DIAdemTM. Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

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1 DIAdemTM Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited December D-01

2 Support Support Worldwide Technical Support and Product Information ni.com National Instruments Corporate Headquarters North Mopac Expressway Austin, Texas USA Tel: Worldwide Offices Australia , Austria , Belgium , Brazil , Canada , China , CzechRepublic , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , India , Israel , Italy , Japan , Korea , Lebanon , Malaysia , Mexico , Netherlands , New Zealand , Norway , Poland , Portugal , Russia , Singapore , Slovenia , South Africa , Spain , Sweden , Switzerland , Taiwan , Thailand , United Kingdom For further support information, refer to the Technical Support and Professional Services appendix. To comment on National Instruments documentation, refer to the National Instruments Web site at ni.com/info and enter the info code feedback National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited. All rights reserved.

3 Important Information Warranty The DIAdem is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 90 days from the date of shipment, as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace equipment that proves to be defective during the warranty period. This warranty includes parts and labor. The media on which you receive National Instruments software are warranted not to fail to execute programming instructions, due to defects in materials and workmanship, for a period of 90 days from date of shipment, as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace software media that do not execute programming instructions if National Instruments receives notice of such defects during the warranty period. National Instruments does not warrant that the operation of the software shall be uninterrupted or error free. A Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from the factory and clearly marked on the outside of the package before any equipment will be accepted for warranty work. National Instruments will pay the shipping costs of returning to the owner parts which are covered by warranty. National Instruments believes that the information in this document is accurate. The document has been carefully reviewed for technical accuracy. In the event that technical or typographical errors exist, National Instruments reserves the right to make changes to subsequent editions of this document without prior notice to holders of this edition. The reader should consult National Instruments if errors are suspected. In no event shall National Instruments be liable for any damages arising out of or related to this document or the information contained in it. 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The warranty provided herein does not cover damages, defects, malfunctions, or service failures caused by owner s failure to follow the National Instruments installation, operation, or maintenance instructions; owner s modification of the product; owner s abuse, misuse, or negligent acts; and power failure or surges, fire, flood, accident, actions of third parties, or other events outside reasonable control. Copyright Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation. In regards to components used in USI (Xerces C++, ICU, and HDF5), the following copyrights apply. For a listing of the conditions and disclaimers, refer to the USICopyrights.chm. This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation ( Copyright 1999 The Apache Software Foundation. All rights reserved. Copyright International Business Machines Corporation and others. All rights reserved. NCSA HDF5 (Hierarchical Data Format 5) Software Library and Utilities Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. All rights reserved. Onix Search and Retrieval Tools, Copyright , Lextek International, Trademarks National Instruments, NI, ni.com, LabVIEW, and DIAdem are trademarks of National Instruments Corporation. Refer to the Terms of Use section on ni.com/legal for more information about National Instruments trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. Members of the National Instruments Alliance Partner Program are business entities independent from National Instruments and have no agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship with National Instruments. Patents For patents covering National Instruments products, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your CD, or ni.com/patents. WARNING REGARDING USE OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS (1) NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED WITH COMPONENTS AND TESTING FOR A LEVEL OF RELIABILITY SUITABLE FOR USE IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH SURGICAL IMPLANTS OR AS CRITICAL COMPONENTS IN ANY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS WHOSE FAILURE TO PERFORM CAN REASONABLY BE EXPECTED TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT INJURY TO A HUMAN. (2) IN ANY APPLICATION, INCLUDING THE ABOVE, RELIABILITY OF OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE PRODUCTS CAN BE IMPAIRED BY ADVERSE FACTORS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO FLUCTUATIONS IN ELECTRICAL POWER SUPPLY, COMPUTER HARDWARE MALFUNCTIONS, COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE FITNESS, FITNESS OF COMPILERS AND DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE USED TO DEVELOP AN APPLICATION, INSTALLATION ERRORS, SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS, MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES OF ELECTRONIC MONITORING OR CONTROL DEVICES, TRANSIENT FAILURES OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS (HARDWARE AND/OR SOFTWARE), UNANTICIPATED USES OR MISUSES, OR ERRORS ON THE PART OF THE USER OR APPLICATIONS DESIGNER (ADVERSE FACTORS SUCH AS THESE ARE HEREAFTER COLLECTIVELY TERMED SYSTEM FAILURES ). ANY APPLICATION WHERE A SYSTEM FAILURE WOULD CREATE A RISK OF HARM TO PROPERTY OR PERSONS (INCLUDING THE RISK OF BODILY INJURY AND DEATH) SHOULD NOT BE RELIANT SOLELY UPON ONE FORM OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEM DUE TO THE RISK OF SYSTEM FAILURE. TO AVOID

4 DAMAGE, INJURY, OR DEATH, THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER MUST TAKE REASONABLY PRUDENT STEPS TO PROTECT AGAINST SYSTEM FAILURES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BACK-UP OR SHUT DOWN MECHANISMS. BECAUSE EACH END-USER SYSTEM IS CUSTOMIZED AND DIFFERS FROM NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS' TESTING PLATFORMS AND BECAUSE A USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER MAY USE NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PRODUCTS IN A MANNER NOT EVALUATED OR CONTEMPLATED BY NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING AND VALIDATING THE SUITABILITY OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS WHENEVER NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE INCORPORATED IN A SYSTEM OR APPLICATION, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE APPROPRIATE DESIGN, PROCESS AND SAFETY LEVEL OF SUCH SYSTEM OR APPLICATION.

5 Contents About This Manual Writing Conventions...ix Chapter 1 Working with DIAdem DIAdem Panels DIAdem User Interface DIAdem Introduction Screen Videos and Examples Documentation and Web Support NI License Manager Chapter 2 Finding and Managing Data Mining External Data Extending the Search Entering Search Criteria Configuring a DataFinder Navigating in Data Stores Adding Data Stores Loading Data from Files and Data Stores Special Data Formats Managing Internal Data in the Data Portal Working with Channels Creating New Channels Numeric Channels, Waveform Channels, Time Channels, and Text Channels Organizing 2D Data and 3D Data Editing and Creating Data Properties Saving Internal Data Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Using Standard Functions Calculating Formulas in the Calculator Entering Formulas Calculating with Channels Calculating with Variables and Single Values National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited v DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

6 Contents Calculating in Scripts Calling Standard Functions Calculating Your Own Formulas Assigning Single Values Using Variables Program Variables Auxiliary Variables User Variables Calculating with Invalid Values Function Libraries Basic Mathematical Functions Channel Calculation Functions Curve Fitting Functions Signal Analysis Functions Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) Digital Filters Frequency-Weighted Acceleration Order Analysis Statistics Functions Classification Functions Rainflow Classification D Analysis Functions Crash Analysis Functions Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Viewing and Editing Data Worksheet Design Editing Layouts Viewing Data as Curves Evaluating Curves Enlarging Curve Sections Editing Curves Evaluating Videos and Curves Synchronizing Videos and Data Editing Data in Channel Tables Using Text and Graphics for Design Documenting Data Creating a Report Worksheet Design Using the Chart Wizard Editing Objects Displaying Objects DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation vi ni.com

