Concepts

Tasks

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Creating a Filter Type Variable

Calculation variables are used in asset health report calculations and can be derived from four sources. These sources are:

•	Calculation

•

Filter

•	Global variable

•

Join path

Filter type variables allow you to gather data about objects in any class in APM. For example, you could extract information on or from work order tasks. In order for this data to be meaningful for the asset you are working with, you will need to filter the objects using filter criteria. For example, work order tasks with the work type “Corrective” that are related to the asset or to one of its child assets.

You can select either to count the group of objects (for example, a count of the work order tasks), or return aggregated values for the group of objects such as the total estimated duration for the group of work order tasks.

Note: To create filter-based calculation inputs, you should have some familiarity with the APM object model. To learn more about the object model, see Object Model Overview.

This topic describes how to create a filter type variable.

To Create a Filter Type Variable

1.	On the Calculation window, Calculation view, select the Calculation tab.

2.	Make sure that editing is enabled.

3.	Click New. The Calculation Variable dialog appears.

4.	Enter a name for the calculation variable.

Note: The calculation variable name can only contain letters and numbers, must not contain spaces or special characters, or start with a number.

5.	Enter a brief description for the calculation variable.

6.	In Source of the derived value, select Filter. For example, if your input is based on the current value of an asset, you would select the Asset object.

7.	In the Class of object to select area, click Browse and select a class name from the list.

8.	In Derived value type select one of the following:

•	Count: A simple count of the items that satisfy the filtering criteria.

•	Aggregate value: If you select this option, two additional tabs are displayed called Value Attribute and Aggregation. You can use these tabs to select the attribute that should be aggregated and the type of aggregation.

9.	If you are creating multiple filters based on the same attribute, you might wish to change the And/or setting. For more information, see Filter Criteria Concepts.

10.	Click New to create a selection criterion. The Calculation Filter Criterion dialog appears. For example:

-

11.	If the attribute is owned by the class on which this input is based, select the attribute to filter on from the Attribute to use list.

If the attribute is owned by a related class, first identify the class in the Relationship box. Click . The Join Path dialog appears. Select the class in the hierarchy that owns the attribute you want to filter on and click OK. For example, to pick an attribute from the Asset Type on an Asset, open the Asset class and select AssetType. The attributes for the selected class now appear in the Attribute list.

12.	Select the condition and value to use for the filter. The choices available here vary depending on the data type of the selected attribute.

13.	Enter the Logical group number to sequence criteria if you are grouping in order to use “and/or” logic.

14.	Click OK to save and close the Calculation Filtering Criterion dialog.

15.	Repeat steps 9 to 14 for each additional selection criteria.

16.	If you selected a derived value type of Aggregate value, select the Value Attribute tab and enter the following information:

Setting Name

Description

Relationship from asset health reading

The join path to the value that you want to test for. This setting applies to variable conditions only. The join path always starts at the class being customized. To select a join path, click . Expand the hierarchy until you see the class that you want, select it, and click OK.

Attribute to use for value

Select the attribute to use for value. This list will change depending on the chosen relationship from the class.

Unit of measure to use

If available, select the unit of measure to use.

Currency to use

If available, select the currency to use from the list.

17.	If you selected a derived value type of Aggregate value, select the Aggregation tab and enter the following information:

Setting Name

Description

Aggregation type

Select the aggregation type to use to derive the value of this calculation variable. Your choices are: • Sum: The total value is calculated for the selected items. • Average: The average value is calculated for the selected items. • Median: The median value is calculated for the selected items. • Maximum: The largest value is calculated for the selected items. • Minimum: The minimum value is calculated for the selected items. • Array: A list of values is provided. You can also specify a maximum value for this list. • First: The first value is selected from the list. • Last: The last value is selected from the list. Note: If Array, First, or Last is selected, you must select the join path that relates to an asset, the attribute to use to order the selected items, and a sort direction.

Relationship from

The from the class of the object to select. To select a join path, click . Expand the hierarchy until you see the class that you want, select it, and click OK.

Attribute to use for ordering

Select the attribute to use for ordering. The list is based on attributes of the chosen relationship.

Sort direction

Select the sorting direction. You can choose either ascending or descending order.

18.	Select the Factor Table tab to convert the derived value using a factor table. For more information, see Defining a Factor Table for a Variable.

19.	On the Limits and Weighting tab enter any maximum or minimum values applied to this variable, and include weighting factors if needed. For more information, see Assigning Calculation Variable Limits and Weighting.

20.	On the Null Value tab, select the behavior for variables that return a null value. For more information, see Assigning a Calculation Variable Null Value Behavior.

21.	On the Notes tab, you can enter any additional information about this calculation variable.

22.	When you are finished, click OK to save and close the Calculation Variable dialog.