Latest Contributions by JohnAlsup

We have created a mapping spreadsheet of UNC 22 features to the Esri Electric Utility Network Foundation Solution.   ... View more

The Utility Network Foundation solutions can be used to accelerate utility network implementations. These solutions include an asset package that models the schema, properties, related layers, related tables of a utility network. A question customer’s often have when implementing these models is, “How do I make modifications to the model and review these changes quickly before implementation?”  In this article we will discuss the configuration table structure, key modification workflows and how to generate a report. If you're interested in learning how to rename things, check out the Renaming items in the solution article. Configuration table The configuration table (D_Configuration is the table name in the asset package) provides the ability to select which items will be applied to the target utility network, reducing the model to meet your organization’s needs. The configuration table is included with our Utility Network Foundation solutions within the asset package, allowing an organization to select only what they need from the provided data model. For example, if you organization is a Transmission only company, you would only want the configurations related to the parts of the Transmission system you maintain. Many of our Utility Network Foundation solutions contain multiple configurations in the asset package, but you can also define your own configurations to tailor the model for your organization. Let’s first look at the schema of the table.  Each row in the table contains the following columns: Property Type (Read Only) – The type of item that can be configured. Hierarchy (Read Only) – The location of the item to include in a configuration. This field is only populated when the Property Type value is a Subtype, Field, or CodedValue. Name (Read Only) – The name of the item in the asset package. Category_<name> – Value to association value with a configuration.  If the prefix is Category_Off the configuration option will be check off by default in the Asset Package and reporting tools. There are 1 to N of these columns. Not all properties of the data model can be defined in a configuration, the following list what is included in this table: AttributeRule CodedValue Diagram Template Domain FeatureClass Field FieldGroups Network Attribute Network Category RelationshipClass Rule Subtype Table Tier Tier Group Trace Configuration The Configuration field uses a domain with the following values: 0: Ignored—The item specified in the row will be ignored from the process to determine if it should be included or excluded. This value has no effect on the output. 1: Evaluated—The item specified in the row will not be added or applied to the output when this category is unchecked. It will only be added or applied when the value is set to Evaluated in any category that is checked on. 2: Exclusive—The item specified in the row will not be added or applied to the output if this category is not checked on, regardless of other categories that are checked on and the values they have set in this row. 3: Remove when applied— Checking or applying a category with this value will remove the value in the target. If another category is checked on or applied and the row in that other category has a value of 6, 5, 2, 1 the value will not be removed from the target. 4: Always remove when applied— Checking or applying a category with this value will remove the value in the target. If another category is checked on or applied and the row in that other category has a value of 6 or 2, the value will not be removed from the target. 5: Keep when applied— Checking or applying a category with this value will apply the value to the target. If another category is checked on or applied and the row in that other category has a value of 4 the value will be removed from the target. 6: Always keep when applied— Checking or applying a category with this value will apply the value to the target. No other value will override this value. Let go through some examples using the Configuration table below Property Type Hierarchy Name Configuration_A Configuration_B Subtype ElectricDevice Transformer Evaluated Evaluated Subtype ElectricDevice Switch Evaluated Exclusive Subtype ElectricDevice Fuse Exclusive Not Evaluated Subtype ElectricDevice Meter Evaluated Not Evaluated Subtype ElectricDevice Circuit Breaker Not Evaluated Not Evaluated   Scenario 1: Apply Settings Configuration A: Checked Configuration B: Checked Results All five subtypes will be added to the output. Scenario 2: Apply Settings Configuration A: Checked Configuration B: Unchecked Results Switch will not be added to the output Scenario 3: Apply Settings Configuration A: Unchecked Configuration B: Checked Results Meter and Fuse will not be added to the output Scenario 4: Apply Settings Configuration A: Unchecked Configuration B: Unchecked Results Transformer, Switch, Meter and Fuse will not be added to the output   Modifying the configuration table The intent of the Utility Network Foundation solutions is that they demonstrate best practices and provide a starting point to create your Industry implementation of the Utility Network.  The configuration table provide a safe and convenient way to remove items from the Utility Network Foundation solution.  Data model changes As you are implementing the Utility Network, you will likely add new fields, domains and other items to the Asset Package.  In order to include those items in the Configuration table, you need to update the configuration table.  Since there are read-only fields in this table, you cannot manually add new rows to this table.  To add the new items, run the Create Asset Package Configuration Table tool using an updated asset package and the new items will be added as rows in the D_Configuration table with their values set to Not Evaluated.  