brandLogo: alt="EnergyLogo"

Product Normalization

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This feature is most often useful when you want to answer the question: “How do my energy usages and costs relate to my units of production?” For example, if your company produces widgets, and you can log and measure widgets produced over some interval of time, then you could use the production normalization feature to determine energy use per widget, cost per widget, etc. You can use Niagara to log production unit data in a history format. However, since it is likely that your production unit logs are recorded in another format (i.e. in a relational database or CSV form), you will likely need to use the import drivers of Niagara to pull this data into a history format. Once in a history format, you can pull the data into shortBrandName just like you would create any other data point in shortBrandName (using the Configuration report).

Note: Be aware of the following, when you are working with Product Normalization:

• When pulling your production unit data into shortBrandName in the Configuration report, you will most likely want to assign the data point as an 'Other Consumption' or 'Production Units' type. This is necessary since production unit data normally behaves like a consumption data point (i.e. for rollups), and if you use the 'Other' type, shortBrandName will not know to treat the data point as a consumption type point.
• It is important to have production unit logs that collect data at a frequent interval. shortBrandName reports work best when the data is collected at 15 minute, 20 minute, 30 minute, or 1 hour intervals (i.e. as close as possible to matching the interval that the energy usage data is collected). shortBrandName will attempt to compensate for production unit data that is collected at greater intervals than the recommended intervals, however, it must use rollups to determine missing gaps of timestamped data when correlating with the energy usage data. For the best results, use a collection interval for production units that matches the collection interval of the energy usage data, and always specify a date range in a report that spans at least a handful of collected data. The recommended collection interval is 15 minutes.

In the example below, the Point Trending report is using the production normalization feature to show the relationship between energy consumption and widgets produced. You will notice that the results are specified in units of kW-hr/Widgets.

Figure 3-37 Point Trending Product Normalization Example

In order to use the production normalization feature in shortBrandName, you need to specify a normalizing data point on a report input. This process assumes that you have already pulled your production unit data into shortBrandName as a configured data point. There are two methods to assign a normalizing data point to a report input, as described below:

• Product normalization using dialog box
  After you have added report inputs to a shortBrandName report, you can right-click on these inputs and select the Configure option to display a dialog window that allows you to make changes to the configuration of the report input. You can also double click on the report input to bring up the Configure dialog box. There is a checkbox for “Normalized By”, and if you check it, then you can also click the “Select” button which will prompt you to locate and select the data point to use as the normalizer. Click 'OK' to save the changes, and you will notice that the report input will get a light blue background and have a preceding asterisk (*) which indicates that the report input is normalized by another data point. Refer to Product normalization using dialog box for a detailed description of this procedure.
• Product normalization using Copy and Paste
  This method can only be used in certain reports (Average Profile, Correlation Report, Exceptions, Load Duration, Point Trending, Relative Contribution, and Spectrum Summary). After you have added report inputs to the shortBrandName report, you can use the site tree on the left to locate and select the normalizing data point. Right-click on a data point and select Copy. You can then highlight the report input to which you wish to assign the normalizing data point, and right click on it and select Paste As Normalizer. The report input displays a light blue background and has a preceding asterisk (*) which indicates that the report input is normalized by another data point. Refer to Product normalization using Copy and Paste for a detailed description of this procedure.

Product normalization using dialog box

After you have added report inputs to a shortBrandName report, you can normalize an input using product normalization, as described, below:

1. Right-click on an input.

   The right-click menu appears, as shown in Figure 3-38, displaying available menu options.

Figure 3-38 Selecting the Configure menu item

Note: You can highlight multiple report inputs at the same time and batch configure them to be normalized by the same data point. Select multiple data points in the Select dialog box by holding down the Ctrl button when selecting

2. Select Configure from the menu, as shown in Figure 3-38.

   The Input Configuration dialog box displays (this allows you to make changes to the configuration of the report input).

Figure 3-39 Input Configuration Dialog Box

3. In the Input Configuration dialog box, select the Normalized By: check box and click the Select button.

   The Select dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-38.

Figure 3-40 Select Dialog Box

4. In the Select dialog box, select the data point that you want to use for normalization and click the OK button.

   The Input Configuration dialog box displays the data point in the text field, as shown in fig Figure 3-41.

Figure 3-41 Input Configuration Dialog Box with Input

5. In the Input Configuration dialog box, click the OK button.

   The report input displays with a light blue background and the input name is preceded by an asterisk (*), as shown in Figure 3-42. This indicates that the report input is normalized by the selected data point.

Figure 3-42 Normalized Data Point Displays in the Input Window

Product normalization using Copy and Paste

1. In the site tree, right-click on the data point that you want to use for product normalization.

   The right-click menu appears.

2. From the right-click menu, select Copy.
3. In the Input window, right-click on the report input that you want to normalize

   The right-click menu appears.

4. Select Paste As Normalizer from the right-click menu.

   The report input displays with a light blue background and the input name is preceded by an asterisk (*), as shown in Figure 3-42. This indicates that the report input is normalized by the selected data point.

Figure 3-43 Normalized Data Point Displays in the Input Window

Remove product normalization

To remove product normalizing data from one or more data points, do the following:

1. In the selection window, select one or more inputs that you want to remove product normalization from and right-click on the selection.

   The right-click menu appears.

2. From the right-click menu, select Remove Normalizer as shown in Figure 3-44.

Figure 3-44 Removing Product Normalization (Right-Click Menu)

The normalizing data is removed from the selected input(s) and the input appears without the asterisk (*) or light blue background.

Note: You can also remove product normalization from one or more inputs by selecting Configure from the right-click menu and clearing the “Normalized By:” check box.

Figure 3-45 Removing Product Normalization (Input Configuration Dialog Box)