Query Alarms and Events Data Using the Excel Add-In

About this task

Querying Alarms and Events data in the Excel Add-In retrieves alarms and events data according to your Query Criteria. Three query types are available: Alarm, Alarm history, and Events.

Note: You cannot use an OPC alarms and events server with FIX32 SCADA systems. To collect alarm data from these systems, you can use a proxy for alarms through an iFIX node with an OPC alarms and events server. The OPC Classic Alarms and Events collector of Proficy Historian can then collect the data. For more information, refer to Using the OPC AE Collector with FIX32 SCADA Systems.

Procedure

  1. Open an Excel worksheet.
  2. Select Historian > Query Alarms & Events.
    The Query Alarms & Events window appears.
  3. Enter values as described in the following table.
    Field Description
    Server Select the SQL server that contains the alarms and events data.
    Query Type Select one of the following values:
    • Alarms: In Historian, an alarm's entire life cycle is stored as a single record in the alarm archive. Thus, when retrieving from the archive, the entire life cycle of an alarm will be returned in a single record.
    • Alarm History: Each change in the alarm's state will be returned in a single record.
    • Events: One row per event is returned.
    Query Criteria Enter the criteria that you want to use in the query. For example, you may want to include alarms where the Alarm ID is equal to a specific Alarm ID occurring after a specific start time. In addition, you can specify which attributes must be displayed and how the results must be sorted in the spreadsheet.
    Output Range Select a range of cells in a single row or column to determine where the returned data must be placed.
    Output Orientation Select either Columns or Rows for the output display. Selecting Columns displays a table of values with parameters arranged in columns with header labels at the top. Selecting Rows rotates the table 90 degrees.
    Maximum Results Enter the maximum number of results for the query to return.
    Note: An Excel spreadsheet can display up to 255 columns and 32,767 rows.
    Output Display Specify the attributes that you want to display in the spreadsheet.
    Output Sorting Select the parameter using which you want to sort the results:
    • Alarm Time: Sorts the data by the start time. The results appear in the reverse chronological order.
    • Custom Sort: Allows you to select the field using which you want to sort the results.
    • None: The results are not sorted at all. They are returned in the order they are received from the alarms and events database.
  4. Select OK.
    The query results appear.