Event Analytics Chart+
Event Analytics Chart+ turns event frames into a bar, line, or area chart. Count events or total a number such as lost production per category, split the bars by a second attribute, and let readers click a bar to drill down or filter the rest of the display.
Overview
Watch the demo
See Event Analytics Chart+ in a practical PI Vision workflow.
When to use it
Use Event Analytics Chart+ when you need to:
- Count events or total a number from them by category, such as downtime events by root cause.
- Find the few causes behind most of the events with a Pareto line.
- Split each category by a second attribute, such as the impact of each downtime.
- Group events by day, month, or year and watch a total over time.
- Keep the largest categories and group the rest as Others.
- Let readers click a bar to drill into sub-categories or to filter other symbols.
Choose Event Analytics Pivot+ when you need two categories in a grid of numbers. Choose Event Analytics Table+ when readers need the numbers in rows. Choose Event Comparison Chart+ to compare the time course of several events.
Before you begin
- Prepare an event frame template that has events in the time range you will display.
- To total or average a number, the event frames need a numeric attribute. Text attributes can only be counted.
- To group by month, you need a time attribute such as Start Time.
- For click actions that change other symbols, add an Event Filter+ or other symbols that listen to filters. See Filtering dashboards.
Add and set up the symbol
- Select Event Analytics Chart+ in the PI Vision symbol gallery.
- Drag an event frame attribute from the Event Frame Search results onto the display. The chart starts empty.
- Right-click the symbol, select Search Criteria..., choose the database and event frame template, and select Apply.
- Right-click the symbol and select Configure Event Analytics Chart.... Under Dimension, open Values, select +, and set Value to Name. The summary is Count.
- Open Arguments, select +, and set Value to the attribute that defines the bars, for example |Root Cause|Level1.
The chart shows one bar per root cause with the number of events. The legend and the value axis name the value Name. Enter a Title in Values to rename it.
Note: Attribute names show a leading |. Hierarchical attributes such as |Root Cause|Level1 give one entry per level, and |Root Cause gives the full path, for example Equipment breakdown|Electrical.
Common tasks
Show only the largest categories
Use this when an attribute has more values than fit on the chart.
- In the configuration pane, open Arguments and select the argument.
- Set Top N (1) to ON and Mode (2) to Top.
- Enter the Count (3), for example 5.
- Set the ranking Value (4) to the value that decides the ranking.
- Set Others (5) to ON to add one bar that sums everything else.
The chart keeps the five largest bars and adds an Others bar at the right. Use Bottom for the smallest. Sort Order and Sort by decide the order of the bars.
Split the bars by a second attribute
Use this when you want to see what each bar is made of, for example the impact of each downtime.
- In the configuration pane, open Series and select +.
- Set Value (1) to the attribute that splits the bars, such as |Impact.
- Optionally enter a Title (2). Top N (3) works as in Arguments.
Each bar is now split by impact, with a color and a legend entry per series value. To choose how the parts sit, open Values and select a Stack button (1): the first places the parts side by side, the second stacks them, and the third stacks them to 100 percent.
The side-by-side version makes the parts easy to compare, and the stacked version shows the total.
Add a Pareto line
Use this to see which categories account for most of the events.
- In the configuration pane, open Pareto Analysis under Trend Options.
- Set Enabled (1) to ON.
- Under Value (2), choose the value the line accumulates.
- Optionally change the Color (3) and turn Data Labels (4) on or off.
A line shows the cumulative percentage against a second axis from 0 to 100 percent. Sort the argument in Descending order, so the biggest categories come first.
Group events by time
Use this to see a total per day, month, or year.
- In the configuration pane, open Arguments and select the argument.
- Set Value (1) to a time attribute, such as Start Time.
- Set Group Interval (2) to Month-Year. Other choices include Day-Month-Year, Week-Year, Quarter-Year, Year, and Day of Week.
Each point is the summary of the events that started in that month. Exact Date plots every event at its own time.
Let readers drill down or filter with a click
Use this when a click on a bar should show what is behind it, or change the other symbols on the display.
- For a drill-down, open Arguments in the configuration pane and add the attributes from the top level to the bottom level, for example |Root Cause|Level1 and then |Root Cause|Level2.
