Investigate an Issue

Overview

This chapter takes one issue from the list to its root cause, and shows how to confirm a fix or suppress an accepted exception.

Investigate an issue

The Issues page lists every open issue. It follows the chosen site.

1. Click a count, such as Errors, to filter by severity.
2. Type part of an object name, path or message in the search box.
3. Choose Filters to narrow by State, Category, Issue type, AF template or First discovered.
4. Click the issue's row. The object's detail dialog opens on its Issues tab.
5. Suppress is for accepted exceptions only (see Suppress an accepted exception).

In the dialog, read the issue's message, then follow the cause:

• Usage (PI Points, AF Analyses, PI Vision displays) or Datasources (AF Attributes) shows what the object uses and what uses it.
• Dependency Graph shows the same as a chain (see Find where a tag is used).
• Change History shows what changed on the object. A problem that started right after a rename, move or update usually has its cause there.

Look for the earliest broken object in the chain. A PI Vision display with a datasource error is rarely the cause: follow it to the AF Attribute or PI Point that feeds it, and fix that object in the PI System.

Back returns to the previous object when you moved through related objects. Copy link, in the More actions menu, copies an address that reopens the dialog, for example to paste into a ticket.

Find where a tag is used

The Dependency Graph tab shows how an object connects to PI Points, AF Attributes, AF Analyses, PI Vision displays and external systems.

1. Type in Find a node or type to jump to a node.
2. Use Types, Health and Labels to hide what you do not need.
3. Click a node to open that object in the same dialog.
4. Pin a node to follow it Upstream, Downstream or Both; Isolate hides everything else.
5. Choose Export SVG to save the graph, or Open fullscreen for more room.

If the graph shows Limited view, it reached its display limit; open related objects from Usage or Datasources instead.

To find and recalculate the analyses that may have used bad data after an interruption, see Recalculate after an outage in AF Analyses and Recalculation.

Confirm a fix

After fixing the cause in the PI System, check the object instead of waiting for the next scan (Operator role).

1. Open the object's detail dialog.
2. Choose Check health (PI Points, AF Attributes, AF Analyses, PI Interfaces, PI Adapters). It re-reads the object's health and that of its known dependents, such as the displays that use a PI Point.
3. If you changed structure, such as a data reference or a template, choose Update inventory in More actions instead. It reloads the object from its source; for an attribute or analysis, its whole element.
4. When the check finishes, refresh the page. The issue moves out of the active list.

For a change that touches many objects, ask an operator to run a scan (see Run a manual scan).

Suppress an accepted exception

Suppress an issue only when the condition is real and accepted. Fix everything else.

1. Enter a Reason that a colleague will understand in a year.
2. Optional: set Expires to review the exception again on that date.
3. Choose Suppress Issue.

The suppression matches this object, issue code and value only; other objects with the same issue stay active. To undo it, set State to Suppressed issues and choose Restore on the row; the issue counts again if the condition is still there. Suppressing needs the Operator role.

Suppress or restore many issues

1. Filter the Issues page until it lists exactly the issues you mean.
2. Choose Suppress matching or Restore matching.
3. Check the filter chips and the count in the dialog, enter a reason when suppressing, and confirm.

Large batches finish in the background; narrow the filters if PI Nexus+ asks you to.

Reference: Detail Dialogs and Dependency Graph