If you’re planning on creating an ARDI database, there are certain pieces of information you’re going to want if you’d like to do the job well.
While you can start building your database at any time, the more complete (and accurate) your information is, the more efficient your job will be, the quicker you’ll be done and the more you’ll get out of the system.
A List of Key Assets
Although you don’t need an exhaustive list, knowing which key assets you’d like to include can help define the scope of your ARDI database. Once these key starting points are identified, it will be quite easy to spot other, secondary assets as you fill in details and relationships, particularly when it comes to small pieces of equipment like isolation valves and filters.
Drawings of Relationships
Drawings of existing relationships (such as P&ID diagrams) can make it much simpler to enter relationships into ARDI. Note that it is worth double-checking the quality and accuracy of these drawings, as repairing incorrect relationships can be time-consuming.
Existing Structure
If you already have an existing organisational structure to your equipment (such as an ISA-95 or functional-location hierarchy), this can help match ARDIs organisational hierarchy to your official one.
Properties & Data Sources
It’s always a good idea to know what types of value you’re interested in showing, where those values are stored, and how you’re hoping to get the information out (ie. ensuring that the system has a user, login or API available).
Like all things, these can be added in the future – but it’s often more efficient to at least have a plan before you begin.
Sample Point Names for Asset Properties
If you don’t have human-readable point names, it’s worth putting together a spreadsheet of examples showing the source point names for some of your properties. For example, your weather-station might have the ambient temperature available from the SCADA system as WS_AMB_TEMP, or it will be in your historian as MODB_12.AMTEMP.
It’s very common for the list of properties to grow as a project does, so this list is rarely complete – but having a few examples to work with at the beginning of the project helps validate that data is flowing.
Site Maps
Because ARDI works with location, it is very useful to have to-scale site maps available so we can accurately place assets.
Product Transition/Split Names (Optional)
If any product is being transformed/sorted/filtered/screened/split etc, human-readable names for the various products that come out of the machines. Often, a single processing machine (such as a crusher) may output several different types of product – such as oversized, crushed and fine product. Tanks often have overflows, and pumps may re-circulate. Having names for these ‘splits’ in your diagrams can help when creating relationships.