InfoCenter Installation and Configuration

Scenario:

You want to integrate the InfoCenter extension module with the Desigo CC management platform, migrate the InfoCenter templates, and then configure and run the reports manually or schedule them to run automatically.

You can also run the InfoCenter Migration Tool to migrate custom InfoCenter templates that can easily be run in Desigo CC with minimal configuration time. See Running the InfoCenter Migration Tool.

TIP: You can create a custom view that lists all the reports. Then, in Step 4. Configure Web Rules for InfoCenter below, use an object from the custom view as the trigger object for the report. For more information on creating custom views, search the Desigo CC online help for “Views.”

 

Reference: For background information, see the reference section.

 

Workflow diagram:

 

Prerequisites:

  • The InfoCenter extension module is installed and added to the project.
  • Advanced Reporting is configured and the InfoCenter templates are synchronized during the Advanced Reporting template synchronization step. In the Desigo CC Help Search for Installing and Configuring Advanced Reporting for that workflow.
    NOTE:     It is advisable to become familiar with the Advanced Reporting extension.
  • Please note that the InfoCenter SQL database and the Desigo CC HDB database cannot reside on the same management station.
  • The user performing the following workflow, should have access to all the data points that may be included in the reports.

 

Steps:

1 – Enable Application Rights for InfoCenter
  • System Manager is in Engineering mode.
  1. In System Browser, select Management View.
  1. Select Project > System Settings > Security.
  1. Click the Security tab.
  1. In the Groups section, select the group.
  1. Open the Application Rights expander.
  1. Select the check box for InfoCenter Configuration so that it is enabled for this user group.
  1. Click Save .

 

2 – Associate InfoCenter Database

The InfoCenter database and the Desigo CC HDB may not reside on the same server.

NOTE: This step must also be performed after every project upgrade. Additionally, you must restart the WSI Manager if changes are made to any of the parameters mentioned in this section.

  • System Manager is in Engineering mode.
  1. In System Browser, select Management View.
  1. Select Project > System Settings > InfoCenterConfigurations.
  1. In the InfoCenter tab, select the Database Configurations expander.
  1. Enter the Server Name IP address or host name of the InfoCenter database.
    NOTE: If the default port number 1433 is not used, you must append the server name with a colon or a comma and then type the port number used. For example: 172.17.14.42:1234 or 172.17.14.42,1234
  1. Enter the Database Name.
  1. Enter the User Name of the individual who has access to the database.
    NOTE: This user should have access to all the data points that may be included in the reports.
  1. Enter Password of the database user.
  1. Click Test Connection to verify connectivity to the database.
  1. Click Save .
3 – Run the Template Information Report

This report supplies the information that is required when creating a web rule for an InfoCenter report. Desigo CC extracts this information from the InfoCenter server it is connected to. The final report can be exported and saved for reference when configuring web rules for creating reports.

  • System Manager is in Operating mode.
  1. In System Browser, select Management View.
  1. Select Project > System Settings > InfoCenterConfigurations
  1. In the Application Viewer tab, select the Template information report you want to run.
  • The Parameter dialog box displays.
  1. In the Template Name field, do one of the following:
  • Type * to display information from all the existing templates on the server.
  • Type the name of the report whose details you want displayed. For example, Chiller_Report
  1. Click Execute to generate the report.
  • The Template Information Report displays the information in a table format.
4 – Configure Web Rules for InfoCenter

For each InfoCenter report you want to run, you must create an Application Web Rule.