7 Contents Numeric Format Editing Layouts Inserting Report Objects Inserting Axis Systems D Axis Systems Polar Axis Systems D Axis Systems Inserting Tables D Tables D Tables Adding Text and Comments Simple Text Text Objects Comments Inserting Graphics and Lines Displaying Measurement Data on 3D Models Creating Scenes with 3D Models Evaluating Scenes Saving Scenes, Presentations, and Layouts Inserting Measurement Data, Models, Videos, and Graphics Models Measurement Data Videos Graphics Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Working with Scripts Creating Scripts Executing Commands Using Variables Program Variables VBS Variables Auxiliary Variables User Variables Calculating Formulas Controlling the Script Sequence Readability and Reusability Creating User Interfaces Calling Program Dialog Boxes Creating User Dialog Boxes Defining User Dialog Boxes Controlling User Dialog Boxes National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited vii DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

8 Contents Special Script Functions Defining User Commands Evaluating a Series of Files Communicating with Other Applications Accessing Objects in DIAdem NAVIGATOR Accessing Objects in DIAdem VIEW Accessing Objects in DIAdem REPORT Appendix A Configuring DIAdem Appendix B DataPlugins Appendix C DIAdem Files Appendix D Technical Support and Professional Services Index DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation viii ni.com

9 About This Manual Writing Conventions The DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis and Report Generation manual describes the structure of DIAdem as well as how to use the DIAdem functions to find data, to run analyses, to generate reports, and to compile all the functions into a script. Read the Getting Started with DIAdem manual to familiarize yourself with DIAdem. Read the DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis and Report Generation manual for more information about the functions and features in the DIAdem panels. While you are working in DIAdem you can refer to all functions, variables, and commands in the DIAdem help. The DIAdem manuals are available in Portable Document Format (PDF) in the online help and on the DIAdem CD. To open the manuals in the help, select Help»Contents and click Related Documentation on the first page. The following conventions are used in this manual: <> Angles brackets indicate a key you press to perform a function, for example, <Ctrl> for the control key.» The» symbol leads you through nested menu items and dialog box options to a final action. The sequence File»Page Setup»Options directs you to pull down the File menu, select the Page Setup item, and select Options from the last dialog box. This symbol denotes a tip, which alerts you to advisory information. This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important information. bold italic Bold text denotes items that you must select or click in the software, such as menu items and dialog box options. Italic text denotes emphasis, new terms, a cross reference, or an introduction to a key concept. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited ix DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

10 About This Manual monospace Text in this font denotes text or characters that you should enter from the keyboard, formulas, sections of code, programming examples, and syntax examples. This font is also used for the proper names of disk drives, paths, directories, programs, subprograms, subroutines, device names, functions, operations, commands, variables, controls, events, methods, filenames and extensions, and code excerpts. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation x ni.com

11 Working with DIAdem 1 DIAdem Panels DIAdem is the interactive National Instruments software for finding and managing technical data, mathematically and visually analyzing the data, and presenting the data in reports. You search for data on your computer drives or in the network, and navigate in data files and databases to drag and drop the found files into DIAdem. You view the loaded data to decide which data you run mathematical analyses on. You present calculation results in a report. If you frequently use one method to evaluate data, you generate a script that automates your evaluations in DIAdem. DIAdem consists of several panels. Each panel deals with a particular type of task. For example, if you want to record data in a report, you use at least two panels. Use DIAdem NAVIGATOR to find and load data and use DIAdem REPORT to display the loaded data in a report. You switch panels using the panel bar, which is always visible on the left of the screen. All panels work with the data from the Data Portal. DIAdem VIEW, DIAdem ANALYSIS, and DIAdem SCRIPT can modify data and store the results in the Data Portal. You can display and edit the contents of the channels in channel tables in DIAdem VIEW. DIAdem SCRIPT combines all the panel functions in scripts. You can use scripts to create your own applications that process your tasks automatically. If LabVIEW is installed on your computer, you can start it by clicking the LabVIEW button in the panel bar. Refer to the DIAdem CD or to ni.com/diadem for the LabVIEW DIAdem Connectivity VIs, which you can use to document LabVIEW measurements in a DIAdem report. DIAdem INSIGHT is a separate program, which maps measured data on a 3D model as color and deformation. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 1-1 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

12 Chapter 1 Working with DIAdem DIAdem User Interface When you select a DIAdem panel, the user interface changes for quick access to the functions you want. Each DIAdem panel has its own group bar to the right of the panel bar. Click a function bar button in the group bar and select the function you want when the function bar opens. The workspace also changes with the DIAdem panel and displays a folder hierarchy or a worksheet. Each panel has its own toolbar and menus, which contain frequently-used functions. To generate a report, select DIAdem REPORT in the panel bar. Select the 2D axis systems group bar to open the function bar with the predefined 2D axis system definitions. Click the 2D axis system with frame button, which is shown on the left, in this function bar. The function bar disappears and a small rectangle appears at the cursor. Click and drag open a frame where you want to have the 2D axis system in the worksheet. Select the channels to be displayed in the Data Portal, and drag and drop the selected channels into the axis system. DIAdem displays the channels as curves. Double-click the axis system to open the dialog box where you define the display. The settings are grouped into subject areas on several tabs. You can use the shortcut menu to change the presettings for the functions in the function bars. For example, if you often calculate the arithmetic mean and the standard deviation, select the DIAdem ANALYSIS panel. Click the Statistics group bar to expand the function bar. Right-click the Descriptive statistics button. Select Default setting in the shortcut menu. Click All off in the dialog box and select the two characteristics Arithmetic mean and Standard deviation. Click Change. Now click the Descriptive statistics button, and the dialog box is preset with the arithmetic mean and the standard deviation. The bottom function bar is the same in all the panels. You can assign your own scripts to this function bar and then use the scripts in all panels. You also can call these scripts using the keyboard. For example, press <Shift-F1> to call the script assigned to the first button. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 1-2 ni.com

