In Sedrix it is possible to automatically notify users when certain events occur. Triggers for alerts can be for example when threshold values are exceeded or when a measurement device is no longer sending data.
In order to set up these automatic notifications, so-called alert definitions are created in Sedrix. In these definitions you can configure what triggers an alert and who should be notified. Furthermore, a variety of additional settings can be made, such as if an alert must first be released, or if a confirmation is required and if so, what happens if the confirmation does not occur within the expected time period.
How a user is notified, whether via email, SMS or telephone call, is not part of the alert definition. Instead, each user can configure this for themselves.
The menu icon shows that alerting for the current project is deactivated. Clicking on this icon leads you to the "Edit project" view of the current project, where you can activate alerting by clicking on the "Alerting" slide switch.
Which alert levels exist?
A three-level alert system is used throughout:
Pre-alert
Alert
Main alert
The names and threshold value settings of each level can be edited in an alert definition.
In the user interface, the three levels are given the colors yellow, orange and red.
What can trigger an alert?
Let us first differentiate between measured value alerts and service alerts:
Measured value alerts are alerts related to measured values. The target group for these alerts are users involved in the analysis of the data.
Service alerts are alerts related to the devices or data sources that deliver the measured values. The target group for these alerts are service technicians that take care of the measurement hardware or the measurement.
For measured value alerts, there are different triggers for which there is a separate type of alert definition:
Measured value alerting There are two options here:
An alert is triggered if a measured value in a channel has exceeded or fallen below a threshold value set in the alert definition.
An alert is triggered if the device or the data source has detected an alert. The measurement data is then not examined further in Sedrix and an alert is directly created.
Vibration event alerting An alert is triggered if a vibration event has exceeded a certain threshold value relative to a selected standard. The threshold values are given here as a percentage.
Document alerting Alerts are triggered manually here, not automatically.
There are the following types of service alerts:
Online status alerting An alert is triggered if a device or data source sends no data for a certain amount of time.
Log notification alerting An alert is triggered if a certain message occurs in the log of a device. Rules are defined in the alert definition for this purpose.
Error code alerting An alert is triggered if a measured value in a channel has a certain error code.
Notifications
An alert definition also defines the recipient group of the alarm notifications by selecting a specific user group.
Notifications can be sent at the start and end of an alert, but also when an alert needs to be released, has been confirmed or has not been confirmed within the required time frame.
Depending on the configuration, the notification can be carried out via email, SMS or voice message. Please note that SMS or voice messages incur additional costs per notification.
Alert definition properties
The properties of an alert definition are grouped in the tab "General" and in the tabs "Pre-alert", "Alert" and "Main alert" for the alert levels (not all alert levels are defined for all alert triggers).
The alert definition properties that apply to almost all alert triggers and alert levels are explained in the following.
Some of the input elements described here build on each other: Elements that are described "further below" here are only displayed when one or more checkboxes described "further above" are selected.
"General" tab
Name Text field to enter an unique label for the alert definition. This name is used to refer to the alert definition at the locations where an alert definition is to be selected (see Apply alert definition),
Tabs for three alert levels
Alert label Text field to enter a label for the alert level. This is used in both the alert table and in diagrams. Default: Name of the tab (i.e. the alert level)
Notify upon start of alert or Notify upon end of alert Checkboxes to request the respective notification. When each checkbox is marked, further input elements are opened. Here you can enter the recipients, the topic and the message or short message (e.g. as SMS) for each notification:
User group Dropdown menu to select a user group as the recipient of the notification.
Message upon start of alert or Message upon end of alert Text fields to enter the content of the message to be sent in the case of an alert.
Subject Text field to enter the subject (used as the subject line of a notification sent by email).
Message Text field to enter the long form of the message (used as the body text of a notification sent by email).
Short message (e.g. for SMS) Text field to enter a short form of the message (used as the contents of a notification sent by SMS)
Alert confirmation
The following input elements are displayed once the checkbox for Notify upon start of alert or Notify upon end of alert has been marked (see above).
Requires confirmation Checkbox to set whether an alert requires confirmation (acknowledgement). Once this is activated, further input elements are displayed:
Maximum time interval within which confirmation is required Text field to enter a period of time. Format hh:mm:ss (hours : minutes : seconds, each with two digits). Default: 00:05:00 (= 5 minutes).
