PI Vision 2020

User Guide
OSIsoft, LLC
1600 Alvarado Street
San Leandro, CA 94577 USA
Tel: (1) 510-297-5800
Fax: (1) 510-357-8136
Web: https://www.osisoft.com

PI Vision 2020 User Guide

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Version: 3.5.0
Published: 28 September 2020
Contents

What's new in PI Vision 2020....................................................................................... 1

Overview of PI Vision................................................................................................. 3
System requirements...................................................................................................................................... 3
Supported data types...................................................................................................................................... 4
Keyboard shortcuts......................................................................................................................................... 5
Touch-sensitive device gestures...................................................................................................................... 5

Getting started.......................................................................................................... 9
Home page..................................................................................................................................................... 9
Folders.......................................................................................................................................................10
View a specific group of displays................................................................................................................ 14
Search for an existing display.....................................................................................................................14
Create a new display.................................................................................................................................. 15
Display settings & permissions...................................................................................................................15
Organize displays with labels..................................................................................................................... 25
Mark a display as a favorite........................................................................................................................26
Basic tasks.....................................................................................................................................................26
Display workspace.........................................................................................................................................29
Save displays................................................................................................................................................. 30
Open a PI ProcessBook display...................................................................................................................... 31

Searching for data.................................................................................................... 33

Search by entering search terms....................................................................................................................34
About PI Vision's search engine..................................................................................................................35
Search using the navigation tree....................................................................................................................35

Data visualization using symbols............................................................................... 37

Create a symbol.............................................................................................................................................38
Symbol types.................................................................................................................................................38
Trend......................................................................................................................................................... 38
Value......................................................................................................................................................... 47
Table..........................................................................................................................................................50
Gauges...................................................................................................................................................... 53
XY plot...................................................................................................................................................... 58
Asset comparison table............................................................................................................................. 69
Change a symbol type....................................................................................................................................71
Select and group multiple symbols................................................................................................................ 72
View a symbol as a popup trend.....................................................................................................................72
Ad hoc trending and analysis......................................................................................................................... 73
Ad Hoc Workspace..................................................................................................................................... 73
Calculations................................................................................................................................................... 79
Create a Calculation .................................................................................................................................. 79
PI Vision Calculation syntax....................................................................................................................... 93
Add symbols to an existing calculation...................................................................................................... 93
Use calculations to add a symbol to the display......................................................................................... 95
Intervals and time value............................................................................................................................. 97
Multi-state behaviors.................................................................................................................................... 98

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Configure multi-states for gauge symbols................................................................................................. 99

Configure multi-states for value symbols................................................................................................. 102
Configure multi-states for asset comparison tables.................................................................................. 107
Configure multi-states for shapes and images..........................................................................................109
Configure multi-states for text labels........................................................................................................113
Contextual navigation links.......................................................................................................................... 117
Add a navigation link to another display or website..................................................................................118
Symbol collection........................................................................................................................................ 120
Create a collection................................................................................................................................... 120
Edit collection criteria.............................................................................................................................. 121
Format a collection.................................................................................................................................. 122
Modify a collection................................................................................................................................... 123
Add dynamic search criteria.....................................................................................................................124
Excluded attributes......................................................................................................................................124

Working with displays............................................................................................. 125

Create displays in Design mode................................................................................................................... 125
Move, resize, and arrange objects............................................................................................................126
Draw shape tool....................................................................................................................................... 127
Add text...................................................................................................................................................148
Upload images.........................................................................................................................................149
Assets in displays.........................................................................................................................................149
Switch assets shown in symbols............................................................................................................... 150
Asset-list configuration............................................................................................................................ 151
Graphics library............................................................................................................................................154
Add a graphic...........................................................................................................................................154
Format a graphic......................................................................................................................................155
Monitor displays.......................................................................................................................................... 155
Time bar control.......................................................................................................................................157
Export data from a display........................................................................................................................... 161
Change the display's background color........................................................................................................ 161

Analyzing and comparing events............................................................................. 163

Discover events........................................................................................................................................... 163
Search for events......................................................................................................................................... 165
Create an events table................................................................................................................................. 169
Configure an events table.........................................................................................................................170
Event details................................................................................................................................................ 175
View event details and annotate events....................................................................................................177
Event details on a mobile device...............................................................................................................179
Event comparisons.......................................................................................................................................179
Compare multiple events......................................................................................................................... 181
Pin reference events................................................................................................................................ 182
Add a new overlay trend to the display.....................................................................................................183
View child events in Gantt chart...............................................................................................................184
Align and zoom in on child events............................................................................................................ 185
Perform root cause analysis..................................................................................................................... 186
Save an event comparison display........................................................................................................... 186

Training videos.......................................................................................................189

Technical support and other resources..................................................................... 191

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What's new in PI Vision 2020
PI Vision 2020 introduces the following new features and enhancements:

• PI Vision Calculations
Create simple calculations on the fly and use the results to quickly analyze a process in real
time. This includes the use of summary calculations like Min, Max, and Avg and simple
calculations that utilize basic math operators like +, -, *, and / on PI tags within the display.
You can use calculations on PI Vision symbols and configurations that supports a data item.

• Multiple Time Ranges On Trends

Configure trends on a display to use a unique time range. For example, one trend may show
data for the last eight hours, another may show data for the last seven days, and another
may show data for the last month. You can set the time ranges to the display time range,
duration/offset of the display time range, or a custom time range.

• Display Usage Report

View a report related to how often users access a display and who has accessed it in a given
time period to track adoption and gain a better understanding of where most end users get
their information.

• Sharing Write Access To A Display

Give other users on your team Write permission for a display so you can collaborate for the
creation and maintenance of a display and allow other users from your team to make
changes when you're not available.

• Summary Traces in Ad Hoc Workspace

Add Min, Max, and Avg summary traces with customizable intervals to the trend in the ad
hoc workspace.

• Symbol Enhancements

◦ Outside Scales On Trend: Display the Y-axis value scale outside of the trend plot area to
improve data visibility.
◦ Configurable Grid Style On Trend: Use two additional grid styles for blank grid and
horizontal/vertical gridlines.
◦ Data Markers On Trend: Use newly added trace styles to see data markers for recorded
values on your trend and configure the marker visibility and shape for each trace.
◦ Plot Title On Trend: Specify custom plot titles for each trend symbol on a display.
◦ Labeling: Add element name, attribute name, description, or custom text as labels for
trend, value, vertical gauge, horizontal gauge, and radial gauge symbols.
◦ Additional Multi-State Capabilities: Use new multi-state capabilities to hide symbol
visibility and change value symbol text color.

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What's new in PI Vision 2020

• General Enhancements

◦ Support Renaming AF Elements and Attributes: Rename AF Elements and Attributes

within PI AF Server without losing a link to the data item in PI Vision. This eliminates the
"No Data In PI Vision" message that previously displayed for renamed elements.
◦ New Search Service: Use direct PI AF search calls to find data items within PI Vision. This
replaces the previous PI Web API Indexed Search.

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Overview of PI Vision
Welcome to PI Vision!

PI Vision is an intuitive, web-based application that enables you to retrieve, monitor, and
analyze process engineering information to provide a deep level of operational intelligence.
With PI Vision, you can:
• Visualize PI data as symbols, such as trends, tables, values, gauges, and XY plots.
• Search for PI data on desktop or mobile platforms.
• Create a symbol collection.
• Configure multi-state symbols to create visual alarms for critical process states.
• Design, format, and save displays for easy retrieval and further analysis.
• Create ad hoc displays.
• Analyze and compare events.
• Monitor process data in displays.
• Share displays with other members of a group or anyone with access to PI Vision.
• View PI ProcessBook displays.
Note:
For information about installing and administering PI Vision, see the "PI Vision
Installation and Administration Guide" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com) or
download the PDF version from the OSIsoft Customer Portal (https://my.osisoft.com/).

Topics in this section

• System requirements
• Supported data types
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Touch-sensitive device gestures

System requirements
Most current browsers on a wide variety of computers and devices support PI Vision, including
tablets and phones running iOS or Android operating systems.
To start using PI Vision, navigate to the PI Vision application server that was set up by your
administrator. By default installation, the address is: https://webServer/PIVision where
webServer is the name of the PI Vision web server.
Based on the size of your device or browser window, PI Vision attempts to provide the best
possible viewing experience. So, for example, if you are using PI Vision on a small device (that
is, smaller than an iPad mini), you are redirected to the PI Vision mobile website https://
webServer/PIVision/m.

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Overview of PI Vision

Note:
The PI Vision mobile website allows you to view recently accessed displays and data
items. You can also use the search function to find other displays and data items.
However, you cannot create or update displays while using the mobile website.
To get the most from PI Vision, OSIsoft recommends that you use PI Asset Framework (PI AF)
to organize your PI System data. PI AF provides a consistent representation of your assets
using asset-centric hierarchies and templates and allows you to extract maximum value from
your operational data.
With PI AF, you can use the following PI Vision features:

For more information about PI AF, visit the OSIsoft Customer Portal (https://my.osisoft.com/)
for the PI Asset Framework (PI AF) Overview.
Note:
PI Vision uses cookies which could have legal implications based on Licensee's
geographic location. Please consult with your legal department to make sure you are
compliant with relevant laws and rules and regulations, including, but not limited to, data
protection and cookie directives.

Supported data types

PI Vision supports the following PI point data types:
• Digital (defined states)
• Int (16 and 32)
• Float (16, 32, and 64)
• String (text)
• Timestamp
PI Vision does not support the blob type.
PI Vision supports the following PI AF attribute value types:

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• Byte
• Int (16, 32, and 64)
• Single
• Double
• String*
• DateTime*
• Boolean*
• Enumeration*
*Not supported by Calculated Data function
PI Vision does not support the PI AF attribute value types Guid, Attribute, Element, File, or
Array.

Keyboard shortcuts
PI Vision lets you use a number of keyboard shortcuts to accomplish your tasks faster. Here is a
list of common commands:
Press To Do This
CTRL + C Copy an object
CTRL + V Paste an object
CTRL + X Cut an object
DELETE or BACKSPACE Delete an object
Arrow keys Move an object
CTRL + Click Select multiple objects
CTRL + A Select all objects
SHIFT + Drag Resize an object while maintaining its proportions
CTRL + Z Undo an action
CTRL + Y Redo an action
CTRL + S Save a display

Touch-sensitive device gestures

PI Vision works on all touch-sensitive devices.
If you are working on a laptop-tablet hybrid device such as a touch-sensitive laptop, you will
see the Touch mode toggle on the top right corner of the application. Touch mode is

designed to optimize touch experience when using a 2-in-1 hybrid device. When you toggle the
Touch mode switch on, data items in the Assets and Attributes panes will show gripper handles
and you will be able to scroll both panes with your finger. To toggle the Touch
mode off, tap the Touch mode switch again.

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Overview of PI Vision

Note:
If you have a computer with a touch sensitive screen and the touch mode button is not
visible, you may need to enable it in the advanced flag settings of your browser. First,
close all browser instances. Locate Chrome or Edge in the Start menu. Right click the
application and then click Open File Location. Within the File Explorer window, right
click the browser shortcut and then click Properties. In the Target field, add "--touch-
events" after the full path to the executable. For example the new target field for Chrome
might be: "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --
touch-events. Click Ok and then double-click the shortcut to enable touch events.
On any touch-sensitive device, you can use the following touch gestures when working in
PI Vision.
To Do This. . . Gesture
Drag a data item from search results Tap and hold the data item's gripper handle and slide your
to the display. finger towards the display area.

Resize a symbol, image, shape, or text. In Design mode, tap and hold the sizing handle and slide it to
resize the object.

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Add a trend cursor. Exit Design mode and tap anywhere on a trace.

Zoom in and out on a trend. Exit Design mode and pinch two fingers together to zoom out.
Stretch two fingers apart to zoom in. The start time, end time,
and duration changes for all the symbols on the display.

Pan across a trend's time range. Exit Design mode, tap and hold the plot area of a trend and
slide right or left to move backwards or forwards in time.

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Overview of PI Vision

Show menus to configure or format Tap and hold any symbol for a few seconds and quickly release
symbols. your finger.

Open a pop-up trend. Exit Design mode and double-tap any data symbol (trend, table,
value, or gauge) to view its data plotted as a pop-up trend in a
separate, new display. The pop-up trend shows data from the
symbol on the original display.
Zoom in or out of a display. Pinch two fingers together to zoom out of a display. Stretch two
fingers apart to zoom in.

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Getting started
New to PI Vision? Let us help you start using the application right away.

Training videos
Check out the videos on this YouTube playlist to better understand how to use PI Vision:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMcG1Hs2JbcvWPkSbIbQEJqsTX9Sa1nty

Topics in this section

• Home page
• Basic tasks
• Display workspace
• Save displays
• Open a PI ProcessBook display

Home page
The PI Vision home page lists thumbnails of displays that you can access. You can set the page
to show groups of displays, such as favorite or recently used displays; you can also view
displays stored in particular folders and you can search for displays with particular names or
owners, or filter by keywords.
In addition to viewing displays from the home page, you can share, delete, and mark displays as
favorites. You can also create new displays. Administrators and those with write-access can
create folders to organize displays. See Folders.

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Getting started

1. New display button

2. Display thumbnail
3. Search box
4. Filter displays by keywords
5. Predefined groups
6. Folders
7. Shared display icon
8. Settings
9. Favorites
10. Display owner

Videos
For more on this topic, watch the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxU5k10eIJk

Topics in this section

• Folders
• View a specific group of displays
• Search for an existing display
• Create a new display
• Display settings & permissions
• Organize displays with labels
• Mark a display as a favorite

Folders
PI Vision stores each display in a folder. By default, PI Vision stores displays in the Home folder.

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Administrators can create other folders to organize displays. Administrators can give users
read-access and write-access to a folder. Those with read-access can see the folder and displays
within the folder. Those with write-access can see the folder, move displays into the folder,
create displays in the folder, and create subfolders in the folder, as well as rename or delete
subfolders, and set access to subfolders.
Folders let users more easily find displays and provide a place to store officially published
displays.

Topics in this section

• Create folders
• Folder permissions
• Set folder access
• Move displays into folders
• Rename a folder
• Delete a folder

Create folders
You can create a subfolder in any folder to which you have write-access.

Procedure
1. From the left pane on the home page, click to drill into the folder.

PI Vision updates the view and highlights the folder.

2. Click Add New PI Vision Folder and then type the name of the new folder.

PI Vision creates the subfolder. The new folder will have the same access settings as its
parent folder.

After you finish

If desired, change access to the folder. See Set folder access.

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Folder permissions
PI Vision folders can have two possible permissions assigned to a PI AF identity. Permissions
affect what users can do with a folder:

• Read
See the folder and parent folders. However, users can only see displays that they own or that
the owner shared with them.

• Write

◦ Save or move displays into the folder

◦ Create subfolders
◦ Set the access to subfolders
◦ Rename subfolders
◦ Delete subfolders that users have write-access to

Set folder access

You can set access to a folder if you have write-access to its parent folder. Permissions control
who can read and write to a folder (see Folder permissions). PI Vision grants access based on
PI AF identities. Any user assigned to an identity has the access the folder grants that identity.

Procedure
1. From the left pane on the home page, select the folder and then click Edit folder settings
to open the Folder Settings window.
The window lists PI AF identities that can read and write to the folder, and identities
currently not assigned any permission.
2. Set the desired access for the folder.
◦ To give an identity read-access, select an identity in the Unassigned AF Identities list and
then click the arrow to move to the list of identities with access. A check mark
automatically appears in the Read column.
◦ To give an identity write-access, select the Write check box.
◦ To remove write-access from an identity, clear the Write check box for that identity.
◦ To remove all access to the folder from an identity, select the identity and then click the
arrow to move the identity to the Unassigned AF Identities list.
Note:
Changing folder access can affect other folders.
◦ If you grant an identity read-access to a subfolder, PI Vision also grants that identity
read-access to any parent folders.
◦ If you remove read-access from a folder, PI Vision also removes read-access for that
identity from any subfolders.

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3. To apply this access to subfolders and displays in those folders, select the Propagate
permissions check box.
Upon save, PI Vision sets the same access permission to the current folder, subfolders, and
to any displays in those folders.
Note:
The Propagate permissions function does not apply to imported PI ProcessBook
displays.
4. Click Save.

Move displays into folders

You can move displays that you can edit from one folder for which you have Write access to
another folder for which you have Write access.

Procedure
1. From a folder on the home page, such as the Home folder, select displays that you want to
move:
◦ To select all displays in the currently shown group of displays, click the Select all check
box.
◦ When you hover over the thumbnail, the check mark becomes available for displays

that you can edit. Click the check mark in the display thumbnail.

PI Vision highlights the thumbnail and the check mark .

2. Click Move displays to open the Move To window.

3. Select the folder that you want to move the display to, and then click Move.
PI Vision moves the selected displays to the selected folder.

Rename a folder
You can rename a folder if you have write-access to its parent folder.

Procedure
1. From the left pane on the home page, select the folder and then click Edit folder settings
to open the Folder Settings window.
2. In the Folder Name box, enter the new name, and then click Save.

Delete a folder
You can delete a folder if you have write-access to the folder and its parent folder. When you
delete a folder, PI Vision deletes any subfolders and moves any displays in the deleted folder or
subfolders to the Home folder.

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Procedure
1. From the left pane on the home page, select the folder and then click Delete PI Vision Folder
.

View a specific group of displays

The home page shows groups of displays. You can select a specific group of displays to view.

Procedure
• In the pane on the left, select the group of displays to view:
◦ To select a predefined group:
▪ All Displays
All public and private displays to which you have access
▪ Favorites
Displays that you have marked as favorites (starred displays)
▪ My Displays
Displays that you have created
▪ Recent
Displays that you used within the last seven days
When you select one of these groups, PI Vision shows the thumbnails from only that
group and filters the search box to search within only that group of displays.
◦ To select a folder:
Administrators can create folders to store displays. The Home folder stores displays not
stored in another folder. A special icon, , marks folders that can store PI ProcessBook
displays.

Results
The home page shows only the thumbnails from the selected group. Any new searches find
matching displays within the selected group.

Search for an existing display

Within a selected folder or group of displays on the home page, you can search for displays
with particular names or owners.

Procedure
1. Select the folder or predefined group that contains the display. See View a specific group of
displays.
The background text in the search box indicates the group or folder, such as "All Displays,"
searched.

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2. In the search box, enter text found in the display name or the name of the owner.
You can enter wildcards, such as asterisks (*), when you do not know all the letters or words
in the display name. A wildcard is a substitute character for a group of letters in a search
phrase. PI Vision assumes an asterisk at the end of each entered search query. When you do
not know the first one or more words of the display name, enter an asterisk in front of the
search term. For example, enter *dashboard to find Mixing Tank Dashboard.
3. Press Enter or click Perform Search .

PI Vision shows matching displays.

Create a new display

From the home page, you can create a new display.

Procedure
1. Click New Display to open an empty display.

2. In the Assets pane, browse or search for data that you want to visualize. See Searching for
data.
3. In the Assets pane toolbar, select a symbol type. See Data visualization using symbols.
4. Drag an asset or attribute from the Assets pane into the display area.
PI Vision inserts a symbol containing the selected data items into the display.
For more information about creating displays, see Create displays in Design mode.

Display settings & permissions

The Display Settings window allows you to control various facets of a display's visibility,
ownership, and interactions. To access the Display Settings window, browse to the Home page
and click Edit display settings on the display thumbnail that you want to edit.

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Getting started

The window is divided into four key parts:

1. Keywords
2. Read-only access
3. Display Owner control
4. Display Access

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Note:
The options available on the Display Settings window depend on your PI Vision user role.
Administrators have access to all Display Settings. Display Owners may only access
Keyword, Read-only, and display sharing options.

Keywords
The Keywords setting allows you to provide semi-colon separated keywords that someone may
use while searching for this display.

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Note:
If you do not include a semi-colon between each keyword, all of the keywords will be
combined into one keyword when you click Save.

Read-only access
Click Read-only to disable saving any changes to the display by any user, including yourself.

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Note:
If you want to make changes to a display that is Read-only, open that display and save it
under a different name.

Display Owner
Click Display Owner to change the owner for the selected display to a different user. This
display will appear in the selected user's Private displays if you do not grant access to any AF
Identities when you click Save.

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Note:
This option is only available if you are an administrator for the account.

Display Sharing
By default, when you save a display, you are the only user who can view it, as indicated by the
Private display icon on the display thumbnail. After you create a display, you can share it
with other users who can open your display. Use the text box to search for specific identities.
This search returns identities that contain the characters or keywords you typed anywhere in
the identity name.

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PI Vision allows you to share displays selectively with your user groups. A PI administrator
using PI AF identities configures your user groups. A PI AF identity represents a set of access
permissions for a group of users. You can use the default PI AF identity group World to share
your display with everyone in your organization who is a member of that group. Imported PI
ProcessBook displays are shared with the PI AF identity World by default.
Note:
A PI Vision administrator can reassign any user's display to a different user group and
change the owner of a display in the Display Settings window.
Click an identity under Unassigned AF Identities and then click Add Permissions to grant

that AF Identity access to this display

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When you grant access to a display for an AF Identity, you can specify the type of access that
you want to grant.
• Read access: Grants an AF Identity the ability to see and open the display
• Write access: Grants an AF Identity the ability to save changes to a display
By default, each added AF Identity receives Read access to the display. To grant the AF Identity
Write access for this display, click Write.

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Delete display
If you no longer need a display and want to remove it, click Delete display.

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Note:
You cannot undo this action. Make sure you are certain before you delete a display.

Save your changes

If you make any changes on the Display Settings window, click Save to confirm and apply them
to the display. If you do not want to save your changes, click Cancel.

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Organize displays with labels

To organize and filter your display thumbnails, you can use the Filter by Keywords feature
located under the search box. You can create multiple labels for the same display and label as
many displays as you wish. Once you create a display label, the search results will return only
the displays tagged with that label.

Procedure
1. To create a display label, click Edit display settings on the thumbnail of the display.

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Getting started

2. Create a new label in the Display Settings window by entering keywords in the Keywords
field and click Save.
3. After creating a display label, click Filter by Keywords icon under the search box on the
home page and select that label.

The search results will only show the displays with that label.
If more than one display has the same label text, you can click the related displays icon
on a thumbnail to find all displays with that label text. If a display has multiple labels, the
related displays icon finds the thumbnail if the text of at least one label matches.

Mark a display as a favorite

From the home page, you can mark any display as a favorite. Displays marked as a favorite
appear in the predefined favorites group.

Procedure
• From the home page, click the star icon on the display thumbnail.

PI Vision highlights the icon , indicating the display is a favorite.

Basic tasks
PI Vision organizes your process data into displays, which may contain symbols, such as trends,
tables, values, or gauges. Displays are designed to represent your operational environment and
can have symbols, shapes, images, and text.

