CygNet Measurement Workflow

Note: It's a good idea to carefully assess your specific data needs and workflow priorities prior to setting up your system and refining your workflow. This initial consideration will help provide a strong basis for making ongoing decisions to optimize your goals over the lifetime of your installation.

Workflow in CygNet Measurement is customizable and can be distinct for each user of the application, depending on system setup and data requirements. Certain elements of workflow are common however, and are presented here to represent processes that many users might find helpful.

The workflow described in this document assumes the use of FMS Explorer, although some of these tasks can also be performed using FMS ActiveX controls in CygNet Studio or by scripting. See FMS ActiveX Controls in the CygNet Measurement section and CxHmiFms in the Scripting section for more information about using FMS control objects in the CygNet Studio environment.

See CxFms in the Scripting section for more information about FMS automation objects.

Note: While considering workflow options within the application, consider setting up regular workflow routines to optimize database performance as well. For example, it is highly recommended that database administrators regularly perform an index rebuild, as a component of their regularly scheduled database maintenance protocol.

Data Analysis Workflow

The following is a generalized process for a data analysis task.

To Perform a Measurement Data Analysis Task

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. Set up the home viewpoint for your system. See Using the Home Menu for more information.
  3. Set up session options. See Using the Session Menu for more information.
  4. Set up workspace screens. See Customizing the View for more information.
  5. Identify issues to investigate further.
  6. Resolve issues.
  7. Refresh data.
  8. Repeat steps 5 through 7, continuing to "drill down" into the data as necessary.

CygNet Measurement Workflow Examples

The following possible workflow examples illustrate basic administrative and data analysis tasks an administrator or analyst might undertake.

Note: Various measurement tasks require different security authorization levels (permissions) to perform. See FMS Security for more information about authorization levels required.

Preparing for your CygNet Measurement System

Configuring FMS

Collecting Data

Analyzing and Refining Data

Performing Administrative Actions

Reporting and Exporting Data

Note: There are innumerable task variations possible. These examples are meant to be illustrative rather than prescriptive.

Determining System Database Type

CygNet Measurement can operate using a Microsoft SQL Server database or using the FMS internal database. Determine which usage is appropriate for your installation.

See FMS Internal Database for a discussion of differences between the database options.

Creating Users

User authentication is performed by your operating system (Microsoft Windows). Create your list of CygNet Measurement (FMS) users, including both individuals and groups. These users can then be assigned permissions on an Event and Application basis in CygNet Software.

See Permissions in the Security section for more information about users and user groups.

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Establishing Security Settings

Manage security authorization levels in CygNet Software by assigning permissions to specified users or groups of users to limit access to various FMS Events and Applications. Security settings are managed by Security Supervisors and Application Administrators.

See Security for more information about CygNet Software security.

See FMS Security for more information about FMS security Applications and Events.

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Determining Replication and Data Synchronization Requirements

Replication for CygNet Measurement can be set up to include disaster recovery and/or business slave services, in a variety of configurations. Redundancy can optionally be set up to include an FMS in data-center (not local) failover. There are many considerations to take into account when planning how to manage data replication for your system, and the specific requirements will be dependent upon your overall data synchronization and replication strategy.

See FMS Replication and Data Synchronization for more information about setting up replication for CygNet Measurement.

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Determining Archiving Requirements

Archiving for CygNet Measurement can be enabled in the configuration file (CygNet\Services\FMS\fms.cfg), and then the Archive Data command can be run manually or scheduled via the MSS in CygNet Explorer. There are several considerations to take into account when planning how to manage archived data for your system, and the specific requirements will be dependent upon your overall data storage and retention strategy.

See Archiving CygNet Measurement Data for more information about setting up data archiving for CygNet Measurement.

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Configuring Remote Devices

Devices for which automatic data retrieval is desired must be configured with EFM (electronic flow measurement) data groups before they can be added to your CygNet Measurement (FMS) system.

See Configuring Remote Devices for CygNet Measurement for more information.

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Creating Device and Group Nodes

Devices that have been configured for FMS can be brought into FMS as device Nodes, and optionally organized into group Nodes to support desired data use for business purposes. This process can occur manually, automatically via configured Node generation commands, or through file migration via the FMS Toolbox utility.

To Manually Create FMS Nodes

You can create FMS Nodes manually using options available on the Nodes menu in FMS Explorer.

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. On the Nodes menu, create the Nodes required to organize data within your CygNet Measurement system.
  1. Create Gas Meter, Chromatograph, and Liquid Device device Nodes. Optionally, if using CygNet Dispatch, create Accessory Nodes.
  2. Create General Group and Station Group group Nodes.
  3. Manage group Nodes to edit or modify group Node assignments.
  4. If necessary, delete Nodes from a specified point in time or purge their records from the system.