- Under Interactivity, open Selection and set Click Action (1) to Drilldown or Filter.
- For Drilldown, set Drilldown (2) to Argument to drill through the arguments, or to Series to drill through the series.
With Drilldown, a click on a bar replaces the bars with the next level for that bar. A button at the top right returns to the level above.
- For Filter, open Filtering and set Output Mode (2) to Master to filter every symbol that listens to Master filters. Linked and Both publish to named channels. See Filtering dashboards.
With Filter, a click on a bar makes the other symbols recalculate for the events of that category and show a filter icon at their top right. The chart that you clicked keeps all its bars and shows a button to clear the filter.
Check the numbers behind a bar
Use this when a reader asks which events make up a bar, or needs the numbers in a spreadsheet.
- Hover the chart and select Inspect Data (1) in its toolbar.
The dialog opens on the Summary tab, with one row for each plotted point: the category, the series, and the value. The count next to the tabs shows how many rows the tab holds.
- Select a row (2), for example Unknown with No Data - Number of Downtimes.
- Select the Rows tab. It lists the events behind that row with their properties and attributes, here 17 of 46 events.
- To keep the data, select CSV, JSON, or XLSX (4). The file holds the tab you are viewing.
Data as of (3) shows when the dialog read the chart. Select Refresh to read it again. Select the same Summary row again to see all events. Rows covers the events after every filter and drill-down that applies to the chart.
Use the symbol
| What it shows | |
|---|---|
| (1) | The legend. One entry per value, or per series value when the chart has a series. |
| (2) | A bar. Its height is the count or the total for that category. |
| (3) | A point on the Pareto line, the cumulative share of the events up to that bar. |
| (4) | The right axis of the Pareto line, from 0 to 100 percent. |
| (5) | A category. With several arguments, the label combines their values. |
| (6) | The argument axis title. |
- Hover a bar to see its category and summary values. Pointer in the Tooltip group adds a guide to the axis.
- Click a bar to do what Click Action says: nothing, drill down, or publish a filter. A click never writes to the PI System.
- Toolbar: hover the chart to show its buttons at the top right. Inspect Data shows the numbers and the events behind the chart, see Check the numbers behind a bar. Clear Filter shows while a click on this chart filters the display or has drilled down, and clears that filter or drill-down. Fullscreen opens the chart at the size of the display, where a click acts as on the embedded chart. Download offers PNG, SVG, and PDF images and CSV, JSON, and XLSX data with one row for each plotted point. Your administrator can hide the data formats and the export buttons of Inspect Data.
- Time range: the chart follows the display time range. With a Time Bar, the chart has its own range.
- Filters: an Event Filter+ or another Master filter narrows the events and a filter icon appears. Ignore Master keeps the chart unaffected.
- No events: the chart is empty. Change the display time range or the search criteria.
Configure the symbol
Right-click the symbol and select Configure Event Analytics Chart.... The right-click menu also offers Search Criteria... and Add Multi-State.... The groups appear in this order.