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The descriptions below introduce you to the basics for creating symbols and designing displays
in PI Vision.

Create a new display or open an existing display on the home page

When you open PI Vision, you will see the home page with display thumbnails and a search
box. The home page is your starting point for finding or creating displays containing PI data. To
create a new display, click New Display ( ). To open an existing display, click a
display thumbnail or use the search box to search for a display name or owner. (See Search for
an existing display.)

1. New Display: Click to create a new display.

2. Display Thumbnail: Click to open an existing display.
3. Search Box: Search for existing displays.

Search for your process data in a display

Once a new or existing display opens, search for your data in the Assets pane to the left of the
display.

There are two ways to find PI data in the Assets pane:

• Search by entering search terms.

• Search by using the navigation tree.

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Getting started

Visualize your process data as symbols and add them to a display

• After you find a data item you want to visualize, select the desired symbol type from the
symbol gallery at the top of the Assets pane. You can view your data as a trend, a value, a
table, a vertical, horizontal, or radial gauge, an XY plot, or an asset comparison table.

• Click the data item in the search results and drag it onto the display to view it as a symbol
with values.
• Move or resize the symbol or add new symbols to the display from the search results.

Add shapes, text, or images

• Use the editing toolbar shown below to add shapes, text, or images to the display. You can
combine multiple shapes and images to create diagrams or drawings. The editing toolbar
only appears when you are in Design mode.

• Right-click any shape, text or image to format it in the Format pane.

Save a display
To save your display, click the save icon in the top-right corner of the display. To save

your display with a different name, click the down arrow, and then click Save As and enter the
name of your display in the window.

Next time you are on the home page, you will see your saved display's name and thumbnail.

Exit Design mode to monitor a display

To lock your display and start monitoring it, exit Design mode by clicking .

After you exit Design mode, you can view trend cursors by clicking on any trend or pan
backwards or forwards in time by dragging the highlighted lower section of the trend left or
right. (See Monitor displays.)

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Display workspace
Displays are the foundation for visualizing data in PI Vision and act as containers for creating,
editing, and storing symbols that represent your operational environment. Owners of displays
can make displays private or share the displays with other users. Each display has exactly one
owner, a single user (initially the display creator). Administrators can change display
ownership. Only the owner can save changes made to a display. Any changes other users make
must be saved as a new display.
The following figure shows the components in a PI Vision display workspace.

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Getting started

1. Symbol gallery
2. Calculations
3. Graphics Library
4. Events
5. Assets pane
6. Attributes pane
7. Time bar control
8. Fit all and zoom
9. Save button
10. Design mode button
11. Asset list

From the display workspace, you can:

• Search for data
• Create symbols
• Add shapes, images, and text in Design mode
• Configure multi-state symbols
• Switch assets shown in symbols
• Monitor displays
• Use timebar controls
• Open the Events pane to analyze and compare events
• Save your display

Save displays
You must save displays to save changes that you make. You can save existing displays with a
new name and rename existing displays.

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 Getting started

Procedure
• Save changes made to a display:
a. Click Save on the title bar or press Ctrl+S.

b. If you have not saved the display yet, the Save As window opens. Enter the display name
and then click Save. You can also select a folder to store the display if you have
permission to write to folders.
Note:
If another user updates and saves the same display prior to you, you will not be able to
save until you reload the display or save the display with a different name.

To refresh the display and abandon any new changes you have made since PI Vision
detected the save conflict, click Reload. To retain your changes and save them to a new
display, click Save As.

• Save an existing display under a new name:

a. Click the arrow next to the Save button, and then click Save As.

b. In the Save As window, enter the new name for the display. You can also select a folder to
store the display if you have permission to write to folders.
c. Click Save.
• Rename an existing display:
a. Click the display name in the title bar.
b. Enter a new name.
c. Click Save on the title bar or press Ctrl+S.

Open a PI ProcessBook display

The home page contains both PI Vision and PI ProcessBook display thumbnails. When you
open a PI ProcessBook display and hover over any data symbol, the cursor changes to a hand.

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Getting started

Note:
PI ProcessBook displays cannot be deleted from the home page. You can delete them by
removing them directly from the import folder where they are stored. To learn more
about the PI ProcessBook import folder, see the PI Vision administration topic "Configure
PI ProcessBook import folders" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).

Procedure
1. Click a data symbol in a PI ProcessBook display to open its trend view. The trend's time
range is based on the display's time range.
Note:
If you click a trend symbol, you see an enlarged version of the trend plus additional
descriptive information.
2. Optionally, change the duration and shift the display range forward or backward in time to
find the data that interests you.
Note that the new duration and start and end times apply to the underlying display.
3. When you have finished looking at the symbol's trend view, click to close the trend.

All dynamic symbols in the display now use the new duration and start and end times that
you set for the preview. For example, if you change the duration to 1 day for a preview, when
you close it, the original display now has a duration of 1 day.
4. To open a PI ProcessBook display as a PI Vision display, click the Ad Hoc Display button.
A PI Vision display opens and shows your data in a single table. The ad hoc PI Vision display
is read-only. If you want to save a copy of the display, click the down arrow next to the Save
button to "Save as" and enter a new display name.

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Before you can visualize your process data, you need to find it inside the display's Assets pane
by either entering search terms or drilling down the navigation tree.
Note:
You can only search the PI Data Archive using ASCII characters. PI AF supports searching
with non-ASCII characters.
To help you understand the type of data you can find and visualize in a PI Vision display, here
are the definitions and icons of the PI data types that you will be working with.
Data Types
Data type Description
PI Data Archive servers store time-series data (PI
points) from different data sources and serve this
PI DATA ARCHIVE SERVER data to client applications like PI Vision.

PI AF databases represent the largest physical or

logical assets in your process and consist of PI AF
Assets and PI AF attributes.
PI AF DATABASE
PI AF assets are the building blocks of PI AF
databases and represent smaller physical or logical
entities in your process, such as a production site,
PI AF ASSET
process unit, equipment, or stage, etc.
PI AF attributes are the building blocks of PI AF
assets. Each PI AF attribute represents a unique
PI AF ATTRIBUTE property associated with an asset. PI AF attributes
can hold simple values that stand for a process
parameter, a process state (for example, opened/
closed), process status, etc.
PI points (or PI tags) are stored in the PI Data
Archive servers and contain time-series data. Each
PI point is a unique single point of measurement
PI POINT (TAG) that makes up a stream of real-time operational
data from a defined source (for example,
instrument).

When you open or create a PI Vision display, your PI AF databases and PI Data Archive servers
are first shown in the Assets pane by default.

Topics in this section

• Search by entering search terms
• Search using the navigation tree

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Search by entering search terms

To find your data, open or create a display and search for your data in the Assets pane. You can
enter any search term, including the name of your data items such as PI AF assets (process
equipment), PI AF attributes (process parameter), or PI points (tags).

Procedure
1. Create a new display or open an existing display on the home page.
◦ To create a new display, click New Display.
◦ To open an existing display, click a display thumbnail or search for a display by name or
owner.
2. Click Assets.

3. On the display, search for your data Assets pane.

You can also search by drilling down the navigation tree. See Search using the navigation
tree.
4. Enter a search term in search, and click or press Enter.

Note:
Search allows you to find PI AF elements, attributes, or PI points whose name exactly
matches the search or is found anywhere in the element, attribute, or PI point
description. You can also search using wildcards for partial matches. Do not use
quotation marks when entering search terms. A search results list displays under the
search. You may receive a message that the maximum number of assets has been
returned or search has timed out. You can re-try timed-out searches with more refined
terms to navigate further down a PI AF hierarchy. Using fewer wildcards may help as
well. To optimize your search, see About PI Vision's search engine.
5. Once you find the data item you want to visualize, choose a symbol type from the symbol
gallery. You can choose to see your data as a trend, a value, a table, a vertical, horizontal, or
radial gauge, an XY plot, or an asset comparison table.

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6. Click the data item and drag it from the Assets or Attributes panes onto the display.
You can drag either the parent asset, which automatically adds child attributes to the
display, or drag only an individual attribute from the Attributes pane. Assets without
attributes cannot be dragged.
To drag multiple data items, press the CTRL key, select the data items, and drag them onto
the display. For trends and tables, multiple data items are combined into a single symbol.
7. To view the same or another data item as a different symbol type, change the symbol type in
the symbol gallery and drag the data item onto the display.

About PI Vision's search engine

The PI Vision search engine returns items that start with the search phrase by default and
includes the use of any spaces in the string.
PI Vision searches the following fields:

• Tag/Asset/Attribute Name
• Tag/Asset/Attribute Description
Note:
Description search for elements and attributes is supported for PI AF Server versions
2.10.5 and later. Sites with a mix of PI AF Server versions support description matches if
the server version is 2.10.5 or higher.
You can use wildcards such as asterisks (*) when you do not know all the letters in the search
phrase. An asterisk is always assumed at the end of each entered search query.
Note:
You can turn off the default appended asterisk wildcard for the PI Vision server through a
database setting. For information about how to change this parameter, see the "PI Vision
Installation and Administration Guide" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com) or
download the PDF version from the OSIsoft Customer Portal (https://my.osisoft.com/).
Consider the following examples where asterisks are used in the search query:
Entered Search Query Search Results
gas Gas Tank Capacity, Gas Tank Level, Gas Tank Range
gas tank Gas Tank Capacity, Gas Tank Level, Gas Tank Range
level No results returned
*level Gas Tank Level
*tank Gas Tank Capacity, Gas Tank Level, Gas Tank Range

Search using the navigation tree

PI Vision’s Assets pane shows a navigation tree to help you visualize your data hierarchy. You
can use the navigation tree to find assets and their attributes by drilling down through the data
hierarchy.

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Procedure
1. In the Assets pane, select the check boxes next to the PI AF databases or PI Data Archive
servers that you would like to explore.

Click the arrow to begin navigating to your assets. As you drill down to your assets, you
can retrace your steps by clicking the back arrow, . Click Home to return to the list of your
PI AF databases and PI Data Archive servers.
If an asset has child attributes, they will be displayed in the Attributes pane.
2. Once you find the data item you want to visualize, choose a symbol type from the Symbol
Gallery. You can choose to see your data as a trend, a value, a table, a vertical, horizontal, or
radial gauge, an XY plot, or an asset comparison table. See Data visualization using symbols
for additional details.

3. Click the data item and drag it from the Assets or Attributes panes onto the display. You can
drag either the parent asset, which automatically adds all of its child attributes to the
display, or drag only an individual attribute from the Attributes pane. Assets without
attributes cannot be dragged.
To drag multiple data items, hold down CTRL key, select the data items, and drag them onto
the display. For trends and tables, and XY plots, multiple data items will be combined into a
single symbol.
4. To create another symbol using a different symbol type, select another symbol type from the
Symbol Gallery and drag a new data item onto the display.

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Once you find your process data, you can use symbols to visualize your data on a display.
Depending on the symbol type, you can add multiple data items per symbol by dragging and
dropping them from the search results. Symbols can show both dynamically updated and static
data. After the symbols are added to a display, you can position and resize them on the display
area.
PI Vision offers eight types of symbols that you can use to visualize and monitor data. You can
select your symbol types from the Symbol Gallery at the top of the Assets pane of the display.

The Symbol Gallery contains the following symbol types:

Icon Symbol type Purpose
Trend The trend symbol is a graph that lets you view values plotted against
time. Trends allow you to add multiple data items per symbol.
Value Use the value symbol to view your data as a value.

Table Use the table symbol to view one or more data items in a table format.
Tables allow you to add multiple data items per symbol.
Gauges Vertical, horizontal, and radial gauge symbols provide a graphical view
• Vertical of the data value at the end time of the display range and can be
customized to look like a variety of measuring instruments.
• Horizontal
• Radial

XY plot The XY plot allows you to correlate X-axis data sources with Y-axis data
sources to explore correlations between one or more pairs of data.
Asset Comparison The asset comparison table allows you to compare measurements and
Table other process information by organizing your data by assets.

Topics in this section

• Create a symbol
• Symbol types
• Change a symbol type
• Select and group multiple symbols
• View a symbol as a popup trend
• Ad hoc trending and analysis
• Calculations

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• Multi-state behaviors
• Contextual navigation links
• Symbol collection
• Excluded attributes

Create a symbol
You can create a symbol to visualize data in a display.

Procedure
1. In the Assets pane, find the data that you want to visualize in the symbol. See Searching for
data.
2. Choose a symbol type in the symbol gallery.

You can view data as a trend, value, table, gauge (vertical, horizontal, or radial), XY plot, or
asset comparison table. By default, the trend symbol type is selected.
3. Drag data items from the search results in the Assets or Attributes panes onto the display.
PI Vision inserts the selected symbol on the display and visualizes the chosen data items in
that symbol.

Symbol types
PI Vision offers eight types of symbols that you can use to visualize and monitor data.

Topics in this section

• Trend
• Value
• Table
• Gauges
• XY plot
• Asset comparison table

Trend
Use a trend symbol to view values of one or more data items plotted against time on a graph.
Trends are typically used to display time-series data, though they may also include non-time-
series data.
To add a trend to a display, select the trend symbol from the Symbol Gallery and then drag

your data item from the search results onto the display.

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1. Traces are the lines drawn on a trend that represent a series of data points from a data item.
When a trace is continuous, a line is drawn from measurement to measurement. When a
trace is discrete, the value is propagated forward until a new value is recorded in the
database. This results in horizontal and vertical lines for the tag (stepped trace).
2. Trend legend provides quick details about data items that are part of a trend and include the
data item's name, value, and unit of measure. The color of the legend corresponds with the
trace line used to draw the data on the trend. Clicking an item on the trend legend will
highlight the trace on the legend.
3. Value scale shows the range of values that appears within a trend.
4. Trend cursor helps you view your data with precision by showing a trend line, a legend
value, and a time stamp. Trend cursors are synchronized across multiple trends. Moving the
trend cursor over a trace changes the legend value. The legend value is the value of the data
on a trace at the time selected by the trend cursor. You can only view trend cursors when
you exit Design mode. (See Monitor trends with trend cursors.)

Value scale
Data values on a trend appear within a range of values that is referred to as the value scale. By
default, the value scale shows a separate scale for each data item (represented by a trace). The
scale indicates the highest high and lowest low values of the data items during the time range
of the display.
You can change the value scale to use a single consolidated scale for all data items, as opposed
to separate scales for each data item. Value scale settings persist for each trend even after you
close a display. You can also configure the maximum and minimum values of the value scale by
choosing between the maximum and minimum of the trend's plotted values or its pre-
configured maximum and minimum values. (See Configure trend and its style.)

Topics in this section

• Configure trend and its style

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• Delete or hide a trace

• Monitor trends with trend cursors
• Pan across a trend's time range
• Zoom in on a trend

Configure trend and its style

Use the Configure Trend pane to customize the trend. You can edit visual styles, scale options,
the time range, and the appearance of traces.

Procedure
1. Right-click the trend and then click Configure Trend to open the Configure Trend pane.
2. Under Trend Options, customize the trend and its scale:
◦ Plot Title
Select Plot Title and type in the text box below
◦ Foreground
Select the color of the foreground, which includes the start and end time and the duration
of the display.
◦ Background
Select the color of the background.
◦ Format
Select the default format for numbers in the trend:
Format Description
Database Show numbers in a format that depends on the data item:
▪ For PI points or PI AF attributes, the format depends on the value
of the point's DisplayDigits attribute:
◦ Zero or positive numbers specify the number of digits to display to
the right of the decimal point.
◦ Negative numbers specify the number of significant digits.

All data items show the thousands separator.

General Show all significant digits for numbers except for trailing zeros. If the
absolute value of the number is greater than 1x107 or less than 1x10-5,
the format will switch to use scientific notation.
Number Show numbers in the custom format that you specify:
▪ Decimal Places
The number of digits shown after the decimal.
▪ Use 1000 separator
Select this check box to show the thousands separator in large
numbers.
Scientific Show numbers in the format 0.00E+00.

◦ Traces

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Configure the presentation style of each trace in your trend.

▪ Line

Default setting. Displays a trace line with no individual recorded data points.

▪ Data Markers

Displays individual recorded data points with connecting lines between them.

▪ Scatter Plot

Displays individual recorded data points without any connecting lines.

◦ Grid

▪ Bands

Default setting. Horizontal bars in alternating colors that divide each value on the Y
axis.

▪ Lines

Horizontal and vertical lines that divide each item on the X and Y axises.

▪ Plain

Blank background with only tick marks on the axes

3. Under Value Scales, customize the number of scales and their range for the trend:
◦ Scale Type
Select the type of scale or scales shown on the axis:
▪ Multiple scales

Show separate high and low values for each individual data item on the trend. Each
scale shows a pair of high and low limits along the top and bottom of the value scale.
Incremental scale values are shown for the first trace.
▪ Single scale

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Show only one value scale comprised of the lowest and highest values for all the traces
in the trend.
▪ Invert scale

Select this check box to reverse the scale's maximum and minimum values.
Note:
These settings apply regardless of whether you set the scale according to minimum
and maximum values of the trend's range of plotted values or to their configured
database values.
◦ Scale Range
Select the range of values on the axis:
▪ Autorange of dynamic values

Set the scale to the minimum and maximum plotted values of the trend's time range.
▪ Database limits

Set the scale to the data item's configured minimum and maximum values.
▪ Custom limits

Set the maximum and minimum values manually by entering the Top and Bottom
values.
Note:
You can only set custom trend values for a trend that shows a single scale.
◦ Scale Labels
▪ Inside plot area

Set the single scale or multiple scale labels to display inside of the plot area.
▪ Outside plot area

Set the single scale or multiple scale labels to display outside of the plot area.

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Note:
Scale labels display inside of the plot area if you make the trend size too narrow
while using the Outside plot area setting.
4. Under Time Range, adjust the specific window and time scale for your trend:
◦ Start and End Times
Set the time range for the trend with three options:

▪ Display time range

Set the trend time range to what is configured for the overall display. Trends
configured with the Display time rangeoption update when you change the display
time. Conversely, changing the trend's time range by panning or zooming the trend
will also update the display time.
▪ Duration and Offset
Set the time range for the data displayed in the trend (in seconds, minutes, hours,
days, weeks, or months) and the offset from the overall display's end time (in
seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months). Trends configured with the
Duration and Offset option update when you change the display time. Updating the
time range for a trend configured with the Duration and Offsetoption by panning or
zooming the trend detaches it from the display's time.

▪ Use custom time range

Set a custom start time and end time for the trend. Relative PI Time is also acceptable
(Y, T, *,*, -8h, etc.). Trends configured with the Use custom time range option do not
update when you change the display time.
◦ Time Scale
Grid lines for the time scale line up with whole units of time, such as days, hours,
minutes, and so on. On a trend that receives updates, traces scroll as time passes. For an
updating trend, the current time is indicated by a dotted vertical line.
Configure labels for the time axis in one of three ways:

▪ Default
Shows only the start and stop time in the scale for your trend as defined by the Start
and End Times control.

▪ Timestamps
Labels the start and end time limits with the date and time. When space permits, the
elapsed time between these lines is also shown.

▪ Relative
Labels each grid line with the amount of time preceding the end time limit in days,
hours, minutes, or seconds. For example, the scale grid lines might be labeled -4h, -3h,
- 2h, -1h, meaning 4, 3, 2, and 1 hours before the end time.

▪ Offset from start time

Labels each grid line with the corresponding time markers counting up to the trend
end time. For example, for a time range of one day, each grid counts up to 24 for the
number of hours in a day.

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5. Under Trace Options, customize or delete the trend's individual traces.

a. If you have multiple traces on the trend, use the list of traces to select the trace you want
to configure or delete.

▪ Use the left pair of Up or Down arrows to move the selected trace higher or lower on
the trend in relationship to other traces.
▪ Use the right pair of Up or Down arrows to move the selected trace all the way to the
top or bottom of the trend.
▪ Click X to delete the selected trace.
b. Customize the appearance of the selected trace:
▪ Legend Label
Text that describes the trace. Select a label from the list (an attribute name or
description) or enter custom text.
▪ Color
Select the color of the trace.
▪ Weight
Set the width of the trace.
▪ Style
Select the style of the trace, which can be a line, dots, dashes of various lengths, or
combinations of dashes and dots.
▪ Marker
Select a symbol (if you want to include one) to add to the left of the trace Legend Label
▪ Format
Select the number format for the selected trace:
Format Description
Trend Setting Show numbers in the default format specified for the trend.
Database Show numbers in a format that depends on the data item:
◦ For PI points or PI AF attributes, the format depends on the
value of the point's DisplayDigits attribute:
◦ Zero or positive numbers specify the number of digits to display
to the right of the decimal point.
◦ Negative numbers specify the number of significant digits.

All data items show the thousands separator.

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Format Description
General Show all significant digits for numbers except for trailing zeros. If the
absolute value of the number is greater than 1x107 or less than
1x10-5, the format will switch to use scientific notation.
Number Show numbers in the custom format that you specify:
◦ Decimal Places

The number of digits shown after the decimal.

◦ Use 1000 separator
Select this check box to show the thousands separator in large
numbers.
Scientific Show numbers in the format 0.00E+00.

c. If your trend has multiple scales, use the Scale Range list to specify the maximum and
minimum values on the value scale of each trace.
Select from the following options:
▪ Default to trend settings
Set the scale of the trace to the settings defined for the trend in Scale Range setting
under Value Scales
▪ Set limits for this trace
Set the scale of the trace with one of the Scale Range options defined above.
6. Under Reset, click Use default settings to reset the trend and trace options to default
settings.
7. Click the down arrow at the top of the pane and then click Add Navigation Link to add a
navigation link to the symbol.
See Add a navigation link to another display or website.

Delete or hide a trace

A trace is a single line on a trend. You can delete or hide traces on any trend.

Procedure
1. To delete a trace, right-click anywhere on the trend and select Configure trend to open the
Format Trend pane.
a. Under Trace Options, use the trace list to select the trace you want to delete.
b. Click the X to remove the data item and its corresponding trace from the trend.
2. To hide a trace, right-click its trend legend on the trend and select Hide Trace.
The data item is grayed out, and you are no longer able to see its trace.
3. To show a hidden trace, right-click its grayed out trend legend and select Show Trace.

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Monitor trends with trend cursors

Trend cursors help you view your data with precision by showing a trend line, a legend value,
and a time stamp. Trend cursors are synchronized across multiple trends. The legend value is
the value of the data on a trace at the time selected by the trend cursor.
Cursors can be added, moved, and deleted.
Note:
Trends in PI Vision displays and the Ad Hoc Workspace support multiple cursors. Trends
shown in the PI ProcessBook Viewer and on Event Comparison displays only support a
single cursor.

Procedure
1. Click Monitor Operations, , to exit Design mode.

2. Add a cursor by clicking any area on a trend. Add as many cursors as you want. A cursor, its
value, and associated timestamp appear. Trend cursors appear across all the trends on your
display.
3. Remove a cursor by clicking and dragging the cursor off either side of the trend.

