Getting Data In To Analyse-Plus

There are 6 main ways to get data into Analyse-Plus:

• Import From Text (See below)
• Import from [Valmet] QMM
• Import From ABB/Bailey Harmony/Symphony/Net90/Infi90 CLS/DC90/Composer/DBDoc-CIULink
• Import Profiles From Text or QMM Files to FCD
• DDE Receive (See below)
• Collect Analog Data Using the DataLogger CVF2

Import from Text

Import From Text is a tool for receiving data from other applications. It reads generic files created by other applications containing sampled data in text (ASCII/ANSI) form. These would typically come from your control system or perhaps from your historian. However, the samples of each variable must be equally-spaced in time. Each variable can have its own sample period and time stamp though. For example in PI, use their “Sampled Data” feature to get this data.

Virtually any text file can be imported. You can also specify exactly which columns of sampled data you want to import. After you import the file, you can use it like any .CSD file (the native file format for Analyse-Plus) like any other file in Analyse-Plus. Normally you would Save the .CSD file so that you don't need to import it again.

The file to be imported has data in one or more columns. Each column can be separated by the following Delimiters: Tab, Space, Semi-Colon, or Comma or can be a Fixed Width. Files with two or more columns can include a Time Stamp column indicating the time at which each sample is taken. This is used to determine the Sample Period and Collection Time and is optional.

We have tested many file configurations with unequal columns and various other issues and found Analyse-Plus can import a greater variety of files / cases correctly than can many commercial / office spreadsheet programs.

The following illustrates a typical file to be imported:
-------------------------------
This was an important test.
0.00 10.6 186.4
0.20 9.8 187.3
0.40 9.92 184.23
0.60 11.65 154.65
0.80 11.43 176.54
1.00 10.94 165.5
1.20 11.11 190.65
1.40 7.40 159.42
... ... ...
150.60 8.54 140.43
150.80 9.65
151.00 7.543
----------------

In the example above, the first column holds a time stamp in decimal seconds, and the second and third columns hold sampled data. They will become separate data files (.CSD) when importing is completed. The second and third columns are of unequal length in this case. Many popular spreadsheet programs do not import files with unequal column lengths but Analyse-Plus will do this correctly.

There is no specific limit to the number of columns you can import from a single file. Import From Text has been tested with files up to 78 columns in width. Use the horizontal scroll bar to view all columns.

The screenshot at left shows the “stage 1” display where you see the raw data to be imported. The Delimiters are automatically detected but you can override them. The number of the Time Stamps (None, One or Multiple for multiple pairs of columns of time stamp and sampled data) and their format (Seconds or HH:MM:SS) are also detected automatically and can be overriden. The First Line of Data is automatically detected and allows skipping over text at the top and can also be overridden

The screenshot at right shows the “stage 2” display where you see the calculated sample period (that you can override), the estimated Collection start Date and Time, the filenames of the columns you wish to import (columns you don’t wish to import can be left blank) and any comments you wish to enter that will appear in every file imported. It checks for duplicate filenames and ones that are already loaded in Analyse-Plus.

The number of samples and of variables is limited only by available computer memory (and the Operating System and the underlying programming language’s compiler.)

Having imported, you can immediately begin plotting and analysing.

DDE Receive

DDE is a legacy technology but is still supported by Windows and works very well with Excel and other programs. It is an easy and quick way to receive (or send) data from (to) other applications. It is quicker and easier to receive a data file from a spreadsheet such as Excel than exporting and importing it.

DDE is normally used to send data between two applications running on the same computer - for example, Analyse-Plus and Excel.

Analyse-Plus can receive data as a single “batch” or can receive one sample at a time. The batch one-shot mode is most commonly used and is used with programs that already have all the data available such as Excel. The one-sample-at-a-time method is used for collecting date from a program that samples or measures values periodically such as once per second.

The screenshot at left shows an Excel spreadsheet and the “stage 1” display together. Here you select what you are “receiving”. In this case, the user has selected the Program “Excel”, then pressed “Topics” to get a list of spreadsheet names and tabs from Excel and then entered the data range as Row 3 / Column 2 and Row 5000, Column 2 (also known as B3:B5000). You can just enter a Row at least as large as the data you have. Then enter the Filename and click on “Start Receive”.

The screenshot at right shows the “stage 2” display where you see the Number of Samples Collected and the time and value of the first and last samples collected. When collecting in this type of one-shot mode, the Sample Period cannot be calculated so select “Override” and enter the value in msec that corresponds to the original sample rate. Then click End Receive. The file will immediately be saved in the Quick List and is ready for plotting and analysis.

The number of samples and of variables is limited only by available computer memory.