Overview
An Alarm Item is a configuration of solution tags, set up to establish conditions under which these tags generate alarm messages.
Alarm items can be grouped into Alarm Groups, which simplifies the management of similar or related alarms. This organization allows for a more refined control and a collective overview of the alarmsThe AlarmItems represent individual tags or expressions monitored within the solution. The AlarmItem triggers an alarm event when a defined condition occurs, notifying users about it. To define an AlarmItem on your solution, the user must enter a tag name, the condition that triggers the alarm (e.g., Hi, Lo, Rate of Change), and the threshold value (Limit). The software platform offers optional properties for customization, including priority, auxiliary values, and the alarm message.
AlarmItem Configuration
To configure a new or existing AlarmItem, follow the steps below:
Access Alarms → Items.
On the Tag Name column, type the Tag name or select from the available list. Alternatively, copy and paste the Tag's name from Unified Namespace → Tags.
- Enter the condition to trigger the alarm in the Condition field and configure the threshold value in the Limit field.
- In the Group field, choose which AlarmGroup object that best defines the behavior for this AlarmItem.
- Once finished, press Enter on your keyboard to save the AlarmItem.
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To modify an existing AlarmItem, double-click and modify the desired field. Note that any changes made to the Item will take effect immediately, and the new or modified AlarmItem will be evaluated against the tag values in real-time. |
The image below illustrates the process described above. In it, we created an AlarmItem monitoring the tag "ExampleTag" and when its value exceeds or is equal to 50, it will trigger an alarm in the "Warning" AlarmGroup.
For more details about each available property field, see the section below.
Properties Reference
Alarm Item Properties
When configuring an Alarm ItemAlarmItem, the essential properties to define are the TagName Tag Name and the Condition. These two elements form the core of the configuration, dictating when and how alarms are triggered. Additionally, other properties you can be set up other properties based on the specific use of the alarm. Refer to the table below for more details:The following is a table describing each available property field:
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If a property column is not visible on the grid, enable it by right-clicking the grid header and selecting it from the list. |
Property | Description |
|---|---|
ID | The unique identifier for the |
Alarm Items Properties
ID
item. |
VersionID |
The version identifier associated with the |
item. |
TagName |
The name of the tag being monitored for alarm events. |
Condition |
Defines the condition that triggers the alarm. The next section of this page describes in more detail the different options for this property. |
Limit |
Defines the predefined threshold for the alarm. |
Limit1 |
A secondary threshold value. You should use this property in conjunction with the Limits by Shift functionality. Learn more on the Alarm Limits page. |
Limit2 |
A tertiary threshold value. Learn more on the Alarm Limits page. |
Disable |
Enables or Disables the alarm. |
Deadband |
Defines a range in which changes are ignored. |
Setpoint |
The desired target value. |
SetpointDeadband |
A range around |
setpoints where changes are ignored. |
Group |
The group to which the alarm item belongs. |
Area |
The area designation for alarm management. |
Priority |
Defines the priority level of the alarm. |
AuxValue |
It provides additional information about the alarm, such as the responsible team to be associated with an Alarm Area. Read more on the Alarms Areas page. |
AuxValue2 |
A secondary auxiliary value. |
AuxValue3 |
A tertiary auxiliary value |
TemplateID
. |
LockState |
The current lock status of the alarm item. |
LockOwner |
The user or system that locked the item. |
DateModified |
The date the alarm item was last modified. |
DateCreated |
The date the alarm item was created. |
Cross-reference information for the alarm.
Comment |
The comments or notes related to the alarm item. |
Message |
This is the alarm message displayed to the user upon triggering |
the |
alarm |
. |
Alarm Condition Options
The Condition property defines the trigger for the alarm using the Limit property as the threshold value. It offers a wide range of options and the table below describes them in more detail:
Condition |
|---|
Description | |
|---|---|
Hi | Tag >= |
Limit. | |
HiHi | Tag >= |
Limit (when acknowledged, a Hi alarm is automatically acknowledged for the same Tag). | |
Lo | Tag <= |
Limit. | |
LoLo | Tag <= |
Limit (when acknowledged, a Lo alarm is automatically acknowledged for the same Tag). |
RateOfChange |
The tag's rate of change >= |
Limit. | |
DeviationMinor | Absolute value: ( |
Tag - Setpoint) > |
Limit. | |
DeviationMajor | Absolute value: ( |
Tag - Setpoint) > |
Limit. | |
Equal | Tag = |
Limit. | |
GreaterThan | Tag > |
Limit. | |
GreaterEqual | Tag >= |
Limit. | |
LessThan | Tag < |
Limit. | |
LessEqual | Tag <= |
Limit. | |
Changed | Tag value changed. |
ChangedUp | Tag value increased. |
ChangedDown | Tag value decreased. |
NotEqual | Tag different from limit |
. |
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Adding And Editing AlarmItem
The AlarmItem is the core object of the Alarms module, which represents a condition that triggers an alarm event when a certain criterion is met. Here we will discuss how to add new AlarmItem or modify the existing ones.
To add a new alarm item, follow these steps:
Open the AlarmItem configuration page by selecting Alarms > AlarmItem in the Solution Browser.
Click the 'New Level...' button at the bottom of the AlarmItem list.
In 'Alarms > Items', enter the required fields, which include Tag Name, Condition, and Alarm Group.
You can also configure optional fields such as Limit, Deadband, Setpoint, Setpoint Deadband, Group, Area, Priority, Message, and Priority Order.
Click OK to save the new Alarm Item.
To modify an existing Alarm Item, follow these steps:
Open the 'Alarms > Items' configuration page by selecting Alarms > AlarmItem in the Solution Browser.
Select the Alarm Item you want to modify from the list.
Modify the fields as required.
Click OK to save the changes.
It is important to note that any changes made to the AlarmItem will take effect immediately, and the new or modified AlarmItem will be evaluated against the tag values in real-time.
In this section...