AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide

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 © 2015-2023 AVEVA Group Limited and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved.
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Publication date: Thursday, June 1, 2023
Publication ID: 1222434
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© 2015-2023 AVEVA Group Limited and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Page 2
Contents

Chapter 1 What's new?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 2 Overview of PI Vision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

System requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Supported data types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Keyboard shortcuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Touch-sensitive device gestures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 3 Getting started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Home page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Folders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Create folders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Folder permissions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Set folder access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Move displays into folders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Rename a folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Delete a folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
View a specific group of displays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Search for an existing display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Create a new display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Display settings and permissions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Organize displays with labels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Mark a display as a favorite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Windows authentication in an OpenID Connect environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Basic tasks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Display workspace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Save displays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Chapter 4 Searching for data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Search by entering search terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
About PI Vision's search engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Search using the navigation tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

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 AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide
Contents

Chapter 5 Data visualization using symbols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Create a symbol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Symbol types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Trend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Configure trend options and style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Delete or hide a trace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Monitor trends with trend cursors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Pan across a trend's time range. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Zoom in on a trend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Value. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Format a value symbol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Add a target indicator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Configure a table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Gauges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Format a horizontal or vertical gauge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Format a radial gauge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Bar chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Configure a bar chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Delete a bar on a bar chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
XY plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Create an XY plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Change attributes in an XY plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Configure data pairing for an XY plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Configure axis scales for an XY plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Format data pairs for an XY plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Configure general settings for an XY plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Compare attributes at different times on same XY plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Zoom in on an XY plot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Asset comparison table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Create an asset comparison table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Configure an asset comparison table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Change a symbol type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Select and group multiple symbols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
View a symbol as a popup trend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Ad hoc trending and analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Ad Hoc Workspace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Create an ad hoc trend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Interacting with the ad hoc workspace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Ad hoc scale options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Ad hoc trend plot options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Configure summary intervals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Show or hide the Ad Hoc Workspace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Summary table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Share an ad hoc trend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Convert ad hoc trend to a display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Calculations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

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Create a Calculation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Create a calculation based on symbols in a display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Calculation syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Add symbols to an existing calculation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Use calculations to add a symbol to the display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Intervals and time value. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Multi-state behaviors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Configure multi-states for gauge symbols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Configure multi-states for value symbols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Configure multi-states for bar charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Configure multi-states for asset comparison tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Configure multi-states for events tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Configure multi-states for shapes and images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Configure multi-states for text labels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Contextual navigation links. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Add a navigation link to another display or website. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Symbol collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Create a collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Edit collection criteria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Format a collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Modify a collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Add dynamic search criteria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Excluded attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Chapter 6 Working with displays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Create displays in Design mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Move, resize, and arrange objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Draw shape tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Draw a rectangle on a display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Draw an ellipse on a display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Draw a line on a display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Draw an arc on a display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Draw a polygon on a display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Add text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Upload images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Assets in displays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Switch assets shown in symbols. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Asset-list configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Configure asset list to show specific assets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Configure asset list to treat changed assets as root assets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Hide asset list. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Asset-list options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Graphics library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Add a graphic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Format a graphic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Monitor displays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

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 AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide
Contents

Time bar control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Change the time range for a display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
PI time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Displayed data formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Export data from a display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Change the display's background color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Chapter 7 Analyzing and comparing events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Discover events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Search for events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Create an events table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Configure an events table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
View an event as a popup trend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Event details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
View event details and annotate events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Pan event details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Zoom in on event details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Configure an event details trend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Event details on a mobile device. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Event comparisons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Compare multiple events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Pin reference events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Pan an event comparison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Zoom in on an event comparison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Maximize an event comparison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Add a new overlay trend to the display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
View child events in Gantt chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Align and zoom in on child events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Perform root cause analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Configure an event comparison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Save an event comparison display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Chapter 8 Training videos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

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Chapter 1

What's new?

AVEVA PI Vision 2023 (version 3.8.0.0) is a web server-based product that allows you to visualize, assess, and
monitor PI System data using any modern web browser.
AVEVA PI Vision 2023 is a next-generation display editing application, providing symbol absolute sizing and
positioning, support for geometric shapes and images, and control over colors and configuration of symbols. This
version, alongside AVEVA PI Server 2023, provides modern, claims-based authentication via OpenID Connect.
New features and enhancements
• Modern Authentication
The 2023 releases deliver modern, claims-based authentication via OpenID Connect for AVEVA PI Server,
AVEVA PI Vision, AVEVA PI DataLink, and the PI Web API. Modern authentication can enable a single sign-on
experience, making it easier to securely manage resources and users across your enterprise. To take
advantage of modern authentication in AVEVA PI Vision, you will first need to configure modern
authentication for AVEVA PI Server 2023.
Modern authentication for AVEVA PI Vision 2023 is optional. Authentication via Windows Integrated Security
(WIS) remains available.
Other changes
• PI ProcessBook support
This release no longer supports read-only viewing of imported PI ProcessBook displays. Use the PI
ProcessBook to PI Vision Migration Utility to migrate your existing PI ProcessBook displays to native, editable
PI Vision displays.

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Chapter 2

Overview of PI Vision

Welcome to AVEVA PI Vision!

AVEVA 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 AVEVA 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 AVEVA PI Vision.

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

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 AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide
Chapter 2 – Overview of PI Vision

To get the most from AVEVA 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 AVEVA PI Vision features:

For more information about PI AF, visit the OSIsoft Customer Portal for the PI Asset Framework (PI AF) Overview.
Note: AVEVA 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

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

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 AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide
Chapter 2 – Overview of PI Vision

• Boolean*
• Enumeration*
*Not supported by Calculated Data function
AVEVA PI Vision does not support the PI AF attribute value types Guid, Attribute, Element, File, or Array.

Keyboard shortcuts
AVEVA 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

AVEVA 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.
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

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 AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide
Chapter 2 – Overview of PI Vision

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 AVEVA PI Vision.
To Do This. . . Gesture

Drag a data item from search results to Tap and hold the data item's gripper handle and slide your finger
the display. 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.

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

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 AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide
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To Do This. . . Gesture

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.

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

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 AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide
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To Do This. . . Gesture

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.

© 2015-2023 AVEVA Group Limited and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Page 13
Chapter 3

Getting started

New to AVEVA PI Vision? Let us help you start using the application right away.
Training videos
Watch the videos on this YouTube playlist to better understand how to use AVEVA PI Vision:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eEUMebIk4s&list=PLMcG1Hs2JbcvWPkSbIbQEJqsTX9Sa1nty

Home page
The AVEVA 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.

1. New display button

2. Display thumbnail
3. Search box

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 AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide
Chapter 3 – Getting started

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

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

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

1. From the left pane on the home page, click to drill into the folder.
AVEVA 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.
AVEVA PI Vision creates the subfolder. The new folder will have the same access settings as its parent folder.

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

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 AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide
Chapter 3 – Getting started

Folder permissions
AVEVA 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). AVEVA PI Vision grants access based on PI AF identities. Any user
assigned to an identity has the access the folder grants that identity.

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,
AVEVA PI Vision also grants that identity read-access to any parent folders. If you remove read-access
from a folder, AVEVA PI Vision also removes read-access for that identity from any subfolders.
3. To apply this access to subfolders and displays in those folders, select the Propagate permissions check box.
Upon save, AVEVA PI Vision sets the same access permission to the current folder, subfolders, and to any
displays in those folders.
4. Click Save.

