Data Manager
10.4 Searching for Objects in the Data Manager
For further information please refer to10.5(Editing Data Objects in the Data Manager).
10.4 Searching for Objects in the Data Manager
There are three main methods of searching for objects in the data base: Sorting, searching by name and filtering.
10.4.1 Sorting Objects
Objects can be sorted according to various criteria, such as object class, name, rated voltage,..., etc.
Sorting according to object class is done using the Edit Relevant Objects for Calculation icon on the toolbar ( ). The user may select a particular class of calculation-relevant object (e.g. synchronous machine, terminal, general load, but not graphics, user settings etc.) to be displayed in a browser.
Further sorting can be done according to the data listed in a table- either in the data manager or in a browser obtained using the procedure described above. This is done by clicking on the column title. For example, clicking on the column title ’Name’ in a data browser sorts the data alphanumerically (A-Z and 1-9). Pressing it again sorts the data Z-A, and 9-1.
Tabulated data can be sorted by multiple criteria. This is done by clicking on various column titles in a sequence. For example, terminals can be sorted alphanumerically first by name, then by rated voltage and finally by actual voltage by pressing on the titles corresponding to these properties in reverse-sequence (actual voltage ˇErated voltage ˇEname). A more detailed example follows:
Suppose that you have executed a load flow calculation and that, for each rated voltage level in the network, you want to find the terminal with the highest voltage. These terminals could be identified easily in a table of terminals, sorted first by rated voltage and then by calculated voltage. Proceed as follows:
• Perform the load flow calculation.
• Select the ElmTerm from the ’Edit Relevant Object for Calculation’ dialogue .
• Include, in the Flexible Data page tab, the terminal voltage and nominal voltage (see10.6).
• In the table (Flexible Data page tab), click on the title ’u, Magnitude p.u’ to sort all terminals from highest to lowest calculated voltage.
• Then click on the title ’Nom.L-L Volt kV’ to sort by nominal voltage level.
• Now you will have all terminals first sorted by voltage level and then by rated terminal voltage.
10.4.2 Searching by Name
Searching for an object by name is done either in the right-hand pane of the data manager or in a data browser. To understand the procedure below, notice that the first column contains the symbols of the objects in the table. Clicking on such a symbol selects all columns of that row, i.e. for that object. The procedure is as follows:
• Select an object in the table by clicking on any object symbol in the table (if one object was already selected then select a different one).
• Now start typing the object name, which is case sensitive. Notice how the selection jumps as you type, For example, typing ’T’ moves the selection to the first object whose name starts with T, etc.
• Continue typing until the selection matches the object that you are looking for
10.4.3 Using Filters for Search
Advanced filtering capability is provided with the ’Find ˇE’ function . A filter is normally defined to find a group of objects, rather than individual objects (although the latter is also possible). Advanced search criteria can be defined, e.g. transmission lines with a length in the range 1km to 2.2km, or synchronous machines with a rating greater than 500MW etc.
The function is available in both the data manager and a data browser. Clicking on ’Find ˇE’ in the data manager allows the user to apply a predefined filter or to define a new filter, called ’General filter’. If a new filter is defined, the database folder that will be searched can be defined. Clicking on ’Find ˇE’ in a data browser allows the user to define a General Filter for objects within the browser.
General Filters defined by the user are objects stored in the Changed Settings ∖ Filters folder.
The options in the General Filter dialogue window are now explained with reference to Figure10.4.1:
Name: Name of filter.
Object filter: This field defines either the complete or a part of the search criteria, and is optional.
Examples are as follows:
• *.ElmSym: Include element objects of the class synchronous machines.
• *.TypSym: Include type objects of the class synchronous machines.
• Lahney.*: Include all objects with the name Lahney.
• Lahney.Elm*: Include all element objects with the name Lahney.
• D*.ElmLod: Include all load element objects whose names start with D.
• A drop down list providing various object classes can be accessed with .
Look in: This field is available if a filter id defined within the data manager. It allows the user to specify the folder in the database that will be searched.
Check boxes:
• Include Subfolders will search the root folder specified as well as the subfolders in the root folder. The search can be stopped at the matching folder.
• Relevant Objects for Calculation will include only those objects considered by the active study case (if no study case is active the search is meaningless and no search results will be returned).
• Area Interconnecting Branches will search for branch elements that interconnect grids.
Figure 10.4.1: General Filter dialogue
10.4. SEARCHING FOR OBJECTS IN THE DATA MANAGER
TheOK button will close the search dialogue, but save the filter object to the Changed Settings∖Filters folder. This makes it available for further use. TheCANCEL button will close the dialogue without saving the changes. This button is useful if a search criterion (filter) will only be used once.TheAPPLY button starts the actual search. It will scan the relevant folders and will build a list of all objects that match the search criteria.
Once the search is complete a list of results is returned in the form of a new data browser window. From this browser, the returned objects can be marked, changed, deleted, copied, moved, etc. . . .
Advanced search options allow more sophisticated expressions as search criteria. These are specified in the Advanced page of the General Filter dialogue (Figure10.4.2). The filter criterion is defined in terms of a logical expression, making use of parameter names. Objects will be included in the data browser if, for their parameters, the logical expression is determined to be true. An example of a logical expression is ’dline >0.7’. The variable dline refers to the length of a transmission line, and the effect of such a filter criterion is to limit the data in the browser to transmission lines having a length exceeding 0.7 km. The logical expressions can be expanded to include other relations (e.g. >=), standard functions (e.g.sin()), and logical operators (e.g. .and.).
Note: Parameter names can be object properties or results. The parameter names for object proper-ties are found, for example, by letting the mouse pointer hover over an input field in an object’s dialogue window. Parameter names for result variables are found from variable sets, which are described in Section17.4(Variable Sets).
Figure 10.4.2: Filter dialogue - Advanced
“Search Literally" is used to search for user defined strings ’inside’ parameter fields. For example, perhaps the comment ’damaged but serviceable’ has been entered for some elements in the network.
This may be searched for as shown in Figure10.4.3. All parameter fields will be searched for this string.
Figure 10.4.3: Searching literally
As stated before, the objects matching the filter criteria are displayed in a data browser. They may also be highlighted in the graphic using the ’Color representation’ function described in Chapter9: Network Graphics (Single Line Diagrams). The colour to be used in this case can be specified under the page
’Graphic’ of the General Filter dialogue window.
Note: New a filters are saved to the Project∖Changed Settings∖Filters folder in the project and are available for use directly, using the right mouse menu. If a search is to be performed in a particu-lar grid simply proceed as follows: right-click the grid folder → Find → Local Filters→ Filter Name (e.g. Lines longer than 700m). Remember to press theApply button to perform the search. If you unchecked the Show Filter Settings before Application box under User Settings → General then the filter will be applied as soon as it is selected from the menu. This is useful when you have already defined several filters for regular use.