Use a Property Translation Table to Configure Automatically Created Points

Rather than configuring common properties manually on the points that Geo SCADA Expert is to create automatically, you can use a Property Translation Table to specify the settings that are required.

To use a Property Translation Table to populate the configuration properties of automatically created points:

1. Create the content for each Property Translation Table outside of Geo SCADA Expert. The content has to take the form of a TSV file (see Create the Content for a Property Translation Table).

2. Create a Sparkplug™ Property Translation Table item in the database for each Property Translation Table file that you want to store and use in Geo SCADA Expert (see Configure a Sparkplug™ Property Translation Table).

3. Use the Import Property Translation Table pick action on each Sparkplug Property Translation Table to import the relevant Property Translation Table files into the database. (You can store one file per Sparkplug Property Translation Table item in the database.)

4. Use the Last Import Time attribute to check whether the TSV file has been imported successfully into the database.

5. Address any issues if the attempt to import the file did not succeed and then reattempt the import (see Create the Content for a Property Translation Table).

6. We recommend that you temporarily Enable IO Logging on the Sparkplug Broker. This will enable you to translate MQTT Log Files and analyze Sparkplug metrics that are processed in the birth message.

7. Edit the configuration Form of each Sparkplug Edge Node or Sparkplug Device for which Geo SCADA Expert is to automatically create a suite of points. Populate the Property Translation Table field on each Form with the name of the Sparkplug Property Translation Table that is being used to store the relevant Property Translation Table file for that Sparkplug Edge Node or Sparkplug Device. (For more information, see Configure the Properties on the Edge Node Tab, and see Configure the Properties on the Device Tab.)

   Alternatively, you can just populate the Property Translation Table field on the configuration Form of the Sparkplug Edge Node, and then use the Create Devices from Device Birth Messages pick action to automatically create the Sparkplug Devices. When you do this, the Property Translation Table field on the Forms of the newly created Sparkplug Devices is automatically configured with the Property Translation Table that is referenced in the Sparkplug Edge Node. If required, you can change the configuration of this field in the individual Sparkplug Device Forms.

8. Use the Create Points from Birth Metrics pick action on each Sparkplug Edge Node or Sparkplug Device to trigger Geo SCADA Expert to automatically create and update the suite of database points for the Sparkplug Edge Node or Sparkplug Device. Geo SCADA Expert will take into account the settings that are specified in the relevant Property Translation Table when creating the points in the database.

9. Check that the automatically set properties on the newly created points are configured as expected. We recommend that you view the Events List of the Sparkplug Edge Node or Sparkplug Device to verify that all of the points have been created and configured successfully. If the Events List highlights an issue with a point, you can check the Events List of that specific point to further analyze and determine how to rectify the issue.

10. Adjust the configuration of any newly created points:

    1. That are to be output points (Geo SCADA Expert creates all of the points as input points).

    2. For which any configuration properties are to be automatically created or updated in aggregate fields (such as the properties in the Redirection tab). To do this, you should enable the required aggregates on the point's configuration Form. If the Property Translation Table includes a configuration property of an aggregate field that is disabled, Geo SCADA Expert does not include entries related to that property in the Events List.

       After you enable the required aggregates, run the Create Points from Birth Metrics on the Sparkplug Edge Node or Sparkplug Device again to ensure that the configuration changes are updated in the point's configuration Form.

11. Check the Event Journal and, if applicable, the Alarms List, for entries about any issues that Geo SCADA Expert detected when it attempted to create the points and populate them with the required values. The entries will be assigned the Sparkplug Object Creation Error category.

    Be aware that alarms might be suppressed for such entries on your system. This can be specified using the Suppress Alarms When Creating Devices or Points From Birth Metrics check box on the configuration form of each Sparkplug Edge Node, and the Suppress Alarms When Creating Points From Birth Metrics check box on the configuration form of each Sparkplug Device. For more information, see Configure the Properties on the Edge Node Tab, and see Configure the Properties on the Device Tab.

12. Once you have completed using the Create Devices from Device Birth Messages and Create Points from Birth Metrics pick actions, and have completed the associated checks, Disable IO Logging on the Sparkplug Broker.

13. Edit the configuration of the newly created points as required. A message area at the bottom of each point's configuration Form will display messages relating to any invalid, incomplete, or conflicting configuration that requires addressing. For more information, see Mandatory Configuration and Invalid Configuration Messages in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to Core Configuration, and see the point configuration topics in the driver guide.