13 Chapter 1 Working with DIAdem DIAdem Introduction Screen Videos and Examples Documentation and Web Support When you launch DIAdem, the DIAdem introduction screen appears. The introduction screen has videos and examples that you show you how to work with DIAdem. The information about DIAdem includes tips for newcomers and for advanced users, and gives you links to further information on the Internet. If the introduction screen does not appear when DIAdem launches, select Help»Introduction to open the introduction screen. Use the Don t show this screen again checkbox to specify whether DIAdem displays the introduction screen the next time DIAdem starts. If you do not want the introduction screen to appear the next time you launch DIAdem, select Don t show this screen again. Select Help» Introduction to open the introduction screen while you are working in DIAdem. The brief videos demonstrate how to use DIAdem successfully. You can control the video using the player bar below the video. Use the slider control to run the video from any point, for example, to repeat a certain section of the video. Select Examples»Find Examples to automatically load examples for data analysis, for generating reports, and for creating scripts. The examples in the table of contents include simple solutions and complex applications. Click Start example in the description of the selected example, to run the example. Press <Esc> to stop an example. Click Copy example files to use the files as a template for your own solutions. Refer to "Resources" for a list of the DIAdem manuals, descriptions of the new features in DIAdem, and various Web links. Select New to DIAdem?»Getting Started with DIAdem to open the Getting Started manual on the screen. Refer to the Manuals folder in the DIAdem installation folder for further manuals and documents. You need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the PDF files. You can download the Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Web site Select Additional Resources»DIAdem Help to open the DIAdem help. The DIAdem help gets you started with DIAdem and helps you to use National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 1-3 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

14 Chapter 1 Working with DIAdem NI License Manager functions and to automate your tasks. The DIAdem help offers procedures and dialog box help for each panel, as well as a programming reference for creating scripts. A procedure is a step-by-step description of the solution to your task. Complete the steps to learn how to work with the described functions. Select Additional Resources»DataPlugins Downloads and Information to download DataPlugins from the National Instruments Internet site with the same name. DataPlugins are file filters for loading or saving file formats in DIAdem. Refer to Appendix B, DataPlugins, for more information about DataPlugins. The NI License Manager helps you manage your NI software product licenses. To work with DIAdem after your Evaluation version expires, select Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI License Manager and enter your serial number. To add new DIAdem components, select Help»Activate license and expand your license. The NI License Manager only enables functionality that is included in your license. For example, your license might not allow you to use 3D functions in DIAdem REPORT and DIAdem ANALYSIS. The buttons in the function bars are dimmed if the 3D functions are not included with your license. You must license another DIAdem package to access the 3D functions. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 1-4 ni.com

15 Finding and Managing Data 2 Mining External Data Use DIAdem NAVIGATOR to find, to load, and to manage data. You use the DataFinder to browse data files on your PC and in the network. With the file browser you navigate external data in data files and in databases. You load data into the Data Portal, which manages all internal data. The data is arranged in channels, each displaying a data series. All DIAdem panels work with the channels in the Data Portal. In DIAdem NAVIGATOR you use the DataFinder to browse data files on your PC and in the network. In the search results, DIAdem lists the files, channel groups, or channels that it finds. You can drag and drop the found data into the Data Portal or navigate in the files with the file browser. To find data from a series of tests or data relating to a specific subject, enter an appropriate search term in the search input area. For example, if you search for meteorological data, enter Precipitation in the search input area if the data set you want has the word precipitation, for example, as the channel name or in the comments. DIAdem browses through all the data files for the text Precipitation and lists the found data files on the Search results tab. Refer to the section on Configuring a DataFinder for a description of how to specify which file folders are to be browsed. The properties window displays the properties of the selected file, the selected channel group, or the selected channel. Click one of the files found to view the file properties. In the properties window, DIAdem displays file properties such as the filename, path, creation date, name, and author. Drag the top edge of the properties window up to view the entire properties list. To browse in the data sets found, right-click the file that was found in the search results and select Display in file browser. DIAdem opens the file browser and selects the file. The file browser offers a tree view of the file folders that were browsed. In the file folders you can navigate to channel level. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 2-1 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

16 Chapter 2 Finding and Managing Data Extending the Search To execute a search with a precise definition, click Advanced search. In the search input area, you now can enter a more precise search definition and use the AND operator to link several search criteria. For example, if you search for meteorological data that includes a channel called Precipitation, and is more than one month old, specify two lines in the search input area. As soon as you specify a search criterion in one row, DIAdem automatically creates a second row. In the first row, click in the field below Search in and select Channel. Click <Enter a property> in the Properties column and select Name. Click the third column and select the = operator. Double-click <Enter a value> in the Value column and enter Precipitation. In the second row, select File in the Search in column and select Creation date in the Properties column. In the third row, select Date before <= as the operator. In the Value column, first click the displayed date and then click the button with the arrowhead, to open the calendar. Select a date that dates back at least one month. Click Search files to find files that match the search criteria. DIAdem lists the files it found on the Search results tab. You also can search for channel groups and channels. If you want to find channel groups that match the search criteria you have specified, click the arrowhead on the Search files button and select Search groups. On the Search results tab, DIAdem lists only channel groups that have a channel called Precipitation, and of which the files have the specified creation date. If you want to view only the relevant channels in the results, select Search channels. Entering Search Criteria If you enter text in the search input area of the Quick search or in the Value column of the Advanced search, DIAdem automatically displays a list of your previous entries that start with the same letters. You can enter the search text in uppercase or lowercase because the DIAdem search is not case-sensitive. In a Quick search you also can search for fragments if you do not know the complete filename or if the filenames all start with the name of a test series. For example, enter the fragment tr_m17_qt for a test series in which the test program automatically uses the identification of the test series as the filenames of the measurement results. DIAdem finds all the data sets that DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 2-2 ni.com

17 Chapter 2 Finding and Managing Data have the fragment tr_m17_qt at the beginning of a name or at the beginning of another property. In an Advanced search, you must use wildcards to search for fragments. Use a question mark (?) as a wildcard for one character, and an asterisk (*) as a wildcard for any number of characters. To search for the fragment m17, enter *m17*. DIAdem finds all the data sets that have the fragment m17 at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a property. If you search for files with a specific filename extension, enter *.DAT for the filename, for example. In an Advanced search, you can use various operators, depending on the type of property you search for. For text properties such as the Name, you use the = operator, for numeric properties such as the Maximum values, you use the usual comparative operators, for date properties such as the Creation date, you also can use the # operator for the Relative range, where you can select today, yesterday, the last 7 days, the last 14 days, or the last 30 days. Table 2-1. Where to Use the Operators in an Advanced Search Operator Meaning Numeric Date Text = Equal to <> Not equal to 4 4 > Greater than 4 >= Greater than or equal to 4 4 < Less than 4 <= Less than or equal to 4 4 # Relative range 4 The advanced search is based on the hierarchical TDM data model with files, channel groups, and channels. DIAdem links the search criteria in the various rows of the search input area with AND. The search results remain empty if the properties you search for are mutually exclusive. For example, a search for the channel names Name1 and Name2 returns no search results even if you have data sets that have a channel called Name1 and a channel called Name2. If you have loaded data from a test series into the Data Portal and you want to find and compare more data sets from the same test series, you can fill National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 2-3 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

