ViewPoint User's Guide

1.6 30OCT12 S. Johanneck Standard OSI document 1.9.4 N.
Orndorff
Release
Rev Date Modified By Details of Change OSI Approval
Number
CLIENT:
MAIN CONTRACTOR:
PROJECT:
EVN-NDLC CONTRACT - OSI/NLDC SCADA/EMS
TITLE:
ViewPoint User’s Guide
OSI-5555-3073
EVN NLDC EVN NLDC

Reviewer/Approver Document Number
OSI ViewPoint User’s Guide
Revision 1.6
OSI-5555-3073
U.S. Patent No. 7,961,087 B2
TRADE SECRET
This document contains confidential and proprietary information and trade secrets of
Open Systems International, Inc. (OSI). The information contained herein shall be used
solely by the Licensee’s employees responsible for the operation and maintenance of
the OSI product(s), and shall not be disclosed to third parties or indiscriminately
distributed within the Licensee’s organization without OSI’s expressed written
permission.
Use of this document is subject to the license agreement and the confidentiality
agreement executed between the Licensee and OSI.
Revision History
ViewPoint User’s Guide
OSI-5555-3073
Date of Change Rev. # Details of Change Author Approval

19FEB09 1.0 Initial creation N. Orndorff B. Rasefske
07JUL09 1.1 Reorganized the document N. Orndorff B. Rasefske
Added Historical Alarms section, Updated screenshots, M. Dickinson
added External Application section. Updated for release
version 1.2.0.
20AUG09 1.2 Added Real Time Events section. Updated for release M. Dickinson B. Rasefske
version 1.3.0.
18DEC09 1.3 Added System Overview and SOE sections, revised M. Dickinson B. Rasefske
Historical section. Updated for release version 1.4.0
12MAR10 1.4 Added permission information for grid customization. M. Dickinson N. Orndorff
Added Open ViewPoint command Updated for release
version 1.5.0.
30APR10 1.5 Added Show Detail Display, Show Origin Display, and M. Dickinson N. Orndorff
Show Point Dialog command information
30OCT12 1.6 Updated for version 1.9.4 S. Johanneck N. Orndorff
Contents I
Table of Contents
Welcome to ViewPoint ................................................................................................................... VII

A Short Introduction to ViewPoint ................................................................................................. VIII
Who Should Read This Guide ......................................................................................................... VIII
How this Guide is Organized .......................................................................................................... VIII
Special Structural Features .............................................................................................................. IX
Comments and Questions ................................................................................................................ IX
Chapter 1 Introduction to ViewPoint ..................................................................................... 1.1

1.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................1.2
1.2 ViewPoint Layout ..................................................................................................................1.2
1.2.1 Navigation Panel ......................................................................................................1.3
1.2.2 Data Panel ...............................................................................................................1.3
1.2.3 Menu Bar .................................................................................................................1.3
1.2.4 Toolbar ....................................................................................................................1.3
1.2.5 Status Bar ................................................................................................................1.3
Chapter 2 System Overview ................................................................................................... 2.1

2.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................2.2
2.2 Common Features .................................................................................................................2.2
2.2.1 Item Details ..............................................................................................................2.2
2.2.2 Pause ......................................................................................................................2.3
2.2.3 Email........................................................................................................................2.4
2.2.4 Printing ....................................................................................................................2.5
2.3 Historical Mode .....................................................................................................................2.5
2.3.1 Filters .......................................................................................................................2.6
2.3.2 Tabular View ............................................................................................................2.7
2.3.3 Event Analyzer .........................................................................................................2.7
Chapter 3 Alarms .................................................................................................................... 3.1

3.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................3.2
3.1.1 Alarms .....................................................................................................................3.2
3.1.2 Alarm Viewport Widget .............................................................................................3.2
3.1.3 Alarm Sound ............................................................................................................3.2
3.2 Alarms ...................................................................................................................................3.2
3.2.1 Standard Alarm Views ..............................................................................................3.3
3.2.2 Interacting with Alarms .............................................................................................3.3
3.2.2.1 Acknowledging Alarms ..........................................................................3.5
3.2.2.2 Page Acknowledge ................................................................................3.5
3.2.2.3 Partially Acknowledged Alarms .............................................................3.6
3.2.2.4 Deleting Alarms .....................................................................................3.6
3.2.2.5 Page Delete ..........................................................................................3.7
3.2.2.6 Partially Deleted Alarms ........................................................................3.7
3.2.2.7 Flagging Alarms ....................................................................................3.8
3.2.2.8 Viewing Alarm Help Files.......................................................................3.8
Confidential & Proprietary Open Systems International, Inc.

II OSI ViewPoint User’s Guide
3.2.3 Annotating Alarms ....................................................................................................3.8

3.2.4 Adding Attachments to Alarms ............................................................................... 3.10
3.2.4.1 Adding a New Attachment ................................................................... 3.10
3.2.4.2 Opening an Attachment ....................................................................... 3.10
3.2.5 External Application Shortcuts ............................................................................... 3.10
3.3 Alarm Viewport .................................................................................................................... 3.11
3.3.1 Origin List .............................................................................................................. 3.11
3.4 Alarm Sounds ...................................................................................................................... 3.12
3.4.1 Enabling/Disabling Sound ...................................................................................... 3.12
3.4.2 Alarm Silencing ...................................................................................................... 3.13
3.4.3 Alarm Snoozing...................................................................................................... 3.13
3.4.4 Alarms and Your Screensaver ................................................................................ 3.14
Chapter 4 Events .................................................................................................................... 4.1

4.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................4.2
4.2 Details ....................................................................................................................................4.2
4.3 Viewing Event Help Files ......................................................................................................4.3
Chapter 5 SOEs ...................................................................................................................... 5.1

5.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................5.2
5.2 Details ....................................................................................................................................5.2
Chapter 6 Advanced ViewPoint ............................................................................................. 6.1

6.1 Working in the Data Panel ....................................................................................................6.2
6.1.1 Choosing Columns ...................................................................................................6.2
6.1.1.1 Adding a Column ...................................................................................6.3
6.1.1.2 Hiding a Column ....................................................................................6.3
6.1.1.3 Changing the Column Order ..................................................................6.3
6.1.1.4 Changing the Column Width ..................................................................6.4
6.1.2 Viewing Data Details ................................................................................................6.5
6.1.3 Sorting Data .............................................................................................................6.5
6.1.4 Filtering Data ...........................................................................................................6.6
6.1.4.1 Quick Filter ............................................................................................6.7
6.1.4.2 Filter Editor............................................................................................6.8
6.1.4.3 Filter Description Bar ........................................................................... 6.12
6.1.5 Grouping Data........................................................................................................ 6.12
6.2 Understanding Views .......................................................................................................... 6.15
6.2.1 What is a View? ..................................................................................................... 6.16
6.2.2 Creating a Custom View......................................................................................... 6.16
6.2.3 Saving a Custom View ........................................................................................... 6.16
6.2.4 Managing Custom Views ........................................................................................ 6.18
6.2.4.1 Shared Views ...................................................................................... 6.19
6.2.4.2 My Views ............................................................................................. 6.19
6.2.5 Modifying a Custom View ....................................................................................... 6.19
6.3 Pagifying a View .................................................................................................................. 6.20
6.4 OpenView Commands ........................................................................................................ 6.20
6.4.1 Toggle Sound ........................................................................................................ 6.21
6.4.2 Snooze .................................................................................................................. 6.21
6.4.3 Silence ................................................................................................................... 6.21

Contents III
6.4.4 Open ViewPoint ..................................................................................................... 6.21

6.4.5 Alarm Help ............................................................................................................. 6.23
6.4.6 Acknowledge Selected Alarms ............................................................................... 6.23
6.4.7 Acknowledge Matching by Source.......................................................................... 6.23
6.4.8 Delete Selected Alarms .......................................................................................... 6.24
6.4.9 Delete Matching by Source .................................................................................... 6.24
6.4.10 Show Detail Display ............................................................................................... 6.24
6.4.11 Show Origin Display ............................................................................................... 6.24
6.4.12 Show Point Dialog .................................................................................................. 6.25
6.5 Customizing ViewPoint ....................................................................................................... 6.25
6.5.1 The Customize Dialog ............................................................................................ 6.25
6.5.2 Customizing the Font ............................................................................................. 6.26
6.5.3 Customizing the Background.................................................................................. 6.27
6.5.3.1 Background Color................................................................................ 6.27
6.5.3.2 Alternating Rows ................................................................................. 6.28
6.5.3.3 Image .................................................................................................. 6.28
6.5.4 Customizing the Border .......................................................................................... 6.29

IV OSI ViewPoint User’s Guide
Table of Figures
Figure 1.1: ViewPoint Layout ............................................................................................................ 1.2