Dimension > Values
One entry for each number the chart plots. Use + to add one and the arrows to reorder.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Value | The attribute to summarize. Event properties include Duration (the whole event frame), Duration in Range (only the part inside the symbol's time range; use Sum for the time within the shown period), and Duration in Range, Overlaps Merged (the same, but time already covered by an earlier event frame on the same asset counts once; use it when event frames on one asset can overlap). |
| Summary | Count, Count Distinct, Sum, Min, Max, Average, Median, or Standard Deviation. Text attributes offer only Count and Count Distinct. |
| Title | Names the value in the legend and on the axis. |
| Show | OFF hides the value but keeps it for ranking and sorting. |
| Type | Bar, Line, Area, or Scatter. A line also offers Style, Width, and Stepped. |
| Stack | Side by side, stacked, or stacked to 100 percent. Used in Split the bars by a second attribute. |
| Axis Y | Plots the value on the left axis or on the secondary axis. Use the secondary axis for a value with another scale. |
| Data Labels | Show prints this value on its marks. Series adds the series name. |
| Lines | Adds fixed reference lines, each with a label, value, color, width, and style. |
Dimension > Arguments and Series
Both groups offer the same settings. Several arguments combine into one category. Several series nest as drill-down levels.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Value | The attribute that defines the bars (arguments) or the colors (series). |
| Group Interval | Available for time attributes. Groups by Day-Month-Year, Month-Year, Week-Year, Quarter-Year, Year, Day of Week, and other intervals. Used in Group events by time. |
| Title | Names the argument or series in the axis and the list. |
| Top N | Keeps the top or bottom entries. Mode, Count, Value, and Others set the details. Used in Show only the largest categories. |
| Sort Order, Sort by | Arguments only. Order the bars ascending or descending, by the category or by a value. |
Trend Options
| Group | What it does |
|---|---|
| Title | Shows a title and a sub title, with font size and alignment. |
| Style | Theme, Surface, Container Style, Font Size, and Orientation. Horizontal turns the bars sideways. |
| Grid | Grid lines (Horizontal, Vertical, Both), alternating Bands, and the Border of the plot. |
| Data Labels | Labels on all marks: Position, Name, Value, Background, and Font Size. |
| Tooltip | Show and the Pointer guide (None, Argument, Cross). |
| Toolbar | Show Toolbar turns the toolbar with Inspect Data, Clear Filter, Fullscreen, and Download on or off. On by default. Reveal shows it On Hover or keeps it in view Always. |
| Legend | Enabled, Position, Placement, Alignment, and whether the Color shows as a Marker or as Text. |
| Pareto Analysis | Enabled, Value, Color, Data Labels. Used in Add a Pareto line. |
| Axis X | Type (Timeline or Discrete) for time arguments, Labels, Show, Position, and Title. |
| Axis Y | Label position, Show, Position, Invert Scale, Scale Range (Auto, Database, Custom), Title, and Ticks. A secondary axis group appears when a value uses it. |
| Coloring | Auto uses the theme palette. Custom lists every series value and lets you pick its color. |
Interactivity
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Click Action | None, Drilldown, or Filter. Used in Let readers drill down or filter with a click. |
| Drilldown | Available when Click Action is Drilldown. Drills through the Argument or Series list. |
| Filter Indicator | Compact shows a filter icon, Full adds the event count, and Hidden shows nothing. |
| Ignore Master | ON ignores Master filters on the display. Linked inputs still apply. |
| Linked Inputs | Maps a named channel from a publisher to a property of the events. See Filtering dashboards. |
| Output Mode | Available when Click Action is Filter. Master, Linked, or Both. |
Attributes, Time Bar, and Numbers
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Attributes | The event frame attributes the chart can use in Value lists. Drag more attributes onto the symbol to add them. |
| Time Bar | Gives the chart its own range with the shared Time Bar. Available when the search uses a time bar range. |
| Numbers | The number format for values and labels. |
Add Multi-State
Opened from the right-click menu. It colors a value by limits, for example the red, amber, and green labels of a production loss chart. The editor is the same as in Event Analytics Pivot+. See Color cells by limits.
Troubleshooting and limitations
| Symptom | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The chart is empty. | No events match the search in the display time range, or no value or argument is set. | Open Search Criteria... and widen the search, change the display time range, and check Values and Arguments. |
| A new symbol does not use the search you ran. | The symbol keeps its own search criteria. | Right-click the symbol, select Search Criteria..., and select Apply. |
| Clicking a bar does nothing. | Click Action is None, or the drill-down is at the last level. | Set Click Action under Interactivity > Selection. A drill-down needs a second argument or series. |
Bars have combined labels such as Equipment breakdown / Electrical. | With Filter or None, every argument is part of the category. | Use one argument, or set Click Action to Drilldown to move through the levels. |
| Fewer events than expected. | A filter from another symbol is active. | Clear the filter, or set Ignore Master to ON. |
| Sum and Average are not offered. | The attribute is text. | Choose a numeric attribute. Text attributes offer Count and Count Distinct. |
Limitation: The chart publishes one selected bar at a time. It cannot publish several bars.
Limitation: Drilling into the Others bar does nothing.
Limitation: A filter matches the exact category. Selecting Equipment breakdown does not include Equipment breakdown|Electrical in a chart that uses |Root Cause.
Limitation: The chart has no zoom. Many categories and series slow the chart. Use Top N or a coarser Group Interval.