18 Chapter 2 Finding and Managing Data the search input area by dragging and dropping a file, a group, or a channel from the Data Portal into the search input area. You also can drag and drop a property of a file, a group, or a channel from the structure view or the properties window of the Data Portal, into the search input area. If you define a search in several lines and you want to use the definition again later, click Save query on the toolbar to save the entries from your current search. DIAdem saves the parameters of the current search in a file with the filename extension tdq. Click Load query to load a saved query. Click Delete query on the toolbar to specify a new search in the search input area. Click Previous query or Next query on the toolbar if you want to use a previous search. Press <Del> to delete selected rows in the search input area. Configuring a DataFinder You execute the searches described above with the local DataFinder My DataFinder on your computer. You install the DataFinder with DIAdem. The DataFinder function bar has the local DataFinder My DataFinder and three buttons to which you can assign remote DataFinders from other computers by selecting Default setting from the shortcut menu. Use My DataFinder to execute a search with the local DataFinder in folders on your computer or in the network. You cannot delete the local DataFinder and you cannot create additional local DataFinders. To edit the settings of the local DataFinder, select Settings»DataFinders in the menu bar. Select My DataFinder and click Properties. In the properties of the local DataFinder you configure the search area and the indexing of the data files. You also can see which data formats the DataFinder includes in the search. Search areas are the folders of the file system in which the DataFinder searches for files. On the Search areas tab you select the folders that the DataFinder browses. You can name and delete search areas and specify the order in which DIAdem displays the search areas in the file browser. You can exclude subfolders from the search. You also can use the shortcut menu of the file browser to create and to limit search areas. The DataFinder only can search for files in the search area if it indexes the files first. Click the Indexer tab in the DataFinder properties dialog box to specify when and how often the DataFinder indexes the search areas. In the file browser, DIAdem displays an hourglass next to files and search areas that the DataFinder has not yet indexed. On the DataPlugins tab you see which filename extensions the DataFinder includes in the data search. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 2-4 ni.com

19 Chapter 2 Finding and Managing Data Navigating in Data Stores Open the information area in the task bar on the bottom right and right-click to open the shortcut menu of the DataFinder. Select About to see when the last complete indexing was executed and how many files, groups, and channels are indexed. You also can close, stop, or restart the DataFinder from the shortcut menu. Use a remote DataFinder to use a DataFinder on another computer you are connected to in a network. Select Settings»DataFinders to define a remote DataFinder. In the DataFinder settings you can create and configure remote DataFinders and delete remote DataFinders from the list. To register a DataFinder, click New and select the DataFinder you want from the network. Enter a name for the remote DataFinder. The DataFinder on the other computer must be shared for remote access. After you link the two computers, you can browse the indexed files on the other computer and search for data. You might not be able to load the search results from the remote DataFinder in DIAdem. To load data from the other computer into the Data Portal, you must have read access for that data on the other computer. The search areas of the remote DataFinder also must be defined by UNC path names that are unique within the network. You cannot change the settings for the other computer on your computer. DIAdem NAVIGATOR displays external data stores as a hierarchical structure. You can navigate data stores on your computer, on other network drives, and on all registered databases. In the Data stores function bar in DIAdem NAVIGATOR you can select and open file-based data stores and server-based stores. To load SQL data, open the Data stores function bar and click SQL Example. DIAdem NAVIGATOR opens the SQL example database. You can browse in the database and drag and drop single channels and channel groups into DIAdem. DIAdem copies the channels into the Data Portal and lists all the channels. Use the filter function to limit the displayed data of a server-based data store. Select Filter settings from the shortcut menu to open the dialog box for filter settings. For example, to view all data called Test from a certain date, enter the name test.* and the date the data was saved. When you browse in a file-based data store, you can drag and drop data files to load them, and you can use the shortcut menu of the data file to load single channels and channel groups. DIAdem displays selected channels, National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 2-5 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

20 Chapter 2 Finding and Managing Data channel groups or files that you can load into the Data Portal, with a colored background. Adding Data Stores The settings for the data stores display all the data stores available in DIAdem. You can configure, delete, and select the existing data stores to open the data store in DIAdem NAVIGATOR. You also can add new data stores. To add data stores, select Settings»Data stores. Click New and select, for example, the data store type SQL, to include a new SQL database. Enter a name and the settings. The Data stores function bar has preassigned buttons and three unassigned buttons. You can select Default setting from the shortcut menu to assign all the buttons to other data stores, which makes frequently-used data readily available. Loading Data from Files and Data Stores You drag and drop files, channel groups, or channels from the file browser and from the search results, into the Data Portal. When you drag and drop data into the Data Portal, DIAdem automatically uses the loader associated with the particular data type. If DIAdem cannot automatically load a file, you can specify the loader. Right-click the file and select Open with from the shortcut menu. To speed up work with very large data sets, select Register data from the shortcut menu. DIAdem creates write-protected channels in the DataPortal that refer to the data without loading the data into the internal memory. To edit a registered channel, select Expand channel from the Data Portal shortcut menu. Special Data Formats DIAdem uses many file formats and databases. In the Open with dialog box, you see which data your DIAdem installation can load. You also can import binary data, use the ASAM data service in scripts, and add special data formats. Use the function File»DAT files»import via header to import binary data. To import the data, you create a header file containing information about the data set and the channels. Click Execute in the dialog box to load the channels into the Data Portal according to the header information. Instead DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 2-6 ni.com

21 Chapter 2 Finding and Managing Data of making all the header entries again, you also can load an existing header file and modify it for your binary file. Use the ASAM data service when you use commands for communicating with ASAM databases, in a script. The ASAM data service navigates, reads, and writes in ASAM Transport Format (ATF) files and ASAMcompliant databases. Select File»ASAM data service to open the ASAM data service. Select Settings»Options»Extensions»DataPlugins to load special data formats. A DataPlugin is based on a VBScript that reads data from a file and provides the data for DIAdem. Refer to Appendix B, DataPlugins, for more information about DataPlugins. To register GPI file filters from older DIAdem installations, select Settings»Options»Extensions»GPI extensions. After you register files that have special formats, you can load the files by selecting File»Open, or by selecting Open with from the shortcut menu, or your can drag and drop the files. Managing Internal Data in the Data Portal Working with Channels The Data Portal manages data that you load in DIAdem NAVIGATOR. Every panel in DIAdem works with internal data from the Data Portal. The Data Portal contains numeric channels, waveform channels, time channels, and text channels. The Data Portal organizes channels in groups and displays the properties. DIAdem only loads internal data from the Data Portal temporarily in the workspace. The changes you make to the internal data are not stored until you save the data in a file or a database. DIAdem organizes data in channels: a numeric channel contains measurement values from a sensor, and a time channel contains the associated time values. All DIAdem panels work with channels. For example, you can select two channels from the Data Portal in DIAdem ANALYSIS for an FFT calculation, and in DIAdem REPORT you can use the channel index to select a channel for displaying a curve. Create channel groups to organize channels in the Data Portal. When you load a data file by dragging and dropping the file from DIAdem NAVIGATOR to the Data Portal, DIAdem creates a new channel group. Channel groups help you prepare and describe data for evaluation and National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 2-7 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

