Downstream Device Assistant basics

Use Downstream Device Assistant to edit the names assigned to downstream devices or to assign the correct measurement label for a register that has an incorrect measurement mapping.

IMPORTANT: Before using the Downstream Device Assistant, make sure you save a copy of the ION_Network and ION_Data databases, in case you need to revert to the original configuration of these databases.

Starting the Downstream Device Assistant

  1. Run the program named “DownstreamDevices.DownstreamAssistant.exe” in the ...\Power Monitoring Expert\system\bin folder.

  2. Log in using your Power Monitoring Expert credentials.

    A message displays to remind you to back up your ION_Network and ION_Data databases. Click OK to continue.

  3. Downstream Device Assistant opens in Basic view or Advanced view, depending on the last view it was in before it was closed. The first time Downstream Device Assistant is started, it opens in Basic view.

Basic view versus Advanced view

The view determines what columns are available as well as whether an action is global (applied to all rows containing a parameter) or specific to a row.

Columns descriptions

 

Columns in Both Basic and Advanced View
Column Name Description
IsDownstream1 The IsDownstream column identifies which devices in the Assigned Source column are downstream devices. If IsDownstream is selected, it means that the device identified in the Assigned Source column is downstream to a physical device, whose name is indicated in the Physical Source column. If IsDownstream is cleared, this indicates that the device is a physical source. Note also that a physical source has the same Assigned Source name and Physical Source name, by default.
Assigned Source This is the default name that Log Inserter assigned to a downstream or physical device. For example, “Modbus.109:MainFeed.PM7650” is the default name assigned for the downstream Modbus device with unit ID “109”, whose measurements are being logged to a data recorder on a Modbus Master device named “PM7650” that is part of the “MainFeed” site (group).
Updated Assigned Source This text field allows you change the current name under Assigned Source. In Basic view, all rows that contain the same Assigned Source name are automatically updated to the new name when you enter it in the Updated Assigned Source column. In Advanced view, you can select one or more rows and rename the source using the Updated Assigned Source column, while leaving the other rows unchanged. See Renaming the assigned source for more details.
Physical Source2 This identifies the name of the physical device, for example a Modbus Master device, that is performing the data logging for a downstream device.
Measurement This column displays either the ION label (for example, “Vln avg”) or the descriptive name of the measurement (for example, “Average Voltage Line-to-Neutral”), depending on the setting in the Options dialog; see Downstream Device Assistant options.
Additional Columns in Advanced View
Updated Measurement This lets you redefine what is currently assigned in the Measurement column. Click the cell to display the list of measurements to choose from. Depending on the setting in the Options dialog, you can select from a list containing only the most common measurement definitions or from a list of all available measurements; see Downstream Device Assistant options.
Handle This column displays a measurement’s register handle either in hexadecimal format or decimal format, depending on the setting in the Options dialog; see Downstream Device Assistant options.
Entered By This identifies which user made a change to the source-measurement definition.
Update Historical Database The Update Historical Database check box is automatically selected after entering changes in the Updated Assigned Source or Updated Measurement cell. This means that all historical database entries that contain the old Assigned Source name or Measurement will be updated with the new name or measurement. If you want to leave the existing data in the database unchanged, clear the Update Historical Database check box before saving the changes.
Manual (see the Note below) By default, Log Inserter automatically associates the proper measurement to the appropriate piece of data in the data log. Normally, the Manual check box should remain cleared. However, if you want to specifically change the measurement or register handle associated with a particular address definition, select the Manual check box for that measurement. This manually overrides Log Inserter so that it uses this new address mapping from now on (i.e., Log Inserter does not attempt to resolve that address ever again).

1 Do not change the value of "IsDownstream" when making changes to source/measurement definitions, as it is automatically set by the Downstream Device Assistant
2 Do not use the Physical Source column to modify the existing name of a valid physical device, as Log Inserter uses this name to perform proper data logging.

NOTE: It is not recommended that you select the Manual check box. This reserves the ION register for which Manual is checked for the selected measurement. This mapping remains in place even if the device is reconfigured such that this register is used in an entirely different context. This may cause unexpected problems in the ION_Data database. It should be used only if you are certain that the configuration you have chosen will not change.