You do not need to include any of the existing Category fields, as the tool will automatically detect the existing columns and preserve the values. Next, you will need to update the values of the newly added rows based on requirements for each configuration. Set the appropriate category columns values to the desired value.   New inclusive configurations Even though the sample data models include a robust set of configurations, you will often want to refine these configurations to meet your own needs. This can be done by adding a new configuration to the existing D_Configuration table using the Create Asset Package Configuration Table tool. Any new configuration names that you enter will be added to the configuration table. This configuration should be used to add items that were not being removed with the other configuration selections.  After adding the new configuration, you will need to set the values for each row as well any new asset package items that will be using this configuration.  Since this configuration will be used to keep items from the Utility Network Foundation model, the identified items should have their values set to Evaluated.  This will allow the original configurations to remain without modification.  When using this configuration, it should be included (checked) along with the other desired configurations. If another configuration is unchecked and has a value set to Exclusive for a specific item, it will be removed. New exclusive configurations Use a configuration to remove items from your utility network by creating a configuration where the items to be removed have their values set to Exclusive. You can accomplish this by adding a new configuration (discussed in the New inclusive configurations section) and then for the items you wish to remove, set their values to Exclusive. Then when applying the configurations, do not check this configuration.  The resulting Utility Network will not have these items added. Create a combined configuration Create a combined configuration by copying the values of multiple configurations into a new single configuration. By doing this, you would be able to select a single configuration to uncheck to generate the desired output. To copy multiple existing configurations into this new configuration, first add the new configuration using the Create Asset Package Configuration Table tool. Next, you would execute a series of select and calculate commands to populate the new configuration.  Copy Evaluated rows For each configuration you wish to copy to the new configuration, perform the following steps: Execute a select by attribute using the D_Configuration using a where clause “configuration_x = 1” Execute a Field Calculate setting your new configuration to the value of the selected configuration, configuration_new = category_x Copy Exclusive rows For each configuration you wish to copy to the new configuration, perform the following steps: Execute a select by attribute using the D_Configuration using a where clause “configuration_x = 2” Execute a Field Calculate setting your new configuration to the value of the selected configuration, configuration_new = configuration_x Generating a report Now that we have a better understanding of the configuration table and how to work with it, you can run the Apply Asset Package or Asset Package to Geodatabase tool, check and uncheck the configuration entries (the alias of the column is displayed) and generate a Utility Network tailored to your needs. This process may take a while on a larger data model.  We provide a tool that will generate an excel report very quickly to ensure the results are what you desire, before running the Asset Package toolset. The Asset Package Configuration Report geoprocessing tool in the Utility Network Data Management Support (UDMS) toolbox is a part of the Utility Network Foundation solution or available via github. Use this report to evaluate the output and verify it meets your organization’s needs. The geoprocessing tool includes the following parameters: Asset Package – The Asset Package you wish to use to create the report from. It Package must contain a valid D_Configuration table. Output Folder – The Folder that the Configuration report folder will be created in. Report Mode – We recommend using Single for the Report Mode Parameter for a description of how to use the other parameters see the documentation.  The Asset Package Configuration Report tool creates a folder under the Output Folder named Configuration. If the folder already exists a new one is created with the next sequential number appended to the name.  The output folder contains the Configuration folder with the following structure: Tables (Folder name) Tabs Fields Subtypes Attribute Rules Field Groups <TableName> - Workbook for each table in Asset Package Tables Tables Field Counts Subtype Counts Attribute Rule Counts Field Group Counts Contingent Value Counts Tabs  Domains Domains Descriptions Tabs UtilityNetwork Asset Groups-Types Network Attributes Network Categories Terminal Configurations Terminals Terminal Paths Tier Groups Tiers Diagram Templates Tabs Conclusion In this article we discussed how to get started with the configuration table. Then we reviewed multiple topics on modifying the configuration table for your organization.  Finally, we discussed generating a report to review your utility network schema and properties based on your updates. If you have used the configuration table, add a comment to below and share your experience. Now that we have covered how to tailor the configuration to meet your organization’s needs, our next article will discuss how to prepare your asset package to be deployed for your environment.   ... View more