To Automatically Create FMS Nodes

You can create FMS Nodes automatically using FMS command options available in CygNet Explorer, FMS Explorer, or via scripting.

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. Create device Nodes via Detect New Devices commands.
  1. In FMS Explorer, configure Detect New Devices command options.
  2. Configure and run the Detect New Devices command. This can be done in CygNet Explorer (MSS) as a scheduled command (most common usage), in CygNet Explorer or FMS Explorer on an ad hoc manual basis, or via scripting.
  1. Create group Nodes via Generate Smart Groups commands.
  1. In FMS Explorer, configure smart group definitions and rules.
  2. Configure and run the Generate Smart Groups command. This can be done in CygNet Explorer (MSS) as a scheduled command (most common usage), in CygNet Explorer or FMS Explorer on an ad hoc manual basis, or via scripting.

To Create FMS Nodes Using the FMS Toolbox Utility

You can create FMS Nodes using the FMS Toolbox utility to migrate or import files into CygNet Measurement.

  1. Open FMS Toolbox to create FMS Nodes using one of the following methods.

See Creating CygNet Measurement Nodes for more information.

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Configuring or Confirming Administrative Settings

To Configure or Confirm Administrative Settings

Administrative settings are configured to support a variety of measurement processes. These settings can be viewed or managed through the FMS Explorer.

Note: A system administrator may need to set or configure some or all of these settings.

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. On the Admin menu, select the administrative settings within the CygNet measurement system you want to check or change. These might include validation engines and rules, estimation engines and rules, purging specific device data, report definitions, or configuring other Administrative Options.

    Processing

    Data

    Reports

    Options

See Using the Administration Menu for more information.

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Configuring Commands

FMS commands can be customized from the Commands menu in FMS Explorer. See FMS Commands for more information about commands available in CygNet Measurement.

See Using the Commands Menu for more information about configuring and running FMS commands through FMS Explorer.

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Establishing Saved and Shared Workspaces

Workspaces can be created and saved, and can be made available to multiple users as desired. Uniform feature sets such as commands and controls can be included in a workspace file, which is accessible to load automatically when FMS Explorer opens, or as directed in your workspace options.

See Using the File Menu for more information.

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Importing Data Files into FMS

Data files can be imported into FMS from a variety of sources, using an appropriate file import command, or via the FMS Toolbox utility.

To Import Files into FMS

  1. Register the desired file type (or confirm it is registered) on your system.
  2. Open FMS Explorer.
  3. Configure the file import command, if needed.
  4. On the Commands menu, click File Import to select the import command for the desired file format.
  5. Run the file import command.

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Requesting and Viewing Node Data

Data for selected Nodes can be requested using a variety of FMS commands.

To Request and View Node Data

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. On the File menu, select an existing workspace if desired, and/or select options to manage your workspace when FMS Explorer opens/closes.
  3. On the Home menu, verify or select Site.Service for your work.
  4. On the Session menu, verify or select the session parameters for your work.
  5. On the Controls menu, open any data controls desired, e.g. History Grid, History Graph, Configuration, for viewing the data.
  6. On the Commands menu, verify or configure FMS Node Commands you may need.
  7. Run selected commands against desired Nodes.

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Identifying and Filling In Missing Data

Data can be missing for a variety of reasons, including the data was requested from the device and the poll failed, or the data has not been requested from the device. In addition, there may be a gap in event and alarm data due to failed polls, or due to no request being made for the data.

To Identify and Fill In Missing Data

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. On the File menu, select an existing workspace if desired, and/or select options to manage your workspace when FMS Explorer opens/closes.
  3. On the Home menu, verify or select Site.Service for your work.
  4. On the Controls menu, open the Dashboard Summary control.
  5. On the Controls menu, open any other data controls desired, e.g. History Grid, History Graph, and Configuration, to view associated data.
  6. On the Options pane of each open control (except the Dashboard control), select Use Session Node to automatically update the control to the new Session Node data when the Session Node changes.
  7. Arrange the workspace screen to function for the intended purpose. Because of the large quantity of data displayed, you will likely want to maximize the screen width available for the Dashboard control. See Using the Controls Menu and FMS Explorer User Interface for more information about customizing the workspace view.
  8. On the Commands menu, verify or configure FMS Node Commands you may need, e.g. Request New Data.
  1. On the Dashboard Options pane, configure Display Properties and/or Filters, if desired.
  2. On the Dashboard control, analyze missing data in conjunction with other controls.
  1. Click to select your Node(s) in the Chooser pane and click Apply.
  2. Click to select Collection Status as the Data view to show. This can be done via the drop-down menu or from the data grid context menu.
  3. Click the check box to use a filter, if desired.
  4. Click to select an area of data to review.
  5. Review the data, then "drill down" using the + and - icons to find instances of missing data requiring further investigation.
  6. When an area of interest is identified, analyze it in conjunction with associated data, using other controls as appropriate.
  7. Attempt to retrieve data using appropriate data request commands. Adjust any parameters necessary to refine the requests, and then execute the command(s). Commands can be accessed directly from the data grid, via the context menu.
  1. Return to the Dashboard control, click Refresh to update the display, and repeat step 10 until all possible missing data is returned.

