OSI PI ACE (Advanced Calculation
Engine)
PI ACE is a PI server module that provides an
environment to execute custom code that is triggered by time or by a
change in one or more PI tags. PI ACE is an Advanced Calculation Engine,
which provides a more powerful solution than the PI Performance Equation
(or PE) module. The Performance Equations are expressions defined within
the ExDesc attribute of special PI Performance Equation tags, which is
appropriate for simple calculations. PI ACE is custom code developed in
Microsoft Visual Studio and executed within the PI ACE scheduler, thus it
can perform calculations and a whole lot more...
With the full power of Visual Studio, PI ACE
'calculations' have the world at their disposal:
- Convert a PI tag from one engineering unit to
another (LB to KG) dynamically as a PI tag value changes.
- Write control limits into PI tags when a
product changes.
- Monitor a relational database and copy data
into PI when new records are added (ex. lab results or cost figures from
Accounting).
- Write records into a relational database when
an event occurs (ex. production goes down)
- Update the module database from external data
(ex. equipment capability properties following an equipment calibration)
PI ACE is designed to handle complex code that is
event or time triggered. The designer can control which code is executed
together and which is independent so you don't get stuck with one
calculation interfering with other calculations.
With the heart of PI ACE in a formal code
development tool (Visual Studio), you can properly manage the code, group
related code together, and apply software versioning. OSI provides a
wrapper to implement your calculation code, so you concentrate on the
logic specific to the calculation you want to perform and OSI takes care
of the implementation on your behalf. This is a tremendous
improvement over Performance Equations when you have complex logic (ex.
conditional logic, external data sources, and many lines of code that
would best be managed in an environment where you can organize it and
properly comment it).
Automated Results has developed a core expertise
in OSI PI process historians including PI ACE. Having developed our own
advanced calculation engine prior to PI ACE, we appreciate the effort and
the design issues that went into developing this powerful module.
We have 12+
years experience with the design, installation, configuration, and
customization of OSI PI. We have worked with small 2000 point
systems and large distributed 250,000 point systems.
For more information about PI ACE, go to www.osisoft.com or give Automated Results a call
at: (888) 326-8404 | 
