Concepts

Tasks

Reference

Creating Failure Subtypes

The APM Install database comes with two failure subtypes. When you select a subtype for a failure record, the specifications panel for that subtype is added to the Failure and Anomaly window, Properties view. This panel contains the subtype’s attributes, which can be filled in to record information about the failure.

You can create custom failure subtypes or customize the APM subtypes. You can enable auditing for a custom subtype and set up its Audit Info tab so that the actions performed on the subtype are displayed in the failure’s History view.

These are the main steps to creating and using custom failure subtypes:

•	Create the Subtype Class

•	Add Attributes to the Subtype

•	Enable Auditing for the Subtype (Optional)

•	Create Panels for the Subtype

•	Associate the Subtype Panels to Failure Panels

•	Unlock the System

•	Assign the Panels to the Failure Subtype

Note: Before you start, you must launch the product as an APM administrator.

To Create Failure Subtypes

1.	From the Site window, click on the tool bar. The Enterprise window appears.

2.	Select the Customization Center view.

3.	Select the Classes tab, then the Custom tab.

4.	Click Lock for Customization.

5.	Open your custom Failure and Anomaly class.

Note: If a custom Failure and Anomaly class does not yet exist, you will need to create it first. Click New Custom Class and Based on APM Class. Select the Failure and anomaly class and then click OK.

The Class Failure window appears.

Create the Subtype Class

Note: You can customize an existing APM failure subtype by creating a prime version of the APM base subtype class (for example, the Loss of containment class). You can then add custom attributes to the custom subtype.

6.	In the Class Failure window, click the Tools menu and then New Subtype. The Subtype dialog appears.

7.	In the Subtype box, enter the name of your subtype and then click OK. For example, you might create a subtype called “Mechanical Damage”. The Class window for the subtype appears.

8.	Make sure that editing is enabled.

Add Attributes to the Subtype

9.	Select the Custom Attributes tab.

10.	For each attribute, click New. The Attribute dialog appears.

11.	Enter the information for the attribute and click OK. The custom attribute appears in the list.

For example, you might add attributes to record damage extent, such as length, width, and area.

For more information, see Adding an Attribute.

Enable Auditing for the Subtype (Optional)

12.	On the Properties view, select the Auditing tab.

13.	Select Audit Changes to instances of this class to enable auditing.

14.	Click Generate Audit Classes. APM creates the audit info and audit details classes that store auditing information for this class. These audit classes are also displayed in the list of customized classes.

Note: The audit info and audit details classes are not automatically deleted if their custom class is deleted.

15.	On the Data to Audit tab, click Browse to select each data element that you want to record for this class. Click OK to close the dialog. The elements appear in the list.

16.	On the Actions to Audit tab, click Browse to select each method that you want to record for this class and click OK. The actions appear in the list.

Create Panels for the Subtype

17.	In the subtype’s Class window, click the Add menu and then Panel. The Forms Editor appears.

18.	In the Toolbox panel, select the Attributes tab.

19.	Drag the attributes for the subtype onto the panel. Align the attributes.

20.	In the Properties panel, select the Text field and enter a name for the subtype’s specification panel.

21.	Save the subtype panel and close the Forms Editor.

22.	If you have enabled auditing for the subtype, you must also include the audit data in the user interface in order to view the audit changes in the failure’s History view. Add another panel and name it “subtype - Audit Info”, where subtype is the subtype name.

23.	Add a tab control with three tabs: By Event, By Data Element, and General. Design the pages according to APM standards for Audit Info panels.

Tip: Open an existing failure subtype (for example, Loss of Containment) and use its Audit Info panel as an example.

24.	Save the Audit Info panel and close the Forms Editor.

Associate the Subtype Panels to Failure Panels

25.	In the Customization Center, open the custom Failure and Anomaly class. Click the Add menu and then Panel. The Forms Editor appears.

26.	In the Join Path panel, select the join path to the new subtype (for example, SubType - Mechanical Damage).

27.	In the Toolbox panel, select the Panels tab.

28.	Drag the specifications panel you created for the subtype onto the panel. Set it to dock fill.

29.	In the panel’s Properties panel, select the Text field and enter a name for the subtype panel.

30.	Save the panel and then close the Forms Editor.

31.	If you enabled auditing for the subtype, add a panel to appear on the History view. Click the Add menu and then Panel. The Forms Editor appears.

32.	In the Join Path panel, select the join path to the new subtype (for example, SubType - Mechanical Damage).

33.	In the Toolbox panel, select the Panels tab.

34.	Drag the Audit Info panel you created for the subtype onto the panel. Set it to dock fill.

35.	In the Outline panel, select the top panel.

36.	In the Properties panel, select the Text field and enter a name for the Audit Info panel, for example “Mechanical Damage - Audit Info”.

37.	Save the panel and close the Forms Editor.

38.	Close the Class window.

Unlock the System

39.	On the Customization Center, click Unlock System.

The system displays a message stating that it will generate schema and cache files. Click OK. This could take a few minutes to complete.

Note: If the system does not automatically generate the schema and cache, click Generate and then Schema, and Generate and then Cache Files in the Customization Center.

Assign the Panels to the Failure Subtype

40.	Open a Site window.

41.	Click the Administration menu, Performance Management Settings, and then Failure and Anomaly Sub-types. The Failure and Anomaly Subtype Settings dialog appears.

42.	Double-click the failure subtype that you created. The Subtype dialog appears. Click Edit. For example:

43.	In the Properties panel list, select the specifications panel that you created.

44.	In the History panel list, select the Audit Info panel that you created. Click OK.

45.	Click OK to close the Subtype dialog. Click OK to close the Failure and Anomaly Subtype Settings dialog.

46.	You can now select the custom subtype on failures.

To test this, create a failure and select the Properties view, General tab. In a Subtypes box, select your custom subtype. The custom panel that you created should now be available in the failure’s Properties view. For example:

Select the History view and the subtype’s Audit Info tab to test it.