Figure 1.2: Navigation Panel Selection ............................................................................................. 1.3
Figure 2.1: System Overview Options .............................................................................................. 2.2
Figure 2.2: Alarm Details Window .................................................................................................... 2.3
Figure 2.3: Pause Button .................................................................................................................. 2.3
Figure 2.4: Unpause Button .............................................................................................................. 2.3
Figure 2.5: Email Editor .................................................................................................................... 2.4
Figure 2.6: Print Preview .................................................................................................................. 2.5
Figure 2.7: Historical Mode ............................................................................................................... 2.6
Figure 2.8: Event Analyzer in Timeline View ..................................................................................... 2.7
Figure 3.1: Alarm Actions from the Menu.......................................................................................... 3.4
Figure 3.2: Alarm Actions from the Toolbar ...................................................................................... 3.4
Figure 3.3: Alarm Actions from the Alarm Details ............................................................................. 3.4
Figure 3.4: Alarm Actions from the Right-click Menu ........................................................................ 3.5
Figure 3.5: Alarm Acknowledge Options ........................................................................................... 3.5
Figure 3.6: Alarm Delete Options ..................................................................................................... 3.6
Figure 3.7: Alarm Flag Options ......................................................................................................... 3.8
Figure 3.8: Annotations Menu........................................................................................................... 3.9
Figure 3.9: Annotation Editor ............................................................................................................ 3.9
Figure 3.10: Annotations List ............................................................................................................ 3.9
Figure 3.11: Annotation Indication ...................................................................................................3.10
Figure 3.12: Attachments Menu .......................................................................................................3.10
Figure 3.13: Shortcut Menu .............................................................................................................3.11
Figure 3.14: Alarm Viewport ............................................................................................................3.11
Figure 3.15: Disable Sound Button ..................................................................................................3.12
Figure 3.16: Enable Sound Button ...................................................................................................3.12
Figure 3.17: Silence Button .............................................................................................................3.13
Figure 3.18: Snooze Button .............................................................................................................3.13
Figure 4.1: Event Details Window ..................................................................................................... 4.3
Figure 5.1: SOE Details Window ...................................................................................................... 5.2
Figure 6.1: Accessing the Column Chooser from the Toolbar ........................................................... 6.2
Figure 6.2: Accessing the Column Chooser from the Column Header .............................................. 6.2
Figure 6.3: Column Chooser Display ................................................................................................ 6.3
Figure 6.4: Adding a Column ............................................................................................................ 6.3
Figure 6.5: Best Fit Option................................................................................................................ 6.4
Figure 6.6: Best Fit for All Columns .................................................................................................. 6.5
Figure 6.7: Column Sorting Indication Arrow .................................................................................... 6.5
Figure 6.8: Column Header Menu Sort Options ................................................................................ 6.6
Figure 6.9: Clear Sorting from Column Header Menu ....................................................................... 6.6
Figure 6.10: Quick Filter from Toolbar .............................................................................................. 6.7
Figure 6.11: Quick Filter from Menu Bar ........................................................................................... 6.7
Figure 6.12: Quick Filter Example .................................................................................................... 6.8
Figure 6.13: Quick Filter Example 2 ................................................................................................. 6.8
Figure 6.14: Filter Editor Selection ................................................................................................... 6.9
Figure 6.15: Filter Editor Dialog ........................................................................................................ 6.9
Figure 6.16: Filter Operator Menu .................................................................................................... 6.9
Figure 6.17: Filter Field Options ......................................................................................................6.10
Figure 6.18: Filter Comparison Options ...........................................................................................6.11
Figure 6.19: Filter Description Bar ...................................................................................................6.12
Figure 6.20: Recently Applied Filters ...............................................................................................6.12
Figure 6.21: Group By Box from Tool Bar ........................................................................................6.13
Figure 6.22: Group By Box from View Menu ....................................................................................6.13
Figure 6.23: Group By Box from Menu Bar ......................................................................................6.13
Figure 6.24: Group By Box ..............................................................................................................6.14
Figure 6.25: Nested Group By Box ..................................................................................................6.14
Figure 6.26: Group By This Column ................................................................................................6.15

Contents V
Figure 6.27: Group By Box Options .................................................................................................6.15

Figure 6.28: Save View from File Menu ...........................................................................................6.16
Figure 6.29: Save View from Menu ..................................................................................................6.17
Figure 6.30: View Save As… Dialog ................................................................................................6.17
Figure 6.31: New Folder from File Menu..........................................................................................6.18
Figure 6.32: New Folder from Menu ................................................................................................6.18
Figure 6.33: Rename Folder ............................................................................................................6.19
Figure 6.34: Example Parameters for Comparison Link ...................................................................6.22
Figure 6.35: Configured Dynamic Menu Item ...................................................................................6.23
Figure 6.36: Customize Menu ..........................................................................................................6.25
Figure 6.37: Customize Dialog ........................................................................................................6.26
Figure 6.38: Font Selection Dialog ..................................................................................................6.27
Figure 6.39: Color Dialog ................................................................................................................6.28
Figure 6.40: Select Image Dialog ....................................................................................................6.29
Table of Tables
Table 3.1: Alarm Columns ................................................................................................................ 3.3
Table 3.2: Standard Alarm Views ..................................................................................................... 3.3
Table 3.3: Partially Acknowledged Alarms Example ......................................................................... 3.6
Table 3.4: Partially Deleted Alarms Example .................................................................................... 3.7
Table 3.5: Alarm Sound Examples ..................................................................................................3.12
Table 4.1: Event Columns ................................................................................................................ 4.2
Table 5.1: SOE Columns .................................................................................................................. 5.2
Table 6.1: Boolean Operator Descriptions .......................................................................................6.10
Table 6.2: Example Parameters for Open ViewPoint Command ......................................................6.22

Welcome to ViewPoint
A Short Introduction to ViewPoint

Basic purpose of the ViewPoint product
Who Should Read this Guide

Description of the intended audience for this user’s guide
How this Guide is Organized

How to get the most out of this guide
Special Structural Features

Special features in this user’s guide
Comments and Questions

A note on comments and questions
VIII OSI ViewPoint User’s Guide
A Short Introduction to ViewPoint

Welcome to the Open Systems International, Inc. (OSI) ViewPoint product, your new
alarming tool. ViewPoint is designed to make alarm management more convenient for your
company.
The ViewPoint product allows you to:

 Customize the look of your alarming system
 View, sort and filter alarms
 Create and manage custom alarm views
 Work with real-time and historical alarms and events
Who Should Read This Guide

This user’s guide is designed to benefit individuals who have an average degree of
proficiency and familiarity with the following tools:
 Standard Windows® functions
 Keyboard and mouse
 The OSI OpenView™ product
 The OSI OpenSCADA product
How this Guide is Organized
Chapter 1: Introduction to ViewPoint

This chapter introduces the ViewPoint product, including a description of the layout,
including the panels and navigational tools.
Chapter 2: System Overview

This chapter introduces the System Overview component, which allows you to view alarm,
event and SOE data all together. It also introduces concepts that are part of the other
components.
Chapter 3: Alarms
This chapter introduces the Alarms component, which allows you to interact with alarms, as
well as the Alarm Viewport and alarm sound.
Chapter 4: Events
This chapter introduces the Events component, which allows you to interact with events.
Chapter 5: SOEs
This chapter introduces the SOEs component, which allows you to interact with SOEs.

Welcome to ViewPoint IX
Chapter 6: Advanced ViewPoint

This chapter tells you how to accomplish more with ViewPoint by giving configuration help,
describing the tools used to view, sort, and filter data and describing how to save custom
views for future use.
Special Structural Features

These structural features will help you to get the most out of this guide.
Chapter Previews
Each chapter begins with a preview. Read these convenient previews to gain an overall
understanding of the content for each chapter.
Notes present additional useful information in order to enhance your understanding of the software. Some
Note notes point to related sections of the guide that help to augment the presented information.
Tips present short advice on especially quick ways to perform a task, or useful ideas and techniques that
Tip you might not discover on your own.
Mini-exercises lead you through a series of steps that offer you the opportunity to perform and to practice
Try This what you have just read about.
WARNING
Warnings caution you about the necessity of the careful use of certain product features and/or alert you to
some of the few pitfalls you may encounter.
Comments and Questions

We appreciate your efforts in helping us continually improve our products and
documentation; therefore, if you have comments, questions and/or suggestions regarding
either, please contact Open Systems International’s customer support group as defined by
your current support program.

Chapter 1 Introduction to ViewPoint
Introduction
A brief look into the ViewPoint layout and navigational
tools
1.2 OSI ViewPoint User’s Guide
1.1 Introduction
Being able to effectively manage alarms can greatly increase the efficiency of your system.
ViewPoint’s highly customizable user interface allows you to organize, view and manipulate
alarms with ease.
Fine-tuning your alarm management system to each user’s preference allows for better
control of services, especially during situations that could potentially cause outages.
The following sections will briefly introduce you to what you will see when you open
ViewPoint.
1.2 ViewPoint Layout

In general, a ViewPoint component consists of a navigation panel, data panel, menu bar,
toolbar and status bar. For example, Figure 1.1 shows the System Overview component
layout.
The following subsections outline the major features of each of the different display panels
and navigational tools.
Figure 1.1: ViewPoint Layout

Introduction to ViewPoint 1.3
1.2.1 Navigation Panel

The navigation panel provides you with quick access to navigation of a ViewPoint
component. In most components, this panel determines the data that displays in the data
panel.
By default, the navigation panel displays. If you would like, you can to hide it. To do this, go
to the View menu and click Navigation Panel (see Figure 1.2). This will deselect the option
and hide the panel. To display the navigation panel again, select it from the View menu.
Figure 1.2: Navigation Panel Selection
1.2.2 Data Panel

In general, the main part of a ViewPoint component is the data panel. This panel is where you
will view data and perform most of the user actions specific to the current component. As
mentioned in the previous subsection, most often the selection in the navigation panel
determines the data shown in the data panel.
1.2.3 Menu Bar

The menu bar provides all of the available functions of ViewPoint and the current component.
The purpose and use of each of the menu items is discussed in the corresponding component’s
chapter.
1.2.4 Toolbar
The toolbar provides quick access to many of the functions provided in the options of the
menu bar. The purpose and use of each of the menu items is discussed in the corresponding
component’s chapter.
1.2.5 Status Bar

The status bar at the bottom of the display provides information on the current status of the
system, as well as messages from the current component. ViewPoint will also display the
communication status with the server (connected or disconnected) in the status bar.