22 Chapter 2 Finding and Managing Data presentation. For example, the Emission channel group contains all the channels from a car emissions test. DIAdem designates the last channel group that you load into the Data Portal as the default group. DIAdem stores channels for which you do not specify a channel group, such as the channels calculated in DIAdem ANALYSIS, in the default group. For example, use the shortcut menu to designate the channel group Emission as the default group, and smooth the channel Auto_Exhaust. DIAdem saves the result channel Y_smoothing in the Emission default group. You use the shortcut menu in the Data Portal to edit internal data, single channel groups, and channels. You delete internal data at the root. You can add and delete channels and channel groups, change channel names and channel group names, move channels and channel groups, and copy and load channels into the Data Portal. The structure view in the Data Portal organizes channels hierarchically into channel groups. The list view lists all channels and sorts the channels according to the properties you specify. When DIAdem accesses channels in an axis system or in a calculation, the channel is referenced by the group index combined with the channel name. Select Settings»Options»General to specify the channel reference as another combination of the group name or group index with the channel name or channel index. The group index is the position of the group in the Data Portal and the channel index is the position of the channel in the group. Refer to the section on Calculating with Channels in Chapter 3, Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions for more information about channel references. Creating New Channels DIAdem creates new channels in different ways. DIAdem NAVIGATOR creates new channels when you load data. In DIAdem ANALYSIS, calculations store results in new channels. In DIAdem SCRIPT you can create new channels with script commands for copying channels or for calculating channels. In DIAdem VIEW you can create channels manually. Select Add new channel from the shortcut menu of a channel table. You can enter the data in the channel table or you can use the Generate function to create data series. To create a channel group, select New»Group from the shortcut menu of the Data Portal. Do not use the same name twice for channel groups or for channels of a channel group. DIAdem automatically adds an index to the name. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 2-8 ni.com

23 Chapter 2 Finding and Managing Data Organizing 2D Data and 3D Data Numeric Channels, Waveform Channels, Time Channels, and Text Channels DIAdem works with different channel types: numeric channels, waveform channels, time channels, and text channels. The symbol that DIAdem displays in front of the channel in the Data Portal identifies the channel type. A numeric channel contains acquired values such as the measurement values from a sensor, calculation results, input values, or values loaded from files. DIAdem can use any numeric channel from the Data Portal for calculations and displays. Waveform channels contain the x-part and the y-part of a curve in a channel. The x-part is often the time information that LabVIEW, for example, saves as a linear generation specification with a start value and a step width. The y-parts can be measured values, calculation results, or input values. Use waveform channels in calculations and curve displays as the y-channel and do not specify an x-channel. Time channels contain, for example, the time values of a measurement. In a time channel, DIAdem saves the seconds that have elapsed since the year zero to the current time point. You can specify any format for the display of time data. Use the function Generate time channel to create time channels. A time channel is often the x-channel for calculations and displays of the associated measurement values in numeric channels. Text channels contain text such as observations and comments. DIAdem saves text channels in Unicode format. Unicode characters include Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic characters. Use text channels in tables in DIAdem VIEW and DIAdem REPORT. You can edit text channels in channel tables in DIAdem VIEW. DIAdem works with single channels. To display curves in DIAdem VIEW and in DIAdem REPORT, use one channel or several channels. If you drag and drop one channel into a 2D axis system, DIAdem displays a numeric channel using its index and displays a waveform channel using its x-part. If you drag and drop several channels into a 2D axis system, the first channel selected in the Data Portal is automatically the x-channel of the curves. Even if an axis system already displays a curve, you can still select one or more channels in the Data Portal and add more curves to the axis system. An axis system can simultaneously display several channels individually and as various pairs. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 2-9 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

24 Chapter 2 Finding and Managing Data Editing and Creating Data Properties Saving Internal Data For displaying three-dimensional data, DIAdem REPORT and DIAdem ANALYSIS read data as a matrix or as a triple. A DIAdem value triple consists of three channels: one channel each for the x-value, the y-value, and the z-value. A DIAdem matrix consists of an x-channel, a y-channel, and several z-channels. There number of z-channels must be the same as the number of values in the y-channel. The z-channels must be the same length as the x-channel. In TDM format, DIAdem saves properties and comments with the mass data. For example, the data set properties in DIAdem contain the name of the author and the storage date, the name of the measurement and comments for a channel group, and the data type and the unit for the channels. DIAdem displays the properties in the bottom area of the Data Portal. If the properties do not appear in the Data Portal, click the bottom edge of the Data Portal and drag open the properties window. When you click the root of the tree view in the structure view, the data set properties appear. When you click a group name or a channel name in the Data Portal, the channel group properties appear in the properties area. Double-click property fields to edit the property. Read-only channel properties, such as maximum length, and monotony, appear dimmed in the properties area. Changeable properties, highlighted in white, include name, comment, and unit. You can use the free register variables to save additional information with a channel. You can add properties to channels, to channel groups, and to the data set in the Data Portal. Right-click a channel and select New»Custom property from the shortcut menu to create a new property for this channel. Enter a name and select the data type. The property appears in the structure view and in the Data Portal properties. Click the input field in the properties and enter a value for the new channel property. You can drag and drop the internal data of the Data Portal and save the data. To save all the internal data, drag and drop the root of the structure view into the file browser. To save selected channels, select the channels and channel groups you want to save and drag and drop the selected channels into the file browser. DIAdem saves your data in the folder that you drag and drop your internal data into in the file browser. If you drop data into a data file, DIAdem suggests this filename for the new data file in the Save DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 2-10 ni.com

25 Chapter 2 Finding and Managing Data as dialog box. DIAdem does not create the new data file until you click Save. By default, DIAdem saves data in TDM data format. The TDM data format saves the properties and the binary data in different files with the same names. DIAdem saves the data properties in a text file with the filename extension tdm, and the numeric data in a binary file with the filename extension tdx. The Save as dialog box also offers other data formats as file types for exporting data. Select the DAT format to make the data accessible for applications that can only read DAT files. For example, save the data in DAT format to project data onto models in DIAdem INSIGHT. Select the Excel format to evaluate data with Microsoft Office. The Excel Export Wizard helps you transfer the data structure of the Data Portal in an Excel spreadsheet. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 2-11 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

26 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions 3 Using Standard Functions Use DIAdem ANALYSIS to analyze data in the Data Portal with mathematical functions. The dialog boxes for the standard mathematical functions guide you through the calculation so you do not have to enter a formula. You select the input data and make the settings you want. Use the DIAdem Calculator to define and calculate your own formulas. For complex calculations that are repeated, you can write scripts. Save your results in channels or in variables. DIAdem has extensive libraries of standard mathematical functions in several function bars in DIAdem ANALYSIS. The functions include basic mathematics such as differentiation, signal analysis such as FFT, and 3D analysis such as isoline calculations. To use a standard function, click the button with the function you want. You select the calculation settings in the dialog box that opens. For example, if you want to smooth data, select the Curve fitting function bar and click the Smooth function shown on the left. Drag and drop the Channel that you want to smooth from the Data Portal into the dialog box. Select the Max. smoothing width on one side (no. of points). If you have already used the smoothing function in your current work session, the last calculation settings appear in the dialog box. DIAdem stores the calculation result in new default group channels. You specify the default group in the shortcut menu of the Data Portal structure view. If you select Store result in original channel in the function dialog box, the function stores the result data in the original channel(s). If you call another standard function, DIAdem applies the function to the results of the last calculation. You can use all the numeric channels, waveform channels, and time channels that are in the Data Portal to execute calculations. The DIAdem ANALYSIS workspace shows you which calculations you have run with which channels. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 3-1 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