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Identifying and Correcting Data Quality

Data Quality settings are configured on the Admin menu. To confirm or configure data quality settings (for influence and acceptability), see Configuring Data Quality Settings.

To Identify and Correct Data Quality Issues

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. On the File menu, select an existing workspace if desired, and/or select options to manage your workspace when FMS Explorer opens/closes.
  3. On the Home menu, select or verify Site.Service for your work.
  4. On the Controls menu, open the Dashboard Summary control.
  5. On the Controls menu, open any data controls desired, e.g. History Grid, History Graph, and Configuration, to view associated data.
  6. On the Options pane of each open control (except the Dashboard control), select Use Session Node to automatically update the control to the new Session Node data when the Session Node changes.
  7. Arrange the workspace screen to function for the intended purpose. See Using the Controls Menu and FMS Explorer User Interface for more information about customizing the workspace view.
  8. On the Dashboard Options pane, configure Display Properties and/or Filters to aid in identification of data quality issues.
  9. On the Dashboard control, analyze data quality.
  1. Click to select your Node(s) in the Chooser pane and click Apply.
  2. Click to select Data quality as the Data view to show. This can be done via the drop-down menu or from the data grid context menu.
  3. Click the check box to use a filter, if desired.
  4. Click to select an area of data to review.
  5. Review the data, then "drill down" using the + and - icons to find instances of data quality issues requiring further investigation.
  6. When an area of interest is identified, analyze it in conjunction with associated data, using other controls as appropriate.
  7. On the History Grid control, Edit any values necessary to make corrections, and then Save your changes. You will be prompted to Select Data Quality to correspond with each edit. Click Save to commit the change.
  1. Return to the Dashboard control, click Refresh to update the display, and repeat step 9 until all possible data quality issues are identified and corrected.

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Identifying and Resolving Exceptions

Exceptions can be caused by a variety of triggers including validation warnings, alarms from the flow computer, or external problems such as calibration errors affecting instrument readings.

To Identify and Ignore/Resolve Exceptions

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. On the File menu, select an existing workspace if desired, and/or select options to manage your workspace when FMS Explorer opens/closes.
  3. On the Home menu, select or verify Site.Service for your work.
  4. On the Controls menu, open the Exceptions control.
  5. On the Controls menu, open any other data controls desired, e.g. History Grid, History Graph, and Configuration, to view associated data.
  6. On the Options pane of each open control (except the Exceptions control), select Use Session Node to automatically update the control to the new Session Node data when the Session Node changes.
  7. Arrange your workspace screen to function for the intended purpose. See Using the Controls Menu and FMS Explorer User Interface for more information about customizing the workspace view.
  8. On the Exceptions control, analyze the exceptions data in conjunction with other controls.
  1. Click to select your Node(s) in the Chooser pane and click Apply.
  2. Review the data, then "drill down" using the + and - icons to find exceptions requiring further investigation.
  3. Once an exception of interest is identified, choose to ignore it or set it as the Session Node and analyze associated data, using other controls as appropriate.
  4. Resolve exceptions.
  1. Return to the Exceptions control, click Refresh to update the display, and repeat step 8 until all exceptions are resolved or handled as desired.

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Identifying and Correcting Imbalances

Balance calculations are performed at the station level, for volume, energy, or mass, in the context of average data quality acceptability.

To Identify and Correct Balance Calculation Anomalies

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. On the File menu, select an existing workspace if desired, and/or select options to manage your workspace when FMS Explorer opens/closes.
  3. On the Home menu, select or verify Site.Service for your work.
  4. On the Controls menu, open the Dashboard Summary control.
  5. On the Controls menu, open any data controls desired, e.g. History Grid, History Graph, and Configuration, to view associated data.
  6. On the Options pane of each open control (except the Dashboard control), select Use Session Node to automatically update the control to the new Session Node data when the Session Node changes.
  7. Arrange the workspace screen to function for the intended purpose. See Using the Controls Menu and FMS Explorer User Interface for more information about customizing the workspace view.
  8. On the Balance control, analyze calculated balances.
  1. Select a Node, time period, and unit set.
  2. Configure session options and data and color display options to aid in identification of balance issues.
  3. Review the data, then "drill down" by station and days/hours using the + and - icons to find balances requiring further investigation.
  4. Once a balance calculation anomaly is identified, you can set the station as the Session Node and analyze associated data, using other controls as appropriate.
  5. In the appropriate control, edit data as required to balance the station.
  1. Return to the Balance control, click Refresh to update the display, and repeat step 8 until all possible balance anomalies are identified and corrected within desired tolerances.

