiency: • Energy Signature • Energy Indicator
Example Reports
Operating Efficiency Evaluation and Performance • Dream Report has integrated built-in tools to calculate: • Equipment Running time • Equipment Down Time • On Counter/Off Counter • System Availability • Product KPIs • Conditional calculations
Proactive Maintenance Reports • Automatic report generation and distribution upon calculated OEE data • Generate and send report as soon as up time reached pre-defined value • Generate and send service request upon equipment running time • Let system analyze and control maintenance of your equipment for you
Agenda • Challenges in automation reporting • How Dream Report meets these challenges • Real examples of Dream Report in use: • Energy Consumption Management • OEE and Performance • Preventative Maintenance Reports • Sales Information • Q&A
What Tools are Needed? • Licensing based on tag and web portal count • Contact us to discuss your project • Like what you see? Have a project in mind? • Let us show you how Dream Report can solve your reporting needs • Free Demo Available • Limits to 25 tags • Development will run for unlimited time, Runtime for 30 minutes at a time www.softwaretoolbox.com/DreamReport
Contact Information & Other Learning Opportunities • Questions later? • Renee Sikes • rsikes@softwaretoolbox.com • Software Toolbox Tech Support • support@softwaretoolbox.com • 888-665-3678 or +1 704-849-2773 • Product Website • http://www.softwaretoolbox.com/dreamreport • Other learning opportunities • Recording of this webinar • Visit softwaretoolbox.webex.com