27 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Standard functions work with one or more channels. If a standard function processes several channels, for example, the Average channels function, a button with three dots appears next to the channel selection field. Select all the channels you want in the Data Portal and drag and drop the channels into the channel selection field. If you execute calculations with waveform channels, you need not specify an x-channel, because the waveform channel contains the x-part. If you do specify an x-channel, the results of the calculation are numeric channels. If a standard function works with several channels, you must use at least one waveform channel to obtain a waveform channel as the result. Which functions you can use depends on which options you have in your DIAdem installation and license. Functions not included or enabled in your installation are dimmed in the DIAdem interface. You can obtain additional function libraries from NI. Calculating Formulas in the Calculator Entering Formulas Use the Calculator to analyze data with your own formulas. In formulas you can connect numeric channels, waveform channels, and time channels and generate new channels. You can use the special text operations for calculating with text channels. You can calculate single values, save values in variables, and request variable values. Open the Calculator with the DIAdem ANALYSIS toolbar button shown on the left. Use the keyboard and the Calculator keys to enter your formula in the entry field. The Calculator displays the calculated result in the result box. A formula consists of the assignment target, the delimiter, and the calculation instruction. Assignment target := Calculation instruction You usually enter a channel as the assignment target. However, you also can calculate a single value and assign the single value to a variable. In the calculation instruction you use operations to connect channels or variables. The tabs at the bottom of the Calculator have numeric operations such as sine functions, Boolean operations such as AND, and text operations such as text length. For example, if you want to calculate the sine values for a channel, doubleclick Sin(Arg) on the Numeric Operations tab to insert the sine function into the Entry field. The cursor in the entry field is automatically DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 3-2 ni.com

28 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions positioned in the argument section of the sine function, so you can doubleclick the channel you want in the Channels tab to paste the channel into your formula. In the Calculator, always use a decimal point as the decimal separator and enclose strings in quotation marks ("..."). Note To use the operations, channels, and variables tabs in the Calculator, click the Extended button. Calculating with Channels For example, to divide the Input channel by the Reference channel from the first channel group, enter the following formula in the Calculator Entry field: Ch("[1]/Result") := Ch("[1]/Input")/Ch("[1]/Reference") DIAdem divides each value of the Input channel by the corresponding value of the Reference channel. If the channels are different lengths, the result channel is the same length as the shorter channel. DIAdem stores the result in the Result channel in the first channel group. If the Result channel already exists in the first channel group, DIAdem overwrites the values. If you enter only the channel name without the group index, DIAdem stores the result channel in the default group of the Data Portal. If you calculate with channels in the Calculator, the channels must have a unique name. By default, DIAdem uses the group index and the channel name to create a unique channel reference. A channel reference can also consist of the group name or the group index combined with the channel name or the channel index. The group index is the position of the group in the Data Portal and the channel index is the position of the channel in the group. If you know the names of the channel groups and of the channels of a data set, and the name of the first group is Group1, enter the following formula in the Entry field: Ch("Group1/Result") := Ch("Group1/Input")/Ch("Group1/Reference") If you know the structure of a data set, you can use the group index and the channel index and enter the following formula in the Entry field: Ch("[1]/[5]") := Ch("[1]/[1]")/Ch("[1]/[2]") National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 3-3 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

29 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Note You also can use only the channel name for the channel reference. However, the channel reference is ambiguous if several channels in different groups of the Data Portal have the same name. Calculating with Variables and Single Values In the Calculator, you can store the values in variables, use variables in calculation instructions, and request variable values. The following examples show how to enter these three alternatives, for example, for the auxiliary variable R1 in the Entry field: You assign the result of the square root of to the variable R1. R1 := Sqrt(8.391) Enter a question mark after the variable name to request the value. The Calculator displays the value in the result box. R1? You multiply each value of the Input channel from the first channel group by the R1 variable and store the results in the Result channel in the default group. Ch("Result") := Ch("[1]/Input")*R1 Tip To calculate a formula without saving the result, enter the calculation instruction in the entry field and a question mark at the end. The Calculator shows the result in the result box. Calculating in Scripts Calling Standard Functions Use scripts to automate complex calculations that you use repeatedly. In scripts, you can calculate standard functions or create your own formulas. A script is a VBS file that DIAdem processes line by line. To enter the following examples, generate a new script in DIAdem SCRIPT and enter the sample lines. Refer to Chapter 5, Automating Sequences, for more information about scripts. In scripts, you can use all the standard mathematical functions available in DIAdem. Use the Call command to call standard functions. For example, to smooth the numeric channel Input with a smoothing width of 12, and store the result in the Result channel in the first channel group, enter the following line in a script: Call ChnSmooth("[1]/Input","[1]/Result",12,"maxNumber") DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 3-4 ni.com

30 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Calculating Your Own Formulas Assigning Single Values In scripts, you also can calculate your own formulas. For example, to divide the Input1 channel by the Reference channel from the first channel group, enter the following line in a script: Call FormulaCalc("Ch('[1]/Result'):= Ch('[1]/Input')/Ch('[1]/Reference')") Use the Call command to call the Calculator function FormulaCalc. Enclose the formula in quotation marks and use the same syntax you use for entering formulas in the Calculator. In scripts, you also can assign values to variables. You define the single value assignment with an equals sign. For example, to assign the square root of to the auxiliary variable R1, enter the following line in your script: R1 = Sqrt(8.931) Tip If you enable the recording mode in the DIAdem SCRIPT toolbar, DIAdem records the standard functions you have called, as well as the formulas you have calculated in the Calculator, with the complete syntax. Using Variables Program Variables DIAdem offers program variables, auxiliary variables, and user variables. Refer to the section on Using Variables in Chapter 5, Automating Sequences, for more information about variables. Use program variables to set parameters for a command in a script. You set these parameters in the same way as you make settings in the dialog box for a standard function. The SmoothWidth program variable specifies the smoothing width for the ChnSmooth command in the standard function Smoothing. Program variables can contain the result of a standard function. For example, the StatArithMean variable contains the arithmetic mean of a channel after the characteristic statistical values are calculated. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 3-5 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

