Tag Archives: Data Export

FlowWorks Mentioned in Hach’s “Focus on the Flow” Newsletter

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FlowWorks received a nice mention this month in the Hach’s “Focus on the Flow” newsletter, February 2012, issue #113.

In the Cross Platform Data Access section, Kevin Marsh, Vice President of Flow Sales at Hach/Marsh-McBirney, and flow industry guru, writes about FlowWorks’ great cross platform compatibility.

“While our own management and reporting capabilities are powerful enough for most users, there are times when you might need a third-party data management solution. We’ve made it easier than ever for third-party data platforms to access your Hach DDS or FSDATA hosted flow data. Already on board is FlowWorks and their hardware neutral suite of data collection, monitoring, analysis, and reporting tools. If you are already using FlowWorks it’s a very simple step to bring your Hach flow meter data right into it. If you’re using another platform chances are we can work with that vendor and very easily bring your Hach flow data into their system.”

Thank you very much Kevin and Hach. It is a pleasure working with you.

Using FlowWorks with SCADA

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Making an Operator’s Life Simple

SCADA control room

Did you know that you can connect your existing SCADA system to FlowWorks? Why would you want to do this? The first reaction that many people have is “we already have a SCADA system, why would we want to use FlowWorks?” Because FlowWorks is not just for dataloggers, and it does a lot more than just store and plot data. Think of some of the things you could be doing with your SCADA data if you used FlowWorks to do it…

If you are in the municipal business, odds are that you have a SCADA system. You probably also have some dataloggers and maybe some sewer flow meters. Wouldn’t it be nice to put all of that data into one place? Do you want to easily plot flow data from your treatment plant SCADA with rainfall data collected by your dataloggers? How about adding some laboratory measurement results along side? If you use FlowWorks, you can do this.

Plus, if you want, the data flow can go BACKWARDS from FlowWorks to your SCADA! What if you use FlowWorks to collect rainfall from some rain gauge dataloggers, but your SCADA also collects rainfall data? The two can give data to each other, so you and your users see the complete dataset! Core staff who use SCADA see valuable information, using the interface that they are used to. At the same time, data from SCADA (which is often difficult to distribute to users outside of the SCADA system) is made available to a larger set of users. No more having to deal with different data formats because some of your data came from the SCADA, some came datalogger brand X and yet other info came from Brand Y.

Setup Personal Alarms

Use the FlowWorks alarming system to setup notifications for other purposes that aren’t mission critical SCADA alarms…maybe you need to know when flows at a treatment plant reach a certain point so you can take a sample…or it’s time to photograph potential flooding at a drainage location…or maybe you want to know the next time a chlorine analyzer shows a low value so that you can go and take a sample to verify it. These are all things that you can do but might not have SCADA alarms setup for…with FlowWorks you can create your OWN notifications without requiring your SCADA staff to setup these alarms for you.

Your OWN Notifications

Yes, that’s what I said – this is a big deal. In FlowWorks, each user can customize their alarms and notifications, independent of anyone else. This can help you do your job more efficiently, the way you want to do it, and without extra corporate overhead that is so often required.

Custom Reporting

Use the reporting functions to produce tables for your reports…total water consumption, water quality reporting, rainfall summaries and statistics, pump run times, chemical injection summaries…if your SCADA system has been measuring it there is something that FlowWorks can do to make it more useful to you. Why record it if you can’t use it for anything?

SCADA Data Security and FlowWorks

FlowWorks provides data viewing and analysis tools only. There are no control functions that would be in a typical SCADA setup. This means that when you are viewing data sent to FlowWorks from your SCADA system, it is a mirrored COPY of the data rather than the original data itself. In this way the finite control details of your system are protected from the user, leaving your system and network ultimately secure.

Do you have information that you want to distribute to a larger group of users, but due to security concerns over your SCADA system you can’t do it? If your SCADA system is connected to FlowWorks then you get the best of both worlds…your SCADA system stays locked behind your corporate security, but the data that you want to distribute to others is made available. FlowWorks CANNOT be used to alter data or access your SCADA system and controls in any way.

In the meantime, you and other FlowWorks users within your organization enjoy simple, unlimited access to the information you need, from anywhere with an internet connection. Even if the only thing you use your SCADA system for is to graph data, I guarantee you that FlowWorks will do a better job than your SCADA graphing engine.

