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<h1 style="text-align: center;">Alarms <br> (AuditTrail>Alarms<br>(Audit Trail and NotificationsAlerts)</h1>

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Key Concepts and Terms

Below is a list of key concepts essential to understanding the Alarms Module.

AlarmItem

A tag

AlarmItem

monitored by the Alarm Module

, containing information such as

tag name,

alarm condition

,

AlarmGroup

,

Limit, Deadband, and Message

.

AlarmGroup

Collection of AlarmItems sharing properties such as AckRequired

and AutoAckTime.

AlarmArea

Hierarchical grouping of AlarmGroups

for better organization.

Audit Trail

Logs changes and events when executing the solution, tracking who made changes and when. Useful

Audit Trail

for troubleshooting, analysis, and compliance

.

Understanding the Alarms Module

When an alarm is triggered, it can be acknowledged by any user (with matching access level) through the AlarmViewer. 

Examples: Tag properties, AlarmGroup or AlarmItem's runtime properties.

Module Features

• The AlarmViewer Control presents active alarms and their state changes on the screenControl and AlarmAreas Control for displays.
• Real-time alarm processing to quickly identify and respond to critical events.
• Organizing and managing alarms in a hierarchical structure for enhanced flexibility and control.
• Hierarchical alarm managementIt considers universal time and daylight saving time for accurate timestamps.
• Dynamic language localization of alarm messages for easy understanding.for messages
• High-precision timestamps up to 0.1ms for accurate and reliable data.
• Custom notifications (e.g., SMS, email)
• Store and Forward archiving
• Automated replication in hot-standby scenarios

Monitoring Tags and Evaluating Conditions

The Alarms functionality allows users to evaluate if tag values are set to their specific conditions in real-time. Notifications can be sent to users or automatic actions can be taken based on set conditions.

To monitor tags users can set up conditions to evaluate. For example, a user can set up a condition to trigger an alarm if the value of a tag exceeds a certain threshold. Also, it's possible to trigger automation with a ScriptTask through the property "Alarm.Item.<AlarmID>.State.” 

Conditions can be based on a variety of factors, such as tag values, tag quality, or any object property.

When the Module Alarm is execution, all tags defined on AlarmItems are subscribed, so the alarm conditions are evaluated every time the tag as new value. 

If a condition is reached, the alarm is issued, according to the behavior defined by its AlarmGroup. Notifications are sent if enabled to that group.

Configuring the Alarms Module

Configuration Workflow

Configuring the Alarms Module

Configuring Alarms includes the creation of AlarmItems associated with the tags in the solution. The ones that share common characteristics might belong to AlarmGroups and then hierarchically structured  with AlarmAreas.

Alarms Module Configuration Workflow
Action	Where	Comments
Create AlarmItems	Alarms → / Items	Create an AlarmItem.  It will be associated with a tag by inserting the tag's name into the Tag Name column. Learn more at AlarmItems.
Define conditions	Alarms → / Items	Define the alarm behavior, configuring the Condition to trigger the alarm and the Limit for the threshold value. Learn more at AlarmItems.
Create or edit AlarmGroups	Alarms → / Groups	Define the AlarmItems that share common characteristics and use them to define several alarm attributes. Learn more at AlarmGroups.
Create or edit AlarmAreas	Alarms → / Areas	Create a hierarchically structured group of Alarms. Learn more at AlarmAreas.
Define settings	Alarms → / Global Settings	Configure database settings for logging alarm events, behavior upon system startup, and specific alarm handling parameters. Learn more at Global Settings.

Pre-Defined AlarmGroups

The Alarms module provides a predefined AlarmGroup to quickly configure alarms for common applications. These groups have pre-configured properties that make it easier to create and configure alarms for standard purposes.

To use a predefined AlarmGroup, you simply need to select it from the list of available groups and configure additional properties as needed. 

The pre-defined AlarmGroups are:

• Critical: High Priority Alarms that requires acknowledgement and History logging.
• Warning: Medium Priority Alarms and Low Priority Alarms, which don't require acknowledgment, but are logged.
• Audit Trail: Alarms and Events that don't show on Operator Displays, but are records on the History log.

AlarmHistorian Database on Datasets

The Alarm Historian database is where the Alarms module stores all alarm events and audit trail information. The AlarmHistorian database can be defined using datasets, which allows for easy configuration and modification of the database properties. The datasets can define the database connection settings, the schema of the database tables, and the properties of the alarm events and audit trail entries.

Working with the Alarms Module

Once you have set up your AlarmGroup, AlarmArea, and AlarmItem, you can use the Alarms module to monitor your process and respond to any changes in conditions.

Runtime Execution

You can control the Alarms Module execution while running your solution. You can Run, Pause, or Stop the Alarms Module directly from the platform. 

Access Runtime → / Runtime Diagnostics to find the tools you can use to control the module.