31 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Auxiliary Variables Several program variables are included on the Special Variables tab at the bottom right of the Calculator. These program variables contain information on the loaded channels, such as the maximum value of a channel in the CMax variable. Use auxiliary variables if you need a predefined variable that is not bound to a DIAdem command. In the Calculator, the auxiliary variables are listed on the Single variables and Vectors tabs at the bottom right. You can assign a value to the auxiliary variable in the Variable contents field next to the auxiliary variable. Double-click the name of the auxiliary variable to paste the auxiliary variable into your formula in the Entry field. Use dynamic enumeration variables as text variables to provide various keywords for selection, such as the days of the week. You define a selection list for the dynamic enumeration variable G1 in the G1Var.asc text file. When you click Variable contents for G1 at the bottom right of the Calculator, a selection box with the days of the week opens. User Variables Use user variables if you require project-specific variables that have unique names and special dimensions or data types. You define user variables in a variable collection file, which is a text file with the extension.vas. Unlike the program variables and the auxiliary variables, user variables are not automatically included with the standard DIAdem variables. First, click the Activate user variables file button shown on the left on the DIAdem SCRIPT toolbar to enable the variable collection file. You can then use your user variables in formulas and scripts. Calculating with Invalid Values Measurement devices have a valid range for the measured values, from 0 to 10 volts, for example. During measurements, disturbances sometimes occur in the sensors, causing incorrect values. In DIAdem you can declare these outliers as invalid values. In DIAdem, invalid values are called NoValues. To mark a value manually as NoValue, overwrite the value with NoValue or NV in the DIAdem VIEW channel table. Standard functions exclude NoValues from calculations and the report in DIAdem REPORT does not display NoValues, as is shown in Figure 3-1. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 3-6 ni.com

32 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Amplitude [V] < Error > Amplitude [V] Time [s] Amplitude < NoValues > Time [s] Amplitude Figure 3-1. The Measured Signal with Distortion and with NoValues on the Left, and the Result of a Classification on the Right. You can use NoValues to eliminate entire ranges, not just single values, from a numeric channel, a waveform channel, or a time channel. For example, if you want to eliminate values that are greater than ten in the Sensor channel, because you know that the sensor used does not return higher values, enter the following formula in the Calculator Entry field: Ch("[1]/Sensor") := Ch("[1]/Sensor")+((Ch("[1]/Sensor")>10)*NoValue) The Boolean request Ch("[1]/Sensor")>10 returns 0 or 1. Multiplication by NoValues produces either 0 or NoValues. The result of addition with a channel is either the original channel value or NoValue. This replaces all values greater than 10 with NoValues. This formula uses the following calculation rules for NoValues: 1. If one of the terms in a calculation operation is a NoValue the result is also a NoValue. 10 * NoValue = NoValue 10 + NoValue = NoValue 2. This does not apply for multiplication and division by zero. If one of the factors is 0 the result is also 0. 0 * NoValue = 0 0 / NoValue = 0 NoValue / 0 = 0 National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 3-7 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

33 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Tip You can use the Process NoValues function in the Channel functions bar to delete NoValues in channels or to replace NoValues by linear interpolation of the neighboring values. Function Libraries Basic Mathematical Functions Channel Calculation Functions DIAdem includes an extensive library of standard mathematical functions for analyzing your data. These functions are arranged by category in the DIAdem ANALYSIS function bars: Basic mathematical functions Channel calculation functions Curve fitting functions Signal analysis functions Statistics and classification functions 3D analysis functions Crash analysis functions The Basic mathematics function bar includes standard functions such as addition, multiplication, scaling, reciprocal value calculation, summation, and integration. The Add function adds two or more channels linewise. If you need the reciprocal of each channel value, use the Calculate reciprocal function. The Channel functions bar includes functions such as generating numeric channels and time channels, and converting numeric channels into waveform channels and vice versa. LabVIEW measurements return waveform channels that contain the measured sensor signal and the time information, as a linear generation specification. Because waveform channels already include the x-part, you can calculate and display waveform channels in DIAdem without specifying an x-channel. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 3-8 ni.com

34 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Curve Fitting Functions Signal Analysis Functions The Curve fitting function bar includes functions such as smoothing, envelope curve calculation, regression, approximation, spline calculation, and linear mapping. You can use the various functions in this function bar to calculate a curve from a series of points. The curve reflects the original series of points as closely as possible according to specific criteria. Use the Linear mapping function to recalculate the signals from two measurements with different time channels to a common time basis. Select one of the two time channels as the common time basis, and DIAdem interpolates and extrapolates the missing values. The Signal analysis function bar includes Fast Fourier Transformation, digital filters, frequency-weighted acceleration, and order analysis, which you use to check vibrations for frequency characteristics. Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) Use FFT to transfer signals from the time domain to the frequency domain and back. For example, each button you press on a telephone makes a different sound, each of which consists of two sine oscillations. The exchange receives this tone and can detect which number you have dialed. In the time domain, the sound you create when you dial nine is difficult to distinguish from number five. The exchange runs an FFT on the received sound, because the sounds can be clearly distinguished in the frequency domain. In DIAdem you can calculate the FFT for one time signal, the Inverse FFT for retransformation from the frequency domain into the time domain, the FFT for two time signals - the autocorrelation or the cross correlation, for example. The autocorrelation checks a signal for periodic characteristics by moving a copy of the signal along the signal on the time axis. The cross correlation uses the same method to check two different signals for similarities. The third/octave analysis checks the volume in the frequency domain, not the exact frequency distribution in the signal. The third/octave analysis calculates the sum of the amplitude values in the FFT in standardized logarithmic frequency intervals, as Figure 3-2 shows. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 3-9 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

35 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Ampl_Peak Octave Frequencies Frequency [Hz] Ampl_Peak 10 1 Third Frequencies Octave Third 0.1 Amplitude Frequency [Hz] Figure 3-2. Third Octave Analysis of a Signal Each Octave Consists of Three Thirds. Digital Filters With the Digital filter function, you can attenuate or amplify selected frequency characteristics of a time-related signal. You can choose from various filters, such as lowpass, bandpass, and bandstop, which only transfer certain frequency characteristics of the signal. The allpass filter, which lets through all the frequencies, is for signal delay and correcting phase distortion. You can use the various filters as IIR filters and FIR filters. If, for example, a high-frequency distortion signal interferes with the actual measurement signal, you can filter out the distortion. To do this, enter the highest frequency in the undistorted part of the signal as the limit frequency for the Lowpass filtering mode. The lowpass filters out all the distortion frequencies above this limit. Frequency-Weighted Acceleration The functions in Frequency-weighted acceleration are for calculating the extent to which measured vibrations affect the human body, in vehicles and at the workplace. For example, to test the extent to which vehicle vibrations affect drivers, you can mount various vibration sensors on the seat and use the Frequency-weighted acceleration function to analyze the acceleration signals measured. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 3-10 ni.com