Chapter 2 System Overview
Introducing System Overview

A brief introduction to the features of System Overview
Common Features
An in-depth description of the features you will find
throughout ViewPoint and their uses.
Historical Mode
A guide to viewing historical data
2.1 Introduction
ViewPoint provides the ability to view alarm, event and SOE data. Each type has its own
component configured specifically for its needs. These components are discussed in the next
three chapters.
While alarms, events and SOEs can be useful on their own, sometimes you will want to view
them together. For example, if you are trying to figure out why a control issued by a user
never reached a point in the field, you would want to verify the following items:
1. SCADA generated an event for the user issuing the control.
If there is no such event, the user did not actually issue the control or there was an error
issuing the control.
2. The RTU generated a SOE for the control.
If there is no such event, the RTU never received the control or never performed it .
3. SCADA generated an alarm due the control either succeeding or failing.
If there is no such alarm, SCADA never received an update for the control.
By viewing all three items together and filtering to the correct RTU, you can quickly find the
source of the problem.
While the alarms, events and SOEs components have their own features, System Overview
contains features common to all three. For instance, you will be able to use the pause and
email features in System Overview, as well as the three other components.
In addition to viewing the three types of items together, you can view them separately within
System Overview. This allows you to switch quickly between item types without having to
switch components.
Figure 2.1: System Overview Options
2.2 Common Features

In each component, you will find the features described below.
2.2.1 Item Details

The data panel can present a great deal of information, but it cannot show everything. For
instance, the System Overview panel has about 20 different columns. These columns may not
be applicable to each data type (for instance, SOEs do not have an alarm group), or you may
be interested in that data all the time.

System Overview 2.3
In order to allow you to reduce information overload, ViewPoint allows you to view the
details of each alarm or event individually. You can bring up this window by clicking the
Details button or by selecting View  Details. Alarms, events and SOEs all have their own
details windows. The details window for alarms is shown below.
Figure 2.2: Alarm Details Window
The Details button may be named differently in the other components.

Note
2.2.2 Pause
You may sometimes find it difficult to correctly select an item you want to examine because
it moves when you are about to select it. This can become problematic when acknowledging
or deleting alarms because you could potentially acknowledge or delete the wrong alarm.
Using pause will help prevent this.
Pause simply pauses your display, preventing it from updating for a period of time. Pause
does not affect the data processing of your system. New data can enter the system while your
view is paused, but you will not see it. As soon as your view is un-paused, any new data will
automatically display.
To pause your view, click the Pause button or select Actions  Pause.
Figure 2.3: Pause Button
The Pause button changes state to indicate that your view is paused. When the button is in
this state, you can click it to unpause your view.
Figure 2.4: Unpause Button
Pause will automatically time out and unpause after a configurable period. You should
contact your system administrator if you have any questions regarding the pause timeout. You

can find information on how to configure the pause timeout in the ViewPoint Configuration
Guide.
If you have PauseSession enabled on your system, pausing in one plugin or in the Alarm
Viewport will pause in all other plugins and viewports. Once you unpause or the pause
expires, it will expire for all plugins and viewports.
2.2.3 Email
This feature of ViewPoint allows you to send the details of data via email. Using the email
editor, you can add the email addresses of the recipients. Depending on your system
configuration, you may also be able to edit the subject line and body of the email. The
information for the alarm, event or SOE is automatically added to the body of the email. You
may see additional or different information based on how your system is set up.
Figure 2.5: Email Editor
You can select multiple items to include in an email (with a maximum of 100). This is shown
in the email body above.
To send the email to multiple email addresses, you must place a semicolon (;) between the addresses, as
Tip shown in Figure 2.5.

System Overview 2.5
2.2.4 Printing
If you need a hard copy of the data you see on the screen, you can select File  Print. This
brings up the familiar Windows printing prompt. If you want to see what will be printed, you
can select File  Print Preview. With this dialog, you can view the data as it will print.
Figure 2.6: Print Preview
The headers and footers of the pages may show different information based on how your
printing settings are configured.
If you are viewing a large amount of items, it may take awhile to generate the print or print preview. You will
Note either have to wait for it to complete or filter your results to reduce the amount of alarms.
2.3 Historical Mode

System Overview also contains the ability to view alarms, events and SOEs in your historical
database. You can choose the desired timeframe and view the results in a tabular or calendar
view. You can activate historical mode by clicking the Historical Mode button in the toolbar.
When this is activated, the tabular will change colors and a panel will appear to the left of it.
While historical mode is active, you will no longer be able to view data updates in real time.

Figure 2.7: Historical Mode
To populate the tabular and calendar with data, you can select your start and end times for
your period via the drop-down boxes to the left. Set Start Time to the start of your period and
End Time to the end of your period. Specify any filters you want to use in your query. When
you have finished, you can press Run Query to retrieve the data from the historical data
source.
If you wish to remove the data from the tabular and calendar, you can right click on a record
in the tabular display and select Clear Results.
Similar to the real-time portion of System Overview, you can view historical alarms, events
and SOEs together or separately. This is especially useful for historical mode. For example, if
you select alarms, any historical query you run will only return alarms. This helps reduce
unnecessary clutter and querying time.
If you have already run a query, switching between the different item types will have the same effect as
Note pressing Clear Results. This applies to switching between real-time and historical mode as well.
2.3.1 Filters
Filters reduce the amount of time it takes to complete your query. Only results matching your
filter are shown in the tabular display. Filters are located directly below the Start and End
time fields. To specify a filter, enter a value into a filter field or use the dropdown list to
select a value if one is available. Blank filter fields are not included in the query. When the
System Overview node is selected, all filters for Alarms, Events and SOEs are shown. This
can be seen in the figure from section 2.3. Even though all filters are shown, filters specific to
Alarms and Events will not affect SOEs. Likewise, filters specific to SOEs will not affect
Alarms and Events.
The % symbol acts as a wildcard.

Tip

System Overview 2.7
When you need to create a complex filter, click the Advanced Filter button . This will hide
the filter fields table and display the filter builder. The filter builder allows you to specify
more than one value per filter field. In addition, you are able to choose how your value is
structured compared to the Alarm/Event/SOE value. Some of the options available to you are
Begins with, Contains, Is greater than and Is less than. Filters specified before clicking
Advanced Filter will be included in the filter builder. You can click Basic Filter to close the
filter builder. However, changes made in the filter builder will be lost when you exit the filter
builder.
2.3.2 Tabular View

The Tabular view presents the data in the same format as the real-time view.
2.3.3 Event Analyzer

When viewing the Event Analyzer, you are presented with the main data panel and the filter
panel on the right side. The data panel shows the alarms in one of two formats. The week
view will show each day under the appropriate Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday or Sat/Sun column. Any alarms that occur on these days show up as a rectangle in that
day. If the rectangle is not big enough to hold all the text for the alarm, you can hover your
cursor over it to view the rest of the text.
The second view shows one or more days in a timeline form, from 12am to 11pm. Similar to
the first view, alarms are presented as rectangles in the appropriate place on the timeline.
Figure 2.8: Event Analyzer in Timeline View
Use the filter panel to navigate through the historical data. When the analyzer first appears,
the filter panel shows the complete timeframe of the query. You can limit the days shown if
this is too much data. By selecting one day in the filter panel, the data panel will show a
timeline view for that day. If you <Ctrl> + left-click on additional days, they will be added to
the data panel and any existing days will be shrunk down to fit. You can <Ctrl> + left-click
any selected days to unselect them. If you <Shift> + left-click on additional days, it will either
present these days in a similar fashion or switch to the week view.