The Utility Network Foundation solutions can be used to accelerate utility network implementations. These solutions include an asset package that models the schema, properties, related layers, related tables of a utility network. A question customer’s often have when implementing these models is, “How can I change the alias of fields and domain descriptions?”, or “How to I change the name of an Asset Group/Asset Type to what we call it?” In this article we will show you how the asset package rename table works and how you can rename items in the model to a different language or terms that your organization is familiar with. If you're interested in learning how to translate a utility network foundation into a different language, you should read the Translating utility network models article once you finish this article. If you're looking for instructions on how to safely remove or withhold schema and configuration from a foundation, read the Removing from the solution article. Rename table The rename table (D_Rename is the table name in the asset package) provides you with the ability to rename items within the asset package to names of your choosing. This allows you to customize the data model to fit your organizations naming conventions. For example, in some companies, a vertical underground cable attached to a pole is called a Riser, in other organizations, they are called Dips. Many of the Utility Network Foundation solutions include one or more predefined rename options, but you can also define your own rename entries to tailor the model for your organization. Let’s first look at the schema of the table.  Each row in the table contains the following columns: Property Type (Read Only) – The type of item in the asset package. Hierarchy1 (Read Only) – The primary qualifier for the item to be renamed. Hierarchy2 (Read Only) – A secondary qualifier to specify the item to be renamed. Current Name (Read Only) – The current name of the item in the asset package to be renamed. Bypass Rename – A flag to indicate this record should be ignored when processing. Rename_<name> - The new name of the item.  There are 1 to N of these columns. In some cases, a single Hierarchy value cannot uniquely identify the item to be renamed.  For example, a Field Alias needs the table name as the Hierarchy 1 value and the field name as the Hierarchy 2 value, as the same field names can be present in multiple tables within the asset package. If you’re curious what types of items you can rename in an asset package, review the following property types can be renamed: Domain Code Description Domain Network Alias Field Alias Field Group Network Attribute Network Category Subtype Table Alias Terminal Terminal Configuration Terminal Path Tier Modify the rename table Now that you are familiar with the rename table, let’s look at how you can leverage this capability to customize the Utility Network Foundation solution. Data model changes As you are implementing the Utility Network, you will likely add new fields, domains and other items to the asset package.  In order to include those items in the Rename table, you need to update the rename table.  Since there are read-only fields in this table, you cannot manually add new rows to this table.  To add the new items, run the Create Asset Package Rename Table tool using an updated asset package. The new items will be added as rows in the D_Rename table with their values set to Null.  You do not need to include any of the existing rename fields, as the tool will automatically detect the existing columns and preserve the values. Next, you will need to update the values of the newly added rows based on requirements for each rename. Set the appropriate rename columns values to the desired value. Add new rename fields To add an additional, rename columns, you may do so by running Create Asset Package Rename Table against asset package.  The existing configurations will not be displayed by this tool, but will be maintained. However, the new rename columns that you enter will be added to the rename table.  After adding the new rename column, you will need to set the values for each row that will be using this rename column. Generating a report Now that we have a better understanding of the rename table and how to work with it, you can run Apply Asset Package or Asset Package to Geodatabase tool, select the rename entry (the alias of the column is displayed) and generate a Utility Network with the new names. This process may take a while for a larger data model.  We provide a tool that will generate an excel report very quickly to ensure the result is what you desire, before running the Asset Package toolset. The Asset Package Rename Report geoprocessing tool in the Utility Network Data Management Support (UDMS) toolbox that is part of the Utility Network Foundation solution or available via github. Use this report to evaluate the output and verify it meets your organization’s needs. The Asset Package Rename Report Geoprocessing tool creates a folder under the Output Folder named Renames. If the folder already exists a new one is created with the next sequential number appended to the name. The output folder contains the Renames folder with the following structure: Tables (Folder name) <TableName> - Workbook for each table in asset package Tabs Fields Subtypes Attribute Rules Field Groups Domains Tabs Descriptions UtilityNetwork Tabs Asset Groups-Types Network Attributes Network Categories Terminal Configurations Terminals Terminal Paths Tier Groups Tiers Diagram Templates Conclusion In this article we discussed how to get started with the rename table. Then we reviewed two topics on modifying the rename table for your organization. Finally, we discussed generating a report to review your utility network schema and properties based on your updates. If you have used the rename table, add a comment to below and share your experience. Now we have covered the renaming of items, our next article will learn how to use configurations to safely withhold components not required for your implementation from your final model. You can also learn how to apply the renaming technique for translating models to different languages by reading the translating utility network models article. ... View more