Playback Tool+ for AVEVA PI Vision

PI Vision playback that steps through past events

Replay a historical time range on the whole PI Vision display. Playback Tool+ moves the display time in steps you choose, so every trend, value and table that follows display time shows how the process developed during an event.

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The Playback panel in the PI Vision tools pane, paused at 4:00 AM halfway through a range from 12:00 AM to 8:00 AM, with Display Span 1 Hours, Step Size 12 Minutes and Step Interval 2 seconds, next to a PI Vision display whose trend shows the hour from 3:00 AM to 4:00 AM
Playback Tool+ in the PI Vision tools pane, paused halfway through an 8-hour range; the trend shows the hour ending at the playback position. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.

Replay PI Vision displays over a historical time range

Open Playback in the PI Vision tools pane and move the whole display through a past event, step by step or as a continuous replay.

Play the whole display through a past event

See how the process developed, not just how it ended: every symbol that follows display time moves with each step.

  • Playback moves the shared PI Vision display time, so trends, values and tables update together.
  • At each position the display shows the span that ends there, so you always see the history leading up to it.
  • No symbol to place: select Playback in the tools pane of the display you want to review.
  • The current playback position is shown above the slider, with the start and end of the range below it.
Two captures of the same display: at playback position 4:00 AM the trend shows 3:00 to 4:00 AM with values rising at the end, at 6:36 AM it shows 5:36 to 6:36 AM with a peak in the middle, each next to the Playback controls showing that position on the slider
The same display at playback positions 4:00 AM and 6:36 AM. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.

Pause, step and scrub to the moment that matters

Stop exactly where a value starts to deviate, then move back and forward one step at a time.

  • Play and Pause, Step Back and Step Forward, Go to Start and Go to End.
  • Move the progress slider to jump to any position in the range.
  • Keyboard shortcuts while the tool is open: Left and Right Arrow step, Spacebar plays and pauses.
  • Playback stops at the end of the range; in Loop Mode it starts again from the beginning for another look at the event.
The Controls part of the Playback panel, paused at 6:36 AM in a range from 12:00 AM to 8:00 AM, with the buttons Go to Start, Step Back, Play, Step Forward, Go to End and the Loop button switched on in blue
Playback controls, paused, with Loop on. Select the image to enlarge.

Set the playback range, display span and speed

Decide how much history each view shows, how far each step moves and how fast the replay runs, to suit a fast upset or a whole shift.

Display span and step size, set independently

Keep enough context on screen at every position while the display moves in smaller steps.

  • Display Span: the time window the display shows at each playback position.
  • Step Size: how far the display moves per step; a step smaller than the span gives overlapping views.
  • Span and step in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years.
  • Start and End define the complete historical range to replay.
The Playback panel at position 4:30 AM with Display Span 1 Hours, Step Size 15 Minutes, Step Interval 2 seconds, Start 12:00 AM and End 8:00 AM, next to a trend showing the hour from 3:30 AM to 4:30 AM
A 1-hour display span moved in 15-minute steps, so successive views overlap. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.

Replay speed for a fast upset or a whole shift

Slow the replay down to follow a fast process change, or run through hours of history in a few minutes.

  • Step Interval sets the seconds between automatic steps; a smaller value plays faster.
  • Increase the interval or reduce the step size when changes pass too quickly.
  • For example, an 8-hour shift in 10-minute steps at 1 second per step plays in under a minute.
  • Change span, step and interval at any time and play again.
The Configuration part of the Playback panel set up for a shift review, with Display Span 1 Hours, Step Size 10 Minutes, Step Interval 1 second, Start 12:00 AM and End 8:00 AM and the Reset to Display Time button
An 8-hour range in 10-minute steps at 1 second per step plays in about 48 seconds. Select the image to enlarge.

Playback in sync with the PI Vision display time

Playback starts from what the display already shows and steps aside when you take over the time range yourself.

Start from the range you are looking at

Open the display on the event, then let Playback take over the range without typing dates.