User group Dropdown menu to select a user group whose members are authorized to confirm (acknowledge) an alert. In other words, this defines a group of people who can confirm the alert, rather than a group of recipients as is the case elsewhere.
Notify if alert is not acknowledged in time Checkbox to set whether an additional escalation notification should be sent, if an alert is not confirmed within the defined time period. Once this is activated, further input elements are displayed:
Escalation message repetition time Text field to enter a period of time. Format hh:mm:ss (hours . minutes : seconds, each with two digits). Default: 00:05:00 (= 5 minutes).
User group Dropdown menu to select a user group whose members should receive an escalation notification.
Escalation message Text fields for “Subject”, “Message” (long form) and “Short message (e.g. for SMS) “ (see above).
Notification upon confirmation of alert
The following input elements are displayed once the checkbox for Notify upon start of alert, Notify upon end of alert or Requires confirmation has been marked (see above).
Notify upon confirmation of alert (from version 2.13) Checkbox to set whether a notification should follow the acknowledgement of an alert. Once this is activated, further input elements are displayed:
User group Dropdown menu to select a user group whose members should receive the notification about the confirmation that has taken place.
Confirmation message Text fields for “Subject”, “Message” (long form) and “Short message (e.g. for SMS) “ (see above).
Create alert definition
The basic procedure to create an alert definition consists of the following steps:
In the menu, click on the
button (or click on the “Alert definitions” entry in the main menu). This opens the overview for all alert definitions.
In the top right above the table click on the “Add” symbol .
Select the type of alert definition in the context menu that now opens. This means the property that should be monitored (measured value, error code, device online status etc.), or in other words, what the trigger of an alert should be.
Enter a name for the new alert definition in the “General” tab.
Now click on “Save” to create the alert definition.
Reopen the newly created alert definition to edit it and make further entries.
Finally click on “Save”.
Before an alert definition has been saved, some of the further properties cannot be set.
Depending on the selected type of alert definition, the possible properties differ. The details can be found in the corresponding subsections in the section on (en) Alerting#alert-triggers.
The blue framed hint box "Available placeholders in message texts" displayed in the view gives information about the placeholders that can be used to compose an alerting message.
Alert Triggers
As explained previously, an alert definition primarily defines the trigger of an alert. The following sections provide further details on the properties of the various alert triggers.
"Measured Values" Alert Trigger
The “measured values” alert trigger is available from version 2.8. This type of alert definition is intended for the monitoring of a channel and triggers an alert in the case of a measured value breaching a defined threshold value.
The following information must be provided to define an alert trigger based on measured values:
Unit Dropdown menu to select the unit of the measured variable being monitored via the alert definition.
Important: The unit selected here must match the unit of the channels whose data is being monitored via this alert definition.
Tabs for the three alert levels “Pre-alert”, “Alert” and “Main alert”
1. Label for alert level and specification of alert criteria:
Alert label Text field to enter a label for the alert level. This is used in the alert table and in diagrams. Default: Name of the tab (that is, the alert level).
Lower / Upper Checkbox and text field to specify a lower or upper threshold value as criterium for the respective alert:
Checkbox to activate or deactivate the lower or upper threshold value as specified in the following text field (i.e. a threshold value can therefore be (temporarily) deactivated. This means it is not taken into account when determining an alert state) .
Text field to enter a lower or upper threshold value for the measured value. The unit of this threshold value is set under “General”.
Hysteresis Text field to enter a value > 0 in the same unit as the monitored variable, in order to specify a delay in ending an alert: An alert is only ended when the current measured value is once again smaller than the upper threshold value minus the hysteresis (or larger than the lower threshold value plus the hysteresis).
Minimum required number of threshold value breaches Text field to enter a number > 0, as relevant.
2. Specification of messages to be sent in the case of an alert*:
Notify upon start of alert or Notify upon end of alert Checkbox to require the respective notification. Once a checkbox is marked, further input elements are displayed, in which you can specify the recipients, subject and the message or short message (e.g. as SMS) for each notification. For a detailed description, see Alert definition properties, section Alert notifications .
4. Specification of notifications after acknowledgement (from version 2.13):
Notify upon confirmation of alert Checkbox to set whether a notification should follow the acknowledgement of an alert. Once this is activated, further input elements are displayed. For a detailed description, see Alert definition properties, section Notify upon confirmation of alert.