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Testing and Closing Periods

Periods are generally closed at the end of a regular cycle such as a month. Prior to closing a period, the gas period can be tested to identify any outstanding issues or errors that need to be resolved before the period can be closed.

To Test and Close Periods

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. On the File menu, select an existing workspace if desired, and/or select options to manage your workspace when FMS Explorer opens/closes.
  3. On the Home menu, select or verify Site.Service for your work.
  4. On the Controls menu, open any other data controls desired, e.g. History Grid, History Graph, and Configuration, to view associated data.
  5. On the Options pane of each open control, select Use Session Node to automatically update the control to the new Session Node data when the Session Node changes.
  6. Arrange the workspace screen to function for the intended purpose. See Using the Controls Menu and FMS Explorer User Interface for more information about customizing the workspace view.
  7. On the Close Period control, identify the periods to test or close.
  8. On the Chooser pane, select the Node(s) for which you wish to close period(s), and review the closed through dates.
  9. Test and Close Periods for the selected Node, solving any issues in conjunction with other controls, as appropriate.
  1. Optionally right-click on a desired Node record within the data grid to access the context menu, and then click Set as Session Node to automatically display its Node data in any FMS Explorer controls that have selected the Use Session Node option. This may be helpful when you have issues to solve via other controls.
  1. Refresh the data, and repeat steps 8 - 9 until all desired periods are tested and closed.

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Approving and Rejecting Prior Period Adjustments

If data arrives or is edited after closing a period, a prior period adjustment (PPA) may optionally be created. The PPA can either be approved or rejected for export to production accounting and other downstream users, to notify them of the adjustment.

To Approve or Reject Prior Period Adjustments (PPAs)

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. On the File menu, select an existing workspace if desired, and/or select options to manage your workspace when FMS Explorer opens/closes.
  3. On the Home menu, select or verify Site.Service for your work.
  4. On the Controls menu, open any other data controls desired, e.g. History Grid, History Graph, and Configuration, to view associated data.
  5. On the Options pane of each open control (except the PPA control), select Use Session Node to automatically update the control to the new Session Node data when the Session Node changes.
  6. Arrange the workspace screen to function for the intended purpose. See Using the Controls Menu and FMS Explorer User Interface for more information about customizing the workspace view.
  7. On the Controls menu, open the PPA control.
  8. Approve or Reject PPAs, solving any issues in conjunction with other controls as appropriate.
  9. Refresh the data, and repeat step 8 until all desired PPAs are either approved or rejected.

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Exporting Data out of FMS

Data can be exported out of FMS in a variety of formats, by using appropriate file export commands, exporting directly from FMS Explorer controls, or via the FMS Toolbox utility.

To Export Data Files out of FMS Using Commands

  1. If required, install database client and support files for any optional FMS export commands you will be using.
  2. Open FMS Explorer.
  3. Configure the file export command, if needed.
  4. On the Commands menu, click File Export to select the export command for the desired format. (See Running Node Commands for information about selecting optional export commands.)
  5. Run the file export command.

To Export Data Files out of FMS Using Controls

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. On the Controls menu, create controls if needed.
  3. Generate the desired data view in the control.
  4. On the control toolbar, click Export to export the selected data in an available format.

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Configuring and Generating FMS Reports

Many business objectives require transference of information in report format. Use CygNet Measurement to generate reports on an ad hoc basis through FMS Explorer or on a scheduled basis through the MSS in CygNet Explorer. See Running CygNet Measurement Reports for more information about FMS report options.

To Configure and Generate Ad Hoc Measurement Reports

  1. Open FMS Explorer.
  2. Verify or create your report template file.
  3. Verify or create your report definition.
  4. In FMS Explorer, on the Controls menu, open the Reports control and generate your report.

To Configure and Generate Scheduled Measurement Reports

  1. Open FMS Explorer and CygNet Explorer.
  2. Verify or create your report template file.
  3. In FMS Explorer, on the Admin menu, click Options and then Email Options to verify or configure email settings for your reports.
  4. In CygNet Explorer, double-click MSS (Master Scheduling Service) in the service hierarchy to schedule your report.

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