Configuring Groups Settings

To configure a Group:

Note - You can only access this function if you have the Can access Group permission. To add, update or delete a Group, you must have the Can configure permission. If you need to access these functions and do not have permission, please contact your system administrator.
Note - You cannot delete a group once it has been added because it has linked data.

  1. From the EPM Data User Interface screen, select Options - Groups:

  2. In the Groups screen, identify the required group card and select Options - Settings:

  3. The Group Settings screen displays on the right-hand side, complete as required:

    • Group settings: 

      • Descriptor - Enter a meaningful name for this group, unique to each device. Group names are not permitted to have leading or trailing spaces.

        Note - This is not case sensitive, for example, 'AbC' is regarded as identical to 'abc '.
      • Description - Enter a description for this group. For example, context about the purpose and contents of the group.
      • Default Group View - Select a default view for the group from the available list:
        • Bar chart - Compares discrete data points or visualizing categories in real-time.
        • Line chart - Displays changes or trends over time in a continuous manner.

          • Channel Cycle Enabled (Only available for Bar chart and Line Chart views) - When On , the chart view automatically cycles through each channel in the group at the specified cycle time.

        • Numeric chart - Displays numerical data highlighting specific values or relationships.

    • Recording

      NOTICE

      RISK OF DATA LOSS OR CORRUPTION

      You must set your Recording and Trend Intervals to the same value to ensure alignment of the display values and historic data.

      Failure to follow this instruction can result in data loss
      Tip - If the Recording Interval or Recording Speed is slower than the Trend Interval or Trend Speed, live transient data (Historic memory) may be lost. If the Trend Interval or Trend Speed is slower than the Recording Interval or Recording Speed, some live transient data may not be displayed correctly.

      • Enabled - Records data based on the provided settings. By default, recording is enabled for all newly created groups. If disabled, a recording disabled icon appears on the Groups screen to indicate this.

        Tip - When recording is disabled, new data stops being recorded, but historical data is preserved.

      • Interval (Time unit) - Interval time between each recorded data point.

        Note - Setting an interval time automatically sets a corresponding recording speed (e.g. An interval of 1 minute sets a recording speed of 10.755 mm/hr, an interval of 500ms sets a recording speed of 1290.6 mm/hr).
        Tip - A shorter interval records more frequent changes. Maximum rate 1 hour, Minimum rate 100 ms.

        Enter number of days in d, hours in h, minutes in m, seconds in s and milliseconds in ms or use the up and down arrows to set the value. Select Apply , or Cancel to exit:

      • Speed (mm/hr) - Enter the recording speed in millimeters per hour, or use the Plus or Minus to set the speed at which the system records data. This affects how quickly measurements are taken and logged.

        Note - Setting a recording speed, automatically adjusts the speed to the nearest corresponding interval (For example, Inputting a recording speed of 1200 mm/hr, adjusts to 1290.6 mm/hr and sets the interval to 500ms. Inputting a recording speed of 300 mm/hr, adjusts to 303.670 mm/hr and sets the interval to 2s 125ms).

    • Trends:

      Notice

      RISK OF DATA LOSS OR CORRUPTION

      You must set your Recording and Trend Intervals to the same value to ensure alignment of the display values and historic data.

      Failure to follow this instruction can result in data loss
      Tip - If the Recording Interval or Recording Speed is slower than the Trend Interval or Trend Speed, live transient data (Historic memory) may be lost. If the Trend Interval or Trend Speed is slower than the Recording Interval or Recording Speed, some live transient data may not be displayed correctly.

      • Back fill - Select to enable or disable the background filling of the trend area in the chart. When enabled, fills the area under the curve (in a line chart), emphasizing the magnitude of changes over time.

      • Interval (Time unit) - Select to set the interval at which the trend data is saved. This value affects how much trace history appears per screen in trend history mode (Historic). For example, if set to 1000 ms (one second), the system will record at intervals of every one second.