Chapter 3 Alarms
Introducing Alarms
A brief introduction to the features of alarms, including the
Alarm Viewport widget and Alarm Sound
Understanding Alarms
How to manage alarms, including acknowledging, deleting,
flagging, annotating and adding attachments to alarms
Understanding Alarm Sounds

How to configure and manage alarms sounds on your
system, including enabling, disabling, silencing and
snoozing alarms
3.1 Introduction
ViewPoint provides three components with which you can interact with alarms: the Alarms
component of the ViewPoint plugin, the Alarm Viewport widget and alarm sound.
3.1.1 Alarms
The Alarms component allows you to identify disturbances in the system quickly by
providing real-time sorting and filtering for alarms. This high-performance feature also allows
for alarm management through acknowledging and deleting alarms.
3.1.2 Alarm Viewport Widget

The Alarm Viewport widget is a smaller, stripped-down version of the Alarms component,
sized to fit easily in the lower dashboard of OpenView. It allows you to maintain a quick
snapshot of unacknowledged alarms and gives you some basic alarm management functions
when you do not have ViewPoint open.
3.1.3 Alarm Sound

Alarm sound gives an audible annunciation to new alarms that enter the system. In
conjunction with OpenSCADA alarm classes, this feature provides many options of alerting
users of new alarms. Alarm sound also provides features such as silence and snooze to
customize your experience.
3.2 Alarms
In the Alarms component, you can use the alarms panel to manage the alarms in your system,
including acknowledging and deleting alarms. There are also tools available to help you
manage these alarms, including alarm flags, email, annotations, attachments and alarm help
files. The following subsections explain each of these functions in more detail.
For more information on alarm types and behavior, please see the OpenSCADA User’s Guide.
Alarms have a defined set of fields. These fields are listed in Table 3.1.
You can view each of the fields in a separate column in the alarms panel.
Name Description
Annotation/ Indicates an annotation and/or attachment is associated with this alarm
Attachment
Help Indicates a help file is associated with this alarm
Date/Time The time when the alarm was generated; provided by the SCADA system
Origin The origin of the alarm; for SCADA points, it is the station of the point
Description The description of the alarm; for SCADA points, it is the name of the point
Event The event of the alarm; for SCADA points, it is the alarm class message
Value The value of the alarm
Flag Indicates that a user has flagged this alarm; several different colored flags exist

Alarms 3.3
Name Description
AOR Group The AOR group of the alarm; the AOR group determines which AORs the alarm gets
generated for
Class The alarm class of the alarm; it determines the characteristics and behavior of the alarm
Event Time The time when the event occurred; this timestamp is passed into the SCADA system
Group The alarm group of the alarm; the alarm group determines specific behaviors of the alarm
ID Internal ID of the alarm; only applicable to the SCADA system
Severity The severity of the alarm (1 - 8)
Units The units of the SCADA point with which the alarm is associated
Key The SCADA key of the SCADA point with which the alarm is associated
Table 3.1: Alarm Columns
3.2.1 Standard Alarm Views

The system has seven standard alarm views built in. These alarm views determine the type of
data presented in the alarms panel. Table 3.2 explains these standard alarm views. For more
information on the various alarm types please see the OpenSCADA User’s Guide.
Icon Name Description

All Contains all alarms in your AOR(s)
Summary Contains alarms in the Unacknowledged, Acknowledged, Active and Suppressed
views; deleted alarms are not included
Unacknowledged Contains the unacknowledged alarms in your AOR(s)
Acknowledged Contains the acknowledged alarms in your AOR(s)
Active Contains the active alarms in your AOR(s)
Suppressed Contains the suppressed alarms in your AOR(s)
Deleted Contains the deleted alarms in your AOR(s)
Table 3.2: Standard Alarm Views
Alarm Explorer also automatically creates “unacknowledged origin” views. Under the
standard Unacknowledged view, Alarm Explorer will generate a filtered view for each origin
for all of the alarms in the Unacknowledged view. This can be helpful when you want to
quickly view alarms specific to only one origin.
3.2.2 Interacting with Alarms

For each of the actions outlined below, you have four ways to perform the action:
1. Using the Actions menu:

Figure 3.1: Alarm Actions from the Menu
2. From the toolbar:
Figure 3.2: Alarm Actions from the Toolbar
3. From the Alarm Details dialog:
Figure 3.3: Alarm Actions from the Alarm Details
4. From the right-click menu:

Alarms 3.5
Figure 3.4: Alarm Actions from the Right-click Menu
3.2.2.1 Acknowledging Alarms

To acknowledge an unacknowledged alarm, you first need to select the unacknowledged
alarm(s) you want to acknowledge. Then, using one of the methods mentioned at the
beginning of this section, you can choose to either acknowledge the selected alarm(s) or
acknowledge all alarms that match the selected alarm(s).
Figure 3.5: Alarm Acknowledge Options
Acknowledge Matching By Source will acknowledge all unacknowledged alarms in your

AOR(s) that are from the same source as the selected alarm. For example, performing this
action on an alarm generated from a SCADA point will acknowledge all alarms for that
SCADA point.
When acknowledging alarms you can only select up to 500 alarms, unless your system administrator has
Note disabled the LimitMaxAlarm setting. See the ViewPoint Configuration Guide for more details.
When viewing alarms in the Active view, acknowledging a Return to Normal alarm will acknowledge the
previous limit violations for that point as well. Depending on your configuration, this auto-acknowledge will
Tip either stop at the previous Return to Normal, or it will acknowledge all previous alarms for that point.
3.2.2.2 Page Acknowledge

If your administrator has enabled the AllowPageAcknowledge setting, you may have the
option to acknowledge all the alarms on the page. To do so, select the acknowledge page ( )
button in the toolbar. This will acknowledge all the currently visible alarms. This will only be
available for views that have been pagified.

3.2.2.3 Partially Acknowledged Alarms

Depending on your system configuration, an alarm can be partially acknowledged. This
means that an alarm has not been acknowledged for all of its AORs. A partially
acknowledged alarm will show up in the Acknowledged view, but the Date/Time column will
be blinking like an unacknowledged alarm. In the following example, we have User 1 who
has permission to AOR 1, User 2 who has permission to AOR 2 and User 3 who has
permission to AORs 1, 2 and 3. All alarms are generated with AORs 1, 2 and 3. The table
shows how each user sees the alarm in question.
Action User 1 User 2 User 3 Description

Alarm 1 Unacknowledged Unacknowledged Unacknowledged Alarm is unacknowledged for all
generated AORs
User 1 Acknowledged Unacknowledged Unacknowledged The alarm is only acknowledged for
acknowledges (Partial) AOR 1, so both User 2 and User 3
Alarm 1 see it as unacknowledged
User 2 Acknowledged Acknowledged Unacknowledged The alarm is still unacknowledged
acknowledges (Partial) (Partial) for AOR 3, so User 3 sees it as
Alarm 1 unacknowledged
User 2 gains Acknowledged Unacknowledged Unacknowledged Now User 2 sees that the alarm is
permission to (Partial) unacknowledged for AOR 3, so they
AOR 3 see it as unacknowledged
User 3 Acknowledged Acknowledged Acknowledged Alarm is acknowledged for all AORs
acknowledges
Alarm 1
Alarm 2 Unacknowledged Unacknowledged Unacknowledged Alarm is unacknowledged for all

generated AORs
User 3 Acknowledged Acknowledged Acknowledged Alarm is acknowledged for all AORs
acknowledges
Alarm 2
Table 3.3: Partially Acknowledged Alarms Example
3.2.2.4 Deleting Alarms

To delete an alarm, you first need to select the acknowledged alarm(s) you want to delete.
Then, using one of the methods mentioned at the beginning of this section, you can choose to
either delete the selected alarm(s) or delete all alarms that match the selected alarm(s).
Figure 3.6: Alarm Delete Options
Delete Matching By Source will delete all acknowledged alarms in your AOR(s) from the
same source as the selected alarm. For example, performing this action on an alarm generated
off a SCADA point will delete all acknowledged alarms for that SCADA point.
When deleting alarms, you can only select up to 500 alarms at a time, unless your system administrator has
Note disabled the LimitMaxAlarm setting. See the ViewPoint Configuration Guide for more details.

Alarms 3.7
3.2.2.5 Page Delete

If your administrator has enabled the AllowPageDelete setting, you may have the option to
delete all the alarms on the page. To do so, select the delete page ( ) button in the toolbar.
This will delete all the currently visible alarms. This will only be available for views that have
been pagified.
3.2.2.6 Partially Deleted Alarms

Depending on your system configuration, an alarm can be partially deleted. This means that
an alarm has not been deleted for all of its AORs. A partially deleted alarm will appear in the
Deleted view, but the Date/Time column will keep the alarm's normal color instead of being
bright white like with deleted alarms. In the following example, we have User 1 who has
permission to AOR 1, User 2 who has permission to AOR 2 and User 3 who has permission
to AORs 1, 2 and 3. All alarms are generated with AORs 1, 2 and 3 and as unacknowledged.
The table shows how each user sees the alarm in question.
Action User 1 User 2 User 3 Description

Alarm 1 Unacknowledged Unacknowledged Unacknowledged Alarm is unacknowledged
generated for all AORs.
User 3 Acknowledged Acknowledged Acknowledged Alarm is acknowledged for
acknowledges all AORs
Alarm 1
User 1 deletes Deleted (Partial) Acknowledged Acknowledged The alarm is only deleted
Alarm 1 for AOR 1, so both User 2
and User 3 still see it as
acknowledged
User 2 deletes Deleted (Partial) Deleted (Partial) Acknowledged The alarm is still not
Alarm 1 deleted for AOR 3, so
User 3 sees it as
acknowledged
User 2 gains Deleted (Partial) Acknowledged Acknowledged Now User 2 sees that the
permission to alarm is not deleted for
AOR 3 AOR 3, so they see it as
acknowledged
User 3 deletes Deleted Deleted Deleted Alarm is deleted for all
Alarm 1 AORs
Alarm 2 Unacknowledged Unacknowledged Unacknowledged Alarm is unacknowledged

generated for all AORs
User 3 Acknowledged Acknowledged Acknowledged Alarm is acknowledged for

acknowledges all AORs
Alarm 2
User 3 deletes Deleted Deleted Deleted Alarm is deleted for all
Alarm 2 AORs
Table 3.4: Partially Deleted Alarms Example
If an alarm is partially acknowledged and partially deleted, it will appear as partially acknowledged until it is
Note fully acknowledged.

