Data Connect: Using Xlreporter With Panelview Plus

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Data Connect: Using Xlreporter With Panelview Plus

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Luis Claudio Ramos

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Data Connect

Using XLReporter with PanelView Plus

Overview
XLReporter imports historical log files created on a PanelView Plus terminal to a local PC to automatically
populate workbooks, periodically or on event, without needing Excel. XLReporter’s award-winning reporting
engine returns either raw or calculated metrics from the data.
FactoryTalk ME’s DataStore Plus control creates files that can be accessed using a flash drive, local network or
FTP.
XLReporter copies and archives the history files to bypass the storage limitations on the terminal. When
reports are generated, the data appears as a single entity which means collection can be done across multiple
files. Tag names are catalogued from the files and browse-able from XLReporter tools. Database features like
filtering and sorting are supported together with summaries like min, max, average, and machine
uptime/downtime.
Finished reports are distributed by email, FTP, file server and printers. Enable XLReporter’s Web Portal and
access reports from any device supporting a web browser such as a smart phone, tablet or from the PanelView
Plus Terminal itself.

Configure DataStore Plus

The DataStore Plus ActiveX control is used to collect data in comma separated values files (CSV).
In FactoryTalk View Studio – Machine Edition, place the ME DataStore Plus ActiveX control on a display that
cannot be closed by a user.
*If this control is not available, it may need to be registered.
Double-click the control to view its properties.
The General tab settings determine when csv files are created.

Copyright © SyTech, Inc. 2020. All rights reserved.

To optimize reporting runtime, enable the following:
 Start New Files either Periodic (Hourly or Daily) or At Specific Times.
 Delete Oldest Files value longer than the transfer rate scheduled for the Connector (see below).
The Advanced tab settings determine when the data is logged.

 For File Headers select Use tag names.

 Enable Suppress log file row numbering.
 Enable Log System Time and Date for each record.
 Enable Log assigned connections only.
The Connections tab settings determine what data is logged and where the csv files are saved.

FileLocation determines the csv output path. Select a path accessible from the local network or via the
Windows FTP Server on the machine.

Copyright © SyTech, Inc. 2020. All rights reserved.

The Trigger tag enables logging only when its value is non-zero.

Configure FTP Server

For FTP access, enable a Windows FTP Server.
 Open the Windows Control Panel
 Open Services
 Click the FTP Server button so it is green. If the button is green, the FTP Server is running.
To configure the FTP Server settings:
 Open the Windows Control Panel
 Open Server Config
 Select the FTP Server tab
Default Directory and Base Directory determine the root folder of the FTP server. To set this to the root folder
of the system, configure both settings to \.
Allow Anonymous allows connection to bypass Windows authentication.

Prerequisites
Files
On the PanelView Plus, verify that csv files have been created by the DataStore Plus control. A connector
cannot be defined in XLReporter until at least one csv file is generated.
If csv files are not being generated, contact Rockwell Automation technical support to troubleshoot and correct
this issue.

Copyright © SyTech, Inc. 2020. All rights reserved.

Connectivity
FTP
If files are transferred via FTP Server to XLReporter, ensure a connection to the FTP Server can be established.
Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to:
ftp://<Panel View IP Address>
If successful, a list of files and folders on the PanelView Plus is displayed.
If this cannot be done, please contact the local network administrator for further assistance.
Local Network
Open Windows File Explorer and browse the network to the PanelView Plus machine and drill into the folder
where the csv files are located.
If this cannot be done, please contact the local network administrator for further assistance.

Create a Project
From the XLReporter Project Explorer select File, New to start the Project Wizard. This will give step-by-step
instructions on creating a project
Step 1
 Enter a Project Name and Description (optional).

Step 2
 Configure the data connector, click Add

Select Rockwell Automation, PanelView Plus Historical Values.

Copyright © SyTech, Inc. 2020. All rights reserved.

Please note a separate Data Connector is required for each PanelView Plus terminal used.
To transfer the log files automatically from the PanelView Plus, check Enable File Transfer. Click Settings to
configure.

For Transfer Configuration, click the browse pushbutton (…).

Copyright © SyTech, Inc. 2020. All rights reserved.

Under the Server tab,

 In Transfer, set Source based on the previous network configuration.

 Set Method to Download.
If Transfer Source is FTP Server, in the FTP section set Friendly Name to an available FTP Server configuration.
If there is not one available, click Servers to define one.

To define a new FTP Server, select the Friendly Name column of the next available row in the list and click the
browse pushbutton (…).

For the FTP Server

 Set Friendly Name to a name that reflects the PanelView Plus.

 For Server, set Server(FTP) to the IP Address of the PanelView Plus.
 For Logon Information check Use Anonymous.
 Click Test FTP Server to verify the configured settings for the server.
 Click OK to return to the list of FTP Servers.
 With the server row selected, click OK again to return to File Transfer.

The FTP settings should now be filled out.

Select the Source tab to specify the Folder containing the log files.

The Folder section defines the source file path.

For FTP Servers, if the files are on the root of the server, Specific should be set to the Friendly Name of the FTP
Server. If files are located in a subfolder on the FTP Server, subfolders can be specified separated by “/”. For
example, if the FTP Friendly Name is PanelViewPlus and the subfolder is PackingLine, Specific will be set to:
PanelViewPlus/PackingLine
For Local Network, Specific should be set to the path on the PanelView Plus terminal where the csv files are
located. It is not recommended to use a mapped drive for this path.
The Filter section determines which files are transferred. At a minimum the Name should be set to *.csv to
ensure that files with the .csv extension are transferred.
The Target tab defines the local archive path and overwrite behavior.

 Overwrite defines behavior when a source file already exists in the target path. Set this to Size Change
to overwrite only when the source file contains different content than the target.

Click OK to save this configuration. An initial download runs automatically.

Set the Transfer Schedule based on the Start New Files parameter of the DataStore Plus control.
Click OK to return to the connector settings.

The File Location and Name settings are defaulted based on the latest file transferred from the PanelView
Plus. In File Name Format, characters like YYYY, MM and DD, etc. indicate date and time expressions in the file
names.
Click View Latest to test the connection to the historical files.
File Content defines date/time indexing in the files as well as the value separator which are determined from
the files themselves.

Verify Data Communication
Open the Project Explorer and select the Tools tab. Open Connector Groups. Select your PanelView Plus
connector and then select Add.

Set the Group Type to Raw Values and click OK.

On the Columns tab:
 Select the first row under the Name column
 Click the browse pushbutton (…)
 In the Tag Browser expand Catalog, General and add Items from the lower left.
 Click OK to add these to the group.
To retrieve data, select Preview. In the Preview window, use the data picker to select a date and time with for
which you have data in a csv file on the local system. Click Refresh to view data. The first 60 records starting at
the date and time specified should be displayed.