Electronic signatures are the computer-generated, legally-binding equivalents of handwritten signatures. They uniquely identify the person(s) responsible for an action.
An electronic record is generated each time an action is signed for. Electronic records consist of the name of the person(s) involved in the signing process, and other details, such as the type of action performed. Electronic records are written to a relational database, and retained as a permanent record of a signed action. Refer to Tracking Electronic Signatures for more information on electronic records.
Depending on the way your tags are configured, a signed action may require a supervisor or another operator to verify or validate the action performed by the operator. The concept of "performed by" and "verified by" provides the foundation of understanding how electronic signatures work in iFIX.
An electronic signature is either a Perform Only signature or a Perform and Verify signature:
Perform Only Signature – the operator (the "performer") that initiated the action must electronically sign for that action.
Perform and Verify Signature – the operator (the "performer") that initiated the action must electronically sign for that action and another individual (the "verifier") must electronically sign to validate the action. The action is not initiated until both signatures are entered.
NOTE: The person who performs an action cannot be the same person who verifies that action.
A signature consists of two components that uniquely identify the signer: a user name and a password. When the operator performs an action or verifies an action, a dialog box appears in which the operator must enter these two identifiers:
User Name – name of the user performing the action or verifying the action.
Password – password for the user performing the action or verifying the action.
NOTE: If an operator's iFIX user account was established using Windows security, his iFIX user name and password are the same as his Windows user name and password.
When an operator performs or verifies an action, he can optionally enter a comment related to that action. The operator can select or change a pre-defined comment, or enter an original one.
For more information on using comments with electronic signatures, refer to Using Comment Tables.