3.2.2.7 Flagging Alarms

Alarm flags give you the opportunity to categorize alarms for quick reference. The flag
information on an alarm is available to all users that have permission to view the alarm. You
can choose from the six available flags, in addition to having no flag. An alarm can only have
one flag at a time.
Figure 3.7: Alarm Flag Options
The labels for flags are configurable on a system-wide basis. Please contact your system administrator if
you have any questions concerning what each flag color and/or label mean. For more information on
Note
configuring flag labels, please see the ViewPoint Configuration Guide.
To flag an alarm, you first need to select the alarm(s) you wish to flag. Then, using one of the
methods mentioned at the beginning of this section, you can select the flag that you would
like to place on the alarm.
3.2.2.8 Viewing Alarm Help Files

Help files can be set up on your system to help give you more information about an alarm.
These help files can be defined by a SCADA key, station, alarm class or index number used
to group similar SCADA points.
If a help file is available for an alarm, the help file icon will display.
You can view a help file using one of the methods mentioned at the beginning of this section.
The help file will open in the OpenView web browser.
For more information on alarm help files please see your system administrator or the
OpenSCADA Configuration Guide.
3.2.3 Annotating Alarms

An annotation is a short text description or comment you can add to an alarm. To annotate an
alarm you first need to open the details window for that alarm. Then you can add an
annotation by selecting New from the Annotations menu.

Alarms 3.9
Figure 3.8: Annotations Menu
This will open the Annotation Editor. Here you type the text of the annotation and then click
OK when you are finished.
Figure 3.9: Annotation Editor
Annotations display in the Annotations list on the Alarm Details dialog.
Figure 3.10: Annotations List
You can right-click in the annotations list to open the Annotations menu.
Tip

Figure 3.11: Annotation Indication
The attachment icon on the alarms panel is an indicator for both annotations and attachments. You could
Tip view this icon to mean that more information exists for this alarm.
Once an annotation has been added to an alarm, all users that can view the alarm can view,
edit or delete the annotation. The username and timestamp on the annotation indicates who
the last user was that made an edit to the annotation and at what time.
3.2.4 Adding Attachments to Alarms

ViewPoint allows you to attach files to an alarm. This can be helpful in providing more
information on a particular alarm. To add an attachment to an alarm, you first need to open
the details window for that alarm. Then you can add an attachment by selecting New from the
Attachments menu.
Figure 3.12: Attachments Menu
3.2.4.1 Adding a New Attachment

After selecting New, the Open File dialog will appear, allowing you to select the file that you
wish to attach. When the file is attached, a copy of the file is made and saved with the alarm
so any edits done to the original file are not applied to the attached file.
3.2.4.2 Opening an Attachment

When you open an alarm attachment, the file opens in the default program for the
attachment’s file extension. A read-only copy of the file then opens for viewing. If you want
to modify an attached file, you should either modify the original file and attach it again or
save the attached file as a new file, edit the new file and then attach the new file to the alarm.
In either case, you would probably want to remove the original attached file.
3.2.5 External Application Shortcuts

By right-clicking an alarm, you can open external applications based on the alarm’s
associated DOFRI. The shortcuts are described below.
Point Dialog

Alarms 3.11
If an alarm has an associated SCADA point, you can select Point Dialog from the right-click
context menu. This will bring up the point dialog for the point.
Detail Display
If an alarm as a valid DOFRI, you can select View  Detail Display from the right-click
context menu. If a display jump is configured for the DOFRI, this will bring up the
appropriate display.
Origin Display
By selecting View  Origin Display from the right-click context menu, you can bring up the
appropriate one-line display (if applicable).
Figure 3.13: Shortcut Menu
The detail and origin display jumps must be configured on your system. Please see the ViewPoint
Note Configuration Guide more for information.
3.3 Alarm Viewport

The Alarm Viewport is an OpenView widget. It is a stripped down version of the Alarms
component. It provides all the functionality of Alarms, except it only displays
unacknowledged alarms, can only display up to 100 alarms and does not support deleting
alarms; sorting, filtering or grouping columns; or saving custom views.
Figure 3.14: Alarm Viewport
3.3.1 Origin List

By clicking the Origins toolbar item, you can show or hide the origin list. This list shows all
the origins with unacknowledged alarms, similar to the ViewPoint plugin. By double-clicking
an origin in the list, a new ViewPoint plugin will open that is filtered to alarms from that
origin. Right-clicking an origin in the list will present a menu that allows you to jump to the
origin display.
The origin list updates as new alarms come in and are acknowledged. The list displays origins
in order of newest alarm, with the origin with the newest alarm at the top.

3.4 Alarm Sounds

You can configure unacknowledged alarms to play an audible sound when they are generated.
This sound is configured using alarm classes through the OpenSCADA product. For more
information on alarm classes, please see the OpenSCADA documentation.
Unless your administrator has enabled the Annunciation/LimitedAudibleAlarms setting (see

the ViewPoint Configuration Guide), filtering or sorting does not affect the sound function, so
any unacknowledged alarm in your AOR(S) could cause a sound to play regardless if your
current view shows it.
When multiple unacknowledged alarms are present, the sound of the newest highest severity
alarm will play. The following table explains a few examples. The table assumes alarm 1 is
generated first, alarm 2 is generated second and severity 8 is the highest with severity 1 as the
lowest.
Alarm 1 Alarm 2 Event

Severity 2 Severity 4 The sound from Alarm 2 plays because it is higher severity
Severity 8 Severity 5 The sound from Alarm 1 plays because it is higher severity
Severity 6 Severity 6 The sound from Alarm 1 plays because it is newer
Table 3.5: Alarm Sound Examples
Sounds only apply to unacknowledged alarms. When you acknowledge an alarm, the sound
for that alarm will stop playing and ViewPoint will play the next oldest highest severity
alarm’s sound.
A sound could continue to play after you have acknowledged an alarm due to other unacknowledged alarms
Note in the system having the same sound.
3.4.1 Enabling/Disabling Sound

When you do not want any sounds to play at all, you can disable sound for your login session.
To do this you need to click the Disable Sound button.
Figure 3.15: Disable Sound Button
Sound will be disabled until you enable sound by pressing the Enable Sound button.
Figure 3.16: Enable Sound Button
Sound is automatically enabled on every login so if you had previously disabled sound and
then logged out and back in, the sound will be enabled. This is to prevent you from
accidentally missing alarms because you forgot you had previously disabled sound.
Upon logging in, sound can be disabled through the Annunciation/DefaultSoundState setting. This is useful

Alarms 3.13
Tip for users who do not need to hear the alarm sounds, such as corporate users.
When sound is disabled, you will not be able to silence or snooze alarms.
Note
3.4.2 Alarm Silencing

An alternative to disabling sound altogether is to use alarm silence. Alarm silence stops the
sound from playing for an unacknowledged alarm without having to acknowledge the alarm.
This may be helpful when you do not want to hear the sound from the alarm but do not want
to acknowledge the alarm yet. To silence an alarm you need to click the Silence button.
Figure 3.17: Silence Button
Silence can have one of two different effects on your system, depending on what you have
selected when you click the Silence button:
1. If you have an alarm selected when you click the Silence button, the selected alarm and
all older alarms in your AOR(s) will be silenced.
2. If you do not have an alarm selected when you click the Silence button, all existing
alarms in your AOR(s) are silenced.
Once an alarm is silenced, it is silenced permanently; no sound will be played for the alarm.
This is true even if you log out and log back in.
Depending on your system configuration, you may have the option of performing a Global Silence. This is
the same as a Silence, except that it applies to all clients logged in to the system. Please see the ViewPoint
Note
Configuration Guide for more information.
3.4.3 Alarm Snoozing

Alarm snoozing is similar to disabling sound except that it expires after a configured timeout.
The snooze function turns off alarm sound for a configured amount of time and then
automatically turns it back on. With alarm snooze, if a new unacknowledged alarm enters the
system in your AOR(s), snooze is disabled and alarm sound resumes playing.
To turn on alarm snooze you need to click the Snooze button.
Figure 3.18: Snooze Button
Depending on your system configuration, you may have the option of performing a global snooze. This is
Note the same as a snooze, except that it applies to all clients logged in to the system.

3.4.4 Alarms and Your Screensaver

You can configure your console to run a screensaver after a period of inactivity. ViewPoint
has the ability to interrupt this screensaver when a new alarm is generated. When a new alarm
is generated in your AOR(s) while the screensaver is enabled, ViewPoint will turn off the
screensaver and play the alarm sound.
You can configure screensavers to require a password to unlock the console. This will be true
if ViewPoint turns off the screensaver as well. You will still need to enter your password to
unlock the console.
If you have questions or concerns about the configuration of the screensaver on your console,
please see your system administrator.