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 AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide
Chapter 3 – Getting started

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.
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.

AVEVA 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.
AVEVA 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.

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,
AVEVA PI Vision deletes any subfolders and moves any displays in the deleted folder or subfolders to the Home
folder.

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.
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

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 AVEVA™ PI Vision™ 2023 User Guide
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Displays that you have created

• Recent
Displays that you used within the last seven days
When you select one of these groups, AVEVA 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.
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.
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.

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. AVEVA 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 .

AVEVA PI Vision shows matching displays.

Create a new display

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

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.

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4. Drag an asset or attribute from the Assets pane into the display area.
AVEVA 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 and 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.

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 AVEVA 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.
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
Select the Read-only check box to disable saving any changes to the display by any user, including yourself.
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.
Note: This option is only available if you are an administrator for the account.

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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.
AVEVA 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.
Note: An AVEVA 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.
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, select the Write check box.
Delete display
If you no longer need a display and want to remove it, click Delete display.
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.

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.

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

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2. To create a new label in the Display Settings window, enter 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.

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

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

Windows authentication in an OpenID Connect environment

If PI Vision uses OpenID Connect authentication but one or more data servers for PI Vision require Windows
authentication, you may be prompted to provide your Windows credentials to access data on some pages.
To provide your Windows credentials before you are prompted, select your user name in the top bar, then select
Enter Windows credentials.

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After your Windows credentials are entered, you do not need to provide them again during the session. When
you select your user name in the top bar, the text Windows credentials appears followed by a checkmark
icon to indicate that your Windows credentials have been provided. Hover over the text to view your Windows
user name.

Basic tasks
AVEVA 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.
The descriptions below introduce you to the basics for creating symbols and designing displays in AVEVA PI
Vision.
Create a new display or open an existing display on the home page
When you open AVEVA 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 o pen 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.

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

• Search by entering search terms.
• Search using the navigation tree.
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 AVEVA 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, and they can also edit the display, regardless of whether
they are members of an AF Identity with write access to the display. A user, who is not an administrator or a
member of an AF Identity with write access to the display, can only save their changes as a new display.
The following figure shows the components in an AVEVA PI Vision display workspace.

1. Symbol gallery
2. Calculations
3. Graphics Library
4. Events
5. Assets pane

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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 by entering search terms
• Create a symbol
• Create displays in Design mode
• Multi-state behaviors
• Switch assets shown in symbols
• Monitor displays
• Time bar control
• Discover events
• Save displays

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.
Save changes made to a display:

1. Click Save on the title bar or press Ctrl+S.

2. 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 AVEVA 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:
1. Click the arrow next to the Save button, and then click Save As.

2. In the Save As window, enter the new name for the display.

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You can also select a folder to store the display if you have permission to write to folders.
3. Click Save.
Rename an existing display:
1. Click the display name in the title bar.
2. Enter a new name.

3. Click Save on the title bar or press Ctrl+S.

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Chapter 4

Searching for data

Before you can visualize your process data, you need to find it inside the display's Assets pane by either entering
Search by entering search terms or drilling down the Search using the navigation tree.
Note: You can only search the 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 an AVEVA 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

Data Archive servers store time-series data (PI points)

from different data sources and serve this data to
client applications like AVEVA PI Vision.
PI DATA ARCHIVE SERVER
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, process unit,
PI AF ASSET equipment, or stage, etc.
PI AF attributes are the building blocks of PI AF assets.
Each PI AF attribute represents a unique property
associated with an asset. PI AF attributes can hold
PI AF ATTRIBUTE
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 Data Archive
servers and contain time-series data. Each PI point is
a unique single point of measurement that makes up
PI POINT (TAG) a stream of real-time operational data from a defined
source (for example, instrument).

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

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).
1. Create a new display or open an existing display on the home page.
You can complete the following:
▪ 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.

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Chapter 4 – Searching for data

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.

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 AVEVA PI Vision search engine returns items that start with the search phrase by default and includes the
use of any spaces in the string.
AVEVA 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 AVEVA PI Vision server through a database
setting.
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

AVEVA 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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1. In the Assets pane, select the check boxes next to the PI AF databases or 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 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 the 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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Chapter 5

Data visualization using symbols

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.
AVEVA 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.

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Icon Symbol type Purpose

Gauges Vertical, horizontal, and radial gauge symbols provide a graphical view of
the data value at the end time of the display range and can be customized
• Vertical (see
to look like a variety of measuring instruments.
Format a
horizontal or
vertical gauge
on page 50)
• Horizontal (see
Format a
horizontal or
vertical gauge
on page 50)
• Radial (see
Format a radial
gauge on page
52)
Bar chart The bar chart is a graph that lets you compare multiple values. Bar charts
allow you to add multiple data items per symbol.
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.

Create a symbol
You can create a symbol to visualize data in a display.
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, vertical gauge, horizontal gauge, bar chart, radial gauge, 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.
AVEVA PI Vision inserts the selected symbol on the display and visualizes the chosen data items in that
symbol.

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Chapter 5 – Data visualization using symbols

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

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 icon from the Symbol Gallery and then drag your data
item from the search results onto the display.

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.)

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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 options and style.)
Default configuration
Administrators can set the default configuration for new trend symbols across all displays based on an existing
trend symbol. You can set defaults for background color, foreground color, grid style, trace format, value scale
type and inversion, scale labels, and time scale. You can also set defaults for traces including label format and
trace color, line weight, line style, and markers. You can set the defaults for as many traces as shown in the
current trend. For example, if the trend used to set defaults has two traces and you add a trend with three
traces, the third trace will use system defaults. For more information about display defaults, see the Default
display and symbol configuration topic in the AVEVA PI Vision Installation and Administration Guide.

Configure trend options and 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.
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:

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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, 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
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.

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• 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
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.

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• 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 with this option. To
set custom limits for a trend with multiple scales, see the Scale Range description in the Trace
Options step.
▪ 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.
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 range option 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.

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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.
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

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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.
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
• limits for this trace
Set
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.

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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.
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.

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.

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 Time bar control at the bottom of the display.

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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.

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.

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 icon in the Symbol Gallery, and then drag a data item
from the search results onto the display. You can configure the unit of measure (UOM) shown for the value. If

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you select a different UOM from what is stored for the value, the value is converted to that UOM for the display.
For AF calculation values, select the UOM for the calculation, which can then be converted.
Note: When you create a value symbol from a data item that is in a null or shutdown state, the value symbol is
darkened.
Administrators can set the default configuration for value symbols across all displays. Defaults can be set for
everything except custom label text. For more information about display defaults, see the Default display and
symbol configuration topic in the AVEVA PI Vision Installation and Administration Guide.

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, value colors, or
UOM of the symbol.
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.
▪ Units
Either Default for the base units or a listed unit to convert to. Only units appropriate for
conversion from the base unit are listed.
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 Add Navigation Link to add a navigation link to
the symbol.
See Add a navigation link to another display or website.
5. To save the current settings as the defaults for all new value symbols, under Save Default Configuration click
Save Defaults.
Note: You must have administrator privileges to save defaults.

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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.
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.
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.

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To add a table symbol to a display, click the table symbol icon 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.
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.
Administrators can set the default configuration for table symbols across all displays. Defaults can be set for
everything except custom label text. For more information about display defaults, see the Default display and
symbol configuration topic in the AVEVA PI Vision Installation and Administration Guide.

