This document is intended to explain how to create and implement Spot Reports in OnPing.
Why Use Spot Reports? #
There are several reasons why one might want to use spot reports:
- Real-time Monitoring: Spot reports can be used to monitor the real-time status of a process, system, or machine. This can help operators quickly identify any issues and take corrective actions before they become major problems.
- Equipment Health: By using spot reports, operators can track the health of their equipment and identify any potential problems before they cause downtime or production loss.
- Alarm Management: In a process control environment, spot reports can be used to quickly notify operators of alarm conditions and help them prioritize their response.
- Process Optimization: By using spot reports, operators can track key performance indicators (KPIs) and adjust the process to optimize performance.
- Improved Decision-Making: Spot reports can provide real-time information that operators can use to make informed decisions about the process. This can help improve overall process efficiency and reduce waste.
- Increased Safety: Spot reports can be used to quickly notify operators of any safety concerns, helping to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries.
OnPing provides a simple and user-friendly solution to display spot reports by creating custom tables that display real-time information.
The use of spot reports in a PLC/HMI system provides operators with real-time information that they can use to make informed decisions and improve the overall performance of their process.
Creating a Spot Report in OnPing #
Step 1: Create a New Panel
Navigate to the top right corner of the OnPing and click the gray ‘Edit Dashboard’ button. Next, navigate to the left side of the window and click the ‘Add Panel’ button to create a new panel for the dashboard.
This new panel will be the location where the Spot Reports are displayed.
Name the new panel. In this example the title of the new panel is ‘Demo Spot Report 2’.
Select an appropriate icon for the panel. In this example the ‘multipole-simple’ icon is chosen.
Once the new panel has been named and an icon has been chosen, click the blue ‘Save Changes’ button at the bottom of the ‘Add a new panel’ window to save the new panel.
Step 2: Create a Custom Table Widget
Now that the new panel has been created, navigate to the top right corner of the window and click the blue ‘+ Widget’ button to add a new widget.
Navigate to the second row of widgets available to add to the panel created in Step 1. Under the ‘Tables’ category, click the blue ‘Add’ button next to ‘Custom Table’ to create and add a new table widget.
As mentioned earlier, OnPing displays Spot Reports through the use of custom tables.
Step 3: Configure Custom Table
In the ‘Custom Table’ window, navigate to the text bar at the top left of the window and enter the name for this new custom table. In this example the new table is labeled ‘Demo SR Custom Table’.
Next, click the light blue ‘Edit Table Contents’ button under the text bar in order to configure the table with rows and columns.
Additionally, OnPing supports imported Table data via a .XLSX or .dhall file.
On the left side of the window, click the blue ‘+ Add Row’ button to create a row for the data to be saved. A default ‘Column 1’ will also be created with that row. The name ‘Column 1’ can be modified to a more appropriate description if desired.
Step 4: Add Parameters to the Custom Table
At the bottom of the ‘Custom Table’ window, click the gray ‘+ Parameters’ button to add parameters to the rows of the new custom table.
Select the Company, Site and Locations for the parameters by clicking the checkboxes next to the listed names. In this example the Company is ‘Plow Demo’ is selected, the Site is ‘Best Bread Bakery’ is selected, and the Locations are all selected.
Now that the filters have been selected and applied, a list of available parameters will be displayed in a table at the bottom of the panel.
To add the parameters to the custom table, click the respective checkboxes next to the parameter on the left side of the table.
Once all desired parameters are selected, click the blue ‘Update’ button to confirm the changes to the table.
Step 5: Configure Parameter Data Display
The selected parameters will now be displayed in a grid format.
For more information, click the caret ^ symbol next to ‘Extra Info’. Select the data values desired for display.
‘Show Result’ is selected by default. Click the checkbox next to the value display option to select. In this example, ‘Name’, ‘Company’ and ‘Show Result’ have been selected for display.
If needed, continue adding columns and data rows by clicking the blue ‘+ Add Row’ and ‘+ Add Column’ buttons at the top of the panel window. Once the desired selections have been confirmed, click on the green ‘Save Custom Table’ button.
Then click on ‘Return to Edit Options’ button to return to the previous page.
The Custom Table created in Step 2 will now be displayed.
Step 6: Create a New Spot Report
To create a new Spot Report, click the blue ‘+ Spot Report’ button at the top of the custom table.
This will open the Custom Reports page displaying all existing reports. Click the blue ‘+ Add New Report’ button to create a new report.
Select the Month, Date (Number Day of the month), and/or Days for the report by selecting the checkboxes next to the date.
In this example, the Month ‘January’ and all the days have been selected. Additionally, the days can be used to make the selection. For example ‘Monday – Friday’.
Scroll to the right to display additional rows for the Time, Time-Zone, and Email Addresses (to receive the reports).
The report can be customized further by modifying the title of the report as well as a set of additional email addresses. An option to delay sending the reports is available by minute increments. For example, if the report required a 5-minute delay before sending to the email addresses.
Additional template and configuration files can be imported or exported. These options will be accessible by clicking the ‘Custom Formatting’ button under ‘Other Recipients’.
Click the gray ‘Choose File’ button under the text ‘Import/Export Template Files’ to navigate to the template file desired for import. Once the file is selected, click the ‘Upload’ button (to the right) to upload the file. Then click the ‘Export’ button to complete the export.
Step 7: Test New Spot Report
Test the new spot report by clicking the blue ‘Test Report’ button at the bottom of the window. Click the green ‘Save Spot Report’ to save the changes.
Now that the new spot report is saved, it can now be viewed in the table below. Scroll to the right and click the blue ‘Test’ button to perform a test.
This will also create and download a current test report in an Excel format as shown below. In this example, the report returned the values of ‘Actual Output [loaves]’.
The option to return to the report to customize it further can be performed at any time. By clicking on the Panel Name on the OnPing Dashboard. In this example, the panel name was named ‘Demo Spot Report 2’ from Step 1. That will display the Custom Table that was created in Step 2.
Saved reports can be accessed by clicking on the wrench icon to open edit mode.
Summary #
A spot report is a type of report that provides quick and important information about a situation. It’s like sending a text message to someone to let them know what’s happening at that moment.
Spot reports are used in real-time monitoring, to track the health of equipment, manage alarms, optimize processes, improve decision-making, and increase safety.
OnPing provides a user-friendly solution that helps keep track of devices and their performance. A special report can be created and sent to see how the devices are doing, what problems they may have and what needs to be done to fix them.