Chapter 4 Events
Using Events
A guide to interacting with events
4.1 Introduction
Events are similar to alarms in that they both have the same fields and both support help files.
However, events do not have states (Unacknowledged, Acknowledged, Deleted and so on.),
flags, annotations or attachments like alarms. Therefore, these actions are not present in the
Events component.
4.2 Details
Events have a defined set of fields. These fields are listed in Table 4.1.
You can view each of the fields in a separate column in the alarms panel.
Name Description
Help Indicates a help file is associated with this event
Date/Time The time when the event was generated; provided by the SCADA system
Origin The origin of the event; for SCADA points, it is the station of the point
Description The description of the event; for SCADA points, it is the name of the point
Event The event of the event; for SCADA points, it is the event class message
Value The value of the event
AOR Group The AOR group of the event; the AOR group determines which AORs the event gets
generated for
Class The alarm class of the event; it determines the characteristics and behavior of the event
Event Time The time when the event occurred; this timestamp is passed into the SCADA system
Group The alarm group of the event; the alarm group determines specific behaviors of the event
ID Internal ID of the event; only applicable to the SCADA system
Severity The severity of the event (1 - 8)
Units The units of the SCADA point with which the event is associated
Key The SCADA key of the SCADA point with which the event is associated
Table 4.1: Event Columns
To view all of this information at once for an individual event, you can view the event details
window.

Events 4.3
Figure 4.1: Event Details Window
4.3 Viewing Event Help Files

Like alarms, events support help files. This is discussed in Section 3.2.2.8.

Chapter 5 SOEs
Using SOEs
A guide to interacting with SOEs
5.1 Introduction
The SOEs component allows you to view Sequence of Events (SOE) data from FEP. This
data contains information from RTUs in the field.
5.2 Details
SOEs have a defined set of fields. These fields are listed in Table 5.1.
You can view each of the fields in a separate column in the SOE panel.
Name Description
Date/Time The time the event was generated in the field
Station Name The name of the station the event was generated from
Point Name The name of the point the event was generated from
Value The value of the event
Time Quality The quality of the timestamp (from FEP)
Scan Quality The quality of the point (from SCADA)
SCADA Key The SCADA key of the point the event was generated from
ID Internal ID of the event; only applicable to ViewPoint
Table 5.1: SOE Columns
To view all of this information at once for an individual event, you can view the event details
window.
Figure 5.1: SOE Details Window

Chapter 6 Advanced ViewPoint
Working in the Data Panel

How to choose, add and hide columns, as well as how to
view, sort, filter and group items
Understanding Views
How to use standard item views and create and manage
your own custom views
OpenView Commands
How to interact with ViewPoint via OpenView
commands
Customizing ViewPoint
How to customize fonts, backgrounds and borders in
ViewPoint
6.1 Working in the Data Panel

ViewPoint components are highly customizable applications designed to allow maximum
flexibility for managing data. ViewPoint provides many options for customizing the layout to
improve your operational efficiency and accuracy. The following sections describe some of
the functions and features available for this panel.
Depending on your customization permissions, you may not be able to perform the actions
described below.
6.1.1 Choosing Columns

By using the Column Chooser, you can add or remove columns from the data panel. You can
access the Column Chooser one of two ways: by clicking on the Column Chooser button in
the toolbar or right-clicking on any column header and selecting the Column Chooser.
Figure 6.1: Accessing the Column Chooser from the Toolbar
Figure 6.2: Accessing the Column Chooser from the Column Header
After selecting either method, the Column Chooser displays. This shows a list of all of the
columns not currently displayed in the data panel.

Advanced ViewPoint 6.3
Figure 6.3: Column Chooser Display
6.1.1.1 Adding a Column

To add a hidden column to the display, select the column you want to add from the Column
Chooser and drag it onto the column header bar. Drop the new header in the location that you
would like to place the column. Close the Column Chooser when you are finished adding
columns.
Figure 6.4: Adding a Column
6.1.1.2 Hiding a Column

To remove a column from the display, drag the column header off the header row until a large
X appears. Once the X appears, you can drop the header to remove the column. It is then
added into the Column Chooser so you can add it later, if desired. Alternatively, you can drag
the column name back into the Column Chooser display box to remove the column from the
data panel.
6.1.1.3 Changing the Column Order

To change the ordering of the columns, drag the header of the column you would like to move
and drop it in the desired location. Be careful not to drop the column header off the header bar
after the X appears, as this will remove it from the display.

6.1.1.4 Changing the Column Width

You may want to change the width of the columns to properly display the data you are
interested in.
To manually change the column widths, hover over the right edge of the column header until
the cursor turns into a double arrow. Now click on the edge and drag the edge to the width
that you would like the column to be.
Alternatively, you can have the program determine the proper width to set the column to. To
do this, right-click on the column header you would like to adjust and select Best Fit from the
header menu. The column you selected will resize to fit the data that it contains.
Figure 6.5: Best Fit Option
To automatically resize all columns, right-click any column header and choose Best Fit (all
columns) from the menu. The columns will resize based on the data in all of the columns.

Figure 6.6: Best Fit for All Columns
6.1.2 Viewing Data Details

If you have your data panel configured to hide any column, you can still view that piece of
information without having to add the column to your display. To view all of the available
information for a particular item, double-click the item and open the details dialog.
This details dialog box displays all of the fields of the item, as well as lists any annotations or
attachments. You can also perform any of the available management functions discussed
earlier in this guide.
6.1.3 Sorting Data

All sorting of data in the data panel is done alphanumerically, either ascending
(!”#...123…xyz) or descending (zyx…321…#”!). When a column is sorted ascending, an up
arrow is placed next to the column title on the header. Similarly, when a column is sor ted
descending, a down arrow is placed on the header (see Figure 6.7). You can sort any column.
Figure 6.7: Column Sorting Indication Arrow
There are two methods to actually perform a sort of the data in a column. The first way is to
click on the column header. The first click of the column orders the data ascending. To order
the data descending, click on the column header a second time. Clicking the column header
again will toggle the sorting back to ascending.

The second method is to right-click on the column header, bringing up the header menu. From
the header menu, you can choose to sort either ascending or descending by selecting the
corresponding item in the menu.
Figure 6.8: Column Header Menu Sort Options
To clear the sorting of a column, right click on the column header and select Clear Sorting
from the header menu.
Figure 6.9: Clear Sorting from Column Header Menu
6.1.4 Filtering Data

There are two different methods to filter data in the data panel: the Quick Filter or the Filter
Builder. The Quick Filter allows you to quickly and easily create simple filters in the data
panel itself. The Filter Builder allows you to narrow your search by creating more complex
filters. You can also combine these two methods to find the information you desire.

6.1.4.1 Quick Filter

The Quick Filter is accessible from the toolbar icon or from the View menu on the menu bar.
Figure 6.10: Quick Filter from Toolbar
Figure 6.11: Quick Filter from Menu Bar
Selecting Quick Filter displays the Filter Row at the top of the data panel. Each column has a
field in which you can enter your filter criteria. When you enter text or select a filter option
from the drop-down menu, the alarms panel will filter simultaneously. With text fields, the
filter output updates continuously while you type. You can enter text or select a filter option
in as many columns as desired.
For example, if you are looking for an alarm from Station001, you can begin typing
Station001 (Figure 6.12 and Figure 6.13) and the progression of the filter will show
below. After inserting the first letter, all alarms with an origin beginning with S are shown.
However, after St is listed, the list is automatically re-filtered to show only alarms with an
origin beginning with the same letters. In this case, there are only four remaining, all from
Station001.
Depending on your system configuration, filtering may or may not be case-sensitive. By default, there is no
Tip difference in the filter results of St or st.

Figure 6.12: Quick Filter Example
Figure 6.13: Quick Filter Example 2
You can also use the asterisk (*) character at the beginning of a quick filter text field as a wild card. This will
Tip filter for the text string following the * in any location of the text field, not just the beginning of the string.
You can close the Quick Filter using the same methods as opening the row. However, if any
filter criteria is in the Quick Filter when it is closed, the filter will remain in effect.
6.1.4.2 Filter Editor

The Filter Editor gives you the ability to edit and create more complex and advanced filters
than the Quick Filter. To open Filter Editor, right-click on a column header and select Filter
Editor.

