Project settings Statistics

The statistics function records any variables over long periods of time and displays them as a chart. The recording runs in the controller and is independent of whether the Studio is connected. The data is stored in a database on the controller's storage medium (pt2020_statistic.db) and is therefore retained after a restart. Please observe the notes at the end of this article.

Call: menu Project settings - Statistics

This window is used both to define what is recorded and to load and display the data that has already been recorded.

Layout of the window

Area	Meaning
Toolbar	Top edge of the window. Contains the buttons for loading, exporting and deleting the data as well as the setting for the maximum number of records.
Tabs (groups)	Left area. The variables to be recorded can be split into several groups, each group has its own tab with its own table.
Table of variables	List of the variables of the selected group with name, address and line colour.
Chart	Right area. Shows the loaded data of the currently selected group. The separator between table and chart can be moved with the mouse.

Procedure

Open the window via Project settings - Statistics. The variables window is displayed automatically.
If required, create a group with the + button at the top right of the tabs. If no group exists yet, one must be created first.
Drag variables from the variables window into the table with the mouse. Several variables can be dragged at the same time. The comment of the address is adopted as the name.
Double-click a variable (or context menu Properties) and set up the recording, above all Trigger and Time type.
The context menu entry Automatic colours assigns a different line colour to every variable of the group.
Set Max. data sets recording to match the desired recording period.
Use Apply to send the settings to the controller. The recording is restarted immediately with the new settings.
Later use Load data to fetch the desired period from the controller and evaluate it in the chart.

Important: The Ok button only stores the settings in the project, they are not sent to the controller. To make the controller record with the changed settings, use Apply or transfer the project to the controller. Cancel discards all changes made in the window.

Toolbar

Button	Function
Export	Opens the data table of the variable selected in the table (see Data and export). The button is only active when a variable is selected and only shows previously loaded data.
Load data	Loads recorded data from the controller. A menu for selecting the period opens (see Load data). An existing connection to the controller is required.
Delete all recordings	After a confirmation prompt, deletes all recorded data in the controller. The settings of the variables are retained. The operation cannot be undone.
Help	Opens this help page (F1 key).
Max. data sets recording	Maximum number of records in the database of the controller, range 1,000 to 99,999,999. If this number is exceeded, the oldest records are deleted. The limit applies to the whole recording, not to each variable. The approximate memory requirement is displayed next to it, calculated with about 194 bytes per record.

If a connection exists, the title bar of the window shows the actual number of recorded data sets and the size of the database. The values are requested when the window is opened.

Groups (tabs)

The variables can be split into several groups, for example temperatures, energy and shading. The chart always shows only the variables of the currently selected tab. The recording itself always covers all variables of all groups.

Operation	Function
+ (top right)	Creates a new group. The name is requested and can be chosen freely. A maximum of 32 groups is possible.
- (top right)	After a confirmation prompt, deletes the selected group together with the variables it contains.
Move	Context menu of the table. Moves all selected variables to another group. The entry is only available if more than one group exists.

Table of variables

Operation	Function
Add variables	Drag variables from the variables window into the table. The + button below the table or the context menu entry Add address displays the variables window for this purpose. A maximum of 1,024 variables is possible.
Delete variables	- button below the table or context menu Delete address. All selected variables are removed. The data already recorded for these addresses is retained in the controller.
Check mark in front of the name	Only controls whether the variable is displayed in the chart. All variables of the table are always recorded. The display can therefore be changed at any time without losing data.
Line column	Shows the line colour. A double-click on this column opens the colour selection directly.
Double-click	A double-click on any other column opens the properties of the selected variables.
Single click	Selects the corresponding address in the variables window. A click on the check mark immediately shows or hides the line in the chart.
Context menu (right mouse button)	Contains the entries Properties, Data, Automatic colours (assigns a different colour to every variable of the group), Move, Add address and Delete address.

Properties of a variable

The dialog is opened by double-clicking the variable or via the context menu Properties. If several variables are selected, the settings are applied to all selected variables. The values of the first selected variable are displayed; the name is only applied to this one variable, all other parameters apply to all selected variables.

Parameter	Description
Name	Any name, used in the table and in the chart. When a variable is added, the comment of the address is adopted.
Only write commands	Only telegrams with a write command are recorded. Without this option, answers to read requests (responses) are recorded as well. The option is switched on by default.
Line colour	Colour of the line in the chart. The button opens the colour selection.
Line thickness	Thickness of the line in the chart, range 1 to 255. The dot size of the individual measured values also depends on this value.
Line type	Linear: The data points are connected by a straight line, this is intended for recording analog values. Rectangle: The value is held until the next data point, this is intended for recording bit values. When a variable is added, the type is selected automatically: addresses of type EIS 1 get Rectangle, all others Linear.
Minimum / Maximum	Limit for the display. Faulty outliers that would otherwise make the scaling of the chart useless can be limited with this. This setting has no effect on the recording. If minimum and maximum are equal, the limitation is not active.
Factor	The recorded value is multiplied by this factor for the display, for example 0.001 to show watts as kilowatts. The value 0 is ignored, in this case no multiplication takes place. The default is 1. The recording itself is not changed.
Offset	This value is added after the factor for the display. It can be used to compensate a zero point shift, for example. The recording itself is not changed.
Trigger	Defines when a value is recorded, see trigger in detail. Telegram: Recording on every telegram. Change: Recording when the value changes. Time: Cyclic recording at the configured point in time. Time+change: Cyclic recording at the configured point in time, but only if the value has changed.
Difference	Only visible with trigger Change and Time+change. The value is only recorded once it has changed by at least this amount compared to the last recorded value. With 0 every change is recorded. A sensible difference, for example 0.5 for a temperature, reduces the amount of data considerably.
Time type	Only visible with trigger Time and Time+change. Defines the time interval of the recording: Free: Fixed interval in seconds, see Time seconds. Minute: On every full minute. Hour: On every full hour. Day: On the change of day. Week: On the change of week. Month: On the change of month. Year: On the change of year. After a restart of the controller the recording starts with the next point in time.
Time seconds	Only visible with time type Free. Interval of the recording in seconds, adjustable from 1 to 99 seconds. The value 0 is treated as 60 seconds by the controller.

Trigger in detail

Trigger	Behaviour in the controller
Telegram	Every telegram on the address is recorded, even if the value has not changed. This setting creates the largest number of records and is mainly intended for diagnostics.
Change	On every telegram the new value is compared with the last recorded one. A record is only written if the difference is at least the configured difference. Recommended setting for bit values (EIS 1).
Time	Independently of the telegrams, the current value is always recorded at the configured point in time. This produces a continuous curve with an even spacing, even if the value does not change for a long time.
Time+change	Like Time, but a record is only written if the value has changed by at least the configured difference since the last recording. This setting is the best compromise between meaningful data and data volume and is preset automatically together with the time type Minute when an analog variable is added.

Load data

The Load data button fetches the recorded data from the controller. An existing connection is required; if the controller is not connected, a message is displayed. All recorded addresses of the selected period are always loaded, displayed are the variables of the currently selected group.

Selection	Period
1 / 6 / 12 / 24 hours	The last 1, 6, 12 or 24 hours from the current point in time.
Day	The current day from 00:00 to 23:59.
Week	The current week from Monday to Sunday.
Month	The current month from the first to the last day.
Year	The current year from the first to the last day.
Select date and time	Opens a dialog in which the start (From) and the end (To) can be set freely.

The progress is displayed during the transfer, large periods can take some time. Before loading, the current settings of the window are adopted into the project.

Chart

Operation	Function
Mouse wheel	Zooms the time axis in and out.
Dragging with the mouse	Moves the displayed time range. The vertical axis remains unchanged.
Mouse pointer in the chart	Shows the value and the point in time of the current mouse position as a tooltip.
Scaling	The vertical axis is scaled automatically over all visible lines, with an addition of 20 percent upwards and downwards.

When the group is changed or a check mark in the table is changed, the chart is redrawn immediately. The data does not have to be loaded again for this.

Data and export

The context menu entry Data or the Export button opens the loaded records of the selected variable as a table. If no data is loaded for this variable, a message is displayed.

Column	Content
Date / Time	Point in time of the recording.
Source	Physical address of the sender of the telegram.
Destination	Group address of the recorded variable.
Value	Recorded value. Factor and offset are not included here, the original value is displayed.
Service ID	Service of the controller the telegram originates from.
Command	Type of the telegram: READ, RESPONSE or WRITE.

The Export button in this window saves the table as a CSV file. The columns are separated by semicolons.

Notes

The recording runs in the controller. The Studio is only needed for configuring and evaluating.
The data is collected in the controller and written to the storage medium once per hour and when the recording is stopped. It is also saved before the data is loaded in the Studio.
The controller has a Micro SD card as memory. Generally only a limited amount of data can be written to flash memory because the flash wears out over time. Therefore suitable triggers and differences should be set for the recording so that not too much data is recorded.
For the standard SD card it is recommended to record no more than 20,000 data sets per month on a permanent basis. More data can be recorded in the short term for diagnostics.
How many records are recorded can be determined by recording for a certain time and then connecting to the controller. The title bar shows the number of records and the size of the database.
If more data is to be recorded, the controller can optionally be equipped with an industrial memory card. With this option there are no limitations on the data sets and an extended warranty on the storage medium.
Recorded are telegrams with a write command and answers to read requests. Other telegrams, for example the read requests themselves, are never recorded.
With the triggers Time and Time+change, the recording only supplies usable values after a restart of the controller once at least one telegram has been received for the address.
The statistics are independent of the telegram monitor and of the function block Block Statistics, these record their own data.