Troubleshooting with Time Travel – Feature Highlight

Welcome back to the Feature Highlight series. This series emphasizes how features in OnPing benefit the overall user experience on the platform. In our last Feature Highlight, we discussed how remotely accessible Control Parameters can assist in building out OEE specs. This week we will dive into another area of interest – Troubleshooting. 

What is OnPing Time Travel Mode

Time Travel Mode (TTM) was developed to view prior events using updated visual schemas. TTM shifts updated schemes to a selected time frame, unlocking time-gated functionality for the user. Essentially, post hoc developments in OnPing are backwards compatible with past events.

Data accumulates quickly, but business processes can be slow and prone to missing small bumps that cause major problems down the road. Now, OnPing users can use the new Time Travel feature to go back to a specific event and retrieve the situational information in ‘real time’. 

TTM presents the state of the system across multiple graphs and tablets, providing immense contextual value to the troubleshooter. Automation engineers can now wield a greater amount of control over the data they want to see when looking for a specific problem.

How to Access Time Travel Mode

Time Travel Mode is easy to open and navigate.

  • You must have a dashboard with time travel enabled widgets. These currently include Event Table and Line Graph.
  • Find the small clock button in the top left-hand corner of the page in these panel views.
  • Click the button to open Time Travel Mode.
  • A TTM input box for data and time will replace the clock icon on the page.  
  • Input the requested information to arrive at a live view of the system at the chosen time. Newly applied visual protocols appear alongside historical data.
  • Access information as needed. Line Graph and Event Table will appear on the panel as if they exist at the selected time and date with the updated information; the view is complete. Additional steps are not required.
  •  To leave the mode, simply select the red “Exit Time Travel Mode” button visible in the top left hand corner of the page.
Entering the TTM troubleshooting tool
Time Travel Mode is easy to navigate

How Is TTM Different from a Report?

Viewing a report represents the data as it was previously. If an error was present, the distortion will still appear on the report.  Here, a virtual instance of the event is created containing updated visuals, providing a clear picture of the environment as it should have been. 

Beyond troubleshooting, TTM functions as an excellent decision making tool by making accurate information more accessible. Utilizing the feature effectively will be a critical component of automation with OnPing.

Summary

The OnPing platform offers a rich, low-code Automation environment with a host of user-friendly applications; TTM  is one of many. Using Time Travel Mode to track anomalies and navigate the troubleshooting process will save time and put focus back where it should be – the future. 

Contact Us

Contact us at info@plowtech.net for more information about Time Travel Mode or with questions about other OnPing features.