PI Vision manual data entry with limits and user logging
Let operators enter lab results, meter readings and log values directly on a PI Vision display. Manual Data Entry+ shows one row per PI Point or AF attribute next to its last stored value, checks each entry against limits and writes all filled rows with one Save.
Manual Data Entry+ v2.0 in PI Vision: the entry table next to its row settings. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.
Manual data entry in PI Vision for PI Points and AF attributes
Put the readings operators collect by hand next to the process data they belong to, and write them to the PI System from the display.
Type values, review them, then save
Each PI Point or AF attribute is one row with its last stored value, so operators see what is already in the archive before they add to it.
Columns for name, units, last time, last value, the new value and its timestamp.
Inputs match the data type: text fields for numbers and strings, and a list of states for Boolean and enumeration sets.
Values stay in the table until the operator clicks Save; undo and redo step back and forward through typed and pasted edits.
One Save writes every filled row to its PI Point or AF attribute.
A digital state picked from a dropdown; nothing is written until Save. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.
Pick digital states from a list or a dialog
Digital points and enumeration sets list their states, so operators cannot type a state that does not exist.
Choose per row between a dropdown and a selection dialog.
The dialog lists every state of the set, with Clear, Apply and Cancel.
States show their status colours in the dropdown and in the last value.
The chosen state is staged in the table like any other entry until Save.
The state selection dialog for a digital row. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.
Timestamps for live entries and backfill
Decide which timestamp a new value gets, and what happens when the archive already holds a value at that time.
Default time: now (*), the current time, a custom time, relative to the last stored value with an offset, the time of input, or the display start or end time.
Type a date or an AF time expression such as *-1d, or pick it from a calendar.
Sync Time saves rows with the same timestamp.
Existing values: replace them, add a duplicate, or protect them so the save is refused.
Calendar picker on the Time cell; new values one hour after the last stored value, existing values protected. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.
Input validation and user logging for manual entries
Catch typing errors when the value is entered, keep entries complete, and record who made them.
Limits that warn or block
Check numeric entries against limits, so a misplaced decimal point does not reach the archive unnoticed.
Limits from AF attribute traits or the PI Point minimum and maximum, or entered per row.
Limit warnings for entries outside the range, so the operator decides before the value is staged.
Prevent Entry Outside Limits rejects out-of-range values with an Invalid Value message.
Add your own guidance to the message, for example whom to call.
Custom limits that block out-of-range entries, with guidance for the operator. Select the image to enlarge.
Limit Warning for values outside the range
A value outside the limits opens a Limit Warning that names the entered value and the allowed range, instead of slipping into the table unnoticed.
Cancel discards the entry; Continue keeps the value in the table for Save.
Nothing is written to the PI System until the operator saves.
With Prevent Entry Outside Limits on, an Invalid Value message offers only Cancel.
Limits come from the data source or are set per row.
Limit Warning for an out-of-range value, with Cancel and Continue. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.
Required rows, read-only rows and the operator’s name
Make sure every entry is complete and can be traced to the person who saved it.
Required rows must be filled before anything is saved.
Allow Edit off turns a row into read-only reference data.
User logging: a string PI Point or attribute filled with the PI Vision user name is saved with every entry, and can stay hidden.
Optionally flag every written value as Questionable, to tell manual inputs apart from other data.
A hidden, required row that records the user name, and the Set Questionable flag option. Select the image to enlarge.
Shift logs, CSV import and clipboard paste
Enter a whole shift or day of readings at once, or bring in values collected elsewhere.
One input field per hour, shift or day
Switch to multiple input and each row gets a field per time slot, like a paper log sheet.
Time slots from the start of the hour, day, week or month, with interval, offset and number of columns.
Transpose the grid so the time slots run down the rows.
Allow or hide future slots, and group the slot columns, for example by day.
Values already stored at those times appear in their slots.
One input field per eight-hour shift, grouped by day; stored values appear in their slots. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.
Import a CSV file or paste from a spreadsheet
Bring in readings from a lab sheet or a handheld export, check them in the table, then save.