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Monitoring the Alarms Module Execution

The Alarms Monitor lets you see real-time information about the module when the solution is running. It showcases total, unacknowledged, active alarms, their priority, and the most recent alarm notification.Additionally, the Runtime Diagnostic provides additional information from the modules through three essential diagnostic tools:

• Module Information 
• Property Watch
• Trace Window

→ Read → Read more about Alarms Monitor

Intra-Module Interaction

The Alarms module can be integrated with other modules to enhance its functionality. For example, the Display module can be used to display alarms on a graphical screen, and the Reporting module can be used to generate reports that include alarms and their details. Additionally, the Scripting module can be used to handle alarm notifications, as well as to create custom alarms and modify the runtime behavior of the Alarms module.

Visualizing Alarms on Displays

The Displays module can be used to create displays that visualize alarms in real-time. The alarms can be displayed in tables, custom graphics, objects and others with the ability to sort and filter based on various alarm properties. The displays can also include interactive components, such as acknowledging alarms and displaying alarm details, to allow operators to quickly respond to alarms.

→ Read more about the AlarmViewer Control and AlarmAreas Control.

Handling Notifications with Scripts

The Scripting module can be used to create custom scripts that handle alarm notifications. These scripts can define the behavior of the Notification Method property of the AlarmGroup, allowing for more customized notifications based on the type and severity of the alarm. The scripts can also define notification methods beyond the built-in options, such as sending emails or SMS messages. 

→ Read more about  Alarm Email Notifications

Alarm Historian Database definition on Datasets

The Alarm Historian database is where the Alarms module stores all alarm events and audit trail information. The AlarmHistorian database can be defined using datasets, which allows for easy configuration and modification of the database properties. The datasets can define the database connection settings, the schema of the database tables, and the properties of the alarm events and audit trail entries.

External System Interaction

The Alarms Module can send alarm notifications through emails or SMS messages. 

→ Read more about Alarm Email Notifications

Advanced Alarms Module Topics

The Alarms module also includes several advanced features and options to further customize its functionality.

• Custom Alarm States
• Filter Based on Condition
• Configure Active Alarms During Specific Times 
• Define Custom Properties for Alarm Events and Audit Trail Entries. 

These advanced features provide additional flexibility and control over the Alarms module's behavior.

Advanced Configuration

The Alarms Module can be customized to meet specific requirements. The following are some of the settings that can be customized:

Customizing Alarm Sounds

Sets the sound played when an alarm goes off.

→ Read more about

at AlarmGroup Sounds

.

Alarms Advanced Topics

Alarm Execution Process

Presents in the detail the processes when executing the Alarm Engine. 

→ Read more about Alarm Execution Process

Alarm Runtime Attributes

The Alarms Namespace exposes properties and methods from the .NET objects used by the Alarm Module execution.

→ Read more about Alarms Runtime Attributes

Anchor
BestPractices BestPractices

In addition to the global settings, the Alarms Module can be customized further by creating AlarmGroup, AlarmArea, and AlarmItem. These can be used to group and organize alarms based on specific criteria.

The Alarms module provides a predefined Alarm Group to quickly configure alarms for common applications. These groups have pre-configured properties that make it easier to create and configure alarms for standard purposes.

To use a predefined Alarm Group, you simply need to select it from the list of available groups and configure additional properties as needed. 

Some common Alarm Groups that may be available, include:

Using predefined Alarm Groups can save time and effort in configuring the Alarms module. Additionally, you can customize these predefined groups or create new ones as needed to fit your specific requirements.

Alarms Runtime Attributes

Access Alarms Namespace to see the properties of the alarm server. You can also find two more objects and its properties, they are as follow:

• The Alarm Group object has the list of all defined Alarm Groups and their properties.
• The Alarm Item object has all Alarm Items and their properties.

The tag properties are connected with the Alarms module. See the example below:

Example

 Tag.Tagname.Hi.Limit

 Configuration and runtime status of the HI Limit condition for the tag. The naming of all tag properties follow this same method.

Best Practices and Troubleshooting

Best Practices and Recommendations

To ensure the smooth operation of the Alarms module, follow these best practices:

• Use clear and descriptive names for Alarm Group, Alarm Area, and Alarm Item.
• Configure alarms with proper priority and severity levels.
• Use deadbands and delays to prevent alarm flooding.
• Regularly check and maintain the alarm configuration.
• Configure notifications and acknowledge alarms in a timely manner.

Common Issues and Solutions

The Alarms module may encounter some issues in its operation. Here are some common issues and their solutions:

Alarm not firing

Check the tag name, condition, and alarm item configuration. Ensure the tag is valid and the condition is met.

Alarm not acknowledged

Check the alarm acknowledgement configuration. Ensure that the alarm acknowledges property is set and the acknowledgement timeout is not expired.

Database connection error

Check the database connection string and ensure that the database is reachable.

Alarm flooding

Check the alarm configuration and ensure that the deadband settings are properly configured.

Notification not received

Check the notification configuration and ensure that the notification method is properly set.

In this section: