PI-ProcessBook (Client)
Real Time Graphical User Interface. OSI Software, Inc.ook has the characteristics of a real time process monitoring display system. Graphical process symbols, live trend displays, bar graphs and other dynamic data represent the plant process in a Microsoft Windows environment. The user can page through multiple windows of process displays to find the source of a process issue, scroll back in time to look at past process behavior, trigger alarms based on process values and view live videos of the process.
Development Environment. OSI Software, Inc.ook is also a development environment that enables users to interactively build their own displays while viewing process data.
Industrial Desktop for the Enterprise. OSI Software, Inc.ook provides a unified platform for monitoring process data and performance metrics from PI Data Servers and relational databases across the entire enterprise.
Ease of Use. OSI Software, Inc.ook offers easy deployment, outstanding integration, innovative tag and text searching capabilities, as well as the reliability, scalability, and security necessary to maintain an enterprise-wide monitoring program.
OSI Software, Inc.ook is a Graphical User Interface for Plant Information
OSI Software, Inc.ook is a premium graphical user interface for monitoring the plant information needed to operate critical plant processes. Major features include:
- Process Display Builder- OSI Software, Inc.ook has built-in drawing tools for creating professional quality process displays, which can include process graphics, pictures, scrolling trend displays and other built-in active elements.
- Built-in Active Elements- OSI Software, Inc.ook provides a set of built-in dynamic elements, such as scrolling trends and value readouts that make it easy to graphically build process graphics.
- Relational Database Access- OSI Software, Inc.ook uses Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) to access all major, established databases including Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle.
High Reliability Positive Connection to PI Data Server. To ensure reliable client-side triggers, OSI Software, Inc.ook uses a positive connection data transfer service to the PI Data Server that includes an acknowledgement. This ensures that client-side triggers will receive all the server data at the correct timing to trigger all alarms and warnings. An error will be raised when OSI Software, Inc.ook data is no longer being updated because of a broken connection to the server. Also the data server executes a "sign-up for updates" process which prepares the data for each client to pickup and knows when the pickup is made thus ensuring faster, more efficient, screen data updates.
Integration with Microsoft Office. OSI Software, Inc.ook is fully compatible with Microsoft Office 97/2000, enabling a user to cut and paste between OSI Software, Inc.ook and Microsoft Office.
Microsoft Logo Certification. OSI Software, Inc.ook has passed rigorous testing to enusre that it takes advantage of the new features of Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0. OSI Software, Inc.ook carries three logo certifications: Designed for Windows NT and Windows 95, Microsoft Office 97 Compatible logo, and the Featuring Visual Basic Technology logo.
OSI Software, Inc.ook is an ActiveX Control Container
OSI Software, Inc.ook is an ActiveX control container allowing ActiveX controls from third party suppliers to be easily integrated ProcessBook displays. Features include:
Direct Data Access. These ActiveX controls have access to process data, tag names, descriptions, and all the data available to OSI Software, Inc.ook so special display graphics provided by ActiveX controls can be updated just like built-in active display elements.
Support for ActiveX Controls Events. OSI Software, Inc.ook enables developers to write scripts that respond to events from ActiveX Controls, so they can make calculations and gather input and put that information back into the PI Data Server.
Event Triggers. OSI Software, Inc.ook enables developers to write scripts that execute when new data arrives. These triggers, or events, inform ActiveX Controls that new data has arrived, and are used in cross-control system alarming.
3D Graphics and Live Video. Since OSI Software, Inc.ook is an ActiveX control container process displays to include graphic displays such as 3D graphics and live video.
Advanced Applications. The functionality provided by ActiveX Controls ranges from simple graphical data displays to graphical displays that include sophisticated, application-specific logic such as quality tracking, specification management, product management, laboratory information management, waste tracking and uptime tracking.
Building Advanced Applications Embedded VBA in OSI Software, Inc.ook
Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), the popular scripting used in Microsoft Office 97/2000, is embedded in OSI Software, Inc.ook. There are more than 3 million developers using Visual Basic worldwide today. Embedded VBA enables OSI Software, Inc.ook to be used as customizable solution tool that address a wide range of user needs. VBA can be used to tie in ActiveX controls to data sources in OSI Software, Inc.ook, to create logic for cross-control system alarms, to develop manual input screens and a host of other applications.
Examples include the following:
VBA Scripting. Using VBA scripting in OSI Software, Inc.ook the user can trigger events or scripts based on the data update of a OSI Software, Inc.ook monitored variable. Examples of using DataUpdate events in OSI Software, Inc.ook include setup alarm scripts, pop-up process displays, trigger alarms, re-position cameras, or execute any other script when a process variable changes value.
Customizing applications. Example: creating custom toolbars and menus that automate common tasks such as arranging windows and creating a new wizard that saves a display on a Web server in HTML format
Extending applications. Example: adding a custom " Save As" utility and creating electronic forms in a OSI Software, Inc.ook, and creating intelligent business applications such as a cost report
Integrating applications. Example: Creating a plot plan for a plant that automatically tracks energy consumption of each unit and creates entries in an accounting system
Key Features of Visual Basic for Applications 5.0 (VBA 5.0)
VBA 5.0 is a professional-quality development tool that includes the following features:
- Integrated development environment (IDE)- The redesigned IDE provides an enhanced editor with support for conditional compilation and automatic syntax checking, a new object browser, enhanced debugging tools, improved code security features, and IntelliSense technology to increase developer productivity.
- Microsoft Forms. A rich forms package enables developers to create powerful user interfaces and custom dialog boxes.
- Support for ActiveX Controls- Developers can add new capabilities to their applications with more than 3,500 commercially available ActiveX Controls.
OSI Software, Inc.ook is used in a Wide Range of Applications
Applications for OSI Software, Inc.ook range from plant information console to troubleshooting tool. Here are several application examples:
- Plant Information Console. Supplied with live, streaming process data from multiple control and instrument systems across the plant, or the enterprise, OSI Software, Inc.ook provides the trend charts, graphics, and data visualization devices needed to quickly understand the status of plant operations.
- Host Application-specific Programs. OSI Software, Inc.ook provides a real-time enabled ActiveX Control Container that enables makers of application-specific ActiveX Controls to take advantage of component software to gain quick installation of their product and easy access to process data.
- Documented Communications Channel. OSI Software, Inc.ook provides fast, reliable text messaging between PI System users. Text messages manually entered into OSI Software, Inc.ook in one part of a facility are logged into the PI Data Server.
- Process Improvement. Process analysis groups can use OSI Software, Inc.ook to supply online process data from different plant sites across the enterprise.
- Alarming. OSI Software, Inc.ook can be used for cross-system alarming. With access to streaming data from multiple control and instrument systems, alarms can be triggered when these systems are out of step with each other.
- Troubleshooting. OSI Software, Inc.ook provides fast access, from a single application, to real-time and archived plant information from low level signal levels up to high-level performance metrics.
- Laboratory Input. Using OSI Software, Inc.ook input screens written in VBA, laboratory results can be input manually, time stamped and stored in the PI Data Archive; enabling, for example, a user to track product stream composition over time and then to trend the results of the laboratory analysis with the results of inline analyzers.
- Remote Site Access. Plant engineers can use OSI Software, Inc.ook to monitor and troubleshoot plant activity from any location with network access.
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