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.
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, click on a column to access the check boxes that control that column. Select the Show
Column to include the column or clear it to exclude the column. The check box is selected for columns
shown in bold. Select the Wrap Text check box to display text in the column on multiple lines or clear it to
keep the text on one line. The Wrap Text check box is only available for Path, Name, Description, Value, and
Time.
The columns available in a table are:
• Path
Full path of the data item. For PI points (tags), this is the path to the Data Archive server. For PI AF assets
and attributes the path is the entire PI AF path up until the last asset-attribute pair.
• 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.

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• Units
Unit of measure for the data item.
• Time
Time stamp when the value was last updated.
• Trend
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.
• 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.
To change the units for a row, select the row, and then in the Units field, select the units from the drop-
down list. Only units appropriate for conversion from the base unit are listed.
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.
7. To save the current settings as the defaults for all table symbols created on the site, under Save Default
Configuration click Save Defaults.
Note: You must have administrator privileges to save defaults.

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

Administrators can set the default configuration for horizontal and vertical gauge symbols across all displays.
Defaults are the same for both gauge types and can be set for everything except custom label text. For more
information about display defaults, see the Default display and symbol configuration topic in the AVEVA PI Vision
Installation and Administration Guide.
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.
Administrators can set the default configuration for radial gauge symbols across all displays. Defaults can be set
for everything except custom label text. For more information about display defaults, see the Default display and
symbol configuration topic in the AVEVA PI Vision Installation and Administration Guide.

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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.
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).
▪ 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.

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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.
▪ Units
Set the display units for the value. Either Default for the base units or a listed unit to convert to.
Only units appropriate for conversion from the base unit are listed.
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.
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 Add Navigation Link to add a navigation link to
the symbol.

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See Add a navigation link to another display or website.

6. To save the current settings as the defaults for all new horizontal and vertical gauge symbols, under Save
Default Configuration click Save Defaults.
Note: You must have administrator privileges to save defaults.

Format a radial gauge

Use the Format Gauge pane to customize a radial gauge and change its appearance, scales, and labels.
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.
▪ Scale
Color of the tick marks and labels.
▪ Value
Color of the data value.
▪ Format
Display format of the value.

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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.
▪ Units
Set the display units for the value. Either Default for the base units or a listed unit to convert to.
Only units appropriate for conversion from the base unit are listed.
3. Under Visibility, select 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.
▪ 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 Add Navigation Link to add a navigation link to
the symbol.
See Add a navigation link to another display or website.
6. To save the current settings as the defaults for all new radial gauge symbols, under Save Default
Configuration click Save Defaults.
Note: You must have administrator privileges to save defaults.

Bar chart
Use a bar chart symbol to compare multiple values through graphical representation. Bar charts are often used
to compare multiple data sources, where one bar represents one data source. A data source could be from PI,
from AF, or a calculation.

To add a bar chart to a display, select the bar chart symbol icon from the Symbol Gallery and then drag a
data item from the search results onto the display. The following image shows a sample bar chart.

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If the bar chart has a navigation link, hover your mouse over the chart area to access the link in a tooltip. Hover
your mouse over each bar to see the label, value, units, and time for the data source associated with that bar.
When you resize the chart, the bars and the spaces between them adjust automatically.
The bar chart does not require configuration, but you can use the options available in the Configuration pane to
customize the chart. The default orientation is vertical, but you can change it to be horizontal.
Administrators can set the default configuration for bar chart symbols across all displays. Defaults can be set for
everything except custom label text. For more information about display defaults, see the Default display and
symbol configuration topic in the AVEVA PI Vision Installation and Administration Guide.
Scale
Data values on a bar chart appear within a range of values that is referred to as the scale. The scale indicates the
highest high and lowest low values of the data items. The scale defaults to the maximum and minimum values of
the combined database settings. At each scale value, a vertical grid line extends across the plot area.
Note: If the bars have different units of measure, the scale is not displayed.
Multi-state
When you enable multi-state, there are five (5) equally spaced ranges for numeric values. The range of numeric
values for a multi-state chart defaults to the same numeric range as the value scale. You can use the options
available in the Multi-state Configuration pane to customize the chart. The display author can select whether to
apply the multi-state definition to the bars or to define colored bands on the background of the bar chart.
When all data sources are digital with a common set of state values, the multi-state pane defaults to using these
states.
Once you configure multi-state, it is not automatically updated if you change the data sources for the bar chart.
For example, if all data sources use the same digital states when the multi-state is created, but then those data
sources are replaced with numeric values, the multi-state will continue to show the original values and all non-
digital values will be in error.

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Configure a bar chart

Use the Format Bar Chart pane to customize the bar chart. You can edit visual styles, scale options, and
appearance of the bars.
1. Right-click the bar chart and then click Format Bar Chart to open the Format Bar Chart pane.
2. Under Style, customize the chart:
▪ Title
Select the Title check box and type in the text box below.
▪ Bars
Select the color of the bars in the chart.
▪ Foreground
Select the color of the foreground, which includes the grid, labels, and title.
▪ Background
Select the color of the background.
▪ Value
▪ Format
Select the default format for numbers in the chart:
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 1x10^7 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.

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▪ Orientation
Set the orientation of the bar chart.

• Vertical
Default setting. The bars in the chart are displayed vertically.

• Horizontal
The bars in the chart are displayed horizontally.
▪ Grid
The orientation of the grid options is affected by the orientation selected for the chart.

• Bands
Bars in alternating colors that divide each value on the unit axis.

• Lines
Default setting. Lines that divide each item on the unit axis.

• Plain
Blank background with only tick marks on the Y axis.
3. Under Visibility, select what is shown in the chart:
▪ Label
Display the description of each bar on the chart.
▪ Value
Display the actual value for each bar on the chart.
▪ Units
Display the units for the scale on the bar chart.
Note: If the bars have different units of measure, the units are not displayed.
1. Under Bar Options, customize or delete the chart's individual bars.
a. If you have multiple bars on the chart, use the list of bars to select the bar you want to configure or
delete.

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• Use the left pair of Up or Down arrows to move the selected bar higher or lower on the chart in
relationship to other bars.
• Use the right pair of Up or Down arrows to move the selected bar all the way to the top or bottom of
the chart.
• Click X to delete the selected trace.
b. In the Bar Label field, select a label from the list, such as an attribute name or description, or enter
custom text.
c. In the Units field, select the unit for the bar. Either Default for the base units or a listed unit to convert
to. Only units appropriate for conversion from the base unit are listed.
2. 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.
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 axis manually. Enter the Top and Bottom values for
vertical bar charts, or enter the Right and Left values for horizontal bar charts. To reverse the start
and end scale values, enter the numbers in reverse.
▪ Select a Bar Start value, which is the point on the scale from which you want to start drawing the bar.
Select Default to use the bottom value from the scale range.
Select Custom to set the value at which the scale begins.
3. To save the current settings as the defaults for all new bar chart symbols, under Save Default Configuration
click Save Defaults.
Note: You must have administrator privileges to save defaults.

Delete a bar on a bar chart

A bar on bar chart represents one data source. If a bar chart has more than one bar, you can delete a bar from
the chart.
1. Right-click on the bar chart and select Format Bar Chart to open the Format Bar Chart pane.
2. In the Bar Options area, select the data source for the bar you want to delete and click .
The selected bar is removed from the bar chart.

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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.

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. AVEVA 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.