  • System Manager is in Engineering mode.
  • The default View is set to Show Description.
  • You have run the Template Information Report
  1. Select Project > System Settings > Application Link Rules.
  • The Rule Editor displays.
  1. Select the Rule Editor tab.
  1. Open the Trigger Conditions expander.
  1. In System Browser, from any view, drag any system node onto the Path area.
    There is no restriction on the type of node or object to use.
    TIP: You can create a custom view that lists all the reports. Then, when you configure a Web Link trigger, use an object from the custom view as the trigger object for that report. For information on creating a custom view, search the online help for “Views.”
  1. From the menu that displays, select Add new elements and subtree.
  1. In the Output expander, from the Application drop-down list, select InfoCenter Web Application.
  • The default parameters display and are blank, except for the Format field, which defaults to html.
  1. In the Report Template field, enter the path to the parent directory where the InfoCenter report templates are saved:
  • Standard reports: type: GMS_InfoCenter\<Name_of_Report.rptdesign>.
    NOTE: The GMS_InfoCenter directory is created with you synchronize the Advanced Report templates.
  1. Using information from the Template Information Report that was generated in the previous procedure, complete the following fields:
  • Template ID
  • Control ID (as many as are present)
  • Additional Information
    NOTE: Depending on the report type, the parameters will vary. See the individual Standard Reports and Custom Reports for more information.
  1. Click Save As .
  • The Save Object As dialog box displays.
  1. Enter a name that reflects the report and a description for the rule.
  1. Click OK.
  • The new web rule appears in the Application Link Rules folder.
  1. (Optional) Repeat Steps 1 – 12 to create additional web rules for the report templates stored in the GMS_InfoCenter\<Name_of_Report.rptdesign> folder. If you need to see the parameters associated with each report template, refer to the desired report in the InfoCenter reference section.

5 – Create a Fixed Link for Executing Reports (Optional)
  • System Manager is in Operating mode.
  • You have created a web rule for the InfoCenter report.
  1. In System Browser, select Management View
  1. Navigate to and select the object for which you want to generate the InfoCenter report.
  • The list of reports associated with the selected object displays in the Application Viewer tab.
  1. Select the report that you want to schedule.
  1. Click Save As .
  1. In the Save As dialog box, enter the destination for the saved link.
  • The saved link displays in the Applications > Links folder.
  1. Repeat for each report as needed.
  • Now that you have created a fixed link for a report, proceed to Step 6 Set User Credentials to set a user account that can schedule report execution.

 

6 – Set User Credentials for Fixed Link Reports (Optional)
  • System Manager is in Operating mode.
  • You have created a web rule fixed link for executing the report.
  1. In System Browser, select Application View.
  1. Navigate to Applications > Links.
  1. Select the link you created in the previous procedure.
  1. Click Set Credentials .
  1. From the User Account drop-down menu, select the appropriate user from the list of existing software accounts.
    NOTE: You must choose a user with the appropriate privileges. The language associated with the software account determines the language for any reports generated with this account.
  1. In the Extended Operation tab, specify the parameter values for the link.
    NOTE: The parameters for P12-15 must be completed in order for the Fixed link report to execute successfully and generate an output a file.
  • The user credentials are set for the link and parameter values specified.
    NOTE: In the Operating mode, you can run a report in the Application Viewer by selecting the link from Applications > Links, if the value of the P2 parameter is set to HTML. However, if the value of the P2 parameter is set to any other value (for example, XLSX, DOCX, PDF), then you cannot run the report in the Application Viewer. In this case, you can run the report by clicking Execute in the Extended Operation pane, and specifying the required parameter values.

 

7 – Schedule Automatic Execution of an InfoCenter Report
  • System Manager is in Engineering mode.
  1. In System Browser, select Application View.
  1. Select Applications > Logics > Reactions.
  1. In the Reaction Editor tab, open the Output expander, and then open the Action expander.
  1. From the Links folder, drag the link to the Scope/Target area.
  1. Select the newly added instruction row, and do the following:
  • To Send the report as an email, in the Command drop-down list, select Email [SendEmailExecute].
  • To Send the report to a folder, in the Command drop-down list, select Execute [WebAppExecute].
  • In the File Extension drop-down list, select the format of the file. The value specified in this field must be the same as the P2 parameter value specified in the Extended Operations tab. For example, if you have specified PDF as the P2 parameter value, then you must select PDF as the file extension in this field.
  • In the File Name field, enter the file name of the report output file.
  • (Optional) In the File Path field, enter the location to save the report output file. For example, C:\Projects\NewReports.
    NOTE: If you specify the location, the report is saved to this location and will also be sent as an email attachment.
  • In the Section drop-down list, select Save Document [1].
  • In the TimeStamp field, specify the timestamp format that is to be appended to the file name—for example, dd-MM-yyyy.hhmmss.
  1. Open the Triggers expander, and then open the Time and Organization Mode expander.
  1. Enter the date and time you want the report to run.
  1. Click Save As .
  • The Save Object As dialog box displays.
  1. Enter a name and description, and then click OK.
  • Depending on the value specified in the Command drop-down list, the report runs at the date and time specified in the reaction and is either sent as an attachment to the configured email recipients or to the report output folder specified in the File Path field.

 

See also