Two columns: the value and its time, as a date or an AF time expression.
Import CSV and Paste buttons in the table toolbar.
Imported and pasted values stay in the table for review before Save; undo and redo step back after a paste.
Choose which toolbar buttons appear and label the Save button.
Paste and Import CSV in the toolbar, with the toolbar and export settings. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.
Status colours, row grouping and export for the entry table
Keep a long entry table easy to scan, and take its contents into a report.
Colours, groups and a quick trend per row
See at a glance which value is out of range, and find the right row in a long list.
Multi-state colours on the value and last value, with ranges from AF attribute traits or entered per row.
Group rows by attribute, asset, category or description, with column headers and filters.
A trend icon per row opens a PI Vision quick trend of that PI Point or attribute.
Shared table themes and custom styles; export the table as CSV, JSON, XLSX or PDF.
Rows grouped by description, with multi-state colours on last value and value. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.
PI Vision manual data entry examples
Four common ways teams use Manual Data Entry+ on their displays.
Daily lab results
Data
Lab analysis PI Points or AF attributes for one unit
Settings
Single input, limits from AF attribute traits, Prevent Entry Outside Limits
Shows
The last result beside the new one; out-of-range entries are rejected before Save
Shift log sheet
Data
Meter readings taken once per shift
Settings
Multiple input, Start Day, Interval 8 Hour, Group by Day, Existing Data Rule Protect Existing
Shows
One field per shift and day, without overwriting values already logged
Traceable operator entries
Data
Readings plus a string PI Point for the operator name
Settings
Prefilled Value User on a hidden row, Required rows
Shows
Every saved entry together with the name of the operator who saved it
Backfill from a spreadsheet
Data
Values collected offline with their timestamps
Settings
Paste or Import CSV, Existing Data Rule Protect Existing
Shows
The pasted values in the table for review before one Save
A 5:45 walkthrough with five inputs of a production line. See last values and times, enter values with a relative time or the calendar, check entries against limits, import a CSV file or paste from a spreadsheet, and fill one value per 8-hour shift.
Manual Data Entry+ product demo (5:45). Demo data.
When should we use Manual Data Entry+ rather than Manual Input Table+, Manual Input Form+ or Quick Input+?
Use Manual Data Entry+ when operators add new timestamped values row by row, one row per PI Point or attribute next to its last value, and save them together; multiple input adds one field per time slot for shift logs. Manual Input Table+ is a spreadsheet-style editor for reviewing, correcting and deleting values already in the archive, similar to the PI SMT Archive Editor. Manual Input Form+ presents the entries as a guided form with labelled controls and an optional confirmation before saving. Quick Input+ writes a single value from a button, switch, list, slider or input field, by default without a separate save step.
When is a value written to the PI System?
Only when the operator saves. Typed, pasted and imported values stay in the table until then and can be corrected or undone. Save writes all filled rows, including prefilled ones; if a required row is empty, nothing is saved. Saved values change historical process data, so follow your site’s correction and audit procedures.
Who can enter values, and how are entries traced?
The write permissions on your PI Points and AF attributes decide who can write. On the display, Allow Edit makes rows read-only and Required makes rows mandatory. To record who entered a value, add a string PI Point or attribute with Prefilled Value User, optionally hidden: the PI Vision user name is saved with every entry.
How should the PI Points be prepared?
Turn compression off on every PI Point used for manual entry, or the archive may discard values that fall inside the compression deviation. For numeric points, set Step to On so that trends and tables do not interpolate between manual readings.
What do we need to run it?
PI Vision 2021 or later with PI Web API, and PI AF Server 2018 SP2 or later. Manual Data Entry+ runs in PI Vision and uses each user’s existing PI permissions.
How do we get Manual Data Entry+?
Manual Data Entry+ is part of Vision Library+, together with the other Vision Library+ symbols. Request a trial to test it in your own PI Vision environment.
Try Manual Data Entry+ in your PI Vision
Manual Data Entry+ is included in Vision Library+, the PI Vision custom symbol library from Software Athlete. Test it on your own displays and data.
