Create alarm groups and items, configure alarm conditions.

Tutorials → Industrial Operations Tutorial → Alarms | Tutorial | How-to Guide | Reference

This Tutorial Teaches you to:

  • Create alarm groups and items
  • Configure alarm conditions
  • Set up notifications
  • Enable audit trail for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance

Prerequisites:

1. Configure Alarm Groups

  1. Navigate to Alarms → Groups
  2. Verify pre-defined groups exist:


Group 

AckRequired 

LogEvents 

Critical 

Yes 

ActiveAck 

Warning 

No 

Active 

AuditTrail 

No 

Active 



Modify Critical group:

    • Open the ComboBox Sound field
    • Select Exclamation
    • Press Enter

2. Create Alarm Items

  1. Go to Alarms → Items
  2. Add high temperature alarm:
PropertyValue
TagNameTankFarm/Tank1/Temp
ConditionHiHi
Limit85
GroupCritical
MessageTank 1 Critical Temperature: {Tag.TankFarm/Tank1/Temp}°C
Priority100
  1. Add low level alarm:
PropertyValue
TagNameTankFarm/Tank1/Level
ConditionLo
Limit20
GroupWarning
MessageTank 1 Low Level Warning
Priority50

3. Configure Alarm Areas

  1. Navigate to Alarms → Areas
  2. Create hierarchy:
  • Plant
    • Production
      • Tank1
      • Tank2
    • Utilities

Assign alarms to areas:

    • Return to Alarms → Items
    • Set Area = Plant_Production_Tank1 for both alarms
    • Right click the columns to enable visibility for the Area column


4. Enable Audit Trail

  1. Go to Alarms → Global Settings
  2. In Audit Trail section:
    • Check Enable Audit Trail
    • Enable options:
      • User Logon/Logoff
      • Tag Changes
      • Operator Actions
      • Custom Messages
  3. Configure database retention:
    • Life Time: 2555 days (7 years for FDA compliance)


5. Create Alarm Display

  1. Navigate to Displays → New
  2. Name: AlarmMonitor
  3. Add AlarmViewer control from toolbox
  4. Double Click the AlarmViewer and go to Settings
  5. Configure:
    • List: OnlineAlarms
    • Columns: Time, TagName, Message, Value, Group
  6. Add AlarmArea control for navigation
  7. Save display

6. Test Alarms

  1. Start Runtime (Runtime → Startup)
  2. Open Alarms→ Alarms Monitor
  3. Simulate alarm conditions by changing tag values
  4. Verify the alarms showing in the alarm viewer

7. Verify Audit Trail

  1. Change AlarmViewer List to AuditTrail
  2. Verify logged events:
    • User login
    • Alarm triggers
    • Acknowledgments
    • Tag changes

Explanation - to understand concepts

→ Modules / Industrial Operations / Alarms Module

Tutorials - to learn by doing

→ Tutorials / Industrial Operations / Alarms Module Tutorial

How-to Guides - to accomplish specific tasks

→ How-to Guides / Industrial Operations / Alarms Module How-to Guide

→ How-to Guides / Standard Compliance / FDA-21 CFR 11 Compliance

Reference - technical details

→ Technical Reference / Platform Modules / Alarms Module Reference


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