Pan across a trend's time range

To shift the time range on a trend backwards or forwards in time, you can either pan across the
time range directly on the trend or use the timebar at the bottom of the display.

Procedure
1. To pan across the time range directly on the trend, exit Design mode by clicking .

2. Move the cursor to the bottom of the trend until the cursor changes to a drag cursor.
3. Click the highlighted lower section of the trend and drag the trend left or right to pan across
the time range backwards or forwards. Panning across an individual trend will change the
time range of all the symbols on the display. The duration of the time range (1 hour, 8 hours,
1 day, etc.), will not be affected.

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4. To return back to the "now" and get dynamically updating data for all the symbols, click the
Now button on the timebar.

Zoom in on a trend
The trend zoom is a powerful analysis tool that allows you to zoom in on a particular range of
time and value in a display.
The trend zoom changes the start and end time for the entire display, thus affecting all symbols.

Procedure
1. Exit Design mode by clicking .

2. Drag your pointer over any area of a trend. The area you drag over remains illuminated,
while the remaining portions of the trend are grayed out.
3. Release the pointer. The trend redraws, zooming in on the area you just selected. The start
time and end time of the display, and all trend traces are adjusted accordingly.
Note:
To undo your last zoom action on a trend, press CTRL+Z.

Value
Use the value symbol to show the value of a data item on your display. A value is the reading
obtained for a data item at the end time of a display. It is shown as a number, time stamp,
string, or digital state. If the data item stores a URL, then the symbol shows an active hyperlink
in the display.
Value symbols are dynamic and update each time the underlying data item updates.
To add a value to a display, click the value symbol in the Symbol Gallery, and then drag a

data item from the search results onto the display.

Note:
When you create a value symbol from a data item that is in a null or shutdown state, the
value symbol is darkened.

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Topics in this section

• Format a value symbol
• Add a target indicator

Format a value symbol

Use the Format Value pane to create a short, custom label for your value symbol. You can also
use it to hide the label, the units of measurement (UOM), or the time stamp as well as to change
the fill, text, or value colors of the symbol.

Procedure
1. Right-click a value symbol and click Format Value to open the Format Value pane.
2. Under Style, set the colors, font, number format, and text alignment:
◦ Fill
Background color.
◦ Text
Color of text.
◦ Font Size
Size of font.
◦ Value
Color of value.
◦ Format
Number format:
Format Description
Database Show numbers in a format that depends on the data item:
▪ For PI points or PI AF attributes with a PI point data reference, the
format depends on the value of the point's DisplayDigits
attribute:
◦ Zero or positive numbers specify the number of digits to display to
the right of the decimal point.
◦ Negative numbers specify the number of significant digits.
▪ For PI AF attributes without a PI point data reference, numbers
show 5 significant digits.
All data items show the thousands separator.
General Show all significant digits for numbers except for trailing zeros. If the
absolute value of the number is greater than 1x107 or less than 1x10-5,
the format will switch to use scientific notation.

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Format Description
Number Show numbers in the custom format that you specify:
▪ Decimal Places
The number of digits shown after the decimal.
▪ Use 1000 separator
Select this check box to show the thousands separator in large
numbers.
Scientific Show numbers in the format 0.00E+00.

◦ Text Alignment
Either Left, Center, or Right.
3. Under Visibility, specify the information that appears in the value symbol
◦ Label
Create a custom label or choose a default label from the list. Clear the check box to hide
the label.
◦ Units
Clear the check box to hide the units of measurement.
◦ Timestamp
Clear the check box to hide the value's time stamp (consisting of a date and time).
◦ Value
Clear the check box to hide the value.
◦ Show Indicator
If the target is defined, select the check box to view the target indicator. See Add a target
indicator.
4. Click the down arrow at the top of the pane and then click the option to add a multi-state
or a navigation link to the symbol.
See Multi-state behaviors or Add a navigation link to another display or website.

Add a target indicator

A target indicator allows you to compare your attribute's value against a target value. Using the
target indicator, you can quickly see the departure of a variable from a set point and judge if
your parameter is over or under the target value.
Note:
To use the target indicator, the attribute must have a value set for the limit attribute trait
Target in PI System Explorer. For more information, see the PI Server topic "Attribute
traits" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
Target indicators are available for value symbols and table symbols. For more information
about viewing the target in a table symbol, see Configure a table.

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Procedure
1. Find the desired attribute that has a defined target in PI System Explorer and view it as a
value symbol on the display.
2. Right-click the value symbol and click Format Value to open the Format Value pane.
3. In the Format Value pane, under Target Value Indicator, select the Show Indicator check
box.
Note:
The Show Indicator check box will only appear for attributes that have a defined
target in PI System Explorer.
The target indicator arrow, the target value, and the target differential will be shown to the
right of the attribute value.

4. Under Target Value Indicator, you can customize the target indicator by setting the
following:
a. Show Differential
The differential shows the difference between the attribute value and the target value. To
hide the differential, clear the check box.

▪ By Percent: Show the differential as a percentage.

▪ By Value: Show the differential as a value.
b. Show Target
To hide the target value, clear the check box.
c. Up Color
Select the color of the target arrow and the differential when the attribute's value is
above the target value.
d. Down Color
Select the color of the target arrow and the differential when the attribute's value is
below the target value.

Table
Use the table symbol to add one or more data items to a display in a table format.
To add a table symbol to a display, click the table symbol in the Symbol Gallery and then

drag data items from the search results onto the display.
If the data item stores a URL, then the Value column contains an active hyperlink (depicted by
) for the data item in the table.
To sort the data columns in alphabetical or numerical order, click a column heading. Clicking
the heading more than once reverses the sort order.

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To resize columns, hover your mouse cursor over a column separator in the table heading and
move the double-arrow cursor to the appropriate width. Change the column order by clicking
on a column header and dragging it to another location on the table, either left or right.
Note:
You can add dynamic search criteria to a table and automatically find, show, and update
data from similar assets inside the table. See Add dynamic search criteria.

Configure a table
Use the Configure Table pane to customize the table's columns and rows.
The table symbol contains columns for the name, value, description, and other summary data
about a data item. These summary data values take their intervals from the display's time
range as defined in the time bar.

Procedure
1. Right-click the table and click Configure Table to open the Configure Table pane.
2. Under Style, select the table style that best accommodates your work environment. Choose
from default, light, or dark.
3. Under Columns, select the check boxes next to the columns you want to include (and clear
the check boxes next to the columns you want to exclude):

◦ Path
Full path of the data item. For PI points (tags), this is the path to the PI Data Archive
server. For PI AF assets and attributes the path is the entire PI AF path up until the last
asset-attribute pair.
Note:
Longer path names are truncated. Move the mouse pointer over the truncated path
name to get the full text in a tooltip.
◦ Name
Name of the data item (for example, the PI points or asset-attribute pair).
◦ Description
Description as defined in the descriptor property for PI points or the description
attribute for PI AF data.
◦ Value
Reading or snapshot obtained at the specified end time of the time bar. It is shown as a
number or a digital-state string.
◦ Units
Unit of measure for the data item.
◦ Time
Time stamp when the value was last updated.
◦ Trend

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Graphic that provides a quick way to see how a data item is trending. For example, if an
operator notices that the volume of a sparkline is escalating rapidly, it may be an
indication that there might be a problem that requires further analysis.
◦ Target
Aimed-for measurement value to which you can compare your attribute's value.
Note:
To see the target, a target must be defined when setting the limit attribute traits in
PI System Explorer. For more information, see the PI Server topic "Attribute traits"
in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
◦ Target Indicator
Arrow that indicates if your attribute is over or under the target value.
◦ Target % Δ
Differential between the attribute value and the target value as a percentage.
◦ Target Δ
Differential between the attribute value and the target value.
◦ Average
Average value of the data item using the display range as the interval.
◦ Minimum
Minimum value of the data item using the display range as the interval.
◦ Maximum
Maximum value of the data item using the display range as the interval.
◦ StdDev
Standard deviation of values on the display range.
◦ Range
Difference between a data item's maximum and minimum values.
◦ PStDev
Population standard deviation of values on the display range.
Note:
To change the order of columns, you can directly move them in the table.
4. Under Numbers, select the display format of numbers.

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Format Description
Database Show numbers in a format that depends on the data item:
◦ For PI points or PI AF attributes with a PI point data reference, the
format depends on the value of the point's DisplayDigits
attribute:
▪ Zero or positive numbers specify the number of digits to display to
the right of the decimal point.
▪ Negative numbers specify the number of significant digits.
◦ For PI AF attributes without a PI point data reference, numbers show
5 significant digits.
All data items show the thousands separator.
General Show all significant digits for numbers except for trailing zeros. If the
absolute value of the number is greater than 1x107 or less than 1x10-5, the
format will switch to use scientific notation.
Number Show numbers in the custom format that you specify:
◦ Decimal Places
The number of digits shown after the decimal.
◦ Use 1000 separator
Select this check box to show the thousands separator in large
numbers.
Scientific Show numbers in the format 0.00E+00.

5. Under Rows, use the rows list to select, move, or delete a row:
◦ Use the left pair of up or down arrows to move the selected row higher or lower on the
table.
◦ Use the right pair of up or down arrows to move the selected row all the way to the top or
bottom of the table.
◦ Click X to delete the selected row.
6. Click the down arrow at the top of the pane and then click Add Navigation Link to add a
navigation link to the symbol.
See Add a navigation link to another display or website.

Gauges
Gauge symbols provide a graphical view of the value reading at the end time of the display
range, and allow you to determine at a glance whether that value is within an acceptable range.
Gauges provide a scale, tick marks, and a bar, arc or pointer that indicates the current value.
Note:
If you hover over a gauge symbol with your mouse pointer, a tooltip appears with
additional information about your data item.
To add a gauge to a display, select the vertical , horizontal , or radial gauge

symbol icon from the Symbol Gallery.

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Horizontal or vertical gauge

Vertical and horizontal gauges show the current value of your data and provide a customizable
bar, label, and scale.

Radial gauge
Radial gauges show the current value of your data and provide a customizable indicator, dial
face, label, and scale.

Note:
When you create a gauge symbol from a data item that is in a System Digital State, the
gauge symbol appears striped.

Topics in this section

• Format a horizontal or vertical gauge
• Format a radial gauge

Format a horizontal or vertical gauge

Use the Format Gauge pane to customize a horizontal or vertical gauge and change its
appearance, scale, and labels.

Procedure
1. Right-click a gauge symbol and click Format Gauge to open the Format Gauge pane.
2. Under Style, customize the gauge's colors.

◦ Bar
Color of the bar. The bar shows the value of a measurement on the scale.
◦ Fill
Color of the fill. The fill is the gauge's background above the bar (or below the bar if the
gauge is inverted).

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◦ Outline
Color of the border, value scale, and label.
◦ Weight
Thickness of the border.
◦ Value
Color of the value.
◦ Format
Display format of the value.
Format Description
Database Show numbers in a format that depends on the data item:
▪ For PI points or PI AF attributes with a PI point data reference, the
format depends on the value of the point's DisplayDigits
attribute:
◦ Zero or positive numbers specify the number of digits to display to
the right of the decimal point.
◦ Negative numbers specify the number of significant digits.
▪ For PI AF attributes without a PI point data reference, numbers
show 5 significant digits.
All data items show the thousands separator.
General Show all significant digits for numbers except for trailing zeros. If the
absolute value of the number is greater than 1x107 or less than 1x10-5,
the format will switch to use scientific notation.
Number Show numbers in the custom format that you specify:
▪ Decimal Places
The number of digits shown after the decimal.
▪ Use 1000 separator
Select this check box to show the thousands separator in large
numbers.
Scientific Show numbers in the format 0.00E+00.

3. Under Visibility, select the check boxes next to the information that you want on the gauge.

◦ Label
Text that describes the gauge. Select a label from the list (an attribute name or
description) or enter custom text.
◦ Value
Value of the attribute.
◦ Units
Units of measurement for the attribute.
4. Under Scale Range, configure the maximum and minimum values on the scale.
◦ Use database settings
Set the scale to the data item's configured minimum and maximum values.

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Select the Invert Scale check box to reverse the start and end scale values.
◦ Enter custom settings
Set the maximum and minimum values of the gauge manually. Enter the Top and Bottom
values for vertical gauges, or enter the Right and Left values for horizontal gauges. To
reverse the start and end scale values, enter the numbers in reverse.
◦ Select an option from the Scale Range drop-down list. the start value, which is the point
on the scale from which you want to start drawing the bar.
◦ Select a Start Value
Use the scale start value from the AF database (Default).
Select Custom to change the point at which the scale values begin.
Note:
If your actual value is less than your start value, your bar will display inversely.
5. Click the down arrow at the top of the pane and then click the option to add a multi-state
or a navigation link to the symbol.
See Multi-state behaviors or Add a navigation link to another display or website.

Format a radial gauge

Use the Format Gauge pane to customize a radial gauge and change its appearance, scales, and
labels.

Procedure
1. Right-click the gauge and then click Format Gauge to open the Format Gauge pane.
2. Under Style, customize the appearance of the gauge:
◦ Type
Indicator type for the gauge. You can select an arc, a triangle, a pointer, or a line.
◦ Angle
Angle of the face.
◦ Indicator
Color of the indicator.
◦ Size
Size of the indicator.
◦ Fill
Color of the fill. The fill is the dial area. For an arc-type indicator, the fill is the
background.
◦ Outline
Color of the outline. The outline is the scale's border without the tick marks and scale
labels.
◦ Weight
Thickness of the outline.

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◦ Scale
Color of the tick marks and labels.
◦ Value
Color of the data value.
◦ Format
Display format of the value.
0. 3
Format Description
Database Show numbers in a format that depends on the data item:
▪ For PI points or PI AF attributes with a PI point data reference, the
format depends on the value of the point's DisplayDigits
attribute:
◦ Zero or positive numbers specify the number of digits to display to
the right of the decimal point.
◦ Negative numbers specify the number of significant digits.
▪ For PI AF attributes without a PI point data reference, numbers
show 5 significant digits.
All data items show the thousands separator.
General Show all significant digits for numbers except for trailing zeros. If the
absolute value of the number is greater than 1x107 or less than 1x10-5,
the format will switch to use scientific notation.
Number Show numbers in the custom format that you specify:
▪ Decimal Places
The number of digits shown after the decimal.
▪ Use 1000 separator
Select this check box to show the thousands separator in large
numbers.
Scientific Show numbers in the format 0.00E+00.

3. Under Visibility, customize the information you want to appear on the gauge:

◦ Label
Text that describes the gauge. Select a label from the list (an attribute name or
description) or enter custom text.
◦ Value
Value of the attribute.
◦ Units
Units of measurement for the attribute.
◦ Label Location
Location of the label, either above or below the gauge.
◦ Scale
Amount of labels on the scale, either all or only the first and last labels.

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4. Under Scale Range, configure the maximum and minimum values on the scale:
◦ Database limits
Set the scale to the data item's configured minimum and maximum values.
Select the Invert Scale check box to reverse the start and end scale values.
◦ Custom limits
Set the maximum and minimum values of the gauge manually. Enter the Right and Left
values. To reverse the start and end scale values, enter the numbers in reverse.
Note:
When working with data containing digital states (such as LOW, HIGH, OPEN, CLOSE,
ON, or OFF) rather than numerical values, you will be able to select digital states
from the list for the start and end of the scale. For more information, see the PI
Server topic "Digital state sets" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
◦ Arc start
Use the scale start value from the AF database (Default).
◦ Select Custom to change the point at which the scale values begin.
Note:
If your actual value is less than your start value, your bar will display inversely.
5. Click the down arrow at the top of the pane and then click the option to add a multi-state
or a navigation link to the symbol.
See Multi-state behaviors or Add a navigation link to another display or website.

XY plot
Use an XY plot (also called a scatter plot) to correlate one or more X-axis data sources with one
or more Y-axis data sources. On an XY plot, each axis shows possible values from their
respective data sources. The plot matches recorded values from the X-axis data source with
recorded values from the Y-axis data source and marks each matched pair with a data point.
For example, the following image shows a basic XY plot.

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The example shows 10-minute intervals of two data items, A and B, for the last hour. Item A
had 12 recorded values; item B had 16 recorded values. The number of plotted data points
equals the number of pairs. Since A had fewer recorded values, the plot shows only 12 data
points. PI Vision ignores the extra recorded values from point B. You can configure the method
to pair values.
Correlation measures the strength of the relationship between two variables. The plot
indicates correlation by the spread of the data points around a fitted straight line (for example,
a straight line that indicates the trend of the data). In general, the closer the points are to the
fitted line, the stronger the correlation. The following plot shows perfectly correlated data.

PI Vision provides the following XY plot capabilities:

Capability Operational Requirement
Plot one or more process variables against an Identify correlations and anomalies in the process.
independent process variable for a specified
period.
Plot multiple series with unique X-axis Compare operations over multiple assets and time
components. ranges.
Plot a theoretical reference curve alongside Compare the performance of assets to an ideal
process data. benchmark operation.
Follow the steps in the OSIsoft Tech Support article
KB01580 (https://techsupport.osisoft.com/
Troubleshooting/KB/KB01580) - Plot a reference
curve on an XY Plot.

Plot a current operating (single) point on a static Evaluate the current state of your process.
curve.

Topics in this section

• Create an XY plot
• Change attributes in an XY plot
• Configure data pairing for an XY plot
• Configure axis scales for an XY plot

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• Format data pairs for an XY plot

• Configure general settings for an XY plot
• Compare attributes at different times on same XY plot
• Zoom in on an XY plot

Create an XY plot
To create an XY plot, drag data items from the Assets pane to the display. A plot requires at
least two data items for data to be visible.

Procedure
1. In the Assets pane, find the data items that you want to plot.
2. Click XY Plot in the symbol gallery.

3. Drag the data items from the Assets pane to the display.
PI Vision creates an XY plot and adds the data items:
◦ If you drag a single data item, PI Vision creates an empty XY plot with the added item
designated as the X-axis data source.
◦ If you drag multiple items simultaneously, PI Vision designates one as the X-axis data
source and others as Y-axis data sources.
◦ If you drag any additional items, PI Vision adds the items as Y-axis data sources.
◦ If you drag an asset rather than an attribute, PI Vision adds all the data items under that
asset.
After you drag at least two items, PI Vision opens the Configure XY Plot pane and assigns
default values. The plot shows color coded data points for paired values. Labels on the X-
and Y-axes show their respective data source names.

After you finish

Customize the configuration of the XY plot:
• Change attributes in an XY plot
• Configure data pairing for an XY plot
• Configure axis scales for an XY plot
• Format data pairs for an XY plot
• Configure general settings for an XY plot

Change attributes in an XY plot

In an existing XY plot, use the Configure XY Plot pane to add attributes, to delete attributes, or
to change the order of attributes.

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Before you start

Open the Configure XY Plot pane:
• When creating a new XY plot, add a second data item.
• For an existing plot, right-click the plot and then click Configure XY Plot.
Under Attributes, the pane lists a table of attributes. Each row lists an attribute that appears on
the X-axis and the paired attributes on the Y-axis.

Procedure
• To add attributes:
To add attribute to: Do this:
X-axis Drag an attribute from the Assets pane, Calculations, or Columns pane to
the DRAG TO ADD cell in the X-axis column.
PI Vision creates a new row in the table with the asset as an X-axis data
source.

Y-axis Drag an attribute from theAssets pane, Calculations, or Columns pane to the
DRAG TO ADD cell in the Y-axis column of the row that contains the
desired X-axis attribute.
PI Vision pairs the new attribute with the attribute in the X-axis.

• To delete attributes:
a. In the table, select the row that contains the attribute.
b. Find the attribute under either X-Axis or Y-Axis.
c. Click Delete .

Note:
You cannot delete the only attribute in the X-axis.
• To change the order of attributes:

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a. In the table, select the row that contains the attribute.

b. Find the attribute under either X Data Options or Y Data Options.
c. Click Down to move the attribute down in the list or click Up to move the attribute
up in the list.
Note:
You cannot delete the only attribute in the X-axis.

Configure data pairing for an XY plot

In an existing XY plot, use the Configure XY Plot pane to configure how PI Vision retrieves data
for each attribute and matches recorded values for paired attributes to create a data point.

Before you start

Open the Configure XY Plot pane:
• When creating a new XY plot, add a second data item.
• For an existing plot, right-click the plot and then click Configure XY Plot.
Under Attributes, the pane lists a table of attributes. Each row lists an attribute that appears on
the X-axis and the paired attributes on the Y-axis.

Procedure
1. Select an X-axis row.
2. Under X Data Options, configure the X-axis attribute.
◦ From the Data Retrieval list, select the method to retrieve X-axis attribute data:
▪ Sampled
Retrieve interpolated X-axis values for the specified time range in regular intervals.
For example, if the time range is one hour and the Interval is set to 10m, then PI Vision
retrieves six values spaced 10 minutes apart. This option provides a way to retrieve
evenly sampled data.

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Note:
If you select this method, you must specify the sampling interval for your data.
Enter a value in the Interval field and select a unit of time (second, minute, hour,
day, week, month, or year).
▪ Compressed
Retrieve the actual values at their recorded times in PI Data Archive between the
specified start and end time.
Note:
Compressed Data Retrieval is not available when you use a calculation for your
X-axis.
▪ Current Value
Retrieve a single X-axis value at the current time of the display.
◦ To enter a custom start and end time, which is independent of the display time range,
select the Use Custom Time Range check box .
The custom time range setting applies to both X-axis and Y-axis data sources in the data
pair.
Note:
To specify an offset, enter a PI time expression that contains only a time offset. The
implied reference time is the end time of the display. See PI time expressions.
3. For each Y-axis attribute (listed under a separate Y Data Options section), configure the
data pairing and data retrieval method.
◦ Under Data Pairing to X, select the method to match this Y-axis attribute with the X-axis
attribute:
▪ Paired by timestamp
PI Vision finds Y-axis attribute values using the time stamp of each retrieved X-axis
value.
▪ Paired by position in the list
PI Vision retrieves Y-axis values independently of X-axis values and pairs the values by
position in the list of values. (Y1 is paired with X1, Y2 is paired with X2, and so on.) This
option allows you to specify different time ranges for X-axis and Y-axis values.
Note:
PI Vision ignores Y-axis values in excess of the number of retrieved X-axis values.
◦ From the Data Retrieval list, select the method to retrieve Y-axis attribute data. Available
retrieval methods depend on the selected data-pairing method.
Retrieval methods for data paired by time stamp:
▪ Interpolated
Retrieve interpolated Y-axis values at the same time stamp as each retrieved X-axis
data point. X-axis and Y-axis values for each data point represent process
measurements from the same point in time.
▪ Exact time
Retrieve only actual Y-axis values with the same time stamp as the X-axis values.