AVEVA PI Vision provides the following XY plot capabilities:

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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 components. Compare operations over multiple assets and time
ranges.
Plot a theoretical reference curve alongside process Compare the performance of assets to an ideal
data. benchmark operation.
Follow the steps in the OSIsoft Knowledge Base article
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.
Administrators can set the default configuration for XY plot symbols across all displays. Defaults do not include
data item level configurations or custom label text. For more information about display defaults, see the Default
display and symbol configuration topic in the AVEVA PI Vision Installation and Administration Guide.

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.
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.
AVEVA PI Vision creates an XY plot and adds the data items:
• If you drag a single data item, AVEVA PI Vision creates an empty XY plot with the added item designated
as the X-axis data source.
• If you drag multiple items simultaneously, AVEVA PI Vision designates one as the X-axis data source and
others as Y-axis data sources.
• If you drag any additional items, AVEVA PI Vision adds the items as Y-axis data sources.
• If you drag an asset rather than an attribute, AVEVA PI Vision adds all the data items under that asset.
After you drag at least two items, AVEVA 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.
Customize the plot
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

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• 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.
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.

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.
AVEVA PI Vision creates a new row in the table with
the asset as an X-axis data source.
Y-axis Drag an attribute from the Assets 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.
AVEVA PI Vision pairs the new attribute with the
attribute in the X-axis.
To delete attributes:
1. In the table, select the row that contains the attribute.

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2. Find the attribute under either X-Axis or Y-Axis.

3. Click Delete .
Note: You cannot delete the only attribute in the X-axis.
To change the order of attributes:
1. In the table, select the row that contains the attribute.
2. Find the attribute under either X Data Options or Y Data Options.
3. 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 AVEVA PI Vision retrieves data for each
attribute and matches recorded values for paired attributes to create a data point.
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.

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 AVEVA 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 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 configure the time range for the plot, select an option for the Start and End Times:
• Display time range
Use the time range for the overall display. XY plots configured with the Display time range option
update when you change the display time.
• Duration and Offset
Set the length of time to show in the XY plot 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. XY plots configured with the Duration and Offset option update when you change the
display time.
• Use custom time range
Set a custom start time and end time for the XY plot. Relative PI Time is also acceptable (Y, T, *,*, -8h,
etc.). XY plots configured with the Use custom time range option do not update when you change
the display time.
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
AVEVA PI Vision finds Y-axis attribute values using the time stamp of each retrieved X-axis value.
• Paired by position in the list
AVEVA 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:AVEVA 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.

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• Exact time
Retrieve only actual Y-axis values with the same time stamp as the X-axis values.
• 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.
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.

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.

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1. In the Configure XY Plot pane, expand the Format section.

Note: 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.
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.

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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.

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.
1. In the Configure XY Plot pane, expand the General section.
Note: You can collapse the Attributes section.
2. Specify desired properties of the XY plot:
• 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.
• Background

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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.
3. To save the current settings as the defaults for all new XY plot symbols, under Save Default Configuration
click Save Defaults.
Note: You must have administrator privileges to save defaults.

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.
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.

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• 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, AVEVA 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.

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.

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.

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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 or asset-based
calculations. If an attribute stores a URL, then the cell becomes an active hyperlink, indicated by .
Add dynamic search criteria to an asset comparison table to automatically find and show data from similar assets
or asset-based calculations 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.
Administrators can set the default configuration for asset comparison table symbols across all displays. Defaults
do not include data item level configurations or custom label text. For more information about display defaults,
see the Default display and symbol configuration topic in the AVEVA PI Vision Installation and Administration
Guide.

Create an asset comparison table

Use the following procedure to add an asset comparison table to a display:

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, attributes, or AF calculation values or summaries 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.
5. Drag and drop additional AF calculation values or summaries to create new columns in the table.

Configure an asset comparison table

Use the Configure Table pane to customize the asset comparison table.
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 change the units of measurement for a column, in the Units field, select the units from the drop-
down list. Only units appropriate for conversion from the base unit are listed.

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▪ To show the units of measurement in a column, click a column in the list and select the Show Units
check box.
Note: 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.
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.
4. Under Rows, customize the asset rows.
• 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.
To change the units for a row, select the row, and then in the Units field, select the units from the drop-
down list. Only units appropriate for conversion from the base unit are listed.
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.
6. To save the current settings as the defaults for all new asset comparison table symbols, under Save Default
Configuration click Save Defaults.
Note: You must have administrator privileges to save defaults.

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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.
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.

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.
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.
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 another display or website.

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2. Click inside an opened popup trend to view trend cursors. You can also use a Zoom in on a trend 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.

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 do not 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.
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.
Note: PI AF attributes, PI tags, and display-level calculations are supported data sources for ad hoc trends.

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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.

1. To start the Ad Hoc Workspace, click Show Ad Hoc .

AVEVA 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 AVEVA 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 AVEVA 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 AVEVA PI Vision display, click Hide .

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:

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Scale icon Description Use Case

Multiple scales display one scale for This scale type makes it easier to view the scales of
each row of the summary table. multiple attributes.
A single scale spans the highest top This scale type displays a single scale when the data
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: Any trace that is not
summary table.
customized uses the last trend
setting. Single and multiple scale versions can be 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

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.
1. Add a data item to the Ad Hoc Workspace. For more information, see Create an ad hoc trend.

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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.

6. Click Apply.

Show or hide the Ad Hoc Workspace

The Ad Hoc Workspace can be shown or hidden.

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. The summary table shows
one row per trace. Click to hide or show the summary table. When the summary table is hidden, the data
items are shown in a legend on the right side of the trend.
Column Name Column Description

Name The name as defined for the PI AF attribute, PI tag, or

Calculation added to the ad hoc trend.

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Column Name Column Description

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 values for the data item or
expression added to the ad hoc trend for the given
time period in the time bar.
Minimum The lowest data value present for the data item or
expression added to the ad hoc trend for the given
time period in the time bar.
Maximum The highest data value present for the data item or
expression 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.

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.

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=2019-04-22T20:16:12.447Z&symbol=tren
d;multipleScales%3Dtrue

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Convert ad hoc trend to a display

An ad hoc trend together with its summary table, if shown, can be converted to an editable AVEVA 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.

Calculations
AVEVA PI Vision calculations are simple mathematical expressions on PI points or attributes that can be
performed as needed and the results can be used to analyze processes in real-time. This includes basic
arithmetic calculations and summary calculations, such as minimum, maximum, and average, on data items
within the display.
For example, you could use calculations to compare the difference in pressure between two (2) pieces of
equipment. Calculations enable an operator or engineer to calculate these values immediately and eliminate the
need to create a calculation in AF Analytics that may not be used again.
Use the Calculation Editor window to create, edit, or delete Calculations.

Create a Calculation
When you create a calculation, you can manually define your own expression based on either PI points or assets,
or you can create a calculation from one or more existing symbols on a display. To create a calculation from one
more symbols on your display, see Create a calculation based on symbols in a display. All PI points in a calculation
must be from the same Data Archive. Assets in a calculation must be from the same AF database. You cannot use
both PI points and assets in the same expression.
To manually define a calculation, perform the following steps:

1. On the left side of the screen, click Calculations and then click Add Calculation .

The Calculation Editor window opens.

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

Note: The calculation Name needs to be unique for the current display. You may reuse a Calculation Name
on different displays.
3. Select the basis for the calculation:
▪ Click to base the calculation on PI points from a Data Archive, and then select the PI Data Archive
server from the drop-down menu.
▪ Click to base the calculation on assets from PI AF.