Click on “Save” to add the alert definition or to save any changes.
"Error Code" Alert Trigger
The “error code” alert trigger is available from version 2.11. This type of alert definition is intended for the monitoring of a channel and triggers an alert in the case of an error code breaching a defined threshold value (see below).
The following information must be provided to define an alert trigger based on an error code:
Important: The unit selected here must match the unit of the channels whose data is being monitored via this alert definition.
Tabs for the three alert levels “Pre-alert”, “Alert” and “Main alert”
1. Label for alert level and specification of alert criteria:
Alert label Text field to enter a label for the alert level. This is used in the alert table and in diagrams. Default: Name of the tab (that is, the alert level).
Lower / Upper Checkbox and text field to specify a lower or upper threshold value as criterium for the respective alert:
Checkbox to activate or deactivate the lower or upper threshold value as specified in the following text field (i.e. a threshold value can therefore be (temporarily) deactivated. This means it is not taken into account when determining an alert state) .
Text field to enter a lower or upper threshold value for the measured value. The unit of this threshold value is set under “General”.
Minimum required number of threshold value breaches Text field to enter a number > 0, as relevant.
2. Specification of messages to be sent in the case of an alert*:
Notify upon start of alert or Notify upon end of alert Checkbox to require the respective notification. Once a checkbox is marked, further input elements are displayed, in which you can specify the recipients, subject and the message or short message (e.g. as SMS) for each notification. For a detailed description, see Alert definition properties, section Alert notifications .
4. Specification of notifications after acknowledgement (from version 2.13):
Notify upon confirmation of alert Checkbox to set whether a notification should follow the acknowledgement of an alert. Once this is activated, further input elements are displayed. For a detailed description, see Alert definition properties, section Notify upon confirmation of alert.
Click on “Save” to add the alert definition or to save any changes.
"Online Status" Alert Trigger
The “online status” alert trigger is available from version 2.8. This type of alert definition is intended for the monitoring of the online status of a device and triggers an alert if the device has not sent any data to Sedrix after a certain amount of time (see below).
The following information must be provided to define an alert trigger based on the online status of a device, which can then be used to monitor measuring devices. See also General information about device monitoring.
Unit Dropdown menu to select the unit of the measured variable being monitored via the alert definition. Here, this is time.
Tabs for the two Alert levels “Pre-alert” and“Alert” (no Main alert)”
1. Label for alert level and specification of alert criteria:
Alert label Text field to enter a label for the alert level. This is used in the alert table and in diagrams. Default: Name of the tab (that is, the alert level).
Limit Text field to specify an amount of time, after which the device is considered “offline” if it has not sent any data. The unit for this amount of time is set under “General”.
2. Specification of messages to be sent in the case of an alert*:
Notify upon start of alert or Notify upon end of alert Checkbox to require the respective notification. Once a checkbox is marked, further input elements are displayed, in which you can specify the recipients, subject and the message or short message (e.g. as SMS) for each notification. For a detailed description, see Alert definition properties, section Alert notifications.
4. Specification of notifications after acknowledgement (from version 2.13):
Notify upon confirmation of alert Checkbox to set whether a notification should follow the acknowledgement of an alert. Once this is activated, further input elements are displayed. For a detailed description, see Alert definition properties, section Notify upon confirmation of alert .
Click on “Save” to add the alert definition or to save any changes.
"Document Upload" Alert Trigger
The “document upload” alert trigger is available from version 2.10. By employing this alert trigger, a user can manually trigger an alert in a document measuring point, especially when they upload a document to a measuring point, whereby the (manually measured) data contained in the document points to a critical state or one that “requires an alert” (can be defined as required). This circumstance can be communicated by the user after uploading, by the explicit (!) generation of an alert for the recipients defined in the alarm definition. That is, uploading the document itself does not trigger such an alarm – it must be manually triggered. Typically, however, it is associated with uploading a document, hence the name.
The following information must be provided to define an alert trigger based on measured values:
Tabs for the three alert levels “Pre-alert”, “Alert” and “Main alert”
1. Label for alert level and specification of alert criteria:
Alert label Text field to enter a label for the alert level. This is used in the alert table and in diagrams. Default: Name of the tab (that is, the alert level).