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▪ Exact time or previous value

Retrieve Y-axis values with the same time stamp as the X-axis values. When a Y-axis
value is unavailable at the X-axis time stamp, use the previous Y-axis value.
▪ Exact time or next value
Retrieve Y-axis values with the same time stamp as the X-axis values. When a Y-axis
value is unavailable at the X-axis time stamp, use the next Y-axis value.
Retrieval methods for data paired by position:
▪ Sampled
Retrieve interpolated Y-axis values for the specified time range in regular intervals. If
you choose this method, you must specify the Interval period for sampling your data.
▪ Compressed
Retrieve the actual values stored between the specified start and end time.
Note:
Compressed Data Retrieval is not available when you use a calculation for your
Y-axis
For data paired by position, select the Override X Time Range check box to use a different
time range. Enter the start and end times of the time range.

Configure axis scales for an XY plot

In an existing XY plot, use the Configure XY Plot pane to customize the value scales for the X-
and Y-axis.

Procedure
1. Right-click the XY plot, and then click Configure XY Plot to open the Configure XY Plot pane.
2. Under Scales, configure the scales and their values:
a. To view a separate scale for each Y-axis data source, select the Multiple Y Scales check
box.
b. From the Scale Range list, select the method for determining the minimum and
maximum values on the scales:

▪ Use range of plotted values

Set the scale to the minimum and maximum plotted values during the plot's time
range.
▪ Use database settings
Set the scale to the preconfigured minimum and maximum values.
▪ Enter custom settings
Set the maximum and minimum X and Y values by manually entering their values.
c. From the Color list, select the color of the values on the scales.

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Format data pairs for an XY plot

In an existing XY plot, use the Configure XY Plot pane to customize the format for each pair of X-
axis and Y-axis attributes. You can set the color, marker, line, and number format for each data
pair.

Before you start

Open the Configure XY Plot pane:
• When creating a new XY plot, add a second data item.
• For an existing plot, right-click the plot and then click Configure XY Plot.

Procedure
1. In the Configure XY Plot pane, expand the Format section.
Tip:
You can collapse the Attributes section to access the Format tab.
2. Select the row in the table that corresponds to the X-axis and Y-axis data pair that you want
to format.
3. Specify how the selected data pair appears in the XY plot:
◦ Color
Select the color for the data pair.
◦ Marker Style
Select the type of marker for each data point on the plot.
◦ Most Recent Points
Select the number of recent data points to highlight in the Count list, and select the color
for those points in the Color list.
◦ Connecting Line
Select the check box to show a line connecting each data point.
◦ Regression Line
Select the check box to show a linear regression line.
◦ Correlation Coefficient
Select the check box to show the calculated correlation coefficient in the legend.
◦ Legend
Select the information you want in the legend for the data pair.
◦ Format
Select the number format for the data pair:
Format Description
Default Show numbers in the format specified for the plot under General.

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Format Description
Database Show numbers in a format that depends on the data item:
▪ For PI points or PI AF attributes with a PI point data reference, the
format depends on the value of the point's DisplayDigits
attribute:
◦ Zero or positive numbers specify the number of digits to display to
the right of the decimal point.
◦ Negative numbers specify the number of significant digits.
▪ For PI AF attributes without a PI point data reference, numbers
show 5 significant digits.
All data items show the thousands separator.
General Show all significant digits for numbers except for trailing zeros. If the
absolute value of the number is greater than 1x107 or less than 1x10-5,
the format will switch to use scientific notation.
Number Show numbers in the custom format that you specify:
▪ Decimal Places
The number of digits shown after the decimal.
▪ Use 1000 separator
Select this check box to show the thousands separator in large
numbers.
Scientific Show numbers in the format 0.00E+00.

Configure general settings for an XY plot

In an existing XY plot, use the Configure XY Plot pane to configure general settings for the plot.
You can configure the default number format, background, legend, and axes labels for the plot.

Before you start

Open the Configure XY Plot pane:
• When creating a new XY plot, add a second data item.
• For an existing plot, right-click the plot and then click Configure XY Plot.

Procedure
1. In the Configure XY Plot pane, expand the General section.
Tip:
You can collapse the Attributes section.
2. Specify desired properties of the XY plot:
◦ Format
Select the default format for numbers in the trend:

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Format Description
Database Show numbers in a format that depends on the data item:
▪ For PI points or PI AF attributes with a PI point data reference, the
format depends on the value of the point's DisplayDigits
attribute:
◦ Zero or positive numbers specify the number of digits to display to
the right of the decimal point.
◦ Negative numbers specify the number of significant digits.
▪ For PI AF attributes without a PI point data reference, numbers
show 5 significant digits.
All data items show the thousands separator.
General Show all significant digits for numbers except for trailing zeros. If the
absolute value of the number is greater than 1x107 or less than 1x10-5,
the format will switch to use scientific notation.
Number Show numbers in the custom format that you specify:
▪ Decimal Places
The number of digits shown after the decimal.
▪ Use 1000 separator
Select this check box to show the thousands separator in large
numbers.
Scientific Show numbers in the format 0.00E+00.

◦ Background
Select the color of the background.
◦ Plot Title
Select the check box to include a title, and then enter the title inside the text field, and
select the position and color for the title.
◦ Legend
Select the check box to show the plot's legend. Then select the position of the legend and
color of text in the legend and the X-axis label.
◦ Grid Lines
Select the check box to show or hide grid lines on the plot. You can also set the Color for
the grid lines.
◦ Engineering Units
Select the check box to show the units of measurement on the legend and the X-axis label.
◦ X-Axis Label
Select the check box to show an X-axis label, and then select the label.
◦ Y-Axis Label
Select the check box to show the Y-axis label, and then select the label.

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Compare attributes at different times on same XY plot

You can compare data points from different time periods on the same XY plot. For example, if a
process repeats at a particular frequency, you can compare the values from different iterations
of the same phase of the process, such as comparing morning startup to afternoon startup.
Similarly, you can compare values to an ideal situation, such as a "golden batch" or optimal
startup. Follow this procedure to plot additional points that show the same attributes already
in an existing XY plot but at a different time.

Procedure
1. Right-click the XY plot, and then click Configure XY Plot to open the Configure XY Plot pane.
2. For each additional time period that you want plotted, add the paired attributes to the table
under Attributes.
a. Drag the X-axis attribute from the Assets pane to the DRAG TO ADD cell in the X-Axis
column.
b. Drag the Y-axis attribute from the Assets pane to the DRAG TO ADD cell in the Y-Axis
column.
c. Verify the data retrieval methods for the added attributes.
For consistency, use the same data retrieval methods for comparable paired attributes.
3. Set the time period for each set of paired attributes.
a. Select the row in the table under Attributes that corresponds to the paired attributes.
b. Under X Data Options, select the Use Custom Time Range check box.
c. Specify the time period for the selected paired attributes. Enter values in both Start and
End.

▪ For repeatable processes, select Offset and enter a PI time abbreviation for the time
offset that represents the frequency of the process. For example, if a process happens
twice a day, then it happens every 12 hours: enter -12h; if a process happens three
times a day, then it happens every 8 hours: enter -8h.
▪ For a reference process, such as a golden batch, select Time and enter the time when
the reference process occurred.
After you specify a custom time range, PI Vision adds an icon to the X-axis label in the
table, and a tooltip shows the time range.

4. Format each data pair for easy identification in the plot.

a. Expand the Format section.
A table lists each paired attribute. An icon marks rows where the time for the paired
attribute differs from the display time, and a tooltip shows how the time differs.

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b. In the table of attributes, select the row that corresponds to the data pair you want to
format.
c. Set the properties to identify the data pair in the plot. For example, you can set color,
marker style and color, and lines.

Zoom in on an XY plot
The Zoom feature allows you to zoom in on a particular range of time and value in an XY plot
on your display.
Since an XY plot does not compare a symbol attribute against type, Zoom allows you to get a
closer look at the data you are comparing within each axis's individual scale.

Procedure
1. Exit Design mode by clicking .

2. Once you are out of Design mode, right-click your XY plot and then click Zoom In.
3. Once your XY plot has zoomed in, right-click it again and select Zoom In to continue to zoom
in on your XY plot, select Zoom Out to back your zoom out by one, or select Reset to return
your XY plot to the default view.
Note:
To undo your last zoom action on an XY plot, use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+Z.

Asset comparison table

Use an asset comparison table to compare measurements and other process information by
organizing data by assets. Each asset has its own row. Each column contains the asset's
selected attributes. If an attribute stores a URL, then the cell becomes an active hyperlink
(indicated by ).
You can add dynamic search criteria to an asset comparison table to automatically find and
show data from similar assets inside one table. See Add dynamic search criteria.
Note:
To sort the data in columns in numerical or alphabetical order, click a column heading.
Clicking the column heading more than once reverses the sort order. To change the order
of columns, select a column and drag it to another column inside the table.

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Topics in this section

• Create an asset comparison table
• Configure an asset comparison table

Create an asset comparison table

Procedure
1. To add an asset comparison table to a display, select the asset comparison table symbol
from the Symbol Gallery.

2. Drag and drop one or more assets or attributes from the search results onto the display.
Data from the same asset is organized on the same row.
3. Drag and drop additional assets to automatically create new rows with existing attribute
columns.

4. Drag and drop additional attributes to perform the following:

◦ Create new attribute columns for all assets in the table.
◦ Create new asset rows if the additional attributes belong to new assets.

Configure an asset comparison table

Use the Configure Table pane to customize the asset comparison table.

Procedure
1. Right-click the table and then click Configure Table to open the Configure Table pane.
2. Under Columns, customize the attribute columns:
◦ To add an attribute column to the table, select the attribute in the Additional Attributes
list and click the up arrow.
◦ To remove an attribute column from the table, select the attribute in the Current Columns
list and click the down arrow.
◦ To show the units of measurement in a column, click a column in the list and select the
Show Units check box.
Tip:
To change the order of the columns, select a column's header in the table and drag it to
another column.
3. Under Numbers, customize the format of numbers in the table.

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Format Description
Database Show numbers in a format that depends on the data item:
◦ For PI points or PI AF attributes with a PI point data reference, the
format depends on the value of the point's DisplayDigits
attribute:
▪ Zero or positive numbers specify the number of digits to display to
the right of the decimal point.
▪ Negative numbers specify the number of significant digits.
◦ For PI AF attributes without a PI point data reference, numbers show
5 significant digits.
All data items show the thousands separator.
General Show all significant digits for numbers except for trailing zeros. If the
absolute value of the number is greater than 1x107 or less than 1x10-5, the
format will switch to use scientific notation.
Number Show numbers in the custom format that you specify:
◦ Decimal Places
The number of digits shown after the decimal.
◦ Use 1000 separator
Select this check box to show the thousands separator in large
numbers.
Scientific Show numbers in the format 0.00E+00.

4. Under Rows, customize the asset rows.

◦ To delete a row, select it on the list and click the trash icon.
◦ To view the units of measurement, choose a row from the list and select the Show Units
check box.
5. Click the down arrow at the top of the pane and then click the option to add a multi-state
or a navigation link to the symbol.
See Multi-state behaviors or Add a navigation link to another display or website.

Change a symbol type

After you create a symbol on the display, you can easily change it to a different symbol type.
However, you cannot change an events table to a different symbol type.

Procedure
1. Right-click the existing symbol you want to change and click Switch symbol to.
2. From the sub-menu, select the new desired symbol type.
Note:
Multi-data item symbols like trends or tables can only transition into other multi-data
item symbols. For example, tables can transition to trends and trends to tables. If a
trend or a table only has one data item, then it can transition to any other symbol.

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Select and group multiple symbols

When working in Design mode, you can select, move, copy/paste multiple symbols. Once
multiple symbols are selected, you can group them into a single object.

Procedure
1. To select multiple symbols on your display, you can:
◦ Click an empty area of the screen, hold down the mouse button, and drag your cursor
over the section of the display that contains the symbols you want to select.
◦ Hold CTRL and click on each of the symbols you want to select.
To select all the symbols on the display at once, press CTRL + A.
2. To group selected symbols into a single object, right-click one of the selected symbols and
click Group Symbols.
You can move the group by clicking anywhere inside the group.
3. Once you group objects on the display, you can:
◦ Select and edit any individual symbol inside the group by click the group and then
clicking the symbol you want to select.
◦ Save the group by saving the display.
◦ Move the group in Design mode by dragging the object anywhere on the display.
4. To ungroup the symbols, right-click the group and click Ungroup Symbols

View a symbol as a popup trend

To get a more detailed view of your equipment, you can view the data from any symbol in a
popup trend. The popup trend lets you drill into the data from a single symbol by opening it in
new screen. After you get a deeper look at your symbol data inside a popup trend, you can
return to your original display.
Note:
This feature is not available in Design mode.

Procedure
1. Double-click any data symbol on your display to open a popup trend.
Note:
If the symbol contains a hyperlink, clicking the symbol takes you to the link and does
not open the popup trend. To open the popup trend for a linked symbol, right-click it
and click Drill In > Popup Trend. To learn more about hyperlinks in symbols, see Add a
navigation link to a symbol.
2. Click inside an opened popup trend to view trend cursors. You can also use a trend zoom
and pan across the popup trend's time range by dragging the lower section of the trend left
or right.
3. Click Back to return to your original display.

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Ad hoc trending and analysis

Ad hoc trending is a tool for troubleshooting an active problem with an asset or process. Ad hoc
analysis allows you to interact directly with the data and focus on it rather than on the
configuration or presentation. Some additional advantages of using ad hoc trending include:
• The ability to select data from different parts of an asset or process to see how they trend
together and to visualize the trends over time.
• The ability to select data from multiple displays for a broader view of trends.
• You don't need to know the data item by name or by location in an PI AF hierarchy.
• You can use the summary table to quickly view averages, minimums, and maximums.
Topics in this section provide information these and other ad hoc features.

Ad Hoc Workspace
The Ad Hoc Workspace is the area where you can view and explore the trends of the data you
select for analysis. You can interact with the trend by setting up the trend scales to see the right
view of data, using cursors to view values at specific times, and changing the time range of the
trend.

Create an ad hoc trend

You can add items to an ad hoc trend display in the Ad Hoc Workspace. You can do this in a few
different ways.
Note:
To create or add to an ad hoc trend, you must be in monitoring mode and not in Design
mode.

Procedure
1. Right-click a symbol or data item and then click Add Selection to Ad Hoc. The menu options
differ depending on the type of data item as shown in this table:
Data type Selection that can be added to ad hoc
Table Single row, attribute from all table assets
Trend Trace
Asset Comparison Table Table cell, attribute from all table assets
Collection Symbol, attribute from all collection assets
Symbol with data Symbol
Search pane Attributes
Events pane Attributes

The data item is added to the Ad Hoc Workspace.

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Note:
PI AF attributes, PI tags, and display-level calculations are supported data sources for
ad hoc trends.
Alternatively, press Ctrl and click multiple symbols on a display and then click Add Selection
to Ad Hoc or, add items from the search pane using the context menu, Add Data Item to Ad
Hoc.
2. Click Show Ad Hoc Trend .

The number badge on the Show Ad Hoc shows the number of data sources that were added
to the Ad Hoc Workspace since the last time it was opened.

Interacting with the ad hoc workspace

The Ad Hoc Workspace allows you to view and explore the trends of the data you selected for
analysis. This topic outlines the various UI controls and features available in the Ad Hoc
Workspace.

Procedure
1. To start the Ad Hoc Workspace, click Show Ad Hoc . PI Vision displays the Ad Hoc

Workspace.
2. To modify the Ad Hoc Workspace scales independently from the trend data sources, use the
scale controls . For more information about each scale

control, see Ad hoc scale options.

3. To modify that appearance of trend lines in the Ad Hoc Workspace, use the plot controls
. For more information about each plot control, see Ad hoc trend plot

options.
4. To revert the last change you made to the Ad Hoc Workspace, click Undo . To revert the

last change that you undid, click Redo .

5. To display the data plot only, click Hide summary table . To unhide the Summary table,

click it again.
6. To add the items on the Ad Hoc Workspace to a new display in PI Vision, click Convert to
Display . For more information, see Convert ad hoc trend to a display.

7. To generate a link that you can share with other members of your organization who have
access to PI Vision, click Share Ad Hoc Display . For more information, see Share an ad

hoc trend.
8. For details about each ad hoc trend on the Ad Hoc Workspace, refer to the Summary table.
For more information about each column in the Summary table, see Summary table.
9. To return to the original PI Vision display, click Hide .

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Ad hoc scale options

Scales can be independently modified for each data source. The scale top and bottom reflected
in the summary table are reflected in the ad hoc trend. Scale functionality is summarized here:
Scale icon Description Use Case
Multiple scales display one scale This scale type makes it easier to view the scales of
for each row of the summary multiple attributes.
table.
A single scale spans the highest This scale type displays a single scale when the data
top and lowest bottom values. items in the ad hoc trend share a common data type,
for example, temperature (degrees C).
The entire range of plotted values This scale type creates an auto scale based on the
(default). value across a time range.
Database settings. This scale type displays a scale based on the data
limits defined for a PI tag reference or an AF
element attribute. The scale will reference attribute
limit traits if they are defined.
Use custom setting. This functionality is not initially selectable and is
only active when the scale range was changed in the
Note: summary table.
Any trace that is not
customized uses the last Single and multiple scale versions can be
trend setting. customized independently from one or the other.
The system remembers the customization for each
when you toggle between them.

Ad hoc trend plot options

You can modify the appearance of ad hoc trend lines in the Ad Hoc Workspace. There are three
options for how trend lines will display:
Note:
Changing the plot option affects all ad hoc trends in the Ad Hoc Workspace.

Scale icon Name Description

Line Default setting. Displays a trace
line with no individual recorded
data points
Data markers Displays individual recorded data
points with connecting lines
between them
Scatter plot Displays individual recorded data
points without any connecting
lines

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Configure summary intervals

You can control and configure the appearance of summary intervals in the Ad Hoc Workspace
for Average, Minimum, or Maximum traces shown for a data item.

Procedure
1. Add a data item to the Ad Hoc Workspace. For more information, see Create an ad hoc trend.
2. If the summary table is not already enabled, click Show summary table.

3. Click one (or multiple) summary trace options for Average, Minimum, or Maximum in the
summary table.

4. Click the Summary Intervals drop-down menu.

5. Select one of the three Summary Intervals display options.

◦ Flat: Displays a summary trace over time with a horizontal line
◦ Step: Displays a stepped-line trace where the interval is specified as a length of time that
defines the length of the step on the Time axis. For example, a one-hour trend with a Step
interval of 1 minute displays 60 one-minute intervals.

◦ Count: Displays a single-line trace where the middle of one interval connects to the
middle of the next interval. The length of each interval is equal to the total time range for
the trend divided by the Count you specify. For example, a one-hour trend with a Count
setting of 120 displays 120 30-second intervals.

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6. Click Apply.

Show or hide the Ad Hoc Workspace

The Ad Hoc Workspace can be shown or hidden.

Procedure
1. To hide the Ad Hoc Workspace, click the hide icon .

2. To show the Ad Hoc Workspace, click Show Ad Hoc .

Summary table
By default, data source information is summarized in a table shown below the trend; however,
you can opt to hide this table. The summary table shows one row per trace.
Column Name Column Description
Name The name as defined for the PI AF attribute, PI tag,
or Calculation added to the ad hoc trend
Description The description field as defined in the PI AF
attribute, PI tag, or calculation added to the ad hoc
trend
Value The current value for the ad hoc trend based on
the given time period in the time bar
Units The units configured for the PI AF attribute, PI tag,
or Calculation added to the ad hoc trend
Average The average of the Minimum and Maximum values
for the trace added to the ad hoc trend for the
given time period in the time bar

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Column Name Column Description

Minimum The lowest data value present for the trace added
to the ad hoc trend for the given time period in the
time bar
Maximum The highest data value present for the trace added
to the ad hoc trend for the given time period in the
time bar
Bottom The lowest number visible on the y-axis for the ad
hoc trend. This is an editable field.
Top The highest number visible on the y-axis for the ad
hoc trend. This is an editable field.

Summary data is shown for the time range of the ad hoc trend. Summary data shows the
current value at the reference time (typically end time) of the trend time range, and the
average, minimum, and maximum value over the time range. A summary table can be
customized by inputting new values in its editable fields.

Show or hide summary table

Summary tables appear at the bottom of the Ad Hoc Workspace and can hidden or shown by
clicking . When the summary table is hidden, the data items are shown in a legend on the
right side of the trend.

Share an ad hoc trend

An ad hoc trend can be shared by sending a URL. The shared URL opens a new editable display
and contains all traces in the ad hoc trend, including hidden traces, the current ad hoc trend
time range, the order of the traces, and the specified single- or multi-scale state of the original
ad hoc trend.

Procedure
1. Click The Share Ad Hoc Display field fills with the ad hoc trend's URL.

2. Click Copy. The URL is copied and can be pasted as is, or can have parameters added or
modified. For example:
https://serverx/pivision/#/Displays/adhoc?dataItems=\\pi
\SINUSOID&startTime=2019-04-22T12:16:12.447Z&endTime=2019-04-22T20:16:1
2.447Z&symbol=trend;multipleScales%3Dtrue

Convert ad hoc trend to a display

An ad hoc trend together with its summary table, if shown, can be converted to an editable
PI Vision display.
Click Convert to Display in the Ad Hoc Workspace to convert the ad hoc trend to a display
that contains a trend with the same data items. The display will also contain the summary table
if it is shown in the Ad Hoc Workspace.

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Calculations
Calculations are drawn from the PI Data Archive server and are plotted dynamically.
Use the Calculation Editor window to create, edit, or delete Calculations.

Create a Calculation
When you create a calculation, you have the ability to manually define your own expression or
you can create a calculation from one or more existing PI tag based symbols on a display.

Procedure
1. To manually define all facets of your calculation, follow the steps below. To create a
calculation from one more PI tag based symbols on your display, see step 2.
a. On the left side of the screen, click Calculations and then click Add Calculation .

The Calculation Editor window opens.

b. Give the new calculation a Name and a Description.
Note:
Your calculation Name needs to be unique for the current display. You may reuse a
Calculation Name on different displays.

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c. Select a Server from the drop-down to configure which Data Archive is used to evaluate
the Expression.

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Note:
You may only use PI Points from one Data Archive in a single Calculation.
d. Configure your Expression to calculate the data. You can create your own function or
expression. These expressions can include tag variables with mathematical and logical
operations. See "Built-in performance equation functions" in Live Library (https://
livelibrary.osisoft.com) for additional information.
Examples

▪ ‘sinusoid’ * 2
▪ (‘cdt158’+‘sinusoid’)/2
▪ log(‘cdt158’)
▪ (‘sinusoid’)/tagspan(‘sinusoid’)
e. Test your expression for the data available at the current time by clicking Preview.

