PI ProcessBook
An easy-to-use graphics package that allows users to create dynamic, interactive graphical displays featuring real-time PI data.
Component Summary
PI ProcessBook is the graphical display front-end to the PI System. It helps you transform raw data into useful, dynamic, real-time displays. With PI ProcessBook, you can monitor plant processes from any desktop PC on the premises. And, when it's used in conjunction with PI ActiveView, you can review those same data on remote browsers via the Internet.
PI ProcessBook does more than allow users to simply view information. With one click, the screen switches from "view" mode to "build" mode, revealing an array of drawing tools. Now it's easier than ever to create dynamic, interactive displays that represent your operations facility, and to populate them with live data.
Microsoft's Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is built into ProcessBook, allowing you to easily write scripts that automate displays and trends. For instance, PI ProcessBook can let you know when a monitored variable changes value. With VBA, setting up alarm scripts, pop-up process displays, or flashing alarm indicators has never been easier.
PI ProcessBook also includes a "Save as SVG" feature, which exports your PI ProcessBook displays as a Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file for easy integration with the PI Interactive Configurable Environment (PI ICE). Moving your displays to the Internet has never been simpler -- with PI ICE or PI ActiveView, you preserve your existing PI ProcessBook displays.
Key Features
- Build powerful, interactive displays
- Built-in VBA
- ActiveX control container
- Built-in ODBC for easy access to established databases
- Compatible with Microsoft Office
- Displays can be used in a Web browser in PI ICE or PI ActiveView
Technical Overview
PI ProcessBook helps build displays that track and make readily available critical analyses using a desktop PC. It helps you create and organize displays, making it easy to find the source of process issues and to trigger alarms based on process values. With PI ProcessBook, you can access and view past process behavior and -- using third-party software -- even incorporate live video of your processes. ProcessBook provides easy access to ODBC data sources and is certified by Microsoft to work with other desktop programs. View your data by paging through your process displays, choosing them from a list, or clicking through them using hotlinks.
Event Triggers
PI ProcessBook enables you to trigger scripts when a monitored variable changes value. This means you can set up alarm scripts, pop up process displays, flash alarm indicators, re-position cameras, or execute any other script when a process variable changes value. Implementing these triggers has never been easier because it is done in VBA, the same scripting language used for Excel macros and in Microsoft Office.
To ensure reliable client-side triggers, ProcessBook uses a data connection that includes an acknowledgement.
Display Builder
PI ProcessBook contains excellent tools for creating professional-quality process display screens, including process graphics, pictures, scrolling trend displays, and other built-in active elements. ProcessBook also provides built-in drawing tools that make it easy to create process graphics. The design tools conform to the standard look and feel of many Windows drawing and painting packages, making them familiar and easy to use.
As an ActiveX control container, PI ProcessBook makes it possible for you to populate process displays with elements such as 3-D visuals, live video, or any of the thousands of ActiveX components available from third-party suppliers. These controls can be linked to process data, tag names, or descriptions -- all the data available to PI ProcessBook. The functionality provided by ActiveX controls ranges from simple graphical data displays to graphical displays that include sophisticated application-specific logic, such as quality tracking, specification management, product management, laboratory information management, waste tracking, and uptime tracking.
PI ProcessBook includes a set of built-in dynamic elements, such as scrolling trends and value readouts, that make it easy to graphically represent process data. These elements are chosen from the palette and placed on the process display. A dialog box pops up to assist you in choosing the display variables, colors, and other elements.
PI ProcessBook includes VBA, which can be used to tie an ActiveX control to data sources in PI ProcessBook, create logic for special functions, and for a host of other applications.
Integration with Relational Databases and Microsoft Office
PI ProcessBook provides easy access to all databases that use ODBC, and it provides close integration with other desktop programs, enabling, for example, distribution of process displays using email.
ProcessBook is fully compatible with Microsoft Office, enabling you to use in-place activation, and to cut and paste between PI ProcessBook and Microsoft Office applications.
