You can use the Import Utility to create wiring data in Smart Instrumentation. Wiring data import includes wiring items such as panels, cable, wires, and so forth, and includes various wiring connections, signal propagation, and I/O assignments. In the Smart Instrumentation database, wiring data is defined at a <plant> level. This means that you do not have to specify the import level when defining import link properties because the default import level is <plant>. In the Smart Instrumentation Domain Explorer, wiring items that you import appear in the appropriate wiring item category folders displayed at a <plant> level. It is possible, however, to import wiring items at a <unit> level if needed. For example, if you want device panels and device cables to appear in the <unit> to which the associated instrument tags belong, you need to import the device panels and device cables items at a <unit> level. In the Domain Explorer, you can then filter the imported panels and cables per <unit>.
Smart Instrumentation allows you to use non-unique wiring item names. This is, however, not possible in the Import Utility because the default table definitions used in import links require name uniqueness. If you are an advanced user, you can define a new table definition to enable the software to import items with non-unique names.
Smart Instrumentation allows you to import complex wiring item hierarchies.
If you imported data incorrectly into your <plant>, you might have to delete your plant or spend a lot of time fining the problems manually. Because wiring data import involves data insertion into so many tables and because wiring data import links are likely to be complex due to a large number of mapped columns in various tables, we recommend that you create a special domain where you can check the import results. After you are satisfied with the results, you can export the import links and then import them into the domain into which you want import wiring data. For details, see Moving Links Between Databases or Domains.
You can either import wiring data using the Single table import method or Single table import method + reference tables. Selecting the method for wiring data import largely depends on your import source. If your import source includes several files with wiring item definitions, for each file, you can create an individual single-table import link as you require. Single-table links are easy to manage and troubleshoot. If your import source is complex and contains, for example, panels with corresponding cables for each panel, you can include reference tables into the link.
A link whose properties include data insertion into reference tables allows you to import wiring data into a specific table that you selected when creating the link and import data into any related table depending on your import source. Note, however, that such a link opens more slowly than a single-table link due to a large number of reference tables that a given wiring table has Also, when running such a link, you are more likely to come across various errors due to the mapping complexity. Troubleshooting these errors may be time consuming. In any case, before importing wiring data, familiarize yourself with the structure of wiring items in the Smart Instrumentation Demonstration database.
You can import most of your wiring data by running just three complex links created for the following tables: PANEL_STRIP_TERM, WIRE, and WIRE_TERMINAL. When importing data into the PANEL_STRIP_TERM table and its reference tables, you can import all related panel information such as panels, terminal strips, terminals, and so forth. When importing data into the WIRE table and its reference tables, you can import all the related cable information such as cable sets, wires, wire colors, and so forth. When importing data into the WIRE_TERMINAL table and its reference tables, you can import all the connections between panels and cables. You can create a link group with these links and import all your panels, cables and connections in batch mode.
The Wiring module is unavailable for assigning to an import link.