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f. Click Advanced Options to further configure the calculation

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g. Configure the Time Interval for the calculation. By default, this is set to Auto, but you can
choose a Custom Time Interval if needed.
If you set the Time Interval to Auto:

▪ Set the Total Conversion Factor for the calculation. This only applies to the Total
summary Column.
▪ Click Stepped Plot if you would like this calculation to display with stepped data.
▪ Click Save to finish configuring your calculation.

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If you set the Time Interval to Custom:

▪ Set the Calc Interval for the calculation. The Calc Interval is the time range for which
the data calculation is performed.
▪ Set the Sync Time for the calculation. The Sync Time is the time of day (in 24-hour
format) from which Calc Intervals are counted.
▪ Set the Total Conversion Factor for the calculation. The Total Conversion Factor is
used as a time basis for time-weighted totals. This only applies to the Total summary
Column.
▪ Click Stepped Plot if you would like this calculation to display with stepped data.
▪ Click Save to finish configuring your calculation.

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Example of Calc Intervals and Sync Timedefined for a calculation:

▪ Calc Interval: 10m

▪ Sync Time: 00:00:00 (default)
The calculated value for each interval is plotted at the start of the interval. Since the Sync
Time is set as 00:00:00, the start of the interval begins at the top of the hour. Since the
Calc Interval interval is 10m, every 10 millisecond, a new value is plotted. In this
example, there is a new plotted value at the following time stamps (among many more):
▪ 1:00:00
▪ 1:10:00
▪ 1:20:00
▪ 1:30:00

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▪ 1:40:00
▪ 1:50:00
2. To create a calculation from one more PI tag based symbols on your display:
a. Select the symbols that you would like to include in the calculation.

Note:
Selected symbols must be based on PI tags and not AF Databases.
b. Click Calculations.

c. Click Add Calculation With Selected Symbols. The number above the icon indicates how
many PI tags will be included in the calculation.

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d. Give the new calculation a Name and a Description.

Note:
Your calculation Name needs to be unique for the current display. You may reuse a
Calculation Name on different displays.

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e. Test your expression for the data available at the current time by clicking Preview.

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f. Click Advanced Options to further configure the calculation.

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g. Configure the Time Interval for the calculation. By default, this is set to Auto, but you can
choose a Custom Time Interval if needed.
If you set the Time Interval to Auto:

▪ Set the Total Conversion Factor for the calculation. This only applies to the Total
summary Column.
▪ Click Stepped Plot if you would like this calculation to display with stepped data.
▪ Click Save to finish configuring your calculation.

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If you set the Time Interval to Custom:

▪ Set the Calc Interval for the calculation. The Calc Interval is the time range for which
the data calculation is performed.
▪ Set the Sync Time for the calculation. The Sync Time is the time of day (in 24-hour
format) from which Calc Intervals are counted.
▪ Set the Total Conversion Factor for the calculation. The Total Conversion Factor is
used as a time basis for time-weighted totals. This only applies to the Total summary
Column.
▪ Click Stepped Plot if you would like this calculation to display with stepped data.
▪ Click Save to finish configuring your calculation.

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Example of Calc Intervals and Sync Timedefined for a calculation:

▪ Calc Interval: 10m

▪ Sync Time: 00:00:00 (default)
The calculated value for each interval is plotted at the start of the interval. Since the Sync
Time is set as 00:00:00, the start of the interval begins at the top of the hour. Since the
Calc Interval interval is 10m, every 10 milliseconds, a new value is plotted. In this
example, there is a new plotted value at the following time stamps (among many more):
▪ 1:00:00
▪ 1:10:00
▪ 1:20:00
▪ 1:30:00

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▪ 1:40:00
▪ 1:50:00

PI Vision Calculation syntax

Writing a calculation expression is similar to writing an expression in arithmetic. Both use the
same underlying functionality as Performance Equations in PI Server. You can use any of the
standard arithmetic operators (such as +, -, and *) in an expression.
Note:
Only PI tags are supported in PI Vision calculations.
As with arithmetic expressions, the building blocks of a calculation expression are operands
and operators. Operators act on operands. A basic expression takes the form: operand
operator operand as shown in the following table:
Operand Operator Operand Resulting expression
'TagA' + 'TagB' TagA plus the value of TagB
3 - 'TagC' 3 minus the value of TagC
7 * Sqr('TagD') 7 times the square root of TagD

You can construct more complex expressions, just as you can in arithmetic. Operations are
performed in the same order as they would be performed in a mathematical expression.
Use parentheses to group expressions that you want to evaluate first.
The following example evaluates as the sum of the values of 'TagA' and 'TagB', divided by the
difference of 3 minus 'TagC':
('TagA' + 'TagB')/(3 - 'TagC')

This next example is TagA divided by the sum of TagA and TagB:
'TagA'/('TagA' + 'TagB')

More complex calculations are also possible. For additional details, see Performance equations
(PE) syntax and functions reference (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com/LiveLibrary/content/en/
server-v13/GUID-42D9E42B-6084-4023-829F-919C19A6D45F) in the PI Server
documentation.

Add symbols to an existing calculation

You can add the data source from a symbol on a display to an existing calculation if the symbol
uses a PI Tag as its data source.

Procedure
1. Click the symbol (or symbols) on the display whose data source you would like to add to a
calculation.
Note:
Each symbol must use a PI Tag as its data source.
2. Click Calculations.

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3. Right-click the calculation that you want to modify and then click Add Selected Symbols to
Calculation.

4. Make any additional modifications to the calculation as needed and then click Save. All data
sources are added to the calculation with the + operator.

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Use calculations to add a symbol to the display

You may want to view the value of a Calculation directly. You can do this by selecting one of the
available symbols and dragging the Calculation directly onto the display.

Procedure
1. On the left side of the screen, click Calculations .

2. Click a symbol from the top bar.

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3. Click a calculation from the list.

4. Click one of the items listed in the Columns pane and drag it onto the display.
◦ The Average function calculates the average value over the time range.
◦ The Minimum function calculates the minimum value of the expression over the time
range.
◦ The Maximum function calculates the maximum value of the expression over the time
range.
◦ The PercentGood function calculates the time-weighted percentage of data with good
values during the time range.
◦ The PStdDev function calculates the population standard deviation over the time range.
◦ The StdDev function calculates the standard deviation over the time range.
◦ The Range function calculates the range of values over the time range (Maximum-
Minimum).
◦ The Total function calculates the time-weighted total of the expression over the time
range. Uses the Total Conversion Factor as a basis for the Calculation.

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Intervals and time value

The calculated value for each interval is plotted at the start of the interval. For example, if the
tag t_min has the following time-value pairs in a 10-minute interval, then the calculated value
for this interval is plotted at time 1:00:00.
Time Value
1:00:00 1
1:01:00 2
1:02:00 3
1:03:00 4
1:04:00 5
1:05:00 6
1:06:00 7
1:07:00 8
1:08:00 9
1:09:00 10
1:10:00 11

Because the Average, StdDev, and PercentGood functions are time-weighted, their calculated
values include the tag value at the lower interval boundary time but exclude the tag value at
the upper interval boundary time. For the example above, the tag value 11 at time 1:10:00 is
excluded in the function calculation; therefore, the calculated value for Average is 5.5 and the
calculated value for StdDev is 2.872281.
The calculated values for the Minimum, Maximum, and Range, which are event-weighted
functions, include the tag values of both the lower and upper interval boundary times. For the
example above, the calculated value for Minimum is 1, the calculated value for Maximum is 11,
and the calculated value for Range is 10.

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Multi-state behaviors
With multi-state behaviors, you can transform value, gauge, and asset comparison table
symbols, and shapes, images, and text into visual alarms. Objects configured with multi-states
alter their color based on changing data values. Multi-state configuration assigns specific colors
to ranges of values, corresponding to process states. When the data value of a multi-state
object enters the assigned range, its color changes to indicate a different state.
You configure the number of value ranges (states), the maximum for each range, and the color
for each range. When setting the color, you can also set the object to blink. When the data value
enters a different value range, the multi-state object changes its color to match the
configuration. You can make a multi-state object invisible by setting the color to the display's
background color. You can also assign a color for data in bad status (for example, a maximum
permissible level).
For example, suppose you have a multi-state object that has two states. State 1 has a value
range from 0 to 50 assigned the color blue. State 2 has a range from 50 to 100 assigned the
color red. When the value reads 50 or below, the symbol appears blue; above 50, the symbol
appears red.
Note:
To configure multi-state behaviors for limit attribute traits, at least two attribute traits
must be enabled in PI System Explorer. Note that the minimum and maximum limit
attribute traits override the zero and span PI point attributes, respectively, which are set
in PI System Management Tools (SMT). For more information, see the PI Server topic
"Attribute traits" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
The following objects support multi-state behaviors:
• Value symbols
• Gauge symbols
• Asset comparison tables
• Shapes
• Images
• Text
Note:
If digital states or enumeration sets used in a multi-state are changed, you may see stale
States on a display until you Refresh. To check whether you need to Refresh the Multi-
State Source for a symbol, right-click it and then click Configure Multi-state.... If you see
a Refresh button after the list of States, the Multi-State Source data for this symbol is
outdated. Click Refresh to incorporate the latest available State names into the symbol.

Videos
For more on this topic, watch the following video:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=EXih8i7d3oU

Topics in this section

• Configure multi-states for gauge symbols
• Configure multi-states for value symbols

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• Configure multi-states for asset comparison tables

• Configure multi-states for shapes and images
• Configure multi-states for text labels

Configure multi-states for gauge symbols

You can configure multi-state behaviors for gauge symbols. The attribute inside the symbol
acts as a trigger for the multi-state behavior.

Procedure
1. Right-click a gauge symbol on the display, and then click either Add Multi-State or
Configure Multi-State to open the Multi-State pane. Add or replace the attribute that the
multi-state is based on.
a. Find an attribute in the Assets pane.
b. Drag the attribute to the top of the Configure Multi-State section.

For the attribute represented by the symbol, this section shows available states and their
associated colors. States correspond to:
◦ Traits if the attribute has limit traits

Limit traits for attributes are configured in PI System Explorer. For more information, see
the PI Server topic "Attribute traits" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
◦ Digital states if the attribute stores digital state values

◦ Configurable numeric conditions

The Bad data state indicates that a value is either out of range or contains no data.
2. If the pane lists configurable numeric conditions, set the conditions to define the desired
states:

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a. For each condition, enter the maximum value for the condition.
The state applies when the value is greater than the previous condition and less than or
equal to this value.
b. To remove a condition, click X next to the condition.
c. To add a condition, type a maximum value in the empty field below Bad data and then
click Add.
3. Set the colors desired for each state:
a. Select the color to open the color palette.
b. Select the desired color for the state. You can also select a transparent fill.

c. Select Hide to hide the symbol when the value reaches this condition.

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Note:
While you are in Design mode, hidden symbols remain visible on a display, but are
hidden once you exit Design mode.
d. Select Blink if you want the symbol to blink for this state.

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Note:
Blink is not supported for symbols that you have hidden.

Results
The symbol changes its color based on the current attribute value and the colors configured for
the multi-state.

After you finish

To remove multi-state behavior, click the trash can icon at the top of the Multi-State pane.

Configure multi-states for value symbols

You can configure multi-state behaviors for value symbols. The attribute inside the symbol acts
as a trigger for the multi-state behavior.

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Procedure
1. Right-click a value symbol on the display, and then click either Add Multi-State or Configure
Multi-State to open the Multi-State pane. Add or replace the attribute that the multi-state is
based on.
a. Find an attribute in the Assets pane.
b. Drag the attribute to the top of the Configure Multi-State section.

For the attribute represented by the symbol, this section shows available states and their
associated colors. States correspond to:
◦ Traits if the attribute has limit traits

Limit traits for attributes are configured in PI System Explorer. For more information, see
the PI Server topic "Attribute traits" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
◦ Digital states if the attribute stores digital state values

◦ Configurable numeric conditions

The Bad data state indicates that a value is either out of range or contains no data.
2. Configure the Property section to determine which symbol attribute should display the
muti-state settings. Options include:
◦ Fill: Applies multi-state conditions to the background Fill attribute for the value symbol
◦ Value: Applies multi-state conditions to the Value attribute for the value symbol
◦ All Text: Applies multi-state conditions to any visible text for the value symbol

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3. If the pane lists configurable numeric conditions, set the conditions to define the desired
states:
a. For each condition, enter the maximum value for the condition.
The state applies when the value is greater than the previous condition and less than or
equal to this value.
b. To remove a condition, click X next to the condition.
c. To add a condition, type a maximum value in the empty field below Bad data and then
click Add.
4. Set the colors desired for each state:
a. Select the color to open the color palette.
b. Select the desired color for the state. You can also select a transparent fill.

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c. Select Hide to hide the symbol when the value reaches this condition.

Note:
While you are in Design mode, hidden symbols remain visible on a display, but are
hidden once you exit Design mode.
d. Select Blink if you want the symbol to blink for this state.

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Note:
Blink is not supported for symbols that you have hidden.

Results
The symbol changes its color based on the current attribute value and the colors configured for
the multi-state.

After you finish

To remove multi-state behavior, click the trash can icon at the top of the Multi-State pane.

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Configure multi-states for asset comparison tables

In asset comparison tables, you can configure multi-state behaviors for columns that do not
contain text or string values. You select the column and configure the values that trigger
specific colors for cells in that column.

Procedure
1. Right-click an asset-comparison-table symbol on the display, and then click either Add
Multi-State or Configure Multi-State to open the Multi-State pane.
The pane lists the current columns in the table.
2. From the Current Columns list, select the column that you want to configure, and then select
the Enable Multi-State check box.
For the attribute in the selected column, the pane shows available states and their
associated colors. States correspond to:
◦ Traits if the attribute has limit traits

Limit traits for attributes are configured in PI System Explorer. For more information, see
the PI Server topic "Attribute traits" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
◦ Digital states if the attribute stores digital state values

◦ Configurable numeric conditions

The pane shows the available states for the attribute of the first row in the table.
The Bad data state indicates that a value is either out of range or contains no data, or that
the attribute value is incompatible with the configured states. For example, in columns that
contain attributes configured for limit traits, attributes without traits always appear in the
Bad data state.
3. If the pane lists configurable numeric conditions, set the conditions to define the desired
states:
a. For each condition, enter the maximum value for the condition.
The state applies when the value is greater than the previous condition and less than or
equal to this value.
b. To remove a condition, click X next to the condition.
c. To add a condition, type a maximum value in the empty field below Bad data and then
click Add.
4. Set the colors desired for each state:

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a. Select the color to open the color palette.

b. Select the desired color for the state. You can also select a transparent fill.

c. Select Hide to hide the symbol when the value reaches this condition.

Note:
While you are in Design mode, hidden symbols remain visible on a display, but are
hidden once you exit Design mode.
d. Select Blink if you want the symbol to blink for this state.

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Note:
Blink is not supported for symbols that you have hidden.

Results
Each cell in the selected column changes its color based on the current attribute value and the
colors configured for the multi-state.

After you finish

To remove multi-state behavior from a column, select the column in the Multi-State pane and
clear the Enable Multi-State check box.

Configure multi-states for shapes and images

You can configure multi-state behaviors for shapes and images in your display.

Before you start

Draw shapes or upload image to your display. See Create displays in Design mode.

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Note:
You cannot use some types of data attributes to configure multi-states. For example, you
cannot use text attributes because the list of possible values is not known. If the list of
possible string values is limited, you can consider converting the data to a digital state
set.

Procedure
1. Right-click the object on the display, and then click Configure Multi-State to open the Multi-
State pane.
2. Add or replace the attribute that the multi-state is based on.
a. Find an attribute in the Assets pane.
b. Drag the attribute to the top of the Configure Multi-State pane.

For the selected attribute, the pane shows available states and their associated colors. States
correspond to:
◦ Traits if the attribute has limit traits

Limit traits for attributes are configured in PI System Explorer. For more information, see
the PI Server topic "Attribute traits" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
◦ Digital states if the attribute stores digital state values

◦ Configurable numeric conditions

The Bad data state indicates that a value is either out of range or contains no data.
3. If the pane lists configurable numeric conditions, set the conditions to define the desired
states:
a. For each condition, enter the maximum value for the condition.

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The state applies when the value is greater than the previous condition and less than or
equal to this value.
b. To remove a condition, click X next to the condition.
c. To add a condition, type a maximum value in the empty field below Bad data and then
click Add.
4. Set the colors desired for each state:
a. Select the color to open the color palette.
b. Select the desired color for the state. You can also select a transparent fill.

c. Select Hide to hide the symbol when the value reaches this condition.

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Note:
While you are in Design mode, hidden symbols remain visible on a display, but are
hidden once you exit Design mode.
d. Select Blink if you want the symbol to blink for this state.

Note:
Blink is not supported for symbols that you have hidden.

Results
The shape or image changes its color based on the current attribute value and the colors
configured for the multi-state.

After you finish

To remove multi-state behavior, click the trash can icon at the top of the Multi-State pane.

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Configure multi-states for text labels

You can configure multi-state behaviors for text labels. An attribute inside the symbol acts as a
trigger for the multi-state behavior.

Procedure
1. Right-click a text label on the display, and then click either Add Multi-State or Configure
Multi-State to open the Multi-State pane. Add or replace the attribute that the multi-state is
based on.
a. Find an attribute in the Assets pane.
b. Drag the attribute to the top of the Configure Multi-State section.

For the attribute represented by the symbol, this section shows available states and their
associated colors. States correspond to:
◦ Traits if the attribute has limit traits

Limit traits for attributes are configured in PI System Explorer. For more information, see
the PI Server topic "Attribute traits" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
◦ Digital states if the attribute stores digital state values

◦ Configurable numeric conditions

The Bad data state indicates that a value is either out of range or contains no data.
2. Configure the Property section to determine which symbol attribute should display the
multi-state settings. Options include:
◦ Fill: Applies multi-state conditions to the background Fill attribute for the text label
◦ Text: Applies multi-state conditions to the Text attribute for the text label

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3. If the pane lists configurable numeric conditions, set the conditions to define the desired
states:
a. For each condition, enter the maximum value for the condition.
The state applies when the value is greater than the previous condition and less than or
equal to this value.
b. To remove a condition, click X next to the condition.
c. To add a condition, type a maximum value in the empty field below Bad data and then
click Add.
4. Set the colors desired for each state:
a. Select the color to open the color palette.
b. Select the desired color for the state. You can also select a transparent fill.

c. Select Hide to hide the symbol when the value reaches this condition.

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Note:
While you are in Design mode, hidden symbols remain visible on a display, but are
hidden once you exit Design mode.
d. Select Blink if you want the symbol to blink for this state.

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Note:
Blink is not supported for symbols that you have hidden.

Results
The symbol changes its color based on the current attribute value and the colors configured for
the multi-state.

After you finish

To remove multi-state behavior, click the trash can icon at the top of the Multi-State pane.

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Contextual navigation links

You can add a hyperlink to any object on your display except for an events table. (Each row in
an events table is already a contextual link to the selected event.) You can also add hyperlinks
inside a collection.
Once you add a hyperlink to an object, you can double-click it to navigate to a desired external
website or another display.
A hyperlink can be configured to pass the asset context from the asset on the original source
display to the asset on the target display. When the link is double-clicked, the target display
asset will automatically change to match the context of the source display asset.
Note:
Linked symbols inside a collection or an asset comparison table will pass the asset
context of the double-clicked symbol or asset row, respectively.
PI Vision can pass asset context from the following:
• Current asset
• Root portion of the asset path

Current asset passed as context

For example, suppose a source display shows a dashboard with wind-speed gauges for ten
wind turbines. When you double-click the gauge for Turbine 2, PI Vision opens a target display
that provides a detailed operational view of Turbine 2 with its attribute data.
In this scenario, the link passes context from a multi-asset source display to a single-asset
target display.
To set this type of asset context, click Use current asset in the Add Navigation Link pane.
Note:
If assets on the source display are based on different asset templates, their attribute
names must match.

Root portion of the asset path passed as context

For example, suppose a source display shows a dashboard with wind-speed gauges for ten
wind turbines. When you double-click the gauge for Turbine 2, PI Vision opens a detailed
operational view of Turbine 2 with attribute data from both Turbine 2 and its child assets:
Gearbox, Generator, and Motor.
In this scenario, the link passes the asset's path between a multi-asset source display and a
multi-asset target display where the assets are related in the hierarchy. The target display
updates with attribute data from the passed asset and its child or grandchild assets.

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Source Display Target Display Asset Hierarchy

Clicking on Turbine 2 on the source

display passes the root portion of
the asset path. (The root is shown in
red.)

To set this type of asset context, click Use current asset as root in the Add Navigation Link pane.
Note:
The assets passed to a target display with the Use current asset as root option should be
at the same or parallel nodes in the PI AF hierarchy and have identically named
hierarchies of child assets.

Training Video
For more on this topic, watch the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=MUwyB70KH1Q&list=PLMcG1Hs2JbcvWPkSbIbQEJqsTX9Sa1nty

Add a navigation link to another display or website

You can add a navigation link to any symbol (other than an events table), shape, image, or text
on your display, including any object inside a collection. The link can point to another target
display or to an external website. The target display can automatically match the asset context
of the source display that contains the hyperlink. You can also use links to change the asset
context of your current display.
To use the hyperlink, exit Design mode before double-clicking the linked object.

Procedure
1. Right-click the object where you want to add a link, and then click Add Navigation Link to
open the Add Navigation Link pane.
2. (Optional) To have the link change the asset context of the symbols on your current display,
select the Change context of current display check box (under Action).
By selecting this option, you can double-click linked symbols that contain different assets
and change the asset context of the symbols without links on your current display.

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Note:
You can use an asset comparison table or a collection with linked assets to change the
asset context of the symbols on your current display.
3. To add a URL link to an external website, enter the URL in the Hyperlink field. (To open the
external website in a separate browser tab, select Open in a New Tab check box.)
Note:
For security reasons, by default, you can only enter http: and https: protocols for
external websites or ./# and # for displays. An administrator can override these
security settings. For more information, see the PI Vision administration topic
"Override the security settings for navigational links" in Live Library (https://
livelibrary.osisoft.com).
4. To add a link to another display, click Search for Displays.
a. Enter the display name or owner in the Search field and click .

Tip:
Use wildcards such as asterisks (*) when you do not know all the letters in the
name.
PI Vision lists all displays with your searched keywords.
b. Select the display you want to link to.
5. If you want the target display to automatically match the time context of the source display
that contains the link, select the Set Start and End Time check box.
6. If you want the target display to automatically match the asset context of the linked symbol
on the source display that contains the link, select the Set Asset Context check box and
specify how to pass the context.
◦ Select Use Current Asset to pass the asset context from a multi-asset display to a single
asset display.
◦ Select Use Current Asset as Root to pass the root portion of the asset path as context.
Use this option when the target display contains attributes of the source display asset as
well as the attributes of its child assets.
Note:
The top-level assets should be at the same or parallel nodes in the PI AF hierarchy
and have identical or very similar hierarchies of child assets.
For more information about passing the asset context, see Contextual navigation links.
7. (Optional) When working with a static symbol like a shape, an image, or text, you can
associate it with a desired asset by dragging the asset from the search results into the Asset
Context field in the lower half of the pane. To set the asset context for the object in order for
the target display to match the asset associated with the linked symbol, follow instructions
in the previous step.
8. To go to the link inside the symbol, exit Design mode. You can either double-click on the
linked symbol or right-click it, and then click Drill In > Navigation Link.
To view the data symbol in a separate display as a popup trend, right-click the linked
symbol, and then click Drill In > Popup Trend .