4. Configure the Expression to calculate the data you need. Expressions can include tag variables with
mathematical and logical operations. See Calculation syntax for additional information.
Examples:
‘sinusoid’ * 2
(‘cdt158’+‘sinusoid’)/2
log(‘cdt158’)
(‘sinusoid’)/tagspan(‘sinusoid’)
Drag and drop a PI point or attribute from the Assets pane into the Expression to include it in the calculation.
When a data source can be successfully dropped in the expression, it is outlined in green.

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By default, all data sources are added to the calculation with the + operator.
5. To change the asset context, drag and drop it from the Assets pane into the field next to the calculation basis
buttons. When a data source can be successfully dropped in the field, it is outlined in green.

Note: If the calculation is created in a display that has an asset context, that asset context is used as the
default asset context for the calculation.
6. Click Preview to test the expression with data available at the current time.
7. Click Advanced Options to further configure the calculation.
8. 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 to display this calculation with stepped data.

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 to display the calculation with stepped data.

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Example of Calc Intervals and Sync Time defined 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 is 10m, every 10
minutes, 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
• 1:40:00
• 1:50:00
9. When you have finished configuring the calculation, click Save.

Create a calculation based on symbols in a display

To create a calculation from PI AF attribute-based symbols or PI tag-based symbols on a display, perform the
following steps:
1. Select the symbol or symbols to include in the calculation. Hold the Ctrl key and click on each symbol.

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Note: Selected symbols must be based on either PI tags or AF attributes, but not both.
2. Click Calculations, and then click Add Calculation With Selected Symbols. The number above the icon
indicates how many PI tags or AF attributes will be included in the calculation. The number only appears
when all symbols on the display, not just the selected symbols, are the same type: either PI tags or AF
attributes.

3. In the Calculation Editor window, enter a Name and a Description for the calculation.
Note: The calculation Name needs to be unique for the current display. You may reuse a Calculation Name
on different displays.
4. Configure the expression to calculate the data you need, and then click Preview to test the expression with
the data currently available.

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5. Click Advanced Options to further configure the calculation.

6. 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 to display the calculation with stepped data.

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.

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• 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 to display the calculation with stepped data.

Example of Calc Intervals and Sync Time defined 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 is 10m, every 10
minutes, 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
• 1:40:00
• 1:50:00
7. When you have finished configuring the calculation, click Save.

Calculation syntax
Writing a calculation expression is similar to writing an expression in arithmetic. You can use any of the standard
arithmetic operators (such as +, -, and *) in an expression.
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:

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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 expressions for tag-based calculations are also possible. For additional details, see Performance
equations (PE) syntax and functions reference in the PI Server documentation.
For asset-based calculations, you can drag and drop AF attributes into the expression editor in the Calculations
window. You can drag and drop an asset into the window to set the asset context, but this does not change the
expression. Attributes must be from the same database.
If you drag an attribute into a calculation that does not have an asset context, the asset context is set to the
element that contains the first attribute. If asset context is already set, an attribute at or below the current
context's level is converted to a relative path. Attributes at the same or higher hierarchy level are shown as paths
relative to the root of the AF database.
Examples:
AttributeA is dragged into the editor and the asset context is set to Element1. If AttributeB is from Element1,
then the syntax will look like:
('AttributeA' + 'AttributeB')/(3 - 'AttributeA')
If AttributeB is from another element in the AF hierarchy, a partial path is included in the syntax:
('AttributeA' + ‘\Grandparent1\Parent1\Element2|AttributeB’/(3 - 'AttributeA')
More complex expressions for asset-based calculations are also possible. For additional details, see Expression
functions reference in the PI Server documentation. Expressions that require a specified time interval are not
supported.

Add symbols to an existing calculation

You can add the data source from one or more symbols on a display to an existing calculation if the symbols use
either PI AF attributes or PI tags as their data source.
Note: Selected symbols must be based on either PI tags or PI AF attributes, but not both.
1. Click the symbol (or symbols) on the display whose data source you want to add to a calculation.

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

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4. Make any additional modifications to the calculation as needed and then click Save.
Note: If you drag an attribute into a calculation that does not have an asset context, the asset context is set
to the element that contains the first attribute. If asset context is already set, an attribute at the current
context level or below is converted to a relative path. Attributes at the same or higher hierarchy level are
shown as paths relative to the root of the AF database.
If the asset is moved or renamed, the asset context is updated when the calculation editor is opened. The
updated calculation needs to be saved with the new name or path.

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.

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

2. Click a symbol from the top bar.

3. Click a calculation from the list in the Calculations pane.

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.

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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.

Multi-state behaviors
With multi-state behaviors, you can transform certain objects on a display 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). The site administrator can set the default color palette and the default color for
data in bad status. For more information, see the PI Vision Installation and Administration Guide.
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.
The following objects support multi-state behaviors:
• Value symbols
• Bar charts
• Gauge symbols
• Asset comparison tables
• Event 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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXih8i7d3oU

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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.
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.
If needed, add or replace the attribute or calculation that the multi-state is based on.
a. Find an attribute in the Assets pane, or find or create a calculation in the Calculations pane.
b. Drag the attribute or calculation 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.
• 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 each state:
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. The units for the values are displayed above the conditions. If the datasource is the symbol and
you change the units for the symbol, click Convert units to convert the values to the new units.
b. To remove a condition, click X next to the condition.

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c. To add a condition, type a maximum value in the empty field below Bad data and then click Add.
3. Set the colors for each state:
a. Select the color to open the color palette.
b. Select the 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 hidden symbols.

The symbol changes its color based on the current attribute value and the colors configured for the multi-state. If
the units configured on the symbol are changed, you can either leave the multi-state values as defined or click
Convert Units to convert the current values to the new units.
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.
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.

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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.
• 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 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 each state:
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. The units for the values are displayed above the conditions. If the datasource is the symbol and
you change the units for the symbol, click Convert units to convert the values to the new units.
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: 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 hidden symbols.

The symbol changes its color based on the current attribute value and the colors configured for the multi-state. If
the units configured on the symbol are changed, you can either leave the multi-state values as defined or click
Convert Units to convert the current values to the new units.
To remove multi-state behavior, click the trash can icon at the top of the Multi-State pane.

Configure multi-states for bar charts

You can configure multi-state behaviors for bar chart symbols. You can specify whether to apply the multi-state
behaviors to the bars, the bands on the chart, or to the value scale axis. The multi-state behavior is applied to
the entire bar chart
1. Right-click a bar chart symbol on the display, and then click either Add Multi-State or Bands or Configure
Multi-State to open the Multi-State pane.

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2. In the Property field, select what part of the bar chart to apply the multi-state to.
▪ Bar Color - Each bar color is determined by the multi-state settings. You can set a Bad data state with this
option.
▪ Bands on Chart Area - The background area of the bar chart is set to bands of color determined by the
multi-state settings. The Bad data state is not available for this option.
▪ Value Scale Axis - A stripe of colored bands is shown next to the value scale axis, where the colors are
determined by the multi-state settings. The Bad data state is not available for this option.
3. If the pane lists configurable numeric conditions, set the conditions to define each state:
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. The units for the values are displayed above the conditions. If the datasource is the symbol and
you change the units for the symbol, click Convert units to convert the values to the new units.
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 for each state:
a. Select the color to open the color palette.
b. Select the 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 hidden symbols.

The bar chart shows the configured multi-state colors.
To remove the multi-state behavior from the chart, open the multi-state pane and click Remove.