Note: Unlike all other alarm triggers, there are no alert criteria that Sedrix automatically detects when an alert is triggered here. This is because a “document upload” alert is triggered by a certain particular user interaction.
2. Specification of messages to be sent in the case of an alert*:
Notify upon start of alert or Notify upon end of alert Checkbox to require the respective notification. Once a checkbox is marked, further input elements are displayed, in which you can specify the recipients, subject and the message or short message (e.g. as SMS) for each notification.
4. Specification of notifications after acknowledgement (from version 2.13):
Notify upon confirmation of alert Checkbox to set whether a notification should follow the acknowledgement of an alert. Once this is activated, further input elements are displayed. For a detailed description, see Alert definition properties, section Notify upon confirmation of alert.
Click on “Save” to add the alert definition or to save any changes.
Manually trigger this type of “alert”
As described in the introduction, this “alert” is not triggered automatically by Sedrix, as is the case for the other kinds of alert triggers. Instead, it requires a certain user interaction. Typically, triggering this alert is the second of the following two steps:
button by the document for which you wish to trigger an alert.
Enter the following information under “Properties”:
“Start” Calendar element to provide the start date of the alert. Default: Start date of the validity period of the document. The “end” date can only be specified in a second step, after the alarm has been generated (as shown).
“Alert status” Dropdown menu to select the alert level.
“#UserDefined.Text01#” to “#UserDefined.Text03#” Free text fields to enter the content of the alert messages.
Click on “Save” to create the alert and to save it. As shown in the red information box, Sedrix will then send alert messages according to the stored alert definition.
Note: It is also possible to create this kind of alert without reference to a particular document. Click on the plus button on the right in the list of “Active alerts” (i.e. not on one of the plus buttons by uploaded documents).
"Log Messages" Alert Trigger
The “log messages” alert trigger is available from version 2.8. This type of alert definition is intended for the monitoring of a device’s log messages and triggers an alert in the case of a log message meeting the requirements of a defined “rule” (see below). The rule therefore represents the “alert criteria”.
The following information must be provided to define an alert trigger based on log messages:
Tabs for the three alert levels “Pre-alert”, “Alert” and “Main alert”
1. Label for alert level and specification of alert criteria (here, these are the “rules”:
Alert label Text field to enter a label for the alert level. This is used in the alert table and in diagrams. Default: Name of the tab (that is, the alert level).
Rules Add a rule here to specify which log message(s) should trigger this kind of alert (see the examples below):
Type Dropdown menu to select the type of log message(s), with the options “Any”, “Log” (default for pre-alerts), “Warning” (default for alerts) and “Error” (default for main alerts).
Nr. Text field to enter the number of the log message(s).
Subject Text field to enter a subject.
Message (there is no input field for short messages here – the contents of this field will also be used for short messages) Text field to enter a message.
Note: When a new alert definition is created, the fields for specifying the first rule are already available. Click “+” to add further rules.
2. Specification of messages to be sent in the case of an alert*
– the contents of the messages or their subjects are specified here along with the rule (see above):
Notify upon start of alert Checkbox to require the respective notification. Once a checkbox is marked, further input elements are displayed, in which you can specify the recipients, subject and the message or short message (e.g. as SMS) for each notification. Here, this is only:
User group Dropdown menu to select a user group as the recipient of a notification.
Note: In version 2.13 (build number 1809.26), an “Notify upon alert” checkbox has been added, as is found in all of the other alert triggers. Additional input elements are also shown when it is activated. Previously, a notification was always sent in the case of an alert – unless the user group selected as the recipient contained no users (or if notifications were deactivated for those users in the User properties). The content of the alert notification is also given by means of the log message here, which means that it cannot be specified by the user.
4. Specification of notifications after acknowledgement (from version 2.13):
Notify upon confirmation of alert Checkbox to set whether a notification should follow the acknowledgement of an alert. Once this is activated, further input elements are displayed. For a detailed description, see Alert definition properties, section Notify upon confirmation of alert.
Click on “Save” to create the alert definition or to save any changes.
Examples of rules
Type
Nr.
Message
Explanation
Log
*
#Log.Message#
Creates an alert for “Log” messages, regardless of their number (Wildcard sign *); the content of the alert message is the log message itself
Error
4711
#Device.Name#
Creates an alert for “Error” log messages, as long as it has the number 4711; the content of the alert message is the name of the device
List of device log messages
Consult the device documentation. For the message numbers relating to “Glötzl MCC TS” devices, see Message numbers - Glötzl MCC TS.