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Symbol collection
A collection allows you to automatically find and see all similar assets on your display. With a
collection, you can choose one or more data symbols and instantly view their related assets
and attributes, without having to search for each asset separately.
For example, say you have ten pumps in one plant. You can view the flow rate attribute of Pump
1 and then convert its symbol into a collection that automatically finds and shows the flow rate
for all ten pumps.
By changing the collection search criteria, you can customize your collection to view only those
assets whose parameters fall within a desired range or which are in a specific state. The
collection will update automatically as the parameters or state of the assets changes.
Note:
You can convert a symbol into a collection only if the symbol contains a PI AF attribute.

Training Video
For more on this topic, check out the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=R8QPrNxCV1k&list=PLMcG1Hs2JbcvWPkSbIbQEJqsTX9Sa1nty

Topics in this section

• Create a collection
• Edit collection criteria
• Format a collection
• Modify a collection
• Add dynamic search criteria

Create a collection
Select one or more symbols, images, or text to convert them into a collection.
Note:
You cannot convert an XY plot or events table into a collection. An asset comparison table
can only be converted into a single-symbol collection by adding dynamic search criteria.
See Add dynamic search criteria.

Procedure
1. Convert one or more symbols, images, or text into a collection:
◦ To convert a single symbol, right-click the symbol and click Convert to Collection.
◦ To convert multiple symbols, select the desired symbols by holding CTRL or by dragging
a selection box around them, and then right-click one of the selected symbols and click
Convert to Collection.
The collection replicates your selected objects for each related asset inside a separate
canvas, which you can scroll, move, or resize.

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Note:
To resize the collection canvas, you must enter Design mode.
2. To change the search criteria for the collection, right-click the collection and then click Edit
Collection Criteria to open the Edit Collection Criteria pane.
3. To format the collection, right-click the collection and then click Format Collection to open
the Format Collection pane.

Edit collection criteria

You can customize a collection by changing its search criteria. The collection will dynamically
update to show only those symbols that meet your specified criteria. For example, using
collection criteria, you can create a collection for wind turbines with speeds less than a certain
value and electrical output greater than a certain value. The collection will automatically
update to show only those wind turbines that are within these criteria.

Procedure
1. Right-click the collection and then click Edit Collection Criteria to open the Edit Collection
Criteria pane.
2. Click the arrows to expand each search criteria and view more options.
You can refine your search by selecting the following:
a. Database
Select a single PI AF database that contains the assets you want to retrieve.
b. Search Root
Enter the "search root" asset in the asset hierarchy. A search root is any specified node of
an asset hierarchy. Once an asset is set as a search root, the collection only searches that
asset and its children, but will not search the data hierarchy above the search root. The
search root must consist of an asset hierarchy separated by backslashes, without
including the PI AF server and database. For example: Parent Asset\Child Asset
\Child Asset 2.
To see all the descendants of the asset, such as grandchild assets, select the Return All
Descendants check box.
Note:
If you do not set the search root but select the Return All Descendants check box,
PI Vision retrieves all the assets from the selected database.
c. Asset Name
Enter the name of a specific asset. Use wildcards, such as question marks (?) and
asterisks (*), to stand for single or multiple characters, respectively.
d. Asset Type
Find assets associated with a specific asset type and the values of up to five asset
attributes:
▪ Asset Type
Select an asset template. PI Vision finds assets created from the selected template.
▪ Asset Attribute

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To find desired assets by their asset attributes, click the plus (+) sign, select an
attribute from the list, select an operator, and enter a value.
If the value type of the attribute is enumeration set or Boolean, then click the arrow to
select the value from a list. For more information, see the PI Server topic
"Enumeration sets" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
For example, to see assets in the collection with temperature above 100 degrees,
select your asset type, select Temperature as the Attribute, then select > from the list,
and enter 100 in the value field.
Depending on the attribute type, you can select one of the following operators:
Operators Description
= Is equal to
≠ Is not equal to
< Less than
<= Less than or equals to
> Greater than
>= Greater than or equals to
In Include multiple, non-numeric text values separated by semicolons.

Note:
PI AF does not support searches of attributes with an integer value type and a
default UOM configured. See the PI Server topic "Create attribute templates" in
Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
e. Asset Category
Select the asset category for the assets in the collection.
f. Number of Results
Enter the maximum number of assets you want to see in your collection.
g. Asset Order
Select the sort order for assets in the collection:
▪ Ascending by Name
Organize the assets in the collection in ascending alphabetical order (A to Z).
▪ Descending by Name
Organize the assets in the collection in descending alphabetical order (Z to A).
3. Click Refresh to perform the search.

Format a collection
Use the Format Collection pane to customize the collection's appearance and layout.

Procedure
1. Right-click the symbol collection and click Format Collection to open the Format Collection
pane.
2. You can customize the Style of the collection by setting the following:

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a. Fill
Choose the background color for the collection canvas.
b. Customize the border.

▪ Border: Choose the color of the border.

▪ Weight: Choose the thickness of the border.
▪ Style: Choose the style of the border, which can be a line, dots, dashes of various
lengths, as well as combinations of dashes and dots.
3. You can customize the Layout of the collection by setting the following:
a. Wrapping: Select Left to right to arrange the symbols horizontally relative to the left
border. Select Top to bottom to arrange the symbols vertically relative to the top border.
Note:
Resize the collection canvas so it is large enough to contain your desired wrapping.
b. Inner Padding: Enter the number of pixels between each asset in the collection.
c. Outer Padding: Enter the number of pixels between the asset and the collection's border.

Modify a collection
You can modify any object in the collection by adding a navigation link, configuring, moving or
deleting the object or by adding new objects to the collection.

Procedure
1. To modify the collection, right-click the collection and click Modify Collection.
The collection switches to Modify mode and displays your symbols inside a stencil, showing
one set of symbols for a single asset. The objects on the display that are outside of the
modified collection are grayed out.
2. Once the collection is in Modify mode, you can change it by performing one or more of the
following:
◦ Search for data and add new data symbols to the collection.
Note:
You cannot add an asset comparison table, events table, or XY plot, which are
disabled in Modify mode.
◦ Switch symbol types.
◦ Move, resize, copy/paste, or delete existing objects in the collection.
◦ Format all objects in the collection.
◦ Add navigation links to all objects inside the collection. See Contextual navigation links.
Note:
If you add a hyperlink to a symbol in the collection for one asset in Modify mode,
the hyperlink will be rendered for all the assets of the same type inside the
collection.
◦ Configure multi-state behaviors for any object inside the collection. See Multi-state
behaviors.

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Note:
After you configure a multi-state for one of the objects, you can swap its "trigger"
data source by dragging a new attribute into the Multi-State Attribute section of
the Add Multi-State pane.
◦ Add images, text, shapes, and graphics from the graphics library.
Note:
When modifying a collection, the rest of display is locked for editing. You cannot add,
move, or copy/paste items outside of the collection stencil.
3. After modifying the collection, click the exit button or right-click inside the empty area
of the collection and click Exit Modify Mode to exit Modify mode.
The collection refreshes and displays the modified symbols for all assets of the same type
based on the collection search criteria.

Add dynamic search criteria

You can add dynamic search criteria to tables and asset comparison tables. Like a symbol
collection, a table with dynamic search criteria will update to show only those assets that meet
your specified criteria.
Note:
An asset comparison table can only show dynamic search criteria and cannot be
converted into a symbol collection.

Procedure
1. To add dynamic search criteria to a table or an asset comparison table, right-click it and
click Add Dynamic Search Criteria.
2. Use the Search Criteria pane to change the search criteria for the table. See Edit collection
criteria.

Excluded attributes
Assets created from a template can contain excluded attributes. When creating an instance of
an asset from a template, designers might choose to exclude some attributes. Excluded
attributes do not exist for a particular asset. For example, suppose a pump from manufacturer
A records a temperature, but a pump from manufacturer B does not record a temperature.
Designers can create a pump template with a temperature attribute, but exclude the attribute
from pump 1 made by manufacturer B.
PI Vision handles excluded attributes automatically:
• In tables, PI Vision hides rows of excluded attributes.
• In asset comparison tables, PI Vision shows blank values for excluded attributes.
• In other symbols, PI Vision shows "N/A" for excluded attributes.

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Displays are used for visualizing data in PI Vision. You can create, edit, and store symbols in a
display that represent your operational environment and allow you to monitor it. You can use
displays to do the following:

• Create a display that focuses on a set of data and then quickly and easily share that display
with others across your organization.
• Send the URL for a shared display in an email or instant message so that another user could
view them in a read-only mode.
• Create an ad hoc display to present data that is not already predefined in a display. These
are often used to troubleshoot an active problem with an asset or process. You can view
data items from multiple displays showing different parts of an asset or process as they
trend over time instead of by only a current value on a process monitoring display.

Topics in this section

• Create displays in Design mode
• Assets in displays
• Graphics library
• Monitor displays
• Export data from a display
• Change the display's background color

Create displays in Design mode

Using Design mode, you can create displays by adding and arranging symbols, shapes, images,
and text anywhere on the display.
When you add a symbol to a new display, the display is in Design mode. The Design mode
button will be active, and you will see an orange frame around your display and the

editing toolbar. The editing toolbar allows you to add shapes, text, or images, as well as arrange
objects on the display.

To lock the display and start monitoring it, exit Design mode by clicking . Once you exit

Design mode, you can view trend cursors on any trend or pan across a trend's time range by
dragging it. When the display is not in Design mode, you can still make some changes to it, such
as adding data items to existing symbols or swapping related assets in symbols. See Monitor
displays.

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Move, resize, and arrange objects

When working in Design mode, you can move, resize, and arrange all symbols, shapes, text, and
images.

Select multiple objects

To select all the objects on the display, press Ctrl + A.
To select specific objects:
• Click a blank area of the canvas, hold down the mouse button and drag your cursor over the
area containing the objects you want to select.
• Press Ctrl and click on the objects you want to select.
Once multiple objects are selected, they can be moved, copied and pasted, or deleted as a
group. You can resize groups of text and value objects.

Move an object
Move the pointer over the symbol. When the pointer becomes , click and drag the object
anywhere on the display.

Resize an object
To increase or decrease the size of an object, select it and drag its sizing handle away from or
toward its center. To set the precise size of value or text objects, right-click and then click
Format Value or Format Text or Format Symbols; in the pane, select the desired size in the
Font Size list.

Arrange multiple objects

To arrange multiple objects by aligning them or bringing one of them backward or forward,
click the Arrange button on the editing toolbar.

Here are the options for arranging or aligning display objects:

Object alignment options
Alignment option Result
Bring to Front Brings an object to the front of a stacked group of objects.
Send to Back Brings an object to the back of a stacked group of objects.
Bring Forward Brings an object up one placement to the front of the stacked group of objects.
Send Backward Brings an object down one placement to the back of the stacked group of objects.
Align Left Aligns the left side of the selected objects with the left edge of the left-most object.
Align Center Aligns the center of the selected objects with the vertical center of the selected
objects.
Align Right Aligns the right side of the selected objects with the right edge of the right-most
object.
Align Top Aligns the top side of the selected objects with the top edge of the top-most object.
Align Middle Aligns the selected objects in the horizontal middle selected objects.
Align Bottom Aligns the bottom side of the selected objects with the bottom edge of the bottom-
most object.

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Alignment option Result

Distribute Moves the selected objects to evenly distribute them horizontally.
Horizontally
Distribute Moves the selected objects to evenly distribute them vertically.
Vertically

Cut, copy, or paste an object

To cut, copy, or paste an object, use keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V) or click the cut,
copy or paste buttons on the editing toolbar.

Delete an object
Select the shape you want to delete and press either Delete or Backspace or click on the

editing toolbar.

Draw shape tool

Within Design mode , you can add free-form shapes to your display with the Draw Shape

tool.

Note:
You must first put your display into Design mode before the Draw Shape tool

icon is visible on your display.

Draw Shape

provides you with five shape options, each with a unique set of controls:

1. Rectangle

2. Ellipse

3. Line

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4. Arc

5. Polygon

For details about the shape type controls, refer to the subsequent topics in this section.

Draw a rectangle on a display

You can use the Draw Shape tool to draw a rectangle to a display.

Procedure
1. Click Modify Display to enter Design mode.

2. Click the Draw Shape tool and then click the rectangle.

3. Click the background of the display, drag the cursor until the rectangle reaches the desired
size, and then release the mouse button.
Note:
If you hold down the shift key while dragging any of the rectangle's handles, it will
scale proportionally.

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4. Move the rectangle on the display or resize it by using the sizing handles. Combine multiple
shapes to create diagrams and drawings.
Note:
To select multiple shapes, use the CTRL key in combination with the left mouse button.
5. To format the rectangle, right-click it and click Format Shape to open the Format Shape
pane. You can update the following settings for a rectangle:
◦ Fill: Use this option to update the background color for the rectangle with a built-in color,
a custom color using hex code or the color picker, or a transparent background.

◦ Border: Use this option to update the border color for the rectangle with a built in color, a
custom color via hex code or the color picker, or a transparent background.

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◦ Weight: Use this option to increase or decrease the thickness of the rectangle's Border.

◦ Style: Use this option to change the border style for the rectangle from a solid line to one
of the dotted or dashed lines.

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◦ Rotation: Drag the slider to the right to rotate the rectangle clockwise. Drag the slider to
the left to rotate the rectangle counterclockwise.

◦ Angle: To manually adjust the angle of rotation for the rectangle, enter a number
between 0 and 360.
Note:
This setting overrides any changes that you may have made to the Rotation setting.

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6. To configure the Configure Multi-state and Add Navigation Link options for the rectangle,
click at the top of the Format Shape pane. For additional information, refer to Configure
multi-states for shapes and images and Add a navigation link to another display or website.
7. To close Design mode when you are finished editing the rectangle, click Modify Display
again.

Draw an ellipse on a display

You can use the Draw Shape tool to draw an ellipse to a display.

Procedure
1. Click Modify Display to enter Design mode.

2. Click the Draw Shape tool and then click the ellipse.

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3. Click the background of the display, drag the cursor until the ellipse reaches the desired size,
and then release the mouse button.
Note:
If you hold down the shift key while dragging any of the ellipse's handles, it will scale
proportionally.

4. Move the ellipse on the display or resize it by using the sizing handles. Combine multiple
shapes to create diagrams and drawings.
Note:
To select multiple shapes, use the CTRL key in combination with the left mouse button.
5. To format the ellipse, right-click it and click Format Shape to open the Format Shape pane.
You can update the following settings for an ellipse:
◦ Fill: Use this option to update the background color for the ellipse with a built in color, a
custom color via hex code or the color picker, or a transparent background.

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◦ Border: Use this option to update the border color for the ellipse with a built in color, a
custom color via hex code or the color picker, or a transparent background.

◦ Weight: Use this option to increase or decrease the thickness of the ellipse's Border.

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◦ Style: Use this option to change the border style for the ellipse from a solid line to one of
the dotted or dashed lines.

◦ Rotation: Drag the slider to the right to rotate the ellipse clockwise. Drag the slider to the
left to rotate the ellipse counterclockwise.

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◦ Angle: To manually adjust the angle of rotation for the ellipse, enter a number between 0
and 360.
Note:
This setting overrides any changes that you may have made to the Rotation setting.

6. To configure the Configure Multi-state and Add Navigation Link options for the ellipse, click
at the top of the Format Shape pane. For additional information, refer to Configure multi-
states for shapes and images and Add a navigation link to another display or website.
7. To close Design mode when you are finished editing the ellipse, click Modify Display

again.

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Draw a line on a display

You can use the Draw Shape tool to draw a line to a display.

Procedure
1. Click Modify Display to enter Design mode.

2. Click the Draw Shape tool and then click the line.

3. Click the background of the display, drag the cursor until the line reaches the desired size,
and then release the mouse button.
Note:
If you hold down the shift key while dragging either of the line's handles, it will rotate
in 45-degree angle increments as you move it.

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4. Move the line on the display or resize it by using the sizing handles. Combine multiple
shapes to create diagrams and drawings.
Note:
To select multiple shapes, use the CTRL key in combination with the left mouse button.
5. To format the line, right-click it and click Format Shape to open the Format Shape pane. You
can update the following settings for a line:
◦ Stroke: Use this option to update the color of the line with a built in color, a custom color
via hex code or the color picker, or a transparent background.

◦ Weight: Use this option to increase or decrease the thickness of the line.

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◦ Style: Use this option to change the type of line from a solid line to one of the dotted or
dashed lines.

◦ Arrows: Use this option to change the type of arrow on the end or ends of the line.
Note:
The default Arrows setting is to exclude arrows.

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6. To configure the Configure Multi-state and Add Navigation Link options for the line, click
at the top of the Format Shape pane . For additional information, refer to Configure
multi-states for shapes and images and Add a navigation link to another display or website.
7. To close Design mode when you are finished editing the line, click Modify Display

again .

Draw an arc on a display

You can use the Draw Shape tool to draw an arc to a display.

Procedure
1. Click Modify Display to enter Design mode.

2. Click the Draw Shape tool and then click the arc.

3. Click the background of the display, drag the cursor until the arc reaches the desired size,
and then release the mouse button.
Note:
If you hold down the shift key while dragging any of the arc's handles, it will scale
proportionally.

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4. Move the arc on the display or resize it by using the sizing handles. Combine multiple
shapes to create diagrams and drawings.
Note:
To select multiple shapes, use the CTRL key in combination with the left mouse button.
5. To format the arc, right-click it and click Format Shape to open the Format Shape pane. You
can update the following settings for an arc:
◦ Fill: Use this option to update the interior color for the arc with a built in color, a custom
color via hex code or the color picker, or a transparent background.

◦ Border: Use this option to update the outline color for the arc with a built in color, a
custom color via hex code or the color picker, or a transparent background.

◦ Weight: Use this option to increase or decrease the thickness of the arc's Border.

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◦ Style: Use this option to change the border style for the arc from a solid line to one of the
dotted or dashed lines.

◦ Rotation: Drag the slider to the right to rotate the arc clockwise. Drag the slider to the left
to rotate the arc counterclockwise.

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◦ Angle: To manually adjust the angle of rotation for the arc, enter a number between 0
and 360 .
Note:
This setting overrides any changes that you may have made to the Rotation setting.

6. To configure the Configure Multi-state and Add Navigation Link options for the arc, click
at the top of the Format Shape pane. For additional information, refer to Configure multi-
states for shapes and images and Add a navigation link to another display or website.
7. To close Design mode when you are finished editing the arc, click Modify Display

again.

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Draw a polygon on a display

You can use the Draw Shape tool to draw a polygon to a display.

Procedure
1. Click Modify Display to enter Design mode.

2. Click the Draw Shape tool and then click the polygon.

3. Click the background of the display, drag the cursor until the polygon reaches the desired
size, and then release the mouse button.
Note:
If you hold down the shift key while dragging any of the polygon's handles, it will scale
proportionally.

4. Move the polygon on the display or resize it by using the sizing handles. Combine multiple
shapes to create diagrams and drawings.
Note:
To select multiple shapes, use the CTRL key in combination with the left mouse button.
5. To format the polygon, right-click it and click Format Shape to open the Format Shape pane.
You can update the following settings for a polygon:

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◦ Sides: Use this option to select the number of sides for your polygon. Options range from
3 to 12.

◦ Fill: Use this option to update the background color for the polygon with a built in color, a
custom color via hex code or the color picker, or a transparent background.

◦ Border: Use this option to update the border color for the polygon with a built in color, a
custom color via hex code or the color picker, or a transparent background.

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◦ Weight: Use this option to increase or decrease the thickness of the polygon's Border.

◦ Style: Use this option to change the border style for the polygon from a solid line to one
of the dotted or dashed lines.

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◦ Rotation: Drag the slider to the right to rotate the polygon clockwise. Drag the slider to
the left to rotate the polygon counterclockwise.

◦ Angle: To manually adjust the angle of rotation for the polygon, Enter a number between
0 and 360 .
Note:
This setting overrides any changes that you may have made to the Rotation setting.

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6. To configure the Configure Multi-state and Add Navigation Link options for the polygon,
click at the top of the Format Shape pane. For additional information, refer to Configure
multi-states for shapes and images and Add a navigation link to another display or website.
7. To close Design mode when you're finished editing the polygon, click Modify Display

again .

Add text
To add text to the display, enter Design mode.

Procedure
1. On the editing toolbar, click the Text icon and then click anywhere in the display.

The Format Text pane opens.

2. On the Format Text pane, enter your text in the text field to create a label on the display.
a. If you are adding a navigation link to the text, you can select the Use navigation link
address check box to show the address as your text.
Note:
The maximum character limit is 520.
3. You can format the text by customizing the following options:
◦ Font Size: Select the font size, in points.
◦ Color: Select the text's font color.
◦ Fill: Select the fill color.

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◦ Rotation: Rotate the text using the rotation slider.

◦ Angle: Enter the rotation angle into the field.
4. Click the down arrow at the top of the pane and then click the option to add a multi-state
or a navigation link to the symbol.
See Multi-state behaviors or Add a navigation link to another display or website.

Upload images
You can add images to the display, such as pictures of equipment, diagrams, or screenshots of
operational Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI). You can also create a display background by
enlarging your image to the size of the display.
PI Vision supports most image file formats, including JPG, TIF, GIF (static and animated), BMP,
and SVG. The maximum image size is 2 MB.
To upload an image, enter Design mode.

Procedure
1. On the editing toolbar, click the Image icon and then click anywhere in the display.

Click Choose File to browse to the file on your computer.

2. Select the file and click OK.
◦
To change the image, double-click it and browse to a different file.
◦ To resize the image, use the sizing handles. Hold the SHIFT key to resize the image
proportionally.
◦ To create a background image, enlarge the image to the size of the display, click the
Arrange icon on the editing toolbar, and then click Send to Back.

◦ To rotate an image, right-click it and click Format Image to open the Format Image pane.
Use the Rotation slider or manually enter the rotation Angle into the field.

Assets in displays
PI Vision lets you switch the assets in your display for other assets. For example, if your display
contains symbols that visualize data items for your Tank 1 asset, you can switch the display to
show Tank 2 instead. The title bar in the display shows an asset list. From the asset list, you can
select a different asset to show in the display. You can configure the assets shown in the asset
list and you can hide the asset list.

