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New Features

Stacked Reports

Stacked Reports are a new dimension of reporting by “stacking” sub reports. By specifying a few basic settings, the Stack Wizard produces a multi-dimensional template ready for reporting and dashboards. Common uses of stacked reports are:

• A report showing multiple batches with each batch showing its individual lots.
• A process cycle report showing the cycle performed over stages e.g., clean in place (CIP) for first rinse, caustic wash, sanitize and drain.
• A product routing report where the product is produced using a selection of assets e.g., a product basket over a selection of dipping stations.
• A process summary report on a selection of assets e.g., OEE over a set of machines.

The foundation of stacked reports is a database table that provides the process conditions that determine the stacking process. An example of such as database table is the XLReporter Event Frame database.

Event Library

Event Frames capture the timestamps of two events in the process (from live data) along with other process data. They are commonly used to represent the time frame of discrete processes such as batching times and machine cycles.
Event Frames can be stored to a database in which case they can be used as the time basis for discrete and stacked reports.
Support for the following functionality is provided:

• Integration into the Template Library as an alternative method of selecting the report time frame.
• Integration with Stacked Reports to easily provide drill-down discrete reports.
• Browse-ability across the product wherever variables are supported.

Template Library

Naming Convention and Schedule
When using the template library to create a scheduled template, the naming convention and schedule settings for the template are exposed in the library so they can be edited directly before the template is created.

Event Frames
The template library has been updated with a new Reporting Method: On-Demand from Event Frames. Prior to this version, a template library configured for On-Demand would typically allow the user to select start and end times using a calendar control.

This new method presents a user with a list of Event Frames, e.g., a list of batch names, and automatically sets the start and end of the report based on the user’s selection.

Variables

New variable types provide events to trigger a report and new mechanisms for components to share information:

• Memory Variables
  Memory Variables provide fast read/write of system information, numbers, and text and remain permanent until they are overwritten by a new value. They are used as a method convenient for passing information between components of the product as well as triggers in the Scheduler. When used as triggers, a worker template can monitor the historian for conditions to set the variable value using a Management export function.
• System Variables
  System Variables monitor system and XLReporter performance. They can be used as trigger events in the scheduler e.g., send an email whenever an error occurs on a reporting action.
  

Action Lists

In previous versions, every Scheduler Action would need to be specified as separate lines in the scheduler. Action Lists group a set of actions and have them performed on a single Condition using the new Update Action List. An action list builder is provided to specify the list of actions. This replaces Schedule Scripts.

Scheduler Action Delay

Action Delay is added for the update Actions such as UpdateWorksheet. This delay is useful when the production of report needs to be delayed to allow the data source complete before it is read.

Data Entry Form Filter

Custom Filters have been added to data entry forms that custom what is displayed when the form is opened and what is stored to the database when the form is saved. The filter is specified in user-configurable SQL syntax.

Email and SMS

Support for blind carbon copy (BCC) is added in the recipient list.

Data Management

New functions to Data Management:

• Copy Sub Report Range
  This function expands the scope of what can be copied into the report allowing for more dynamic, richly formatted end results.
• Square Range
  This function normalizes a table of discrete values to improve the appearance of discrete (1/0) data on trend charts.
• TransForm Range
  This function improves the appearance of summary data returned from historians and databases by displaying the information in a two-dimensional table where each dimension is user specified.
• Result from Template
  This function allows users to store their reporting or business logic in a workbook external to their templates and use this function to retrieve results. This approach makes the management of business rules in a central document, keeping reports displaying only results.
• Data Export to Variables List
  This function provides the tools for exporting to a large set of variables from a template.

Status Logs

The Status Logs are used to hold reporting action history. More detailed information is provided in error messages.

Task Monitor

More detailed information is provided for diagnosing runtime performance issues.

Database Manager

Database Manager has been expanded to perform additional database functions such as creating, editing, and populating database tables. Indexing can also be added to improve the runtime performance of data retrieval.

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New Connectors

OPCUA

An improved OPCUA connector for retrieving process data using a more comprehensive set of authentication and encryption techniques.

Win-911

The WIN-911 data connector is used to interface with the database managed by the WIN-911 alarm notification system. Templates have been added to the template library to give WIN-911 users “out of box” feedback on the performance of the alarm notification system.

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Improvements/Issues Fixed

.NET Framework Installation Prerequisite

• XLReporter no longer depends on an installation of .NET Framework version 3.5. The .NET pre-requisite is now .NET framework version 4.5, which is built-in the recent releases of Windows.

Code Signing

• A new method of code signing secures the installation files.

Analytics

• After removing variables from the Analytic Designer, the variables would still be listed in Variable Browser.

Reporting Engine/Collector

• When a Data Group is removed from the project, but is still referenced in a report template, no error was returned when that template is updated.

Data Management

• In the Copy Range management function, when Adjust Column Widths is set to Yes and the copy is applied over a hidden column, the correct column was NOT hidden on the target location.
• With Cut Range, any data validation in the source was not pasted in Placement range.

Data Connectors

• The FactoryTalk View SE .DAT connector is deprecated and replaced with the FactoryTalk Data Agent connector.
• XLReporter sometimes failed to sync data from the ProSoft Data Logger.

Design Studio

• Some Data Entry Templates configured in older versions of XLReporter were not loading correctly when Data Link was opened.

Email and SMS

• Using the Email by a Configuration action, the Value parameter was not being used at runtime.
• The only Variables being correctly evaluated at runtime were Function Register variables.
• For Attachments, the Specific Folder option has been changed to allow textual editing.
• For projects upgraded from older versions of XLReporter, contacts could be deleted.
• When a configuration included Name Type variables, those would be prompted when the configuration was tested with the Send function.
• Resolved an issue when “do not send if no attachments are found” when the attachment folder was removed. It became impossible for the configuration to send an email.

History Data Group

• Runtime issue when specifying an Event Frame variable as the Time Period.
• Parameters defined using Function Variables were being prompted in Preview. This has been corrected so the current value of the variable is argued automatically with no user input.
• Filters Conditions did not always display the correct list based on the data type (string vs. numeric).
• When a Filter was deleted, the data group returned an error related to that filter.

On-Demand Designer

• When an array variable connection is added to a template (e.g. {RG0[00|99]:Name}) this was added as a parameter in the On-Demand Designer instead of using the values saved in the variables.
• When the Database Panel was set up with multiple date/time columns and is set up for YYYY-MM-DD format, on reload all are labeled as Key.
• When a template is configured with 2 database groups that both use {Start Date} in the filter, 2 entries for this variable are added to the On Demand Designer in the Date Panel.

On-Demand Reports

• When updating from On-Demand, if the sheet updated had a Target sheet, even if the Overwrite was set to No, the worksheet was overwritten if it existed, unless the Update Existing Report option is checked.
• The Print option did not always print to the selected Printer.

Variable Browser

• If Start Date and End Date were deleted from Variable Editor, the dialog crashed.

Variable Editor

• Increased the number of Tag Variables to 40.
• Editing the Description of Tag Variables could corrupt/delete the entire list.

Web Portal

• When the Windows system was set as English (Indian) regional settings, and a Cell Action, By Row Iteration management function was used on date/time data, the timestamps were not formatted correctly.

Windows Team Client

• If the Distributed Edition was installed on an https website, the Windows Client could not connect to it.