PI ProcessBook has been rigorously tested to assure that it is easy to use, stable, works well with other applications, and takes advantage of Windows features. ProcessBook carries three logo certifications:
- Designed for Windows NT and Windows 95
- Microsoft Office 97 Compatible
- Visual Basic for Applications Technology
System Requirements
- Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, or Windows 2000
Component Summary
PI ProcessBook is the graphical display front-end to the PI System. It helps you transform raw data into useful, dynamic, real-time displays. With PI ProcessBook, you can monitor plant processes from any desktop PC on the premises. And, when it's used in conjunction with PI ActiveView, you can review those same data on remote browsers via the Internet.
PI ProcessBook does more than allow users to simply view information. With one click, the screen switches from "view" mode to "build" mode, revealing an array of drawing tools. Now it's easier than ever to create dynamic, interactive displays that represent your operations facility, and to populate them with live data.
Microsoft's Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is built into ProcessBook, allowing you to easily write scripts that automate displays and trends. For instance, PI ProcessBook can let you know when a monitored variable changes value. With VBA, setting up alarm scripts, pop-up process displays, or flashing alarm indicators has never been easier.
PI ProcessBook also includes a "Save as SVG" feature, which exports your PI ProcessBook displays as a Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file for easy integration with the PI Interactive Configurable Environment (PI ICE). Moving your displays to the Internet has never been simpler -- with PI ICE or PI ActiveView, you preserve your existing PI ProcessBook displays.
Key Features
- Build powerful, interactive displays
- Built-in VBA
- ActiveX control container
- Built-in ODBC for easy access to established databases
- Compatible with Microsoft Office
- Displays can be used in a Web browser in PI ICE or PI ActiveView
Technical Overview
PI ProcessBook helps build displays that track and make readily available critical analyses using a desktop PC. It helps you create and organize displays, making it easy to find the source of process issues and to trigger alarms based on process values. With PI ProcessBook, you can access and view past process behavior and -- using third-party software -- even incorporate live video of your processes. ProcessBook provides easy access to ODBC data sources and is certified by Microsoft to work with other desktop programs. View your data by paging through your process displays, choosing them from a list, or clicking through them using hotlinks.
Event Triggers
PI ProcessBook enables you to trigger scripts when a monitored variable changes value. This means you can set up alarm scripts, pop up process displays, flash alarm indicators, re-position cameras, or execute any other script when a process variable changes value. Implementing these triggers has never been easier because it is done in VBA, the same scripting language used for Excel macros and in Microsoft Office.
To ensure reliable client-side triggers, ProcessBook uses a data connection that includes an acknowledgement.
Display Builder
PI ProcessBook contains excellent tools for creating professional-quality process display screens, including process graphics, pictures, scrolling trend displays, and other built-in active elements. ProcessBook also provides built-in drawing tools that make it easy to create process graphics. The design tools conform to the standard look and feel of many Windows drawing and painting packages, making them familiar and easy to use.
As an ActiveX control container, PI ProcessBook makes it possible for you to populate process displays with elements such as 3-D visuals, live video, or any of the thousands of ActiveX components available from third-party suppliers. These controls can be linked to process data, tag names, or descriptions -- all the data available to PI ProcessBook. The functionality provided by ActiveX controls ranges from simple graphical data displays to graphical displays that include sophisticated application-specific logic, such as quality tracking, specification management, product management, laboratory information management, waste tracking, and uptime tracking.
PI ProcessBook includes a set of built-in dynamic elements, such as scrolling trends and value readouts, that make it easy to graphically represent process data. These elements are chosen from the palette and placed on the process display. A dialog box pops up to assist you in choosing the display variables, colors, and other elements.
PI ProcessBook includes VBA, which can be used to tie an ActiveX control to data sources in PI ProcessBook, create logic for special functions, and for a host of other applications.
Integration with Relational Databases and Microsoft Office
PI ProcessBook provides easy access to all databases that use ODBC, and it provides close integration with other desktop programs, enabling, for example, distribution of process displays using email.
ProcessBook is fully compatible with Microsoft Office, enabling you to use in-place activation, and to cut and paste between PI ProcessBook and Microsoft Office applications.
PI ProcessBook has been rigorously tested to assure that it is easy to use, stable, works well with other applications, and takes advantage of Windows features. ProcessBook carries three logo certifications:
- Designed for Windows NT and Windows 95
- Microsoft Office 97 Compatible
- Visual Basic for Applications Technology
System Requirements
- Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, or Windows 2000