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Creating a Performance Indicator from Scratch

A key performance indicator (KPI) is a type of indicator used to measure and communicate the performance of an organization, an individual, or an asset. For example, a KPI could be used to measure the percentage of work orders that are completed for a particular maintenance group or planner or for a particular asset.
APM comes with a comprehensive set of KPI templates that you can use to create performance indicators relevant to your organization. You can also create performance indicators from scratch.
If you wish to measure monetary values from sites that use different currencies, be sure to adjust your KPIs to perform the conversion to a base currency. For more information, see Introduction to Performance Indicators.
This topic explains how to create a performance indicator from scratch.

To Create a Performance Indicator

1.
From the site, select the Analytics view. The KPIs tab lists all of the performance indicators for the site. You can also view the table configuration for KPIs by Asset Performance Management Cycle element.
2.
Click New. The Indicator window appears.
3.
On the General tab, enter an indicator name. The name should describe what is being measured, such as “Percentage of Closed Work Orders.”
4.
Select a performance indicator type from the Indicator type list. The tabs on the Properties view change according to the type you select.
5.
The Unit of measure box shows the unit of measure (UOM) for the indicator type. In some cases, you can select a different UOM from the same category. For example, if the UOM of the indicator type is “hour”, you could change it to “day” or “week”.
6.
On the Collection tab, select a collection frequency from Frequency list. This information is used for filtering indicator lists.
7.
You can identify the maintenance group, collection group, and collection set on the KPI to make it easier for searching and filtering.
8.
The value in the External ID box is copied from the indicator name. This short name for the indicator is optional, and does not have to be unique to the asset. You can change or remove the ID, if appropriate.
9.
By default, the Map coordinates box is populated with the site’s coordinates if they have been recorded in its properties. You can change the longitude and latitude of the site’s location, or you can click the browse icon and point to the location on a map to have APM assign the coordinates. For more information, see Setting Map Coordinates.
10.
If the indicator type is numeric or cumulative, select the Details tab.
11.
Enter a target value and starting value for the indicator. The target value is displayed on dashboards that show readings for the indicator.
12.
Select the Description tab to enter information about the KPI. You can also add an image by pasting it into the Image tab.
13.
If the indicator type is numeric or cumulative, select the Measurement tab and the Limits tab, to set minimum and/or maximum values for readings used with gauges.
14.
On the States and Alarms tab, you can set up states and alarms for the indicator. For detailed instructions, see Adding States and Alarms to an Indicator or Template.
15.
Select the Calculation tab.
16.
On the Expression tab, select the type of expression. A calculated indicator can be based on:
•
VB.NET – Inputs and functions defined on the Calculation tab can be used to create a formula that is calculated at run time. This is the default option
•
C# – Inputs and functions defined on the Calculation tab can be used to create a formula that is calculated at run time
•
Stored procedure – The expression is provided in a stored procedure that receives its inputs at runtime and returns a value
17.
For VB.NET and C# expressions, you must also select the expression type. Your options are “Simple expression” (for single-line commands) or “Complete class” for more complex scripts.
With the Complete class option, a starter script template is provided automatically, which you can edit as needed. You can also click Regenerate from Template to reset the formula to the starter script.
The template scripts include DebugData statements that you can augment to output trace messages when the Check (Test) or Check (Live) method is invoked to test the calculation.
Tip: You can view the template scripts by opening the Enterprise window, clicking the Administration menu and then Calculation options. For more information, see Defining Calculation Options.
18.
If the type of expression is VB.NET pr C#, type in the mathematical formula or function that the indicator will use.
If you are entering a function, see Using Logical Operators and Functions.
If you are using a formula, you can use three elements:
•
Calculation inputs (a variable that represents data from the system): enter a variable name for each indicator that you want to use in the calculation. Each calculation input must begin with a letter, cannot contain a period (.), must not exceed 20 characters, and must be unique within the calculation. For example, for a temperature indicator you might enter “Temperature1”.
•
Operators (such as, add or multiply): type the operator in the format shown in Operators for Calculated Indicators.
•
Constants (that is, a fixed value used in the calculation): enter the value of the constant in the calculation. For example to divide by two, you would enter “2”.
Example:
To enter a calculation that takes the average of two calculation inputs, you would type:
(InputA + InputB) / 2