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.
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

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Limit traits for attributes are configured in PI System Explorer. For more information, see the PI Server
topic Attribute traits.
• 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 each state:
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. The units for the values are displayed above the conditions. If the datasource is the symbol and
you change the units for the symbol, click Convert units to convert the values to the new units.
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 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 hidden symbols.

Each cell in the selected column changes its color based on the current attribute value and the colors configured
for the multi-state. If the units configured for a column are changed, you can either leave the multi-state values
as defined or click Convert Units to convert the current values to the new units.
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 events tables

In events 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.
1. Right-click an events 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 to configure, and then select the Enable Multi-State check
box.

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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.
• 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 each state:
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. The units for the values are displayed above the conditions. If the datasource is the symbol and
you change the units for the symbol, click Convert units to convert the values to the new units.
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 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 hidden symbols.

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

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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.
• 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 each state:
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. The units for the values are displayed above the conditions. If the datasource is the symbol and
you change the units for the symbol, click Convert units to convert the values to the new units.
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 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 hidden symbols.

The shape or image changes its color based on the current attribute value and the colors configured for the
multi-state.
To remove multi-state behavior, click the trash can icon at the top of the Multi-State pane.

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.
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.

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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.
• 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 each state:
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. The units for the values are displayed above the conditions. If the datasource is the symbol and
you change the units for the symbol, click Convert units to convert the values to the new units.
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 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 hidden symbols.

The symbol changes its color based on the current attribute value and the colors configured for the multi-state.
To remove multi-state behavior, click the trash can icon at the top of the Multi-State pane.

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.

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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.
AVEVA 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, AVEVA 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, AVEVA 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.
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:

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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.
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.
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
AVEVA PI Vision administration topic Override the security settings for navigational links.
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 .
Note: Use wildcards such as asterisks (*) when you do not know all the letters in the name.
AVEVA 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.

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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.

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, including symbols using asset calculations, 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, watch the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8QPrNxCV1k&list=PLMcG1Hs2JbcvWPkSbIbQEJqsTX9Sa1nty

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.
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.
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.

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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.
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, AVEVA 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. AVEVA PI Vision finds assets created from the selected template.
• Asset Attribute
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.
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:

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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.
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.
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:
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.

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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.
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.
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.

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Add dynamic search criteria

You can add dynamic search criteria to tables, asset comparison tables, and bar charts. Like a symbol collection, a
table or bar chart with dynamic search criteria will update to show only those assets that meet the specified
criteria. You cannot specify the units to display with dynamic search criteria. All units are reverted to the
database units when dynamic search criteria are applied.
Note: An asset comparison table can only show dynamic search criteria and cannot be converted into a symbol
collection.
1. To add dynamic search criteria, right-click the symbol and select Add Dynamic Search Criteria.
2. In the Search Criteria pane, 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, AVEVA 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. AVEVA PI Vision finds assets created from the selected template.
• Asset Attribute
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.
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:

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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.
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).

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.
AVEVA PI Vision handles excluded attributes automatically:
• In tables, AVEVA PI Vision hides rows of excluded attributes.
• In asset comparison tables, AVEVA PI Vision shows blank values for excluded attributes.
• In other symbols, AVEVA PI Vision shows "N/A" for excluded attributes.
• In symbols with multi-state, AVEVA PI Vision hides the symbol if multi-state is configured to hide bad data.

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Chapter 6

Working with displays

Displays are used for visualizing data in AVEVA 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.

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 and align 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.

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.

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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.

The options for arranging or aligning display objects are:
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.
Distribute Moves the selected objects to evenly distribute them horizontally.
Horizontally

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Alignment option Result

Distribute Vertically Moves the selected objects to evenly distribute them vertically.
Snap to grid

To align objects to a grid, click Snap to Grid on the editing toolbar. With snap to grid turned on, when you
move an object or group of objects, the top-most and left-most points of the object or the group align to the
nearest points on the grid. If you resize an object with snap to grid on, the object size snaps to points on the grid.
To override snap to grid without turning it off, hold the Alt key while you move an object.

To set options for snap to grid, click the arrow on the editing toolbar. The following options are available:
• Use Snap to Grid to turn snap to grid on or off.
• Use the Size slider to set the size of the grid.
• Use Show Guide to turn the guide dots on the display on or off.
• Use the Spacing slider to set the appearance of the guide dots.
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

4. Arc

5. Polygon

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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 on a display.

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.

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
with 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 on a display.

1. Click Modify Display to enter Design mode.

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

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▪ Fill: Use this option to update the background color for the ellipse with a built-in color, a custom color
with hex code or the color picker, or a transparent background.

▪ Border: Use this option to update the border color for the ellipse with a built-in color, a custom color
with 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.

Draw a line on a display

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

1. Click Modify Display to enter Design mode.

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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.

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 with hex code
or the color picker, or a transparent background.

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

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

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▪ 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.

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 on a display.

1. Click Modify Display to enter Design mode.

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

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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.

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 with 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 with
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 arc's Border.

▪ Style: Use this option to change the border style for the arc 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 arc clockwise. Drag the slider to the left to rotate the
arc counterclockwise.

▪ 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.

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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.

Draw a polygon on a display

You can use the Draw Shape tool to draw a polygon on a display. You can specify the number of sides from 3 to
12.

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 the 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
with 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
with 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 are finished editing the polygon, click Modify Display again.

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

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.
▪ 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.

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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.
AVEVA 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.

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
AVEVA 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.

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.

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.

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3. From the To list, select the asset that you want to switch with the asset on the display.
Note: 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. AVEVA PI Vision automatically assumes a leading and trailing * in any
text that you type.
AVEVA 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. To hide symbols with excluded attributes, configure the multi-state to
hide bad data. See Excluded attributes.

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 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
either 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 as a root asset and apply the change to the
asset and any child or descendant assets based on the hierarchy.

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You can also configure the display to hide the asset list. Choose the option that makes most sense for the assets
in the display and the intended use of the 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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIxUbTPZWtU

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.
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 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.
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.

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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.

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.
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.
• Show asset path
Ensure assets listed are distinct by including partial element paths. This option is useful for
differentiating assets in different parts of the hierarchy with similar names; for example, plant1/
pump1 and plant2/pump1. This option is not available when Do not show is selected.
Action
When you select Show search results, select the method the display uses to apply the selected asset to the
display:

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• 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:
• 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. AVEVA 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
and images.

Add a graphic
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.

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3. To add the selected graphic to a display, perform one of the following:

▪ 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 and images.

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

Before you start, click Monitor Operations to exit Design mode. AVEVA PI Vision locks the display,
preventing you from accidentally making changes to any symbols.
• View trend cursors by clicking on any trend.

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(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 Zoom in on a trend.)
• 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.
• Search for data items and drag them to the display to create new symbols.
When you create a new symbol, AVEVA 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.

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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.

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:

• 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. The durations available are set by the site administrator.
Note: Keep in mind that some time durations are variable. For example, if the duration is 1 month(s), the
number of days shown on the display will vary depending on the current month. If it is April, the 1 month(s)
duration converts to 30 days; however, if it is May, the 1 month(s) duration converts to 31 days.
• 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.

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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. 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
The first three letters sunday 00:00:00 (midnight) on the most recent Sunday
of the day of the
week. For example:
sun

The first three letters june 00:00:00 (midnight) on the current day in June of the current
of the month. For year
example:
jun

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

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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.
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.

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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

AVEVA 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 AVEVA PI Vision in German, the decimal separator is a comma: 525,7.

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.

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.
AVEVA PI Vision retrieves up to 3600 values per data item and writes them to the exported file.
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. AVEVA PI Vision
automatically determines the interval size based on the display time range.