        Note - Setting an interval time, automatically sets a corresponding recording speed (For example,. An interval of 1 minute sets a recording speed of 10.755 mm/hr, an interval of 500ms sets a recording speed of 1290.6 mm/hr).

      • Speed (mm/hr) - Enter the speed in millimeters per hour, or use the Plus or Minus to set the speed at which the trend is updated. Adjusting this value higher or lower would speed up or slow down the rate at which new data points are added to the trend. For example, if the value is set to 500 milliseconds (half a second), the trend graph will refresh or update at every 500 milliseconds.

        Note - Setting a recording speed, automatically adjusts the speed to the nearest corresponding interval (e.g. Inputting a recording speed of 1200 mm/hr, adjusts to 1290.6 mm/hr and sets the interval to 500ms. Inputting a recording speed of 300 mm/hr, adjusts to 303.670 mm/hr and sets the interval to 2s 125ms).

      • Background color - Select to choose one of the 56 available colors and set the background color of the chart (default color, #FFFFFF 'White'):

    • Live View - Select either the Numeric or Bar Chart view to display in Live View:

      • Numeric View Enabled - Enable On to display the Live View in a numeric format.
      • Bar View Enabled - Enable On to display the Live View in a bar format.
        See Using the Live View for details.
      Note - When the Numeric and Bar views disabled, the Group card only displays the Line Chart view icon .
    • Line Chart - Displays changes or trends over time in a continuous manner:
      • Direction - Select an orientation for displaying data from the available list:
        • Top to Bottom - Displays data from the top, moving downward. Useful for visualizing downward trends.
        • Left To Right - Displays data from the left, moving right. Common for time-series data with time on the x-axis.
        • Right To Left - Displays data from the right, moving left. Useful for reversing data or emphasizing past data.
      • Display Numeric Plate - When enabled, displays numeric plates (labels) at specific points to highlight values on the line chart.
      • Chart Grid Type - Select a grid type from the available list:
        • None - Grid lines not displayed on the chart.
        • Linear - Grid lines are spaced evenly based on a linear scale:

          • Grid major divisions (only available if Linear is selected) - Enter a number between 1 and 10 (Defaults to 5) or use the Plus or Minus to set the value. Used to compare or track data over time.
          • Grid minor divisions (only available if Linear is selected) - Enter a number between 1 and 10 (Defaults to 5) to show detailed data points within a major division or use the Plus or Minus to set the value. Allows granular analysis of trends within the broader categories and often represents time periods or specific regions, products, or demographic groups.
        • Logarithmic - Grid lines are spaced based on a logarithmic scale:

          • Decades (only available if Logarithmic is selected) - Enter a number between 1 and 20 (Defaults to 5) or use the Plus or Minus to set the value.
        • From Channel - Automatically applies the grid type based on the data source or channel settings:

          • Channel source (only available if From Channel is selected) -

            Select a dynamic data source, for example, an I/O channel or Maths channel from the available list or enter a numeric constant, see Linking a Channel as an Input for details.

    • Bar Chart - Compares discrete data points or visualizing categories in real-time:

      • Bar style - Select a style from the available list to display bar chart:
        • Style2D - Two-dimensional bar design.
        • Style3D - Three-dimensional bar design.
      • Direction - Select an orientation from the available list to display data:
        • Top to bottom - Displays data from the top, moving downward. Useful for visualizing downward trends.
        • Bottom to top - Displays data from the bottom, moving upward. Useful for visualizing upward trends.
        • Left to right - Displays data from the left, moving right. Common for time-series data with time on the x-axis.
        • Right to left - Displays data from the right, moving left. Useful for reversing data or emphasizing past data.

  4. Once complete, select Review pending changes screen to review updates to the configuration, and submit them. See Reviewing and Submitting Changes for details if required.

    Note - Reviewing and submitting can be completed in bulk once you have completed all your additions and/or updates.
  5. Select Close to close the Group Settings screen.
Related topics - Groups, Adding a Group, Adding a Channel to a Group, Viewing Group Channels, Moving a Group Channel, Deleting a Group Channel, Viewing Group Messages and Filtering Group Messages.