xConnector FAQ_
I definitely depend on PI – what does SmartSignal add?
What information does SmartSignal provide in PI?
Is xConnector a separate product from EPI*Center?
How do you deploy xConnector?
Does xConnector work with PI MDB or AF?
What if I make changes in my PI or EPI*Center environment?
What PI tools can I use with xConnector?
We like to provide different levels of information to different users. Can xConnector support that?
I definitely depend on PI – what does SmartSignal add?
The OSIsoft PI System is the foundation of your enterprise data infrastructure. SmartSignal adds a layer of value to this investment with a modeling solution that eliminates failure through the earliest possible warning of developing problems. Together, SmartSignal and OSIsoft provide an information infrastructure on top of your equipment infrastructure - supporting the effective decisions you make to be successful.
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What information does SmartSignal provide in PI?
Your PI screens show the current status of your critical equipment. Adding SmartSignal’s modeling estimates shows you not just how your equipment is currently behaving, but how it should be behaving under all known loads, ambient conditions, and operational settings. And displaying SmartSignal incidents lets you focus on the core task at hand by bringing the key issues to your direct attention out of mounds of data.
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Is xConnector a separate product from EPI*Center?
xConnector is a unique product which provides a gateway between SmartSignal EPI*Center’s Predictive Analytics intelligence and your PI infrastructure. EPI*Center is our flagship platform; it represents the industry-standard Predictive Analytics solution and a growth platform for the future of your operations, as well. It is the foundation on which SmartSignal will introduce new innovative products over time. All will share the same common goal: creating value in customers’ operations.
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How do you deploy xConnector?
When you decide to purchase xConnector, SmartSignal will consult with you to determine which assets, tags, and data series you wish to have replicated into PI tags. SmartSignal’s deployment services will then implement xConnector between your EPI*Center and PI environments. Integrating the key solutions on which you depend will be absolutely seamless for your team.
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Does xConnector work with PI MDB or AF?
xConnector will replicate your selected EPI*Center intelligence into a hierarchical structure in either PI MDB or AF. It will mirror your chosen arrangement of your equipment, as you helped us design it in your EPI*Center solution. Accessing the key information you depend on, through your familiar hierarchy, will help you make better decisions, more efficiently.
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What if I make changes in my PI or EPI*Center environment?
xConnector provides a truly smart connection between PI and EPI*Center. It will dynamically configure the PI environment, creating needed information when it doesn’t exist. If a PI tag doesn’t exist for data specified to be replicated, it is created. If an Alias doesn’t exist for it, it’s created. Moving up the hierarchy, if the module required to hold the Alias doesn’t exist, it’s created. In AF, the element and element template are created if need be. The “self repairing” nature of xConnector eases management and gives you assurance the EPI*Center solution is fully replicated and up-to-date in your PI environment.
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What PI tools can I use with xConnector?
With xConnector, you can access SmartSignal data just as you would any other data within PI. Reference SmartSignal modeling estimates in the PI Advanced Computing Engine. Send PI notifications based on SmartSignal incidents. Visualize SmartSignal estimates and incidents in graphical PI ProcessBook screens and trends.
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We like to provide different levels of information to different users. Can xConnector support that?
xConnector provides a flexible solution that fits your operations. Your M&D analysts can view the spectrum of EPI*Center estimates and incidents in ProcessBook. You can make this information appear on the graphical ProcessBook images your plant sees, instantly and automatically…only when you decide to escalate the incident. This is just one example of the tremendous capabilities xConnector enables between your SmartSignal and PI solutions.
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