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Hello
My name is Eric Fongang. I am in Sweden and currently working on an academic project to build a dashboard for OEE in thingworx using data from excel with my partner Daheem. We are more of production background so we have just some basic knowledge so we are in search of someone with good knowledge about the platform who can guide us when we face challenges. To us, it is a learning process and we are ready to discuss compensation per. Please feel free to contact me so that we can make arrangement on how to get started.
Hi Eric,
Thank you for your inquiry. I understand that your initial need as stated is pretty broad. Let me see internally how we can best point you to the right direction.
Hi Eric
Few questions to start :
- Which software in particular are you thinking of? Just the Thingworx Platform? RTPPM? DPM?
- Do you have this software(s) already, or are you thinking about getting it? Have you tried it already?
- Have you talked to a PTC sales representative / CSM about getting the software and/or training? They should be able to answer some questions and maybe offer you demos.
- Have you started looking at some PTC documentation or trainings on this software(s)?
I see that you mentioned building a dashboard, the Platform, and added the Mashup-Widget tag. This leads me to think you already have Thingworx Platform (no RTPPM/DPM) and are trying to make your own custom Mashup. And you're trying to show some OEE values in the Mashup, ideally importing the data from Excel. Is that correct?
>- How can the data entered manually on excel be transferred to the thingworx platform?
I am familiar with a project (RTPPM) that uses the CSV Import Thingworx extension. This extension lets us make an Import CSV File button, reads it and saves the records in the database. I'm guessing this extension is probably part of the publicly-accessible extension list. A CSV file is another type of file that Excel can use : when you save you can do Save As and change the extension to CSV instead of XLSX. I think this is the link for this extension. I'm guessing there may also be the possibility of pushing files in a folder and having Thingworx read from this folder automatically based on a Timer (for example every minute) and probably use this CSV extension to be able to use the file.
>- How can the data be used to create data tables on thingworx?
You have the choice to use either an actual database (MSSQL, Postgre, etc.) or use DataTable objects in Composer. Or even use Valuestream but I don't think Valuestream is the best option for what you want. I strongly suggest that you read this documentation on data storage.
In most situations, you want the database table or the DataTable to already exist before you import the file. The file usually will just insert records. One example if you're using an SQL Database is :
- Inside a Javascript service in Composer, you collect the results from the file & CSV extension and store them in a variable.
- Loop on the list of records.
- Validate the record's data if needed.
- Call the service that is on your DatabaseThing (the Thing that connects with your SQL database), passing the record's values as parameters to the service.
- The service on the DatabaseThing will be an SQL Command type service (not Javascript) and will contain code like this :
INSERT INTO MyTable(column1, column2) VALUES([[Value1]], [[Value2]]).
If you use a DataTable instead, you don't need to call the DatabaseThing : you can use the "Add/Update Data Table" Code Snippet to give you an example of how to insert into a DataTable directly :
>- How can queries be created and exported into a mashup builder to visualize OEE?
I strongly suggest you follow the Thingworx trainings, either PTC University (or this other link) or Field Academy. Essentially you would need a service that collects the data and outputs it, and the Mashup will call this service. You can then bind your service to a widget such as a grid, a label or a gauge.
> - How can user-friendly visualization widgets be developed for OEE monitoring on thingworx?
I'm not familiar with creating widgets on my own, but I know this can be done. I'm assuming PTC University or Field Academy will have documentation on getting started.
But I doubt this will be necessary. The Mashup designer already has plenty of widgets that should be enough for your needs. And you can have many widgets in 1 Mashup, allowing you to build entire screens with different types of information & widgets. Here is some documentation on the existing widgets. One example I have seen is to show the OEE% in a Gauge widget.
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My suggestion would be to make a design document for your project : what you're trying to do exactly, what you expect your screen(s) to look like and what your data structure will be (list of tables and columns). Also list the necessary operations (insert data, validate data, collect data from storage, maybe modify existing records) : this will pretty much be your list of services you will need to write. Then read the data storage documentation I linked above and choose your storage method (DataTable or database or even Valuestream). Then view some of the Thingworx trainings & documentation, especially for using the data storage, creating a Mashup and calling services from the Mashup. Then look into the CSV extension and how to integrate it into your project, services and/or Mashups. This should cover most of what you would need. At that point you should be able to create your data structure, write your services, build the Mashups with the widgets you want, and link the widgets to the services you wrote.
Alternatively you could reach to your PTC sales representative / CSM and see if you could get a demo of the already-created softwares for OEE features : RTPPM and DPM. However to my knowledge they don't read the OEE-related data from Excel. For example RTPPM allows you to either use Kepware tags or manual buttons as the inputs for your data (downtimes, production quantity, etc.) and has an OEE calculator.