"Vibration Event" Alert Trigger
The “vibration event” alert trigger is available from version 2.9. The alert limit specified in this case (see below) refers to the limit value of the vibration norm that should be used as the basis for the alert (the vibration norm is assigned by selecting the alert definition defined here in the dropdown menu in the Edit mode of the vibration measuring point .
The following information must be provided to define an alert trigger based on vibration events:
Tabs for the three alert levels “Pre-alert”, “Alert” and “Main alert”
1. Label for alert level and specification of alert criteria:
Alert label Text field to enter a label for the alert level. This is used in the alert table and in diagrams. Default: Name of the tab (that is, the alert level).
Threshold Text field to specify a percentage of threshold value of the vibration norm to which this alert trigger relates.
2. Specification of messages to be sent in the case of an alert*:
Notify upon alert (Note: owing to the nature of a vibration event, the “start” and “end” of an alert cannot be specified here) Checkbox to require the respective notification. Once a checkbox is marked, further input elements are displayed, in which you can specify the recipients, subject and the message or short message (e.g. as SMS) for each notification.
User group Dropdown menu to select a user group as the recipient of the notificiation.
Message upon start of alert or Message upon end of alert Text field to enter the subject of the message or short message to be sent in the case of an alert.
You can also request confirmation by activating the “Requires confirmation* checkbox and by determining the “Maximum time period in which confirmation should occur” and the “User group” in the fields that appear.
You can also request escalation notifications by activating the corresponding checkbox and entering the required information.
Click on “Save” to create the alert definition or to save any changes.
Apply Alert Definition
Depending on the type of alert definition, it can be applied/selected in various places within Sedrix. Proceed as follows to apply the different types of alert definition:
Measured value alerting
This kind of alerting is specifically defined for a particular channel. Proceed as follows for each channel whose measured values are to be monitored:
In either the “Input channels” or “Output channels” tab, open the edit mode of the channel whose measured values are to be monitored.
Select the desired alert definition from the dropdown menu displayed in the “Measured value” subcolumn of the “Alerting” double column.
Close the channel edit mode by clicking on . The selection will be saved, and the name of the selected alert definition will be displayed instead of the dropdown menu. If you wish to discard your changes, leave the channel edit mode by clicking on . Nothing will be saved.
Error code alerting (from version 2.11)
This kind of alerting is specifically defined for a particular channel. Proceed as follows for each channel that is to be monitored in this way:
In either the “Input channels” or “Output channels” tab, open the edit mode of the channel whose measured values are to be monitored.
Select the desired alert definition from the dropdown menu displayed in the “Error code” subcolumn of the “Alerting” double column.
Close the channel edit mode by clicking on . The selection will be saved, and the name of the selected alert definition will be displayed instead of the dropdown menu. By contrast, it is possible to leave the channel edit mode without saving anything, by clicking on .
Document upload alerting (from version 2.10)
Proceed as follows to apply this type of alert definition:
Open the edit mode of the device whose device log is to be monitored.
For alerting on device log messages: in the “Alert definition for device log” dropdown menu in the “Device monitoring” tab, select the desired alert definition.
For alerting on measuring logs: in the “Alert definition for measuring log” dropdown menu in the “Device monitoring” tab, select the desired alert definition.
Note: The device must be licensed for active device monitoring!
Vibration event alerting
Proceed as follows to apply this type of alert definition:
In “General” tab, select the vibration norm which should be assigned to this alert definition.
In the “Alert definition” dropdown menu, select the desired alert definition.
Close the measuring point edit mode by clicking on “Save”.
Important: The respective dropdown menus only ever contain “compatible” alert definitions. In the case of “measured value alerting”, the menu also contains the unit of the channel which is to be monitored with an alert definition.
How can I duplicate an alert definition?
Sometimes it is helpful to use an existing alert definition as a basis when creating a new alert definition. Alert definitions can be duplicated for this purpose.
Proceed as follows to duplicate an existing alert definition:
At the end of the row of the alert definition that should serve as a template for the new alert definition, click on the "Duplicate" icon
.