Figure 6.14: Filter Editor Selection
Figure 6.15: Filter Editor Dialog
The Filter Editor displays the filter in a tree format. At the base of the filter tree is the primary
Boolean operator. To change it, click on the operator and select the desired operator from the
filter operator menu.
Figure 6.16: Filter Operator Menu

You can use four different Boolean operators to build your filter criteria. These operators
determine how the filter combines and uses the conditions you define. To add additional
Boolean operations to your filter, select Add Group from the filter operator menu.
Operator Description
And If all of the conditions are met, the alarm displays in alarms panel
Or If any of the conditions are met, the alarm displays in alarms panel
Not And Inverse of And; if all of the conditions are met, the alarm does not display in alarms
panel
Not Or Inverse of Or; If any of the conditions are met, the alarm does not display in alarms
panel
Table 6.1: Boolean Operator Descriptions
Once you have chosen an operator, you can add conditions to the operation by clicking the
plus sign next to the operator or selecting Add Condition from the filter operation menu.
Once you have added conditions to the operation, you can choose the field, comparison and
value of the condition. To do this, click on the parameter you would like to modify. Clicking
on the field or comparison parameters will open a menu displaying all of the available options
for you to select. For the value parameter, clicking it will allow you to enter the value you
desire.
Figure 6.17: Filter Field Options

Figure 6.18: Filter Comparison Options
When you are creating your filter, you can press the Apply button to see the results of your
filter in the data panel. Once you have finished creating your filter, press the OK button to
close the dialog.
Creating a filter using the Filter Builder

Try This In this example, we are interested in finding the alarms generated when the admin user logged in or out of
the system.
1. In the Alarms component click the column header and select Filter Editor from the menu.
2. Click the field parameter (Date/Time) and change it to Description by selecting it from the menu.
3. Click the comparison parameter (Begins with) and change it to Contains by selecting it from the menu.
4. Click the value parameter (<enter a value>) and enter admin and press <Enter>.
5. Click the And operator and select Add Group from the menu.
6. Click the second And operator added in Step 5 and change it to Or by selecting it from the menu.
7. In the new condition, change the field parameter to Event, the comparison parameter to Contains and
the value parameter to Login as explained in Steps 2 through 4.
8. Click the plus sign next to Or.
9. In the new condition change the field parameter to Event, the comparison parameter to Contains and
the value parameter to Logout as explained in Steps 2 through 4.
10. Your filter should look like this:

11. Click Apply.

12. The alarms panel should now only display alarms that match your filter criteria.
6.1.4.3 Filter Description Bar

Whenever you apply a filter to the data panel, the filter displays in the Filter Description Bar
at the bottom of the panel.
Figure 6.19: Filter Description Bar
In addition to viewing the applied filter, you can perform the following other actions:
 Remove the filter by clicking on the X in the corner. This will delete the filter. If you
would like to view it again, you would have to rebuild it.
 Turn the filter on or off by checking or un-checking the box at the beginning of the filter
string. This will keep the filter but it will not be applied from the data panel.
 View a list of and select a previously applied filter by selecting the down arrow at the
end of the filter string. This opens a menu of the most recent filters you have applied and
allows you to quickly switch between them.
 Open the Filter Builder by clicking the Edit Filter button on the right side of the Filter
Description Bar.
Figure 6.20: Recently Applied Filters
6.1.5 Grouping Data

Grouping data allows you to visually separate the data into groups based on a common value.
Grouping is done on a per column basis.

In order to group data, the Group By Box needs to be displayed on the top of the data panel.
To open the Group By Box you can click the Group By Box button in the toolbar, select
Group By Box from the View menu, or right-click on the column header and then select the
Group By Box in the header menu.
Figure 6.21: Group By Box from Tool Bar
Figure 6.22: Group By Box from View Menu
Figure 6.23: Group By Box from Menu Bar
Once the Group By Box is open you are able to group the data by dragging the column header
you wish to group by into the Group By Box.

Figure 6.24: Group By Box
You can also nest groupings together to further group data within the higher-level groups.
This is done by dragging another column header and dropping it onto the Group By Box. The
groups will nest depending on where they are dropped in the Group By Box.
Figure 6.25: Nested Group By Box
An alternative way to add columns to the Group By Box is to right-click the column header
you wish to group by and select Group By This Column from the menu.

Figure 6.26: Group By This Column
When you have grouping you can expand or collapse the data quickly by right -clicking in the
Group By Box and selecting either Full Expand or Full Collapse from the menu.
Figure 6.27: Group By Box Options
You can use the Group By This Column feature even when the Group By Box is not open. When doing this
Tip the Group By Box will open and the column will be added to it automatically.
You can close the Group By Box using the same methods as opening the box. If a column
header is in the Group By Box when it is closed, the grouping remains in effect.
To clear a grouping, you can right-click on the Group By Box and select Clear Grouping
from the resulting menu, drag the column header out of the Group By Box or right-click the
column header and select Ungroup.
6.2 Understanding Views

As discussed previously, selecting a view in the navigation panel determines what data
displays in the data panel. Many components have standard, built-in views defined for the
entire system, but they also allow you to create and save custom views.

6.2.1 What is a View?

A view is first based on the type of data you want to view. For example, in the Alarms
component, this includes acknowledged, unacknowledged, active, suppressed and deleted
alarms. Besides the type of data, a view also consists of any sorting, filtering, grouping and/or
column settings.
6.2.2 Creating a Custom View

To create a new view, you should first select the standard view you want to base your custom
view on. Whichever standard view you choose will determine what types of data display in
your custom view. You can then modify the standard view by changing any of the sorting,
filtering, grouping and/or column settings. For example, in Alarms if you wanted to view only
the highest severity unacknowledged alarms you should first select the standard
Unacknowledged view then apply the severity filter.
If you have already saved a custom view and would like to create another custom view similar to the
original one, you can select the original custom view and then make your modifications instead of
Tip recreating the original custom view from a standard view.
6.2.3 Saving a Custom View

After modifying a standard view, you may wish to save it so you can use it again. You can
save this custom view one of two ways. You can select Save View from the File menu or you
can right-click in the navigation panel and select Save View from the menu.
Figure 6.28: Save View from File Menu

Figure 6.29: Save View from Menu
After selecting Save View, you will be prompted with the Save View dialog. Enter a name for
the view and select where you want to save it. Please see the following subsection for more
information on where to save your custom views.
Figure 6.30: View Save As… Dialog

When you save your custom view, the icon associated with the view indicates which standard
view the custom view is based on. This allows you to easily identify what type of data is
being displayed in the view without specifically stating it in the view name.
6.2.4 Managing Custom Views

As you begin to create and save custom views, it will be helpful for you to properly organize
your views. You can do this by creating folders and saving your views in these folders. To
create a new folder you can right-click on Shared Views, My Views or an existing folder and
select New Folder from the menu. Entering a name for the folder creates a new folder in the
selected location.
Figure 6.31: New Folder from File Menu
Figure 6.32: New Folder from Menu
You can also manage your folders by renaming and deleting them. To do this, right-click on
the folder you would like to modify and select either Rename Folder or Delete Folder from
the menu.

Figure 6.33: Rename Folder
WARNING
Deleting a folder will delete all of the content in that folder.
6.2.4.1 Shared Views

Shared Views is a list of custom views available for all users. Any user can see these views,
but only users with the proper permissions can modify or delete them.
When saving a shared view it is important to use a descriptive name so that there is no confusion among
Tip users regarding the data displayed in the view.
6.2.4.2 My Views
My Views is a list of views that only you have access to. No one else can view, modify or
delete these views.
6.2.5 Modifying a Custom View

To modify a custom view that you have already saved, you need to select the custom view in
the display and then make your modifications. If you want to save these changes to the
original custom view, select Save View as mentioned previously. You can also save your
modifications as a different custom view. To do this, select Save View As from the File menu
or right-click on the navigation panel and select Save View As.

6.3 Pagifying a View

In some instances, you may need to limit amount of information in a view. ViewPoint allows
you to do so by limiting the number of items shown in the data panel at one time. Rather than
one large scrolling list, the data panel turns into a series of pages. This feature requires the
EnablePageViews setting to be enabled. The following example explains how to pagify a
view.
Pagify Unacknowledged Alarms

Try This This example assumes you have permission to create custom views.
1. Select the Unacknowledged view in the Alarms component.

2. Select File  Save View As… and save it as a new view to the My Views section.
3. Right-click the view you just created and choose View Properties….
4. Check the box next to Maximum Items per Page and press OK. This will create pages with 20 alarms
each (or less, for the last page).
You should see that there are only 20 alarms shown at one time in the data panel. To go to the next page,
select the page down button . To go to the previous page, select the page up button . To go straight to
the first page, select the top page button .
If you want to change the number of items per page, repeat the steps in the example above and set the
value in the number box to the desired value (must be between 1 and 100). If you decide you no longer want
pages for a view, you can uncheck the Maximum Items per Page box.
In most cases, pagifying a view will not affect any other views. However, pagifying (or unpagifying) the
Note Unacknowledged system view will affect the origin subviews.
You can only (un)pagify a view if you can save changes to that view.
Note
6.4 OpenView Commands

ViewPoint supplies several commands that you can use in conjunction with OpenView. For
more information on OpenView commands, please see the OpenView documentation.

