Relational Columns - "P1:Tagname"

Instrument Manager can resolve relationships to lookup data from other records. Relationships are stored in Instrument Manager by storing the table and IDX value of the related record. Each type of relationship is assigned a letter and number code. For a relationship assigned the letter code 'P' and the number '1', the table and IDX are stored in the columns P1_Table and P1_IDX. This relationship can be used by specifying "P1:" before a column name from the related record.

For example: For the relational column "P1:Tagname", Instrument Manager will reference the record from the table specified in P1_Table, that has the IDX value specified in P1_IDX. From that record it will fetch the data from the "Tagname" column.

Multiple relationships can be chained together, e.g. "C1:P1:Tagname". Read these from right-to-left as follows: fetch the tagname (Tagname) of the parent (P1) of the component (which would be a terminal) connected via C1 to the component record that is your point of reference (which would be a wire or a cable-core/conductor).

The column specified can itself be a relational column alias. For example, if AREA is an alias of the relational column P1:Tagname, then the relational column C1:<AREA> is equivalent to C1:P1:Tagname.

Relationship Codes used by Instrument Manager

Some of the letter and number codes for relationships are known and maintained by Instrument Manager. Any letter or number code that is unknown to Instrument Manager can still be used to fetch relational data.

Delimiter special meaning for " : " and " | "

The meaning and function of the delimiters in relationships are important. You need to understand how these operate before using them. The colon and the vertical bar have opposite meanings when used in relationships.

The colon tells the program that you wish to use data from a second record that is pointed to by the relational column in the first and primary record. For example "P1:" for a device (where the device is the primary record of reference) will refer to the enclosure containing the device; the tag record of the device will have a P1_IDX column that points to the enclosures record.

The vertical bar tells the program that you wish to use data from a second record that POINTS to the first and primary record with its P1_IDX column. For example "P1|" for a device (where the device is the primary record or reference) will refer to the first terminal of the device. The tag record of the first terminal will have a P1_IDX column that points to the tag record of the device.

The colons and bars work in all relationships, not just the parent-child ("P") relationship that has been used in the examples above.

Reverse relationships

There are multiple forms of reverse relationship, described below, and each form can often be used to fetch the same data. Generally you can use the form that you prefer.

For example: "P1+2|Tagname", "~P1+2:Tagname", "K1+2:Tagname" and "K3:Tagname" all fetch the "Tagname" field from the same record.

To fetch data from a terminal group as child of a device card you must use a "Gn" relationship because the reverse of the "P1" relationship from the device would find the terminals, not the terminal groups. "G1+1:Tagname" and "G2:Tagname" will both fetch the "Tagname" from the same second terminal group record.