The variables “InputA” and “InputB” are placeholders for the values that will be set by the inputs. When the calculation is evaluated, APM gets the current values of each input.
19.
If the type of expression is stored procedure, the information on the Calculation tab changes:
Provide the name of the stored procedure.
20.
Now you need to define the inputs for the calculation. If you are creating a filter-based input, before you can define the inputs, you need to know the classes and join paths to the data. If you already have this information or you are creating a reading-based input, continue to the next step.
21.
To create each input, click the New list and click either Indicator Input or Filter Input. The Calculation Input dialog appears. Here is an example for an indicator input:
For detailed instructions on creating each type of input, see the following topics:
•
Creating Calculation Inputs Based on Filters
•
Creating Calculation Inputs Based on Indicator Readings
22.
For VB.NET or C# script expressions, you can check the syntax (the order of the elements) of your calculation by clicking Check (Test). When you click this button, the system looks for errors in how you typed the calculation.
23.
To use the test values on the inputs to complete a test calculation, click Calculate. You can use the result of this calculation to check that the expression is giving the desired results.
24.
When you have defined the calculation expression and inputs, you can click Check (Live). The test function uses the values from the inputs (for example, indicator readings) and displays the result in the Test Reading window.
25.
For stored procedure expressions, the call syntax is displayed for your reference. The calculation inputs are added to this call statement automatically. Ensure that the parameters in the stored procedure match the input names and that the procedure includes a return value parameter.
26.
If necessary, you can change the Required Proximity of the calculation inputs.
Setting Name
Description
Required Proximity
This setting is only applicable when a calculation uses more than one indicator-reading-based calculation input. This rule does not apply to filter-based calculation inputs.
This option sets the time proximity required for calculated, performance, or rule-based indicators. You can specify the length of time within which all readings must have been collected in order for APM to evaluate the rule or calculation.
For example, you can specify that all indicator readings used in the rule or calculation must have been collected within one day of each other. If any of the indicators fall outside of the time period entered here, APM will not evaluate the rule or calculation.
Note: Required proximity is only applicable if two or more calculation inputs are based on indicator readings and use the most recent reading in the input.
27.
Select the Frequency tab.
28.
In the Triggering mechanism section, select when and how the system will trigger the calculation. If the calculation will be triggered at a regular interval (based on a recurrence pattern), define the scheduled interval for the indicator.
For detailed instructions, see Defining an Indicator’s Calculation Frequency.
29.
Select the Auditing tab. To improve product performance, you can control the amount of audit information generated when a reading is created. (The audit information is displayed in the Indicator Reading window, Calculation tab.)
Setting Name
Description
Auditing level for the indicator’s readings
Auditing levels are:
•
Full auditing – Full information is displayed on the reading’s Calculation tab
•
Description and input values – The reading’s Calculation tab displays the description and input values in the text field. The table of input values is not displayed
•
No auditing – The reading’s Calculation tab is not displayed
30.
Select the Options tab and then the Graphics tab.
31.
Provide the following information:
Setting Name
Description
Reading charts
Style of chart to be used for indicator readings.
Default time period to show
Amount of time (for example, weeks, months, years) for which to show indicator readings. When this option is enabled, the Indicator window’s Readings view, Readings tab displays readings for this amount of time, ending with the next reading date. This setting also affects how KPI readings are displayed on dashboards.
Asset
Asset to use in indicator comparison charts.
Indicator
Indicator to use in indicator comparison charts.
Asset
Asset to use for tasks and failures in indicator reading charts.
Gauge type
The style of gauge to use for this indicator.
Preview value
Number used to demonstrate a reading in the gauge preview.
32.
If the performance indicator records information related to a stage in the Asset Performance Management cycle (for example, strategy development), select the Options tab and then the Reliability tab.
33.
Select the appropriate element from the APM cycle element list and the sub-element from the Sub element list. These elements are used to set up dashboards showing the Asset Performance Management cycle and elements.
Tip: To view performance indicators assigned to elements, select the site’s Analytics view and then the KPIs tab. From the list of configurations, select “KPIs by Asset Performance Management Cycle element”. The table contains “APM Element” and “APM Sub Element” columns, as well as indicator names, most recent values, and more.
34.
You can link the readings of a numeric indicator to another indicator’s readings. For more information, see Linking Numeric Indicator Readings.
35.
When you are finished, save and close the KPI.