Basic view

To switch to Basic view, click View > Options. In the Advanced section of the Options dialog, clear the enable advanced features check box. Click OK.

In Basic view, when you enter a new name in the Updated Assigned Source column, all rows that contain the same Assigned Source name are automatically filled in with the new name. Existing data in the historical database (ION_Data) is also automatically updated to reflect the change.

Advanced view

To switch to Advanced view, click View > Options. In the Advanced section of the Options dialog, select the enable advanced features check box. Click OK.

In addition to the columns displayed in Basic view, Advanced view displays all the other columns for editing individual source-measurement definitions (i.e., Updated Measurement, Handle, Entered By, Update Historical Database, and Manual). In Advanced view, you can:

  • Select and make changes to a specific row without affecting the other rows. For example, you may want to change the source name for one particular measurement while leaving the original source name unchanged for all the other measurements.
  • Select a different measurement for one that is incorrectly mapped to a particular register handle.
  • Select whether or not to update historical data for a changed source name or measurement definition, by selecting or clearing the Update Historical Data check box, respectively. Changing a name or definition automatically selects this check box.
  • Select whether or not to allow Log Inserter to resolve the register handle to a particular source measurement, by clearing or selecting the Manual check box, respectively. The default setting is cleared (i.e., Log Inserter automatically resolves the register handle to the source measurement definition). If you want to force the change so Log Inserter does not resolve the handle to the new measurement, select the Manual check box.

Displaying physical sources

The default view for Downstream Device Assistant displays only the downstream devices. To display the physical sources as well:

  1. Click View > Select Physical Sources.
  2. Select the check box beside the physical sources you want to display. Select the Select/Clear All check box to select all physical sources or clear it to select none. Click OK.

NOTE: The Physical Sources are not displayed if you restart Downstream Device Assistant. By default, only downstream devices are displayed when Downstream Device Assistant is started.

Sorting data

Click a column heading to sort the row entries in ascending or descending alphanumeric order, according to that column.

Downstream Device Assistant options

Click View > Options to open the Options dialog. The dialog contains Measurements, Historical Data, and Advanced options.

Certain options such as “show all measurements” and the “Handles” display options are disabled in Basic View. To enable them, switch to Advanced View first (see Advanced).

Measurements

This section allows you to select whether to display the default ION label (for example, “Vln avg”) in the Measurement column or to display the full descriptive name of the measurement (for example, “Average Voltage Line-to-Neutral”).

In Advanced view only, you can also select whether to display all available measurements or only the most common measurements in the list when picking a measurement in the Updated Measurement column.

Displaying ION labels versus measurement names

To change the setting:

  1. Click View > Options.
  2. In the Measurements section, select display ION labels to display the ION label or display measurement names to display the full name of the measurement.

NOTE: In some situations, if "display ION labels" is selected, the displayed label may not match the label on your meter (for example, if a custom label was used). Instead, it displays the known default label for that particular measurement.

Updated Measurement column display

To change the setting:

  1. Click View > Options and ensure Advanced is selected.
  2. In the Measurements section, select show all measurements to display all available measurements in the Updated Measurement column. To display only the most common measurements, clear show all measurements.

Historical data

If the show connection dialog check box is cleared, the ION_Data database is automatically set as the “Default Connection” (for historical data).

If you want to select a different database, select the show connection dialog. With this setting enabled, the database connection dialog is displayed every time you save your changes. When the dialog opens, select Custom Connection and specify your database connection details.

Advanced

The enable advanced features check box sets the view to Basic View if it is cleared or Advanced View if it is selected.

Handle

Available in Advanced View only, this option specifies whether register handles are displayed as the hexadecimal value (with the “0x” prefix) or as the decimal value.

To change the setting:

  1. Click View > Options and ensure the Advanced is selected.
  2. In the Handles section, select display hex to display the register handle in hexadecimal format or display decimal to display it in decimal format.

If you want to manually resolve a register handle to a specific measurement, edit the value in the Handle cell, then select the Manual check box before saving the changes.