6.4.1 Toggle Sound

Description Enables or disables alarm sound. This is the same as pressing the
Enable Sound button in the ViewPoint plugin or the Alarm Viewport.
Parameters SoundMode: Enabled- enables alarm sound; Disabled- disables alarm
sound; blank- toggles alarm sound to the opposite state
Recommended “Plugin Target” Active
6.4.2 Snooze
Description Performs a snooze operation. This is the same as pressing the Snooze
button in the ViewPoint plugin or the Alarm Viewport.
Parameters Global: true to perform a global snooze, false otherwise. Defaults to false
Recommended “Plugin Target” Active
6.4.3 Silence
Description Performs a silence operation on the provided alarms
Parameters Alarm or Source URLs: the URL of the requested alarms. If this is blank, it will silence all
alarms. (If using selection from SystemExplorer, use @URL.)
Global: true to perform a global silence, false otherwise. Defaults to false
Recommended Active
“Plugin Target”
6.4.4 Open ViewPoint

Description Opens a ViewPoint window with the provided parameters
Parameters Component: 0 = System Overview, 1 = Alarms, 2 = Events, 3 = SOEs
View Path: The path of the view in the left-hand navigation tree to show (for example,
All/Summary/Unacknowledged). To easily find the path of a view, right-click on that view
and select View Properties….The path is displayed at the top of the window.
Filter: A comma separated list of column filters (see below for more details)
Sort: A comma separated list of column sorting. A = Ascending, D = Descending (for
example, Date/Time=D,Origin=A)
URL: See below
Recommended Active
“Plugin Target”
You can use this command to open ViewPoint to filtered views. For example, you could
configure a dynamic menu item in OpenView (please see the OpenView User’s Guide for
details) to show View Station Alarms when you right-click on a station data link. The
command parameters would be as follows:

Parameter Value Description

Component 1 Opens the Alarms component
View Path All/Summary/Active Selects the Active view, so any unacknowledged or abnormal alarms will be
shown
Filter Origin=<Name> Filters the Origin column to show only the alarms with an Origin equal to the
station name
Sort Flag=D Sorts the filtered results in order of their flag (descending)
URL @URL Retrieves the information for the selected station. It will also replace any
occurrence of <some_field> with the value of that field in the station. In our
example, <Name> will be replaced by the name of the selected station.
Table 6.2: Example Parameters for Open ViewPoint Command
After setting up your command parameters, you should set the minimum and maximum
number of selected objects required to 1. Then, you can tell OpenView which data links this
item should be shown for by adding a comparison link. You can switch between Key and
Record by clicking directly on the text.
Figure 6.34: Example Parameters for Comparison Link
A properly configured menu item is shown below. Note that two comparison links are
present: one for records and one for keys. This ensures that you can perform the action from a
tabular view and from a one-line view.

Figure 6.35: Configured Dynamic Menu Item
6.4.5 Alarm Help

Description Displays the alarm help associated with the given URL, if any. This command is
used by other applications. It is not intended for use by the end-user.
Parameters URL: the URL of the requested alarm
(If using selection from SystemExplorer, use @URL.)
Recommended Active
“Plugin Target”
6.4.6 Acknowledge Selected Alarms

Description Acknowledges the provided alarms. This command is used by other applications.
It is not intended for use by the end-user.
Parameters Alarm or Source URLs: the URL of the requested alarms
(If using selection from SystemExplorer, use @URL. To use all alarms on a
one-line display, use @FURL)
Recommended Active
“Plugin Target”
6.4.7 Acknowledge Matching by Source

Description Acknowledges the provided alarms by source. This command is used by other
applications. It is not intended for use by the end-user.
Source Match Type:
 Record – Matches alarms by D.O.x.R.x.
 Exact – Matches alarms by D.O.F.R.I.
Recommended Active
“Plugin Target”

6.4.8 Delete Selected Alarms

Description Deletes the provided alarms. This command is used by other applications. It is
not intended for use by the end-user.
Recommended Active
“Plugin Target”
6.4.9 Delete Matching by Source

Description Acknowledges the provided alarms by source. This command is used by other
applications. It is not intended for use by the end-user.
one-line display, use @FURL).
Source Match Type:
 Record – Matches alarms by D.O.x.R.x.
 Exact – Matches alarms by D.O.F.R.I.
Recommended Active
“Plugin Target”
6.4.10 Show Detail Display

Description Performs a display jump, if configured, for the provided alarm. This command is
used by other applications. It is not intended for use by the end-user.
Parameters Alarm: the URL of the requested alarm
(If using selection from SystemExplorer, use @URL.).
Recommended Active
“Plugin Target”
6.4.11 Show Origin Display

Description Performs a oneline search with the provided alarm. This command is used by
other applications. It is not intended for use by the end-user.
Recommended Active
“Plugin Target”

6.4.12 Show Point Dialog

Description Opens the point dialog for the SCADA point that generated the provided alarm.
This command is used by other applications. It is not intended for use by the
end-user.
Recommended Active
“Plugin Target”
6.5 Customizing ViewPoint

ViewPoint provides several options for customizing each component’s data panel to meet
your personal preferences when viewing and managing the data.
6.5.1 The Customize Dialog

Customization of the data panel is done using the Customize dialog box. To open it, select it
from the View menu.
Figure 6.36: Customize Menu
This will open the Customize dialog box as shown in Figure 6.37.

Figure 6.37: Customize Dialog
When making changes to your customization options, you can press the Preview button to see
what your selections will look like in the data panel. Pressing the Preview button does not
apply your changes. To apply your changes, press the OK button.
When you are making changes to your customization options and you decide you would like
to start over from the previous configuration, click the Reset button. You can also abort any
changes you have made by clicking the Cancel button to exit the Customize dialog.
The settings in the Customize dialog are saved for your user and are preserved when you log
off and/or switch to a different console.
6.5.2 Customizing the Font

To change the font of the data panel, click the Font button from the Customize dialog. This
will open the Font Selection dialog (see Figure 6.38), where you can select the font, size and
style. After clicking OK, your selected settings will be applied to the sample text of the
Customize dialog.

Figure 6.38: Font Selection Dialog
For real-time data, the font color is not customizable in this dialog box. Historical data is the same color and
can be customized. For more information on configuring colors for SCADA Alarms and Events, please see
Note
the OpenSCADA Configuration Guide.
6.5.3 Customizing the Background

You have several options for customizing the background of the data panel. These include
changing the background color, contrasting alternating rows, inserting a background image
and customizing the borders.
6.5.3.1 Background Color

To change the background color, click the Background Color button from the Customize
dialog. This will open up the Color selection dialog (see Figure 6.39) from which you can
pick the color you wish to use. After clicking OK, your selected color will be applied to the
sample text displayed. You can also create custom colors to use, which then display in the
bottom section of the Color dialog box.

Figure 6.39: Color Dialog
6.5.3.2 Alternating Rows

To add contrast and distinguish data more easily, you can choose to have the background
color alternate between rows. To do this, check the Use Alternating Row Colors checkbox
from the Customize dialog. This will automatically open the alternate background Color
dialog box. You can also click the Alt. Background Color button to open the Color dialog.
From the Color selection dialog, pick the alternate background color you wish to use. After
clicking OK, your selected color will be applied to the second row of sample text displayed.
When selecting your background color, be sure to consider all the colors of all of your configured alarm
Tip classes. You want to choose a background color that makes it easy to read the alarm data.
OSI recommends choosing different background colors for your real-time and historical alarm panels. This
Tip way it is easy to remember what type of alarm data you are viewing.
6.5.3.3 Image
Instead of having a solid or alternating background color, you can choose to display an image
on the background. To select a background image, check the Use Background Image
checkbox from the Customize dialog. This will open up the Image Selection dialog ( Figure
6.40). You can pick an image from the System, Common or User folders on the current
domain. If the file you are looking for is not in any of these directories, you can import a file
by clicking the Import button. After clicking OK in the Image Selection dialog, your selected
image will display in the Customize dialog.

Figure 6.40: Select Image Dialog
6.5.4 Customizing the Border

You can also customize the borders in the data panel. To add or change the border color,
check your desired combination of Use Vertical Borders and Use Horizontal Borders
checkboxes from the Customize dialog. You can then click the Border Color button to open
up the Color selection dialog.

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1.6 30OCT12 S. Johanneck Standard OSI document 1.9.4 N.

EVN NLDC EVN NLDC

ViewPoint User’s Guide

Date of Change Rev. # Details of Change Author Approval

Welcome to ViewPoint ................................................................................................................... VII

Chapter 1 Introduction to ViewPoint ..................................................................................... 1.1

Chapter 2 System Overview ................................................................................................... 2.1

Chapter 3 Alarms .................................................................................................................... 3.1

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3.2.3 Annotating Alarms ....................................................................................................3.8

Chapter 4 Events .................................................................................................................... 4.1

Chapter 5 SOEs ...................................................................................................................... 5.1

Chapter 6 Advanced ViewPoint ............................................................................................. 6.1

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6.4.4 Open ViewPoint ..................................................................................................... 6.21

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Figure 1.1: ViewPoint Layout ............................................................................................................ 1.2

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Figure 6.27: Group By Box Options .................................................................................................6.15

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A Short Introduction to ViewPoint

Who Should Read this Guide

How this Guide is Organized

Special Structural Features

Comments and Questions

A Short Introduction to ViewPoint

The ViewPoint product allows you to:

Who Should Read This Guide

How this Guide is Organized

Chapter 1: Introduction to ViewPoint

Chapter 2: System Overview

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Chapter 6: Advanced ViewPoint

Special Structural Features

Comments and Questions

Confidential & Proprietary Open Systems International, Inc.

1.2 ViewPoint Layout

Figure 1.1: ViewPoint Layout

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1.2.1 Navigation Panel

Figure 1.2: Navigation Panel Selection

1.2.2 Data Panel

1.2.3 Menu Bar

1.2.5 Status Bar

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Introducing System Overview

Figure 2.1: System Overview Options

2.2 Common Features

2.2.1 Item Details

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Figure 2.2: Alarm Details Window

The Details button may be named differently in the other components.

Figure 2.3: Pause Button

Figure 2.4: Unpause Button

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Figure 2.5: Email Editor

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Figure 2.6: Print Preview