In the dialog that opens, enter the following properties of the duplicate:
Name Text field to enter the name of the new alert definition Default: Name of the template (that is, the alert definition being duplicated), followed by the character string (Kopie).
Click on "Save" to create the new alert definition.
Finally open the Edit mode of the duplicate by clicking on the "Edit" button
and configure it accordingly.
Manage Alert Definitions
In the “Manage alert definitions” view, all alert definitions in the current project are clearly listed according to trigger, alert criteria and further properties.
Switch first of all to the project which holds the alert definitions you wish to view/manage.
To reach the “Manage alert definitions” view, click on the “alert” icon in the menu, or on “Alert definitions” in the project tree.
The following actions are available:
To display or edit the properties of an alert definition, click on the “edit” icon to the right of the name of the device.
To delete an alert definition,
click on the “waste bin” icon to the far right of the alert definition you wish to delete.
click on “Delete” in the window that opens, if you really want to proceed. Click on “Cancel” to cancel the process.
View Triggered Alerts
Note: To be able to view triggered alerts, a user requires the right to view both measuring points and alerts. More precisely, the user requires at least “read only, including alerts” rights for “measuring points” or “measuring devices” (for details on assigning rights, see User Group Properties, “Rights” tab).
Alerts based on “measured value” and “error code” alert triggers
A measured value alert (an alert based on a measured value alert trigger) alert definition or an error code alert (an alert based on an error code alert trigger) is viewed via the measuring point (tachymeter or data logger) to which the channel is assigned. The measured values from this channel were used to trigger the alert.
Carry out the “Alerts” command in the context menu.
The view that now opens contains the alert table for this measuring point. The table contains a row for each triggered alert, with the alert level, the start and end times along with any sent notifications and confirmations of the alert, if confirmations occurred. See Alert Table for a detailed description of this table along with interactive options.
Clicking on an entry in the “Type” column (alert level) or in the “Start” or “End” columns opens a further view, which displays more details on this alert. See Alert Details.
At the end of the row of the device whose alerts who wish to view, click on the Icon. (If necessary, scroll horizontally to view the end of the row). If you have already opened the device overview of the device whose alerts you wish to view, you can alternatively carry out the “Alerts” command in the context menu. (For logger devices; for other device views, see the corresponding subsections in Device types.)
The view that now opens contains the Alert table for this device. The table contains a row for each triggered alert, with the alert level, the start and end times along with any sent notifications and confirmations of the alert, if confirmations occurred. See Alert table for a detailed description of this table along with interactive options.
Clicking on an entry in the “Type” column (alert level) or in the “Start” or “End” columns opens a further view, which displays more details on this alert. See Alert details.
An alert that is related to the upload of a document (an alert based on the document upload alert trigger) can be viewed via the document measuring point in which the document was uploaded and where the alert was generated.
Carry out the “Alerts” command in the context menu.
The view that now opens contains the alert table for this device. The table contains a row for each triggered alert, with the alert level, the start and end times along with any sent notifications and confirmations of the alert, if confirmations occurred. See alert table for a detailed description of this table along with interactive options.
Clicking on an entry in the “Type” column (alert level) or in the “Start” or “End” columns opens a further view, which displays more details on this alert. See Alert Details.
Carry out the “Alerts” command in the context menu.
The view that now opens contains the alert table for this device. The table contains a row for each triggered alert, with the alert level, the start and end times along with any sent notifications and confirmations of the alert, if confirmations occurred. See Alert table for a detailed description of this table along with interactive options.
Clicking on an entry in the “Type” column (alert level) or in the “Start” or “End” columns opens a further view, which displays more details on this alert. See Alert Details.
The alert table belonging to a measuring point or device lists all triggered alerts. This view is reached via the “Alerts” command in the context menu of a measuring point or device.
The alert table contains a row for each triggered alert:
Type The alert level of the alert.
Start Start date and time of the alert.
End End date and time of the alert.
Notifications Three columns for the status of the notification for the various events “Upon start of alert”, “Upon end of alert”, “Upon escalation”: The status is represented by symbols:
(green): Notification sent
: No notification sent
(animated): Notification is being edited
Confirmation
Confirmed Status of the confirmation (see above for the symbols used).
Date Date and time of the confirmation.
User The name of the user who carried out the confirmation.
Alert definition The name of the alert definition that the alert was based on.