Exporting Data

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Watch the following video that explains how to export data from FlowWorks.

Exporting Data

In order to export data to other applications such as Microsoft Excel there are two methods. The first option is through the ‘Graphing’ tool and the other options is through the ‘Export Data’ tool.

Option 1: Exporting Data through the ‘Graphing’ Tool

First bring data up in the graphing engine for the period of data you want to export using the same techniques as for basic graphing.

Graphed Data

Once you have the graph showing the data you want to export, click on the ‘Data Export’ button on the top of the graph.

Exporting Graphed Data

You will be prompted as to whether you want to open or save the file.

Opening Exported Data File

For this example we will select ‘Open’ the file. A spreadsheet showing the data will open up.

Option 2: Exporting Data through the ‘Export Data’ option

The other option for exporting data is through the ‘Management’ tools in ‘My Network’. This option allows the user to graph large amounts of data without having to wait for the data to load in the graphing engine.

Select the ‘Export Data’ tool.

Export Data Tool

Begin by selecting the site you want to export data for and the measurements.

Data Export Site and Measurement Selection

You can also export data from multiple sites at the same time if you want.

Multiple Site Data Export

Select the date range for the data you want to export using the calendar pickers to the right.

Date Range Selection

Once you have selected the date range press the export button.
You will see a summary showing how long it took the server to processor your request, how many data points, rows and number of columns and size of file. Click on ‘Download File’.

Server Processor Summary for Data Download

Once again you will be asked if you want to save or open the file. For this example we will save the file.

Save Downloaded Data

You will then be asked to save the file to a location on your computer.

Printing Graphs

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Watch this video to see how to print graphs from the graphing engine.

Printing Graphs

This section will explain how a user can print a graph. Begin by bringing up the graph you want to print.

Data graph
Select ‘Print’ button on top of the screen.
Graph print button

Wait while the print preview prepares the data. When the data is ready to be printed a print summary box will appear where different print options can be selected depending on the user’s printer.

Graph printer options
However, you can cancel this and work within the print preview window to zoom in on different data selections. For this example, zoom in on the storm event around January 8.
Graph: printing zoomed section
Now click on ‘Print’ and only this zoomed in section will print.

You can also pan along the graph at this zoom by scrolling the bar at the bottom of the graph. If you scroll to a new view of the graph and click on ‘Print’ this new graph view will print.

Graph: printing more zoomed sections

When you are done printing click on ‘Close Window’ to return to the graphing system.

Exporting Graph Data

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Watch the following video that explains how to export data from FlowWorks.

Exporting Data

In order to export data to other applications such as Microsoft Excel there are two methods.  The first option is through the ‘Graphing’ tool and the other options is through the ‘Export Data’ tool.

Option 1: Exporting Data through the ‘Graphing’ Tool

First bring data up in the graphing engine for the period of data you want to export using the same techniques as for basic graphing.

Graphed Data

Once you have the graph showing the data you want to export, click on the ‘Data Export’ button on the top of the graph.

Exporting Graphed Data

Exporting Graphed Data

You will be prompted as to whether you want to open or save the file.

Opening Exported Data File

Opening Exported Data File

For this example we will select ‘Open’ the file.  A spreadsheet showing the data will open up.

Option 2: Exporting Data through the ‘Export Data’ option

The other option for exporting data is through the ‘Management’ tools in ‘My Network’.  This option allows the user to graph large amounts of data without having to wait for the data to load in the graphing engine.

Select the ‘Export Data’ tool.

Export Data Tool

Export Data Tool

Begin by selecting the site you want to export data for and the measurements.

Data Export Site and Measurement Selection

Data Export Site and Measurement Selection

You can also export data from multiple sites at the same time if you want.

Multiple Site Data Export

Multiple Site Data Export

Select the date range for the data you want to export using the calendar pickers to the right.

Date Range Selection

Date Range Selection

Once you have selected the date range press the export button.

You will see a summary showing how long it took the server to processor your request, how many data points, rows and number of columns and size of file. Click on ‘Download File’.

Server Processor Summary for Data Download

Server Processor Summary for Data Download

Once again you will be asked if you want to save or open the file. For this example we will save the file.

Save Downloaded Data

Save Downloaded Data

You will then be asked to save the file to a location on your computer.