====Property Flow====

Certain [[physical relationships|physical relationships]] in ARDI can be configured to allow [[properties|property]] values to //flow// through them.

{{inherited_measurements.png}}

For example, you have the below length of pipework containing a //temperature sensor//, //pressure sensor// and a //filter//.

Each of these components is an [[asset|asset]] and they are all linked by a 'Water Supply' [[relationships|relationship]].

When a user accesses the [[dashboard|dashboard]] for the 'Filter' asset, ARDI looks upstream for inherited measurements - in this case, it finds Pressure and Temperature in upstream devices.

This allows people - particularly field personnel and operators - to get an educated guess as to what may be flowing through assets that don't measure the information locally. 

===Property Flow and Rates===

Measurements that are //rates// (ie. rate of flow) are treated slightly differently to other properties when they flow.

When you split a pipe filled with water, the //temperature// and //pressure// remain the same along both branches.

However, a rate such as //flow rate// doesn't - it's **split** across the two.

Because of this, ARDI will not flow a rate measurement down a line that contains forks and branches. If you have branches that don't consume your media (ie. no flow will ever pass down the line due to a dead-end), then you can use the [[monitors|monitors]] relationship to let ARDI know this (see the how-to guide [[property_flow_with_relationship_forks|property flow with relationship branches]] for more details).

===Property Flow Options===

You can choose //which// properties flow through relationships by [[ardiadminguide:managing_properties|editing your properties]].

It is very important to ensure that any property that represents a rate (ie. has 'seconds', 'minutes', 'hours' etc. in its units) is marked correctly. 

===Asset Flow Options===

Some assets may include the [[non-return|non-return]] property (set in the [[ardiadminguide:detail_flowcontrol|flow details]] page), which prevents properties from flowing down past that point. This is because conditions can be radically different on the other side of a non-return valve, and ARDI does not want to mislead users.