Interactive options in the alert table
Clicking on a column sorts the table according to the values in that column.
Clicking on an entry in the “Type” column (alert level) or on “Start” or “End” opens another view, in which further details about this alert are displayed. See Alert Details.
Clicking on an entry in the “Alert definition” column opens the edit view of the corresponding alert definition. See Alert Definition Properties or the subsections detailing the various alert triggers.
Alert Details
All relevant information relating to an alert is listed in various subsections in the Alert Details view.
This view is reached via the alert table of a measuring point of a device.
Depending on the trigger of an alert, different information will be displayed. The following description is especially relevant for alerts that are triggered by a measured values alert trigger. More or less similar entries are displayed for the other types of alert trigger. The labels that are then given should make their meaning sufficiently clear.
Details
Created Alert creation time.
Status Specifies whether the alert has ended or not.
Source Name of the source of the alert. The name is given as a link – clicking on it leads directly to the view of the source (i.e. in the case of a measured values alert, it would lead to the measuring point view of the measuring point in which the alert was triggered).
Type Alert level.
Alert label Label for the alert level (as given in the alert definition in the corresponding alert level tab).
Alert start
Time The time at which the alert began.
Measured value at start of alert The measured value when the alert began.
Condition The condition which led to the alert being triggered.
Alert definition Name of the alert definition which controls the alert. The name is displayed as a link – clicking on it leads directly to the Edit mode of the alert definition.
Alert end (once it has ended)
Time The time at which the alert ended.
Measured value at end of alert The measured value when the alert ended.
Condition
Condition The condition which led to the alert being triggered.
Alert definition Name of the alert definition which controls the alert. The name is displayed as a link – clicking on it leads directly to the Edit mode of the alert definition.
Log
A list of log entries that relate to the alert.
Notifications
A list of notifications that were sent during the alert.
The start and (where applicable) the end of an alert are shown in diagrams as a triangular colored marker on the graph of the measured variable triggering the alert, followed by a label, which begins with the identifier that corresponds to the alert level (pre-alert, alert or main alert). Markers and labels use the colors of the graph.
The start of the alert is shown by the label <identifier START>
The end of the alert is shown by the label <identifier END<
Each measured value in a table that fulfils an alert criterium becomes a circular colored marker preceded by an exclamation point.
Hide/show alerts
The alert markers in diagrams can be hidden or shown as required at anytime.
To temporarily hide alert markers in a diagram, click on the “Alerts” switch to the left above the diagram (below the name of the evaluation).
To show the alert marker again, click on the switch again.
Note: In the in the “Evaluations” tab of the Edit mode of a measuring point, the “Alerts” checkbox must be marked when defining a diagram, so that the alert label is shown in diagrams and so that the switch mentioned above it also displayed.
Confirm Triggered Alerts
Note: In order to be able to confirm triggered alerts, a user must be a member of the user group that was selected during the definition of the alert to confirm alerts. See General Information About Alert Definitions and the information about the different kinds of alert triggers. The user also requires the right to “read” measuring points or measuring devices, along with their alerts (similar to View Triggered Alerts). More precisely, the user must be allowed to carry out the activity “Read only (including alerts)” for the measuring points or devices whose alerts they wish to view. For details on assigning rights, see User Group Properties.
Confirming an alert can be done in the Detail view of the alert (provided that the alert requires confirmation, as set in the alert definition). This is the view reached in the final step of View Triggered Alerts.
Proceed as follows to confirm (acknowledge) an alert:
Open the Detail view of the alert that requires confirmation. In the case of an alert that requires confirmation but which has not yet been confirmed, a section titled “Confirmation” will be displayed at the top of the view.
In the “Confirmation message” text field, you can add an – optional – message.
To confirm, click on the “Confirm” button.
In the case of a confirmed alert, the following is displayed in the “Confirmation” section in the Detail view:
Date and time of the confirmation
The user who confirmed the alert
The confirmation message, if one was added
Delete Alert
It is possible to delete individual alerts. Since when an alert is deleted, all related information about what triggered the alert and who was informed is also deleted, deleting alerts is usually not recommended. Rather, it is better to hide alerts.
If you do still wish to delete an alert, it must be selected from the alert list and opened. The alert can then be deleted in the context menu.
The current user must have the necessary rights to delete alerts.
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