Special relationship codes

Code	Relationship	The related record:
P1:	Parenting	The tag record of the "parent" or "container" component of the main component.
P1|	Child	This shows the first child of a containing parent item, for example a cable's first core / conductor. The child relationship is signalled by the "|" (vertical bar) delimiter. If you need the second child you can index the children by an offset from the first ( P1 | = P1+0 | ) e.g. P1+3| is the fourth core / conductor of a cable. See also Siblings. This is a generalised reverse lookup and can be used for relationships other than P1, for example, "A2|" is the reverse of the association "A2:".
~P1:	Child	This shows the first child of a containing parent item, for example a cable's first core / conductor. The child relationship is signalled by the "~P" indicating a reversed P lookup. If you need the second child you can index the children by an offset from the first e.g. ~P1+1: is the second core / conductor of a cable. See also Siblings. This is a generalised reverse lookup and can be used for relationships other than P1, for example, "~A2:" is the reverse of the association "A2:".
K3:	Child	This shows the third child of a containing parent item, for example a cable's third core / conductor. The child relationship is signalled by the "K". A "K" child relationship always indicates a child by a "P1" relationship; it cannot be used as a generalised reverse lookup. For a generalised reverse lookup, use "~Xn:" or "Xn|" described above. Note: Use T1:, T2: etc to fetch the terminals in a terminal group - see below. "K" child relationships are special shorthand for the reversed "P1" relationship, therefore the reverse of any "K" relationship (e.g. "K3:") is always "P1:".
G3:	Terminal group (child)	This shows the third terminal group of a device, for example a PLC card's third I/O channel. The terminal group child relationship is signalled by the "G". A "G" child relationship is used specifically for terminal groups; it cannot be used as a generalised reverse lookup. This special "G" child relationship is the only way to get the terminal groups of a PLC card, instrument or device. Both terminal groups and terminals link to their parent component by P1: but the generalised reverse of that, "~P1:", will always resolve to the terminals of the component, not to its terminal groups. Note: Use T1:, T2: etc to fetch the terminals in a terminal group - see below. The reverse of any "G" relationship (e.g. "G3:") is always "P1:".
R1:	Ratings	The ratings record for the main component.
R2:, R2>...:	External data	A record from an external P&ID database table linked to the component. See below for a description of relationships that fetch data from external P&ID database tables linked to Instrument Manager.
D1:	Loop Diagram	The record of the loop diagram to which the component is assigned.
D2:	Datasheet	The record of the datasheet to which the component is assigned.
D3:	Hook-up Diagram	The record of the hook-up diagram to which the component is assigned.
D4:	Terminal Strip Diagram	The record of the terminal strip diagram to which the component is assigned.
L1:, L2:, L3:, ...	Component - custom loop	The record of the component that is assigned to a link on a custom loop diagram. These custom loop relationships are always resolved from the loop diagram. E.g. "L2:" is the "second component assigned to the loop diagram".
L1+1:, L1+2:, ...	Sibling - custom loop	The record of a sibling of the component that is assigned to a link on a custom loop diagram. E.g. If L3: refers to a terminal from a terminal strip, then L3+1: refers to the next terminal of that strip. Sibling relationships occur most often in custom loop formulae, but they can be used with relationships other than Ln. See below for more information about sibling relationships.
C1: and C2:	Connection	Two terminal records to which a wire or cable core / conductor is connected. These connection relationships are always resolved from the conductor.
T1:, T2:, T3:, ...	Terminals in a terminal group	Each terminal assigned to this terminal group. Compare this to K1:, K2: etc which fetch the child terminals of an instrument, device or terminal strip. A terminal group is not the parent of the terminals, therefore the Kn relationship does not apply. Instead the terminal group has its own Tn link to the terminals in its group.
U1.[prfx].[sfx].[comptype]:	Component in same loop	The record with the same LOOP NUMBER and a user supplied ISA prefix and an optional suffix. The U1 code is always provided with one or two parts of text separated by the "." (period) character. For example "U1.FIT.A:" The first text part [prfx] provides the desired record's ISA prefix, in our example "FIT". The second text part [sfx] provides the desired record's suffix, in our example "A". The optional third text part [comptype] specifies the Component_Type of the desired record, in the event multiple tag records of different types match by tagname. For example, with an instrument named FIT100A, and a cable also named FIT100A, the relationship U1.FIT.A.Cable: would reliably select the cable, if the current record's tag was CV100. Instrument Manager will use the original record's loop number and build a tag name with these 3 parts. For example if the current record's tag was CV100 and the relationship was "U1.FIT.A:", then the tagname would be constructed as FIT100A and this component's record would be located by Instrument Manager. The U1: relationship is not reversible ( ~ | ) and cannot be sibling numbered. The U1: relationship can only be applied to components in the Tag_Tags table.
A2:, ~A2:	Association between components	The record of the associated component, e.g. an instrument, to which a device is associated. The A2: association is used between any types of "main" component: instruments, devices, terminal strips and I/O cards. Use ~A2: to query the association in the reverse direction. For instruments or other components with the same loop number, e.g. FIT100 and FE100, you should consider using the U1 Loop Number relationship.
A11:, A12:, A13:, ...	Association with a user type	The record of the user-defined component, e.g. a tank, line or valve, to which the component is associated. A different numbered relationship is used for each user-defined type and that numbered relationship is specified in the INI file that defines the user type, see User Defined Component Types.
~A11:, ~A12:, ~A13:, ...	Reverse of association with a user type	The record of a component that is associated to the user-defined component (tank, line, valve, ...). Since multiple device, instrument or other components can link to any one user-defined component, a sibling relationship is valid with reversed association. e.g. Where ~A11: is the first instrument linked to a tank or vessel, ~A11+1: is the second instrument, ~A11+2: is the third instrument, and so on.
A10:	Association with a PLC I/O channel	The record of the PLC I/O channel, a terminal group, to which this instrument is assigned.
~A10:	Reversed association	The record of the instrument that is assigned to this PLC I/O channel, a terminal group. This is a reversed A10 lookup.
A100:, ~A100:	Association between terminal groups	The record of a PLC I/O channel (a terminal group), or the record of an input or output terminal group on an instrument or device. Use A100 in preference to A10 if an instrument has multiple groups of terminals that each connect to a different PLC I/O channel. Each terminal group link to an I/O channel can then use its own A100 link, whereas there is only the one A10 that the instrument can make to link to an I/O channel. Use ~A100: to query the association in the reverse direction.
PJ:	Project Data	The one and only record of the ProjectData table - a global table from which you can fetch project-wide data without any requirement for a relationship to a component.
PJ:R2:	External Project Data	The global project data record from an external P&ID database table linked to the component. See below for a description of relationships that fetch data from external P&ID database tables linked to Instrument Manager.