Topics in this section

• Switch assets shown in symbols
• Asset-list configuration

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Switch assets shown in symbols

For displays that show the asset list, you can switch the assets shown in the display for other
assets. Some displays let you switch multiple assets. Depending on the display configuration,
switching an asset might affect only instances of that asset in the display or might affect child
assets also.

Procedure
1. Click the asset list in the title bar to open the Switch Asset menu.

If the asset list has a plus + sign next to the name of the asset, you can switch more than one
asset in the display.
2. If you can switch more than one asset, then from the From list, select the asset in the display
that you want to switch.

3. From the To list, select the asset that you want to switch with the asset on the display.
Tip:
If the asset list is long, use the Filter field to filter the list of assets. Type text found in
the asset name.
You can use the wildcard character * to match any number of characters; you can use
the wildcard character ? to match a single character. PI Vision automatically assumes a
leading and trailing * in any text that you type.

Results
PI Vision updates symbols in the display to show data for the selected asset. Depending on the
display and configuration, all assets might change or only matching assets might change. See
Asset-list configuration.
If assets are not based on the same template and an attribute is not defined for a new asset,
then the display shows "No Data" for that attribute.
If assets are based on the same template and an attribute is excluded from the new asset, then
the display shows "N/A" or a blank for that attribute. See Excluded attributes.

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Asset-list configuration
Display viewers can switch the assets shown in a display by selecting a different asset in the
display's asset list. Display creators can configure the asset list and control how changed assets
affect the display. The asset list can show:
• Assets created from the same asset template
With this default configuration, the asset list shows all other assets created from the same
template as assets in the display. In displays with multiple assets, the asset list lets viewers
pick the asset they want to switch. When viewers switch one asset, others remain
unchanged. This can result in unexpected results if different assets in the display are
related.
• Assets that match a specified criteria
With this configuration, the asset list shows only assets that match criteria that display
creators specify. Creators can also configure how the display treats the asset upon change.
The display can treat the asset as a lone asset and apply the change to matching assets in the
display (that is, assets with the same template or all assets if the assets do not have a
template). Or, the display can treat the asset as a root asset, and apply the change to the
asset and any child or descendant assets based on the hierarchy.
You can also configure the display to hide the asset list. Choose the option that makes most
sense for the assets in your display and the intended use of your display.
By default, the asset list shows assets created from the same asset template as assets in the
display.

Videos
For more on this topic, watch the following video:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=SIxUbTPZWtU

Topics in this section

• Configure asset list to show specific assets
• Configure asset list to treat changed assets as root assets
• Hide asset list
• Asset-list options

Configure asset list to show specific assets

To have the asset list show a specific set of assets, display creators must configure the asset list
to show assets from a defined search. This configuration can offer more flexibility than listing
assets only based on templates.

Procedure
1. Open the configuration pane. There are two methods:

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◦ Right-click the display canvas, and then click Configure Context Switching.
◦ In the asset list, click Configure asset context switching.

2. Click Show search results to specify that a particular set of assets be listed.
The pane lists additional configuration options for applying the selected asset to the display
and for specifying the search criteria for the listed attributes. By default, the search criteria
matches the assets currently in the display.
3. Under Action, click Use current asset to apply asset switches only to matching assets (that
is, those with the same template or all assets if the assets do not have a template).
4. Specify the search criteria that lists the desired assets.
The fields under Search Criteria define the assets to list; initially, they match the assets in
the display. See Asset-list options.
For example, suppose your database contains multiple sites and each site contains a set of
tanks. To have the asset list show the tanks under a particular site, set the Search Root field
to list the site.

Configure asset list to treat changed assets as root assets

To have asset changes apply to any child or descendant assets in the display, display creators
must configure the asset list to show assets from a defined search and to treat the asset as a
root asset. With this configuration, the display applies the change to the asset and changes
corresponding child assets based on the hierarchy. This configuration is useful in displays that
depict multiple assets at different levels in a hierarchy. With this configuration, when viewers
switch the parent asset (the root asset) in the display, any child or descendant assets in the
display update to match the selected parent.

Procedure
1. Open the configuration pane. There are two methods:
◦ Right-click the display canvas, and then click Configure Context Switching.
◦ In the asset list, click Configure asset context switching.

2. Click Show search results to specify that a particular set of assets be listed.
The pane lists additional configuration options for applying the selected asset to the display
and for specifying the search criteria for the listed attributes. By default, the search criteria
matches the assets currently in the display.
3. Under Action, click Use current asset as root to apply asset switches to matching assets and
matching child assets in the display.
4. Specify the search criteria that lists the desired assets.
The fields under Search Criteria define the assets to list; initially, they match the assets in
the display. See Asset-list options.

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Hide asset list

You can hide the asset list to prevent viewers from switching the displayed assets to different
assets. This might be useful in displays designed for specific assets or in complex displays that
depict multiple assets.

Procedure
1. Open the configuration pane. There are two methods:
◦ Right-click the display canvas, and then click Configure Context Switching.
◦ In the asset list, click Configure asset context switching.

2. Click Do not show.

Asset-list options
Use the Configure asset context switching pane to configure the asset list:

• Show assets of the same type

List assets created from the same asset template as the assets in the display. This is the
default option. This option is useful for displays that show a single asset created from a
template.

• Show search results

List the assets from a particular part of the PI AF hierarchy or from a particular set of assets
that you specify with search criteria. This option is useful for displays that have assets from
multiple levels in a hierarchy or that have similar assets not based on templates. This option
is also useful to limit the number of assets listed.

• Do not show
Hide the asset list from a display. This option is useful for displays designed for specific
assets or for complex displays that depict multiple assets where switching assets might be
confusing.

Action
When you select Show search results, select the method the display uses to apply the selected
asset to the display:

• Use current asset

Change only the assets with the same template or all assets if the assets do not have a
template.

• Use current asset as root

For assets in the display at the same or lower hierarchical level, change the root path to
match the selected asset. As a result, any lower-level objects in the hierarchy (such as child
or grandchild assets) change to those under the selected asset.

Search Criteria
When you select Show search results, specify the search criteria that defines the listed assets:

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• Database
A single PI AF database that contains the assets you want listed.

• Search Root
A node of the asset hierarchy used as the root of the asset search. PI Vision searches this
asset and its child assets (but not any parent assets) to find matching assets to insert in the
asset list. Specify the asset hierarchy by separating nodes with backslashes; do not include
the PI AF server and database. For example: Parent Asset\Child Asset\Child Asset
2.
Select the Return All Descendants check box to list all the descendants of the asset, such as
grandchild assets.

• Asset Name
A name of a specific asset. You can use wildcards, such as question marks (?) to stand for
single characters and asterisks (*) to stand for multiple characters.

• Asset Type
An asset template that all listed assets must be created from.

• Asset Category
The asset category of the listed assets.

Graphics library
A large selection of graphics is available in the Graphics Library pane that you can open by
clicking the Graphics Library tab . The graphics belong to a wide range of categories,

industries, and themes. You can customize their color, fill type, and orientation. You can also
configure a graphic's multi-state behavior and allow it to automatically change color depending
on the state of the associated asset. See Configure multi-states for shapes, images, and text.

Add a graphic

Procedure
1. To open the Graphics Library pane, click the Graphics Library tab to the left of the

Assets pane.
Graphics categories are listed alphabetically and contain images from a variety of industries.
2. In the Graphics Library pane, click the category for the graphic you want to view and choose
a graphic from that category.
3. To add the selected graphic to a display, perform one of the following:

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◦ Click the graphic and drag it onto the display.

◦ Click the graphic and then click anywhere on the display to add the graphic.
◦ Click the graphic, then click on the display while holding the mouse button and drag the
mouse to place and size the graphic.
Once you add a graphic, you can move or resize it.
4. To configure a multi-state for the graphic, right-click it and click Configure Multi-State. The
color of the graphic's fill changes depending on the state. See Configure multi-states for
shapes, images and text.

Format a graphic
Use the Format Graphic pane to customize the graphic's fill, flip orientation, or angle.

Procedure
1. Right-click the graphic and click Format Graphic to open the Format Graphic pane.
2. On the Format Graphic pane, you can configure the following options:
a. Fill Mode
The fill mode controls the way the image is drawn.

▪ Original: View the graphic's original preset colors.

▪ Shaded: Select a color for the shaded areas.
▪ Solid: Select a solid color for the entire graphic.
▪ Hollow: View only the graphic's outlines.
b. Flip
Select Horizontal, Vertical, or Both to change the orientation of the image. The default
setting is None.
c. Rotation
Rotate the graphic using the rotation slider.
d. Angle
Enter the rotation angle into the field.
3. Click the down arrow at the top of the Format Graphic pane to add a navigation link or a
multi-state.

Monitor displays
Outside of Design mode, you can monitor a display.
Tip:
You can use the timebar at the bottom of the display to pan across the display's time
range, regardless of whether you are in Design mode or not.

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Before you start

Click Monitor Operations

to exit Design mode. PI Vision locks the display, preventing you from accidentally making
changes to any symbols.

Procedure
• View trend cursors by clicking on any trend. (See Monitor trends with trend cursors.)

• Pan across the display's time range by dragging the lower section of the trend left or right.
(See Pan across a trend's time range.)

• Use trend zoom to zoom in on a particular range of time and value in a trend. (See Trend
zoom.)
• Add data items to existing symbols on the display by dragging data items from the search
results inside existing symbols.
On a trend, a data item appears as a new trace. On a table, a data item appears as a new row.
For value and gauge symbols, adding a data item swaps the existing data item with a new
one.

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• Search for data items and drag them to the display to create new symbols.
When you create a new symbol, PI Vision automatically enters Design mode.
• View any data symbol (trend, table, value, or gauge) as a pop-up trend in a separate, new
display by double-clicking the symbol.
The pop-up trend shows data from the symbol on the original display. Click the pop-up
trend to view trend cursors. You can also use a trend zoom, and pan across the pop-up
trend's time range by dragging the lower section of the trend left or right.

Time bar control

The time bar control at the bottom of the display workspace shows the start and end time for
all symbols on your display. The duration of the display time range appears in the space
between the start and end times, and is initially set to 8 hours. If the end time for the display
time range is set to Now (*), symbols on the display will dynamically update as information
from their data items changes.

1. Start time
2. Revert display (and any trends) to original time configuration
3. Arrows shift the time range backwards or forwards
4. Duration button
5. Now button to return to current time
6. End time

The time bar control accepts valid PI System and Windows times, and launches an error
message in the event you enter an unsupported time format. See PI Time for more information
on acceptable inputs.

Topics in this section

• Change the time range for a display
• PI time
• Displayed data formats

Change the time range for a display

The time bar governs the time range for all symbols in a display. Use any of the following
methods to change the time range:

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Procedure
• In the time bar control, click the duration button to view the duration menu
. This action resets the start time to accommodate the
duration you select.
• Click the arrows to shift the display range forward or backward in time in increments of the
display range.
• In the time bar control, click the start or end time . An editable

field appears that allows you to enter a new start time or end time to edit the time value. If
the end time is set to an absolute time, or any time other than current time, the display will
not update. For more information, see PI Time.
• In the time bar control, click the Now button . Once set, the Now button and
display range remain highlighted and your symbols dynamically update.

PI time
You can use a special syntax, called PI time, to specify inputs for time stamps and time
intervals. PI time uses specific abbreviations, which you combine to create time expressions.

Topics in this section

• PI time abbreviations
• PI time expressions
• Time-stamp specification

PI time abbreviations
When specifying PI time, you can use specific abbreviations that represent time units and
reference times.
Time-unit abbreviations
Abbreviation Full version Plural version Corresponding time unit
s second seconds Second
m minute minutes Minute
h hour hours Hour
d day days Day
mo month months Month
y year years Year
w week weeks Week

To specify time units, you can specify the abbreviation, the full version, or the plural version of
the time unit, such as s, second, or seconds. You must include a valid value with any time unit.

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If specifying seconds, minutes, or hours, you can specify a fractional value, such as 1.25h. You
cannot specify fractional values for other time units.
Reference-time abbreviations
Abbreviation Full version Corresponding reference time
* Current time
t today 00:00:00 (midnight) of the current day
y yesterday 00:00:00 (midnight) of the previous day
sun1 sunday 00:00:00 (midnight) on the most recent Sunday

jun2 june 00:00:00 (midnight) on the current day in June of the current
year
dec DD december DD 00:00:00 (midnight) on the DDth day of December in the
current year
YYYY 00:00:00 (midnight) on the current day and month in year
YYYY
M-D or M/D 00:00:00 (midnight) on the Dth day of month M in the
current year
DD 00:00:00 (midnight) on the DDth day of the current month
1: Use the first three letters as an abbreviation for any day of the week: sun, mon, tue, wed, thu, fri,

or sat.
2: Use the first three letters as an abbreviation for any month of the year: jan, feb, mar, apr, may, jun,

jul, aug, sep, oct, nov, or dec.

PI time expressions
PI time expressions can include fixed times, reference-time abbreviations, and time offsets. A
time offset indicates the offset direction (either + or -) and the offset amount (a time-unit
abbreviation with a value).
For example, PI time expressions can have the following structure:
Structure Example
Fixed time only 24-aug-2012 09:50:00
Reference-time abbreviation only t
Time offset only +3h
Reference-time abbreviation with a time offset t+3h

Include at most one time offset in an expression; including multiple time offsets can lead to
unpredictable results.

Time-stamp specification
To specify inputs for time stamps, you can enter time expressions that contain:
• Fixed times
A fixed time always represents the same time, regardless of the current time.

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Input Meaning
23-aug-12 15:00:00 3:00 p.m. on August 23, 2012
25-sep-12 00:00:00 (midnight) on September 25, 2012

• Reference-time abbreviations
A reference-time abbreviation represents a time relative to the current time.
Input Meaning
* Current time (now)
3-1 or 3/1 00:00:00 (midnight) on March 1 of the current year
2011 00:00:00 (midnight) on the current month and day in the year 2011
25 00:00:00 (midnight) on the 25th of the current month
t 00:00:00 (midnight) on the current date (today)
y 00:00:00 (midnight) on the previous date (yesterday)
tue 00:00:00 (midnight) on the most recent Tuesday

• Reference-time abbreviations with a time offset

When included with a reference-time abbreviation, a time offset adds or subtracts from the
specified time.
Input Meaning
*-1h One hour ago
t+8h 08:00:00 (8:00 a.m.) today
y-8h 16:00:00 (4:00 p.m.) the day before yesterday
mon+14.5h 14:30:00 (2:30 p.m.) last Monday
sat-1m 23:59:00 (11:59 p.m.) last Friday

• Time offsets
Entered alone, time offsets specify a time relative to an implied reference time. The implied
reference time might be the current clock time or another time, depending on where you
enter the expression.
Input Meaning
-1d One day before the current time
+6h Six hours after the current time

Displayed data formats

PI Vision displays numeric and date-time values in standard, easy-to-read formats.
Use your browser language settings to view the application in a different language. The
language you choose also affects the representation of items such as:
• Date and time formats
• The decimal marker and thousand separator for numeric data
For example, if you view PI Vision in German, the decimal separator is a comma: 525,7.

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Export data from a display

You can export data from a display to an XML file or a CSV file. The exported file contains all the
asset attributes and PI tags for all the data sources on the display for the time range of the
display.
Note:
Exporting is not supported for Event Comparison displays.

Procedure
• Click the Save As arrow to open the export options:

◦ Click Export as .xml to create an XML file with source data from the display.
◦ Click Export as .csv to create a CSV file with source data from the display.
PI Vision retrieves up to 3600 values per data item and writes them to the exported file.

After you finish

Open the exported file in Microsoft Excel to view the data in a formatted spreadsheet:
• Exported XML files contain two worksheets:
◦ A Display worksheet that lists interval data for the data items in the display. PI Vision
automatically determines the interval size based on the display time range.
◦ An Archive worksheet that lists archive data for all data items in the display.
• Exported CSV files contain one worksheet that lists the data source, time, and value for each
recorded value for data items in the display.

Change the display's background color

To improve the visibility of your display, you can adjust its background color.

Procedure
1. Right-click inside an empty area of the display and click Format Display.
2. Under Background, choose a color from the color panel.
Click the color wheel to choose a custom color by using a color slider or a color field or by
entering a hexadecimal color value (#RRGGBB) in the top field.

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Events are important processes or business time periods that affect your operations. For
example, an event can capture asset downtime, process excursions, operator shifts, or batches.
You can analyze your data in the context of these events rather than by continuous time
periods. Each event has a name, start time, end time, and associated data items (event
attributes).
PI Vision enables you to view and analyze your data during the time range of a particular event.
For example, you may want to examine the performance of an asset during an operator shift or
compare the data for several assets during a downtime period. You can compare multiple
events on a single trend, analyze root causes, investigate an event by examining it in detail, and
annotate it with notes that you can share with colleagues.
Each event has a severity level associated with it. The severity level is marked in the Events
pane with a color-coded bar in front of each event. Severity levels have the following default
levels, names and color codes:

• Level 5: Critical
• Level 4: Major
• Level 3: Minor
• Level 2: Warning
• Level 1: Information
• Level 0: None (no color)

Training video
For more on this topic, watch the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2W5vA43944

Topics in this section

• Discover events
• Search for events
• Create an events table
• Event details
• Event comparisons

Discover events
Use the Events pane to view events related to assets in the display.

Procedure
1. Click the Events tab, located below the Assets tab, to open the Events pane.

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The Events pane lists the events that match the criteria saved with the display. The default
criteria finds events that are related to assets in the display and active during the time range
in the display.

Note:
Listed events have the following conventions:
◦ Events in progress are marked with an asterisk (*).
◦ Events with default attributes show the event name followed by the default
attribute in parenthesis.
2. Configure the Events pane to update the events listed:
◦ Select the Automatically refresh the list check box to have PI Vision automatically update
the list periodically (every 5 seconds by default) and whenever you change the time
range of the display.
◦ Click Edit Search Criteria to change the criteria that determines the listed events. For
more information, see Search for events.
Any changes are saved with the display.
3. Learn more about the listed events:
◦ Click an event to view its start time and end time.
The Attributes pane below the Events pane shows the attributes of the selected event.
Administrators define event attributes (the key parameters of the event) in PI System
Explorer.

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◦ For events with child events, such as a root cause, click the arrow next to the event to
drill down to the child event.
◦ To apply the time range of an event to all symbols on the display, right-click the event and
then click Apply Time Range.
PI Vision updates the time range of the display to match the time range of the selected
event.

After you finish

If you configure the display to automatically refresh the event list, then after you close the
Events pane, a blue circle appears in the Events tab whenever PI Vision detects a new event.

Search for events

To find specific events, perform an advanced search by editing your search criteria.

Procedure
1. In the Events pane, click Edit Search Criteria to open the Edit Search Criteria pane.

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2. Click the arrows to expand each search criteria and set appropriate values.

◦ Database
Select a single PI AF database that contains the events you want to retrieve.
Note:
The search will not work unless a database is selected.

◦ Time Range
Select the time range of the retrieved events:
▪ Timebar Duration: Find events that occurred between the start and end time of your
display.
▪ Any Time: Find events that occurred at any time.
▪ Today: Find events that occurred today.
▪ Last 7 Days: Find events that occurred in the last 7 days.
▪ Last 30 Days: Find events that occurred in the last 30 days.
▪ Custom Time Range: Use the time picker to select the start and end time for your
events or enter PI time.

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◦ Event Severity
Select the severity of retrieved events. Event severity levels are marked in the Events
pane with a color-coded bar.

◦ Event Name
Enter the name of the event you want to retrieve. You can use wildcards such as asterisks
(*). For example, enter *downtime* to find Reactor 3 Downtime. Do not use quotation
marks.

◦ Event Type and Attribute Value

Specify event types and attribute values of retrieved events:
▪ Event Type: Select an event type. Event types correspond to event-frame templates.
For more information, see the PI Server topic "Event frame templates" in Live Library
(https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
▪ Event Attribute: Specify attributes from the selected event type and specify desired
values for those attributes. You can specify up to five event attributes. Click the plus
(+) sign, select an attribute from the list, select an operator, and enter a value.
For example, to find downtime events during which the temperature was above 100
degrees, select Downtime from the Event Type list and Temperature from the Event
Attribute list, and then select > from the operator list and enter 100 in the value field.
Note:
If the attribute's value type is an enumeration set or a Boolean, you can select
the value from the list by clicking the down-arrow. For more information, see the
PI Server topic "Enumeration sets" in Live Library (https://
livelibrary.osisoft.com).

◦ Asset Name
Specify the asset associated with retrieved events:
▪ Any: Search all assets in the database for associated events.
▪ Assets on Display: Search assets on the current display for associated events. You must
be connected to PI AF version 2017 R2 or later to use this option.
▪ Specify Name: Enter the name of a specific asset that you want to search for
associated events. Use wildcards such as question marks (?) and asterisks (*) to stand
for single or multiple characters, respectively.

◦ Asset Type
Select the asset template of assets referenced by retrieved events.

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◦ Event State
Select the state of retrieved events:
▪ Any: Find events that are in progress or completed.
▪ In Progress: Find events that are currently in progress.
▪ Completed: Find events that are completed.

◦ Event Category
Select the category of retrieved events. For more information, see the PI Server topic
"Categorization of objects" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).

◦ Event Acknowledgment
Select the acknowledgement status of retrieved events:
▪ Any: Find events with any acknowledgment status.
▪ Acknowledged: Find events that users have acknowledged.
▪ Unacknowledged: Find events that no user has acknowledged.
You can acknowledge events on the event details page.

◦ Event Comments
Select the comment status of retrieved events:
▪ Any: Find events with and without comments.
▪ Has Comments: Find events that have comments.
▪ No Comments: Find events that do not have comments.
You can insert comments to annotate events on the event detail page.

◦ Event Duration
To retrieve events with a specific duration, select Specify Duration and enter the
maximum and minimum duration of the desired event. Duration can be expressed in
seconds, minutes, hours, or days.

◦ Number of Results
Specify the number of events to retrieve:
▪ All Events: Retrieve any number of matching events.
▪ Number of Most Recent Events: Retrieve the specified number of events, starting with
the most recent.
▪ Number of Earliest Events: Retrieve the specified number of events, starting with the
earliest event.

◦ Search Mode
Select when the retrieved events occurred relative to the time range set in the Time
Range criteria:

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▪ Events Active in Range: Find events that were active at any time within the specified
time range. These events might have begun before the start of the specified time range
and ended after the end of the specified time range.
▪ Events Entirely in Range: Find events that began and ended within the specified time
range.
▪ Events Starting in Range: Find events that began within the specified time range.
▪ Events Ending in Range: Find events that ended within the specified time range.
3. Select the Return All Descendants check box to also return all the descendants of the
retrieved events, such as child events or grandchild events.
4. Click Apply to search for matching events and close the Edit Search Criteria pane.
The search results appear inside the Events pane.