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• 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.
Administrators can set the default background color for all displays.
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, a color field, or by entering a
hexadecimal color value (#RRGGBB) in the top field.
3. To save the current setting as the default for all new displays, under Save Default Configuration click Save
Defaults.
Note: You must have administrator privileges to save defaults.

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Chapter 7

Analyzing and comparing events

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).
AVEVA 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 with a color-coded bar in front of
each event in the Events pane and in Events tables. The severity level also appears on the Event Details page.
Severity levels have the following default levels, names, and colors:
• Level 5: Critical
• Level 4: Major
• Level 3: Minor
• Level 2: Warning
• Level 1: Information
• Level 0: None (no color)
Site administrators can set the colors for each event level, so the colors in your AVEVA PI Vision site may differ
from those shown here. For information on setting defaults, see the PI Vision Installation and Administration
Guide.
Training video
For more on this topic, watch the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2W5vA43944

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

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 AVEVA 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.

▪ 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.
AVEVA PI Vision updates the time range of the display to match the time range of the selected event.

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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 AVEVA PI Vision detects a new event.

Search for events

To find specific events, perform an advanced search by editing your search criteria.
1. In the Events pane, click Edit Search Criteria to open the Edit Search Criteria pane.

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.

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• 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.
• 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.

• 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. Multiple assets are delimited by semicolons.
• Asset Type

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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.
• 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:
• 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.

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• 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 menu.
After you create an events table, you can change the events inside the table by changing the criteria in the
Search Criteria pane. You can sort events in the table, and the sorting options on the events table are saved with
the display.

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 contents of a column, double-click the border to the right of the column
heading.
2. To sort the data in the table, click a column header.
The sort order is indicated by an arrow. To reverse the sort order, click the header again. To remove the sort,
click the header a third time.
3. To change the order of columns, select a column header and drag it to another column inside the table.
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 Search Criteria 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 Search
Criteria pane must be set to Selected Asset on Display.
5. To add and remove columns, or to change the events search criteria, right-click the table and then select
Configure Table.
See Configure an events table.
6. To add an event frame attribute to the table, select an event frame in the Events pane, and then drag and
drop the attribute from the Attributes pane on to the table.
Note: The table shows a value for the event frame attribute for each event in the table that has an attribute
with the same name. The values shown are at the time of the event, not the display time range.
7. To add an attribute from a reference element to the table, in the Events pane, select an event frame, click
the arrow for the reference element in the Attributes pane, and then drag and drop the attribute on to
the table.

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Note: The table shows a value for the reference element attribute for each event in the table that has an
element attribute with the same name. The values shown are at the time of the event, not the display time
range.
8. To add multi-state behavior to the table, right-click the table and select Add Multi-State.
See Multi-state behaviors.
9. To set the display time bar to the duration of an event, right-click the event row in the table and select Apply
Time Range.
If the event is still In Progress, the end time is set to Now. See Time bar control.
10. To open the Event Details page that contains more information about a particular event, right-click the event
row in the table and select Event Details or click on the Event Name.
See View event details and annotate events.
11. To compare multiple related events, right-click the event row in the table and select either Compare Similar
Events By Name or Compare Similar Events By Type.
See Compare multiple events.

Configure an events table

Use the Configure Table pane to configure the columns, style, and criteria for events 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 Search Criteria menu 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.
1. To open the Configure Table pane, right-click the events table, and then click Configure Table.
2. Under Columns, the columns that appear in the table are shown in the Current Columns list. Available
columns not included in the table are shown in the Additional Attributes list. To move a column from one list
to the other, select the column, and then click the arrow that points to the other list.
▪ 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 Knowledge Base article KB01700 - Set Event Reason Codes in PI Vision.
▪ Acknowledged By: View the user who acknowledged each event.
▪ Acknowledged Date: View the date when each event was acknowledged.

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▪ Acknowledgement: View the Acknowledge button and status. You can acknowledge an event directly
from the table by clicking the Acknowledge button.
Note: Event frame attributes that you have added to the table are listed, preceded by the pipe character
(|). Reference element attributes that you have added to the table are listed, preceded by the element
name and the pipe character (|). If you remove an event frame attribute or an element attribute from
the table, it appears in the Additional Attributes list during the current session.
3. To show the units of measure in an event frame attribute column, select the event frame attribute column in
the Current Columns list and then select the Show Units check box.
4. To change the units of measurement for a column, in the Units field, select the units from the drop-down
list. Only units appropriate for conversion from the base unit are listed.
5. Under Style, click the style for column and row shading.
6. Under Numbers, customize the format of numbers in the table.
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.

7. To add multi-state behavior to event frame attribute columns, click the down arrow at the top of the pane
and then click Add Multi-State.
For details, see Multi-state behaviors.

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View an event as a popup trend

To get a more detailed view of an event, you can view the data from an event table in a popup trend. The popup
trend lets you drill into the data from a single event by opening it in new screen. The time range for the popup
trend defaults to the start and end time of the event. After you get a deeper look at the data inside a popup
trend, you can return to your original display.
Note: The popup trend is not available in Design mode.
1. Double-click on a row or right-click and select Open Popup Trend From Row to open a popup trend for that
event.
Note: If you click on an Event Name, an Event Details page for the event opens.
2. Click inside an opened popup trend to view trend cursors. You can also use a Zoom in on a trend and pan
across the popup trend's time range by dragging the lower section of the trend left or right.
3. You can set the scale and traces for the popup trend.
See Configure trend options and style.

4. Click to return to the original display.

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 AVEVA PI Vision administration topic Set
permissions to allow users to acknowledge and annotate events.
Event details page

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The event details page has the following features:

Callout Description

1 Trend plots the behavior of the attributes associated with a referenced asset and the trigger
attributes, if any, that contain numerical data.
2 Events pane shows your events.
3 Trigger Expression table 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.
4 Trigger Attributes table 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.
5 Event Attributes table lists event attributes, which are attributes associated with an event.
6 Related Asset Attributes table lists the names and values of attributes associated with a
referenced asset during the event.
7 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.
8 Comments pane shows comments made and lets you add comments and attachments.
9 Acknowledge button to acknowledge the event.

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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.
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 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.

5. 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.

6. To attach a file, click the Attach button under the Add Comment field, browse to your file, click Open,
and then click Add.

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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 CSV, DOCX,
PDF, XLSX, RTF, TXT, GIF, JPEG, JPG, PNG, SVG, and TIFF. 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 AVEVA PI
Vision administration topic Change event annotation file types and size limits.
7. 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.
8. To return to your display and exit the event details page, click the Back button.

Pan event details

To shift the time range on an event details trend backwards or forwards in time, pan across the event directly on
the trend.
1. After you open an event details page, move the cursor to the bottom of the trend until the cursor changes to
a drag cursor.
2. Click the highlighted lower section of the trend and drag the trend left or right to pan across the time range
backwards or forwards. If you are using a touch-sensitive device, tap and hold the plot area of a trend and
slide right or left to move backwards or forwards in time.
The duration of time shown is not affected.

3. To return to the default time range and show the updating trend for the event, click Revert .

Zoom in on event details

The event details zoom allows you to magnify a particular range of time and value in an event details trend.
While zoomed in, you can still use the other functionality of the event details page.
1. After you open an event details page, drag your pointer over any area of an event. The area you drag over
remains illuminated, while the remaining portions of the trend are grayed out. If you are using a touch-
sensitive device, stretch two fingers apart to zoom in. Pinch two fingers together to zoom out.