Sibling relationship - L5+2:

If the primary component to which a relationship refers has a parent, then you can fetch a "sibling" of that primary component from its parent (another child of the parent) by specifying a sibling number after the relationship (e.g. "+2") before the relationship delimiter (i.e. before the ":" or "|").

For example, if "L5:" refers to a terminal from a terminal strip, then "L5+2:" refers to the third terminal of that strip. "L5+0:" refers to the first or primary component, i.e. the same as "L5:".

The sibling number is particularly useful for custom loop links ("L" relationships), and reverse relationships ("Pn|", and "~Pn:") which are usually used to fetch child components such as terminals of devices.

Sibling ordering

Generally the next sibling will be identified in the order of the IDX column of the records. You have the option to order the siblings by their Tagname or by any column of your choice.

If you put a single 'A' after the sibling number in the relationship, then the next sibling will be identified in alphanumeric order by the Tagname column. For example: "~P1+2A:" will fetch the third child in name order. The same ordering can be applied to the 'K' relationship, for example "K3A:" will fetch the third child in name order, the same child as the previous example.

You can also specify your own choice of ordering column after the sibling number in the relationship. For example "~P1+2Function:" or "K3Function:" will both fetch the third child as they appear when sorted alphanumerically by the Function column.

Data from External P&ID Database Tables - R2: and R2>...:

When an external P&ID database table is linked to components in Instrument Manager, you can fetch data from that external table using a similar relationship to fetching data from the standard ratings record for a component.

Data from an external P&ID database table is linked to the tag record of the component via the R2 link, where R2_Table contains the name of the external table and R2_IDX contains the value from that table that identifies the correct record to fetch (the "primary key" value for that table).

Note: R1 fetches data from the Instrument Manager ratings table linked to the component and R2 fetches data from an external P&ID database table linked to the component.

Note: If fetching P&ID data is turned OFF then relational columns linking to external P&ID data will return a blank value.

Examples

R2:LoopNumber

If an "Instrumentation" table from a P&ID database was linked to Instrument Manager, then the relationship R2:LoopNumber would fetch the value from the "LoopNumber" column of that Instrumentation table of the P&ID database for use in Instrument Manager. Compare this to #R1:Size#, which would fetch the value from the "Size" column of the standard ratings table in the Instrument Manager database.

The P&ID database may contain data separated into various tables linked by a common primary key. In the Instrument Manager relationship you can specify which table contains the column you wish to query by adding a ">" and specifying the name of the table before the ":".

R2>EngineeringItems:ClassName

Following from the previous example where the "Instrumentation" table from a P&ID database is linked to Instrument Manager, this relationship fetches the value from the column "ClassName" from a different table, "EngineeringItems". Both the "Instrumentation" and "EngineeringItems" tables should use the same primary key to identify their records. The value to find in that primary key column is fetched from the column "R2_IDX" from the tag record of the component in the Instrument Manager database.

The P&ID database may contain data in a different table that uses a different column to identify the records. In the Instrument Manager relationship you can specify the alternate key column by adding a "," and specifying the name of the column before the ":".

R2>PnPDataLinks,RowID:RowClassName

Following from the first example where the "Instrumentation" table from a P&ID database is linked to Instrument Manager, this relationship fetches the value from the column "RowClassName" from the row identified by the column "RowID", from the table "PnPDataLinks". The value to find in the column "RowID" is fetched from the column "R2_IDX" from the tag record of the component in the Instrument Manager database.

The relationships may be chained together to fetch data from a P&ID database table that is linked within its own database via a linking table. Reading the relationship from left-to-right, each part fetches the key value to identify the record for the next part.

R2>PnPDataLinks,RowID:DwgID>PnPDrawings,PnPID:Dwg Name

Following from the first example where the "Instrumentation" table from a P&ID database is linked to Instrument Manager, this relationship fetches a value from the column "Dwg Name" from the row identified by the column "PnPID", from the table "PnPDrawings". The value to find in the column "PnPID" is fetched from the column "DwgID" from the row identified by the column "RowID" from the table "PnPDataLinks". The value to find in the column "RowID" is fetched from the column "R2_IDX" from the tag record of the component in the Instrument Manager database.

See also

Folder Settings

Output Diagram Templates

Editing Templates

Aliases