  • When the tool opens, it starts from the current display time range.
  • Reset to Display Time reads the display range again and proposes start, end, span and step size.
  • Or enter the start and end date and time of the event yourself.
  • Works on the displays you already have, with nothing to add to them.
The Playback panel after Reset to Display Time on an 8-hour display range: range 12:00 AM to 8:00 AM below the slider, Display Span 1 Hours, Step Size 12 Minutes, Step Interval 2 seconds, Start 12:00 AM and End 8:00 AM
After Reset to Display Time on an 8-hour display range: a 1-hour span in 12-minute steps. Select the image to enlarge.

Change the time range yourself, and playback follows

Investigate freely during a replay: Playback pauses instead of fighting your changes.

  • Panning with the PI Vision time bar, or zooming and panning a trend, pauses playback.
  • The playback position moves to the end of the new display time; select Play to continue from there.
  • Symbols with an independent time range, such as a locked Vision Library+ Time Bar, can keep their own range.
  • Playback only moves the display time and writes nothing to the PI System.
Playback paused at 4:12 AM after the display time was moved back one hour with the PI Vision time bar during a replay: the trend and the time bar show 3:12 AM to 4:12 AM and the Play button is shown again
Moved back one hour with the PI Vision time bar during a replay: Playback pauses at the new display end time. Demo data. Select the image to enlarge.

PI Vision playback examples

Four common ways teams use Playback Tool+ on their existing displays.

Root-cause review of a trip

Data
The unit display with trends and values around the trip
Settings
Start and End 1 hour around the event, Display Span 30 minutes, Step Size 1 minute, Step Interval 2 s, Loop Mode on
Shows
The minutes before the trip, replayed until the first deviation is found

Shift review

Data
The area overview display
Settings
Start and End of the last 8-hour shift, Display Span 1 hour, Step Size 10 minutes, Step Interval 1 s
Shows
The whole shift in under a minute, paused with Spacebar where something stands out

Operator training

Data
A display of a past startup or shutdown
Settings
Start and End around the sequence, Display Span 2 hours, Step Size 5 minutes, Step Interval 3 s
Shows
The sequence at a pace a trainer can explain, step by step with the arrow keys

Upstream and downstream effects

Data
One display with trends of upstream and downstream units
Settings
Reset to Display Time on the period of interest, Step Size smaller than Display Span
Shows
How a change upstream reaches the downstream units as the display moves

Related symbols: DateTime Picker+ to pick a shift, day or batch period for the display, Combo Chart+ for the trends that playback moves, Time Series Table+ for the values behind them, and Navigation Menu+ to move between the displays you review.

Playback Tool+ FAQ

Questions we are asked most often. Read the Playback Tool+ documentation or ask a technical question.

When should we use Playback Tool+ instead of DateTime Picker+ or the PI Vision time bar?

Use Playback Tool+ when the whole display should advance through a past time range in steps, for root-cause analysis, shift review or training. Use DateTime Picker+ when operators should select one period, such as a day, a shift, a week or a batch, from a list or a calendar and apply it to the display. The PI Vision time bar is enough when you only need to inspect one time range or nudge it backwards and forwards. The tools combine: select the shift with DateTime Picker+, then select Reset to Display Time in Playback and replay it.

Which symbols follow the playback?

Every symbol that follows the PI Vision display time range, including PI Vision trends and Vision Library+ symbols, because Playback changes the shared display time. Symbols that use an independent symbol time range, such as a Vision Library+ chart with a locked Time Bar, do not necessarily follow it.

How do we control how fast it plays?

Step Size sets how far the display moves per step and Step Interval the seconds between automatic steps. If changes pass too quickly, increase Step Interval or reduce Step Size. Keep Step Size equal to or smaller than Display Span so there are no gaps between views.

Does Playback Tool+ change our displays or PI data?

No. Playback only moves the PI Vision display time range while you use it; the symbols read their data as usual, with each user’s existing PI permissions. It writes nothing to PI or AF and needs no changes to the displays you review.

What do we need to run it?

PI Vision 2021 or later with Vision Library+ installed, together with PI Web API as for the other Vision Library+ symbols. Playback appears as Playback in the PI Vision tools pane; there is nothing to configure on the display beforehand.

How do we get Playback Tool+?

Playback Tool+ is part of Vision Library+, together with the Vision Library+ symbols. Request a trial to test it on your own PI Vision displays and data.

Try Playback Tool+ in your PI Vision

Playback Tool+ is included in Vision Library+, the PI Vision custom symbol library from Software Athlete. Test it on your own displays and data.

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