Create an events table

The events table provides a dynamically updating, tabular view of events that meet specified
criteria. Upon creation, the table shows the events from the Events pane, based on the criteria
in the Edit Search Criteria pane. After you create an events table, you can change the events
inside the table by changing the criteria in the Configure Table pane. From the table, you can
easily filter and sort events. When you save your display, the sorting options on the events table
are saved with the display.

Procedure
1. In the Events pane, click Create Events Table to create an events table
on the display.
The table shows all the events listed in the Events pane. If the pane does not contain events,
the events table will be blank.
Note:
To automatically fit the content of a column, double-click the border to the right of the
column's heading.
2. To filter the table items, click the filter icon to the right of any column heading and set
the filtering parameters.
Note:
The options and choices of operators inside the filter menu vary by column.

a. On the filter menu, enter or select a value or string, and then choose from some of the
following operators:

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Operators Description
Is equal to See only items with an entered text or value. Only those items
whose names fully match your entry are shown.
Is not equal to See items with values that do not equal to a specified text or
value. Items whose names fully match your entry are not
shown.
Starts with See items that start with a specified text or value.
Ends with See items that end with a specified text or value.
Contains See items that contain a specified text or value.
Does not contain See items that do not contain a specified text or value.
Is after or equal to See items that start on or after a specified time.
Is after See items that start after a specified time.
Is before or equal to See items that start on or before a specified time.
Is before See items that start before a specified time.
Is empty See items that are blank.
Is not empty See items that are not blank.

b. After choosing your filter options, click Filter.

The table column shows only the items that have not been filtered out. The filter icon
changes from white to blue , indicating that a filter is applied to that column. To clear
the filter, open the filter menu again and click Clear.
3. To sort the table by column, click the header of a desired column.
The column becomes a sorting column, which is indicated by a down arrow. To reverse the
sort order, click the header of the column again.
4. To view the events of another related asset, use the asset list to switch assets (see Switch
assets shown in symbols) or change the events search criteria in the Configure Table pane
(see Configure an events table).
Note:
To use the asset list to switch related assets in the events table, the Asset Name
criteria on the Configure Table pane must be set to Selected Asset on Display.
5. To add, remove, and sort columns, or to change the events search criteria, right-click the
table and then click Configure Table. See Configure an events table.
6. To open the event details page that contains more information about a particular event,
double-click the event's row in the table. See View event details and annotate events.

Configure an events table

Use the Configure Table pane to configure the columns, default sort order, and style of an events
table. Upon creation, the table shows the events from the Events pane, and those search
settings are copied to the Configure Table pane. After you create the table, use the Configure
Table pane to change the search criteria that sets the events that appear in the table. The
Configure Table pane opens automatically when you create an events table.

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Procedure
1. If the pane is not open, right-click the events table, and then click Configure Table.
2. Under Table Columns, select the table columns and set the default sorting order.
a. Select the check boxes next to the columns you want to appear to the table:
▪ Asset: View the name of the asset associated with each event.
▪ Asset Path: View the path in PI AF to the asset associated with each event.
▪ Event Type: View the event type of each event.
▪ Start Time: View the start time of each event, including the date.
▪ End Time: View the end time of each event, including the date.
▪ Severity: View the severity level of each event.
▪ Duration: View the duration of each event.
▪ Reason: View and edit the reason for each event.
The reason is only available when a reason trait is identified for an attribute in the
event template. This requires PI AF Server version 2017 R2 or later. For information
about how to configure reasons, see the OSIsoft Tech Support article KB01700 - Set
Event Reason Codes in PI Vision (https://techsupport.osisoft.com/
Troubleshooting/KB/KB01700/).
▪ Acknowledged By: View the user who acknowledged each event.
▪ Acknowledged Date: View the date when each event was acknowledged
▪ Acknowledgement: View the Acknowledgement button and status. You can
acknowledge an event directly from the table by clicking the Acknowledgement
button.
b. Select the default sorting order:
▪ Default Sort Column: Select the column used to sort the events in the table.
▪ Default Sort Direction: Select the direction, either Ascending (A to Z) or Descending
(Z to A) alphanumeric order, to sort the column.
Note:
Changes to the Table Columns options are applied to the table as soon as they are
made, without needing to click Apply.
3. Under Style, click the style for column and row shading.
4. Under Edit Search Criteria, set the criteria for events shown in the table.
Note:
Changing the criteria inside the Configure Table pane does not affect the events listed
in the Events pane.

◦ Database
Select a single PI AF database that contains the events you want to retrieve.

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Note:
The search will not work unless a database is selected.

◦ Time Range
Select the time range of the retrieved events:
▪ Timebar Duration: Find events that occurred between the start and end time of your
display.
▪ Any Time: Find events that occurred at any time.
▪ Today: Find events that occurred today.
▪ Last 7 Days: Find events that occurred in the last 7 days.
▪ Last 30 Days: Find events that occurred in the last 30 days.
▪ Custom Time Range: Use the time picker to select the start and end time for your
events or enter PI time.

◦ Event Severity
Select the severity of retrieved events. Event severity levels are marked in the Events
pane with a color-coded bar.

◦ Event Name
Enter the name of the event you want to retrieve. You can use wildcards such as asterisks
(*). For example, enter *downtime* to find Reactor 3 Downtime. Do not use quotation
marks.

◦ Event Type and Attribute Value

Specify event types and attribute values of retrieved events:
▪ Event Type: Select an event type. Event types correspond to event-frame templates.
For more information, see the PI Server topic "Event frame templates" in Live Library
(https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
▪ Event Attribute: Specify attributes from the selected event type and specify desired
values for those attributes. You can specify up to five event attributes. Click the plus
(+) sign, select an attribute from the list, select an operator, and enter a value.
For example, to find downtime events during which the temperature was above 100
degrees, select Downtime from the Event Type list and Temperature from the Event
Attribute list, and then select > from the operator list and enter 100 in the value field.
Note:
If the attribute's value type is an enumeration set or a Boolean, you can select
the value from the list by clicking the down-arrow. For more information, see the
PI Server topic "Enumeration sets" in Live Library (https://
livelibrary.osisoft.com).
For the events table, you can use the In operator. For the value, specify multiple, non-
numeric text values separated by semicolons. PI Vision returns events that match any
of these values. If you specify the same attribute more than once with the In operator,
PI Vision finds events that match any of the values specified for that attribute. If you
specify different attributes with the In operator, PI Vision finds events that match the
conditions specified for all the attributes.

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◦ Asset Name
Specify the asset associated with retrieved events:
▪ Any: Search all assets in the database for associated events.
▪ Selected Asset on Display: Search the selected asset in the asset list for associated
events. If you select this option, then the table updates when you select a different
asset from the asset list.
▪ Assets on Display: Search assets on the current display for associated events. PI Vision
must be connected to PI AF version 2017 R2 or later to use this option.
▪ Specify Name: Enter the name of a specific asset that you want to search for
associated events. Use wildcards such as question marks (?) and asterisks (*) to stand
for single or multiple characters, respectively.

◦ Asset Type
Select the asset template of assets referenced by retrieved events.

◦ Event State
Select the state of retrieved events:
▪ Any: Find events that are in progress or completed.
▪ In Progress: Find events that are currently in progress.
▪ Completed: Find events that are completed.

◦ Event Category
Select the category of retrieved events. For more information, see the PI Server topic
"Categorization of objects" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).

◦ Event Acknowledgment
Select the acknowledgement status of retrieved events:
▪ Any: Find events with any acknowledgment status.
▪ Acknowledged: Find events that users have acknowledged.
▪ Unacknowledged: Find events that no user has acknowledged.
You can acknowledge events on the event details page.

◦ Event Comments
Select the comment status of retrieved events:

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▪ Any: Find events with and without comments.

▪ Has Comments: Find events that have comments.
▪ No Comments: Find events that do not have comments.
You can insert comments to annotate events on the event detail page.

◦ Event Duration
To retrieve events with a specific duration, select Specify Duration and enter the
maximum and minimum duration of the desired event. Duration can be expressed in
seconds, minutes, hours, or days.

◦ Number of Results
Specify the number of events to retrieve:
▪ All Events: Retrieve any number of matching events.
▪ Number of Most Recent Events: Retrieve the specified number of events, starting with
the most recent.
▪ Number of Earliest Events: Retrieve the specified number of events, starting with the
earliest event.

◦ Search Mode
Select when the retrieved events occurred relative to the time range set in the Time
Range criteria:
▪ Events Active in Range: Find events that were active at any time within the specified
time range. These events might have begun before the start of the specified time range
and ended after the end of the specified time range.
▪ Events Entirely in Range: Find events that began and ended within the specified time
range.
▪ Events Starting in Range: Find events that began within the specified time range.
▪ Events Ending in Range: Find events that ended within the specified time range.

◦ Update Rate
Select the rate at which the events table is updated:
▪ Default (15 seconds): The table updates at the same rate as the events pane, as
configured in the system settings. By default the rate is every 15 seconds.
▪ Interval: A value that indicates the number of seconds that will elapse before the
events in the table is refreshed.
▪ Do not update: The table will not update on a regular basis after it is initially
populated with events.
5. Select the Return All Descendants check box to also return all the descendants of the
retrieved events, such as child events or grandchild events.
6. Click Apply.
The events table updates to reflect the entered criteria.

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Event details
The event details page shows the process behavior of an event's attributes inside a trend and
tables. From the event details page, you can analyze, acknowledge, and annotate critical events.
Note:
From PI System Explorer, PI administrators grant permissions to acknowledge and
annotate events (PI AF version 2016 or later is required). For more information, see the
PI Vision administration topic "Set permissions to allow users to acknowledge and
annotate events" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).

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1. Trend
2. Events pane
3. Trigger Expression table
4. Trigger Attributes table
5. Events Attributes table
6. Related Asset Attributes table
7. Reasons pane
8. Comments pane
9. Acknowledge button
Event details page

The event details page has the following features:

• Trend plots the behavior of the attributes associated with a referenced asset and the trigger
attributes, if any, that contain numerical data.
• Events pane shows your events.
• Trigger Expression table (if defined) shows the trigger expression for the event. The page
only shows the Trigger Expression table when the event has configured trigger settings and
the trigger expression has been created. For more information, see the PI Server topic
"Create an event frame generation analysis" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).

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• Trigger Attributes table (if defined) lists the names and values of attributes associated with
the event's start triggers as set by the PI administrator. The page only shows the Trigger
Attribute table if the trigger attributes have been set.
• Event Attributes table lists event attributes, which are attributes associated with an event.
• Related Asset Attributes table lists the names and values of attributes associated with a
referenced asset during the event.
• Reason pane lists available reasons and shows the reason currently set for the event. You
can clear the current reason or select and apply a new reason. The reason attribute is an
enumeration set, which can be hierarchical in PI AF version 2017 R2 and later.
• Comments pane shows comments made and lets you add comments and attachments.
• Acknowledge button to acknowledge the event.

View event details and annotate events

Use the event details page to analyze, acknowledge, and annotate critical events.
Note:
To acknowledge and annotate events (to share comments and attachments related to the
event with your colleagues), you require permission, granted by the PI administrator in
PI System Explorer. Without proper permission, you can only view comments.

Procedure
1. In the Events pane, right-click any event in the list and then click Event Details to open the
event details page.
You can also open the event details page from the event-comparison page.
2. To view event details for another event, click a different event on the list.
3. Use the collapsible tables to add or remove attributes to and from the trend.
a. To add an attribute to the trend, click the row containing that attribute.
The row will be highlighted, and the attribute will appear on the trend.
Note:
Only attributes containing numerical data, with rows marked with a trend icon
, can be plotted. If the event attribute is a summary operation (Average, Min,

Max, and so on), then the source attribute will be plotted, not the summary value.
b. To remove an attribute from the trend, click the highlighted row containing that
attribute.
c. To highlight the trace of an attribute on the trend, hover your mouse over the attribute in
the table.
4. To filter the table items and see only the items you want, click the filter icon to the right of a
column heading and set your filtering parameters on the filter menu.
You can enter a value or string and choose from the following operators:

◦ Is equal to: see only items with an entered text or value

◦ Is not equal to: see items with values that do not equal to an entered text or value

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◦ Is empty: see blank items

◦ Is not empty: see items that are not blank
◦ Starts with: see items that start with an entered text or value
◦ Ends with: see items that end with an entered text or value
◦ Contains: see items that contain an entered text or value
◦ Does not contain: see items that do not contain an entered text or value

After you click Filter, the table shows only the items that have not been filtered out. The
filter icon on the column header changes from white to blue, indicating that a filter is in
effect for that column. To clear the filter, open the filter menu again and click Clear.
Note:
Filtering is only available for events that have been completed. In-progress events
cannot be included in the filter.
5. To acknowledge the event, click Acknowledge .

An acknowledgement is posted under Actions and Comments with your name and the time
of acknowledgement.
Acknowledgements cannot be deleted or reassigned and are stored on the PI AF server.

6. To add a comment, enter the comment in the Add Comment field and click Add.

The comment is posted under Actions and Comments with your name and the time of the
comment.
Note:
The text limit is 2500 characters.

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7. To attach a file, click the Attach button under the Add Comment field, browse to your
file, click Open, and then click Add.
The attachment is posted under Actions and Comments with your name and the time of
attachment.
Note:
By default, the maximum file size for an attachment is 7 MB. Allowed file types include
DOCX, PDF, TXT, XLSX, CVS, JPG, JPEG, SVG, TIFF, GIF, and PDI. Maximum file size and
allowed file types can be configured by the PI administrator in PI AF version 2016 and
later. For more information, see the PI Vision administration topic "Change event
annotation file types and size limits" in Live Library (https://livelibrary.osisoft.com).
8. If desired, set or change the reason for the event:
◦ To clear the current reason, click Clear and then click Apply.
◦ To set a new reason, select the reason from the list and then click Apply.
9. To return to your display and exit the event details page, click the Back button.

Event details on a mobile device

On a mobile device, the event details page automatically opens inside the standard PI Vision
website; you are not redirected to a mobile site. When viewing the event details page on your
mobile device, you can use mobile-friendly features:
• Arrows support page navigation.
◦ Tap the up arrow to hide the trend.
◦ Tap the right arrow to add a comment.
◦ Tap the left arrow to see trigger expressions (if any).
• If your device is in landscape mode, the trend opens full screen, unless you have chosen to
hide the trend.
• If you tap inside the Comments pane, it opens full screen. Tap X to exit the Comments pane
and return to the event details page.

Event comparisons
PI Vision lets you compare events such as process downtime, process excursions, operator
shifts, or batches. With the event-comparison feature, you can analyze process data across
multiple events on a single overlay trend. The feature is designed to help you identify
similarities and differences between events, assess sub-events, and determine root causes.
By default, the event-comparison page displays up to 11 events, including the event you
selected in the Events pane as well as ten earlier events of the same type. Each event is color-
coded and has a legend marker next to its name to help you locate the event on the overlay
trend and the Gantt chart.
The following figure shows the event-comparison page.

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1. Events pane listing all the events you are comparing.

2. Overlay Trend display showing overlay trends for each attribute of the event and the asset
you want to analyze. Each overlay trend shows multiple events for a single event attribute.
For example, an overlay trend for an attribute called "Downtime" will show a graph with 11
traces with each trace representing a different downtime event.
3. Zero Line marking the start time of the event.
4. Attributes pane listing all the attributes associated with the event you want to analyze.
5. Root Cause showing the time period leading up to the event that is considered a "child"
event.
6. Gantt Chart pane representing each event in the Events pane with a color-coded Gantt bar.
The position and length of the Gantt bar reflects the start time, duration, and end time of the
event. The Gantt bar shows if there are "child" or other descendant events associated with
the event, such as root causes.

Videos
For more on this topic, watch the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2W5vA43944

Topics in this section

• Compare multiple events
• Pin reference events

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• Add a new overlay trend to the display

• View child events in Gantt chart
• Align and zoom in on child events
• Perform root cause analysis
• Save an event comparison display

Compare multiple events

The event-comparison page shows overlay trends plotting the behavior of each event attribute
during multiple related events.
Note:
By default, when an event-comparison page is created, it contains overlay trends for each
attribute that matches all of the following criteria:
• Appears on your PI Vision display.
• Belongs to the referenced asset of the event you selected for comparison in the Events
pane.
• Uses a numeric data type.

Procedure
1. In the Events pane, right-click the event you want to compare and click either Compare
Similar Events By Name or Compare Similar Events By Type.
When comparing events by name, the event-comparison page displays up to 11 events with
the same name, event type, and referenced asset. When comparing events by type, the
event-comparison page displays up to 11 events based on the same type and same
referenced asset.

If an event is currently "in-progress", it will have a circle at the end of its trace, and the
overlay trend will show a green circle next to its title.

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2. Select an event from the list to highlight its trace on the overlay trend and view its start and
end time.

Each event is color-coded and has a legend marker next to its name to help you locate the
event on the overlay trend and the Gantt chart.
3. Click anywhere on the overlay trend to view a trend cursor.
4. To hide an event, right-click the event in the Events pane and click Hide Event. You can also
right-click the event's color-coded bar in the Gantt chart and click Hide Event.
The event will be hidden on each overlay trend and the Gantt chart, and will be grayed out
in the Events pane.
5. To show a hidden event, right-click the grayed-out event in the Events pane and click Show
Event.
6. To delete an overlay trend, click the X icon next to the trend's title.

Pin reference events

Once you created an event-comparison page, you can pin events from the search results as your
reference events. Pinned events are your benchmark events that remain at the top of the Events
pane even after you perform new event searches. Once you no longer want an event to be
pinned at the top of the pane, you can remove it from the Pinned events list.

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Procedure
1. After you create an event-comparison page, right-click the event you want to pin in the
Events pane and click Pin Event.
The pinned events appear at the top of the pane in the Pinned section and have yellow
legend marker next to them.
2. After you pin an event, you can perform the following operations:
◦ To highlight the pinned event on the overlay trend, select the event in the Events pane.
◦ To add another pinned event, right-click that event and click Pin Event.
◦ To save the pinned event, save the event-comparison display by clicking Save and
entering a display name.
◦ To perform another event search while keeping your pinned events at the top of the
Events pane, click Edit Search Criteria.
3. To unpin your pinned event, right-click it and click Unpin Event.

Add a new overlay trend to the display

PI Vision automatically selects which attributes to display as Overlay Trends. You can add new
Overlay Trends by dragging additional event attributes to the display.
The Attributes pane lists all of the event's attributes. The last item in the Attributes pane is the
event's referenced asset. A referenced asset is the asset that the event is associated with. You
can view all of the referenced asset's attributes by clicking the triangle next to the asset.

Procedure
1. Select an attribute that you want to trend from the Attributes pane and drag it onto an
Overlay Trend. The Attributes pane shows each attribute's value at the start time of the
event.

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Note:
If you do not see the attribute you are looking for, click the event's referenced asset
at the bottom of the Attributes pane to view a full list of attributes.
2. The trend for the dragged attribute appears on the overlay trend with multiple color-coded
traces. Each trace represents the same attribute’s process behavior during multiple related
events.

3. Select an event in the Events pane to highlight its trace on the overlay trend.

View child events in Gantt chart

The Gantt chart illustrates each event with a color-coded bar. The position and length of each
Gantt bar reflects the start time, duration, and end time of the event. The legend marker in
front of the Gantt bar and its color corresponds to the legend marker and color of the event in
the Events pane. If an event contains child events (sub-events), a plus icon will be displayed
in front of the Gantt bar.

Procedure
• To view child events on the Gantt chart, click the plus icon on the Gantt bar of the event
you wish to analyze. Child events are shown as segments beneath the Gantt bar of each
event.

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To hide child events, click the minus icon on the Gantt bar.

Align and zoom in on child events

By default, events on the Overlay Trends are aligned at the "zero time" line, which marks the
relative start time of events. You can also align Overlay Trends to the start time of a selected
child event in the Gantt chart as well as zoom in on the child events themselves.
When you align a selected child event, the sequentially corresponding child events of other
parent events will also be aligned at the "zero time" line. Child events before or after the
selected child event on the Gantt chart will be aligned relative to the "zero time" line. The
events are aligned on both the Overlay Trends and the Gantt chart.
In this example, the selected child event (Phase 15:59:42) has been aligned at the "zero time"
line.

Note:
To align child events, child events must be identical for each compared event.

Procedure
1. To view child events on the Gantt chart, click the plus icon on the Gantt bar of the event
you want to analyze.
2. To align the Overlay Trends to the start time of the selected child event, right-click the child
event and click Align.
3. To zoom the Overlay Trends to the start and end time of the selected child event and
examine this time segment in more detail, right-click the child event and click Align and
Zoom.
4. To undo the aligning of child events, right-click the child event and click Revert.

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Perform root cause analysis

To perform root cause analysis, you can view process data for a time period leading up to an
event if the event has a root cause that has been defined (configured in PI Analytics). Root
causes are shown as child events in the Overlay Trend and in the Gantt chart. A root cause is
the first child event in a sequence of sub-events. Because a root cause is a period preceding an
event, the root cause will appear to the left of the “zero time" line, which marks the start of the
events.

1. Time period leading up to the events.

2. Zero time line, marking the start of events.
3. Root cause.

Save an event comparison display

You can save an event comparison display just like a regular PI Vision display. All of the saved
event comparison displays appear on the home page as thumbnails. A saved event comparison
display contains the events' search criteria (such as database, time range, asset and event
name, and so on) and data points for overlay trends.
Note:
When you open a saved event comparison display and perform an advanced events
search, the Edit Search Criteria pane will automatically be populated with the saved
search criteria.

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Procedure
1. To save a new event comparison display, click Save or press Ctrl+S and enter a

display name.
2. To save the display with a new name, click the down arrow next to Save and then click Save
As.

3. Enter a new event comparison display name in the Save As window.

Next time you are on the home page, you will see your event comparison display's name and
thumbnail. You can open the display from the home page with the same overlay trends,
asset context, and events context.
4. To rename a saved display, open it, click the display's name in the Display field of the header,
enter a new name, and save the display.

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Training videos
To better understand how to use PI Vision, check out our training videos on the PI Vision
YouTube playlist.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMcG1Hs2JbcvWPkSbIbQEJqsTX9Sa1nty.

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Technical support and other resources
For technical assistance, contact OSIsoft Technical Support at +1 510-297-5828 or through the
OSIsoft Customer Portal Contact Us page (https://customers.osisoft.com/s/contactus). The
Contact Us page offers additional contact options for customers outside of the United States.
When you contact OSIsoft Technical Support, be prepared to provide this information:
• Product name, version, and build numbers
• Details about your computer platform (CPU type, operating system, and version number)
• Time that the difficulty started
• Log files at that time
• Details of any environment changes prior to the start of the issue
• Summary of the issue, including any relevant log files during the time the issue occurred
To ask questions of others who use OSIsoft software, join the OSIsoft user community,
PI Square (https://pisquare.osisoft.com). Members of the community can request advice and
share ideas about the PI System. The PI Developers Club space within PI Square offers
resources to help you with the programming and integration of OSIsoft products.

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