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2. Release the pointer.

The trend redraws, zooming in on the area you selected. The y-axis and start and end times are adjusted
accordingly.

3. To remove the zoom, click Revert .

Configure an event details trend

Use the Configure Trend toolbar to customize an event details trend. You can set the scale options and the
appearance of the traces.
1. Open an event details page.
2. Select how scales are displayed for the y-axis by clicking one of the following:

▪ Multiple scales
makes it easier to view the scales of multiple attributes.
If the trend shows multiple trigger attributes, the axis shows values for the first attribute, then the
minimum and maximum value for each additional attribute in the order shown in the Trigger
Attributes section below the trend.

▪ Single scale
A single scale spans the highest top and lowest bottom values.
3. Select the range of values on the axis by clicking one of the following:

▪ 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, and then
click Apply. This option is only available when the Single scale option is selected.
4. To configure the presentation style for the traces for the selected attribute, click one of the following:

▪ 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.

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▪ Scatter Plot
Displays individual recorded data points without any connecting lines.

Event details on a mobile device

On a mobile device, the event details page automatically opens inside the standard AVEVA 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
AVEVA 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. Drag and drop additional attributes.
Select whether to display each attribute on a separate trend or all attributes on a combined trend.
The following figure shows the event comparison page.

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Callout Description

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

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Compare multiple events

The event-comparison page shows overlay trends plotting the behavior of each event attribute during multiple
related events.
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 AVEVA PI Vision display.
• Belongs to the referenced asset of the event you selected for comparison in the Events pane.
• Uses a numeric data type.
To compare events:
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 legend marker symbol at the end of its trace, and the
overlay trend will show a green circle next to its title.

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

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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. You can add multiple cursors.
When an attribute is selected, the cursors show that attribute value for every event on the trend. If no
attribute is selected when the cursor is added, the first attribute is selected automatically. Each value is
shown in the same color as its corresponding trace, and values are listed in the order they appear in the
Events pane. When an event is selected, the cursors show all attribute values for that one event in the order
they appear in the toolbar. When you select a different event or attribute, the cursor is updated to reflect
that selection.
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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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.

Pan an event comparison

To shift the time range on an event comparison backwards or forwards in time, you can pan across the event
directly on the trend. Event comparison trends are synchronized, so panning one trend will move all trends. Gray
shading indicates the area of the Gantt chart not shown trend.
Note: You can pan the time range beyond the event frame time range, but the traces do not extend outside the
duration of their event frame.
1. After you create an event-comparison page, move the cursor to the bottom of the trend until the cursor
changes to a drag cursor.
2. Click the highlighted lower section of the trend and drag the trend left or right to pan across the time range

backwards or forwards. If you are using a touch-sensitive device, click to activate touch mode and then
tap and hold the plot area of a trend and slide right or left to move backwards or forwards in time.
Panning across an individual trend will change the time range of all displayed event comparisons. The
duration of time shown is not affected.

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3. To return to the default time range and show updating trends for open event frames, click Revert .

Zoom in on an event comparison

The event comparison zoom allows you to zoom in on a particular range of time and value in an event
comparison display. Zoom changes the relative start and end times for the entire display, affecting all trends, but
the value scale (y-axis) is only updated for the zoomed trend. When you zoom in, the corresponding area of the
Gantt chart is highlighted.
1. After you create an event-comparison page, drag your pointer over any area of an event comparison. The
area you drag over remains illuminated, while the remaining portions of the trend are grayed out. If you are

using a touch-sensitive device, click Touch Mode to activate touch mode and then stretch two fingers
apart to zoom in. Pinch two fingers together to zoom out.
2. Release the pointer.
The trend redraws, zooming in on the area you selected. The start time and end time of all displayed events
are adjusted accordingly. The corresponding area of the Gantt chart is highlighted.

3. To remove the zoom, click Revert .

Maximize an event comparison

Maximize an event comparison to enlarge it to the available space for trends. This allows you to see more details
and optimizes the space on the display. When a trend is maximized, all functionality for a single trend is
available. You can pan, zoom, add cursors, configure the trend, and add and remove data items. You cannot
access other trends or add new trends to the display. If there are multiple trends on the display, only one trend
can be maximized at a time. The events pane and Gantt chart remain visible, unless you hide them manually.

1. To maximize a trend, click in the upper right corner of the trend.

2. To restore a trend to its original size, click .

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Add a new overlay trend to the display

AVEVA 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. Drop an event attribute on an existing trend to see
a combined view, or drop it above or below an existing trend to see it on a separate trend. You can have both
combined and separated attributes in an event comparison. For example, you might want to see internal
temperature mold temperature together on one trend and pressure on a separate trend. An attribute can only
be displayed once on an event comparison 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.
1. Select an attribute that you want to trend from the Attributes pane and drag it onto an Overlay Trend. Drop
the attribute on an existing trend to see a combined trend or drop it above or below existing trends to see it
on a separate trend. A green line around the attribute indicates a valid location to drop it.
The Attributes pane shows each attribute's value at the start time of the event.

Note: If you do not see the attribute you are looking for, click the triangle next to the 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.

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If the trend shows multiple attributes, the axis shows values for the first attribute, then the minimum and
maximum value for each additional attribute in the order shown at the top of the trend. Click on attribute to
highlight its scale.
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. If you zoom in on an event comparison
trend, the corresponding area of the Gantt chart is highlighted. If you pan an event comparison trend, a dotted
line and gray shading indicate the area of the Gantt chart not shown trend.
• 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.

• To hide child events, click the minus icon on the Gantt bar.
• To expand all events at a level, right-click on an event at the level to expand and select Expand One Level.
• To collapse all events at a level, right-click on an event at the level to collapse and select Collapse One Level.

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 corresponding child events of other parent events, based on name,
are aligned at the "zero time" line. Child events before or after the selected child event on the Gantt chart are
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.

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

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 in the event frame generation analysis. For information about defining a
root cause, see Create an event frame generation analysis template. 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.

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1. Time period leading up to the events.

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

Configure an event comparison

Use the Configure Trend toolbar to customize an event comparison display. You can edit the scale options and
the appearance of the traces. If the trend shows multiple attributes, the scale and trace style can be set
separately for each attribute.
1. Open an event-comparison page.

2. Click to open the Configure Trend toolbar.

3. If the trend shows multiple attributes, select the attribute to configure.
4. Customize the range of values on the axis by clicking one of the following:

▪ Autorange of dynamic values

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

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▪ 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, and then
click Apply.
If the trend shows multiple attributes, the axis shows values for the first attribute, then the minimum and
maximum value for each additional attribute in the order shown at the top of the trend. Click on attribute to
highlight its scale.
5. To configure the presentation style for the traces for the selected attribute, click one of the following:

▪ 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.
6. To select the line style for the selected attribute, click the down arrow and select the line style from the
drop-down.

Line styles are applied if either the Line or Data Markers style is selected.
7. To configure the trend for another attribute, select the attribute and then select the scale and trace settings
for that attribute.

8. When you have finished configuring the trend, click to close the Configure Trend toolbar.
After you configure an event comparison display, you may want to save it for future use. For more information,
see Save an event comparison display.

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Save an event comparison display

You can save an event comparison display just like a regular AVEVA 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.

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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Chapter 8

Training videos

To better understand how to use AVEVA PI Vision, watch our training videos on the AVEVA PI Vision YouTube
playlist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eEUMebIk4s&list=PLMcG1Hs2JbcvWPkSbIbQEJqsTX9Sa1nty

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