36 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Order Analysis The Order analysis functions compare the frequencies in a signal to a reference frequency. The calculated order gives the multiple from the measured signal to the reference frequency. For example, the second order means that the analyzed frequency is double the reference frequency. As shown in Figure 3-3, you can calculate order analysis in the time domain or in the frequency domain. FFT Spectrum Amplitude Frequency 2. Order 4. Order 6. Order Order RPM Order Spectrum Amplitude RPM 0 0 Order Statistics Functions Figure 3-3. Order Analysis in the Frequency Domain (above) and in the Time Domain (below). Use order analysis to analyze noises and vibrations that are measured in engines and engine components. In engine acceleration tests, the relation between the vibration and the RPM is more important than the vibration frequency over time. The Statistics function bar has the Descriptive statistics function for calculating the characteristic statistical values, such as the mean, the quantile, and the dispersion values. For example, you are testing the pressure resistance of cement. You run pressure tests on 25 blocks and measure the pressure under which the blocks crush. From the test results, you can calculate the arithmetic mean, the standard deviation, and the lowest and highest pressure. DIAdem saves the calculated characteristic values in a channel and in the appropriate program variables, StatArithMean, StatDeviation, StatMin, and StatMax. You can National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 3-11 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

37 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Classification Functions enter these variables as text in DIAdem REPORT, so you can always record the latest characteristic statistical values in your report. The Statistics functions bar includes classification functions for determining frequency distributions for measured values. DIAdem divides the value range into classes, and counts how many measured values each class contains. For example, you want to compare a series of test rig engine tests and driving engine tests. You select the required oil changes as the criterion. You count the oil changes per thousand kilometers and classify your results. Figure 3-4 presents the counts as curves and the classification results as a histogram. Compound classification classifies two related channels simultaneously, not just one channel. The result of compound classification is a 3D matrix. You can use Reducing classification if you want to classify one or more channels that correspond to the signal, not the signal itself Amplitude Classes Amplitude Classes December Sum Figure 3-4. Classifying Two Test Series DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 3-12 ni.com

38 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions 3D Analysis Functions Rainflow Classification Rainflow classification tests signals, in particular strain-time functions for special events such as overshooting strain levels or strain changes. If you want to test the duration of a spring, you prepare a test schedule that subjects one hundred springs to vibrations ranging from 10 Hz to 10 khz. You count the number of strain runs until the spring breaks. In the rainflow matrix, you enter the runs in relation to the vibrations. You can display the results as a matrix. Use the 3D analysis function bars to display your measurement data threedimensionally. For a characteristic diagram of an engine, similar to Figure 3-5, DIAdem calculates the contours and the boundary curve from engine data. Eff. Pressure [bar] PRed BEff RPM [1/min] Figure 3-5. Characteristic Diagram with Isolines for Engine Performance and Fuel Consumption over RPM and Densification You can organize 3D data as triples or matrices in DIAdem. DIAdem executes the Calculate contour lines function with data in matrices or triples. For 3D displays such as matrices, contours, or waterfall displays, DIAdem requires a matrix structure, and it requires a triple structure to display a 3D curve. The 3D basic functions include functions for converting a triple structure into a matrix structure, and vice versa. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 3-13 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

39 Chapter 3 Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions Crash Analysis Functions The Crash analysis function bar contains functions for analyzing measurement data from vehicle safety tests. You can use the functions to calculate standardized injury criteria. For example, use the Head Injury Criterion to assess head injuries, the Neck Injury Criterion for the neck area, the Viscous Criterion for the chest area, and the Tibia Index for the lower leg area. The calculations are executed in accordance with the current SAE, ISO, and NHTSA specifications. For digital phaseless filtering, you can choose from CFC60, CFC180, CFC600, CFC1000, and FIR100. The example Crash Evaluation Based on the MME Standard shows an analysis of test data for vehicle safety, with a report. You can start this application example in the DIAdem help. This example uses a script to guide you through the analysis of a front or side impact in three steps. Figure 3-6 shows the report for the head acceleration in a frontal impact. Figure 3-6. Crash Evaluation of a Frontal Impact DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 3-14 ni.com

40 Displaying Data in Graphs 4 Viewing and Editing Data Worksheet Design DIAdem provides several panels for displaying data. Use DIAdem VIEW to view and to edit data. You document and present data with DIAdem REPORT. You can use DIAdem INSIGHT, which is a separate program, to project measured data or simulated data onto 3D models. Use DIAdem VIEW to inspect and to edit the data in the Data Portal. Curves in 2D axis systems give you an overall view of characteristics of the channels. You examine the curves with a curve cursor, zoom curve sections, and delete or replace curve points. You list numeric channels, waveform channels, time channels, and text channels in channel tables where you can view and edit single values. If you modify curves or edit channels, DIAdem saves the changes in the Data Portal. If you have recorded a video of the test simultaneously with the recording of the data, you can compare the video with the data, which is displayed as curves. You can illustrate the view of your data with diagrams and text. You can combine axis systems, channel tables, videos, text, and graphics in your worksheet. To do this, you partition the worksheet. The function bars have templates for partitioning the worksheet into varying numbers of sections in different positions. For example, if you want to display your data as a curve in an axis system and list the numeric values in a channel table, divide the worksheet into two areas. Open the Preset worksheet partitioning function bar and click the 2D axis system/horizontal channel table button shown on the left. DIAdem inserts an axis system in the top area and a channel table in the bottom area. To display a curve, select a channel in the Data Portal and drag and drop the channel into the axis system. DIAdem VIEW displays a numeric channel with its index and a waveform channel with its x-part. To display one or more curves over one x-channel click the x-channel first in the Data Portal, for example, Time. Then <Ctrl>-click the numeric National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-1 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

41 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs y-channels, for example Pressure and Temperature. Drag and drop these channels into the axis system. DIAdem VIEW displays the pressure and the temperature as curves over time. If you drag a channel group into an axis system, DIAdem automatically selects the first channel in the channel group as the x-channel. If you drag and drop several waveform channels into an axis system, DIAdem displays the waveform channels over their x-parts. To list your data, select the channels you want or select entire channel groups or the data set, in the Data Portal. Drag and drop the channels into the channel table. DIAdem VIEW lists each channel in a column, with the channel name as the heading. Editing Layouts You can load a prepared layout as a view template. The layout file contains the description of all the areas and references to the channels, videos, or graphics to be displayed. Layout files may contain several worksheets and have the filename extension tdv. Move the frame to resize any area of a worksheet. You cannot move areas. To add new areas, split an area using the shortcut menu, or select different worksheet partitioning with more areas. If you select worksheet partitioning with fewer areas, the definitions for the surplus areas are deleted. If you select one of the worksheet templates from the Preset worksheet partitioning function bar, DIAdem creates a new worksheet that has areas with specific display types. You use the shortcut menu to specify and to change the display type of the area. To define an area as an axis system, right-click the area and select Display type»2d axis system from the shortcut menu. If you select the display type Channel table for an axis system, DIAdem lists the values of the channels that are displayed as curves, in a channel table. Which options the DIAdem VIEW shortcut menu contains, depends on where you right-click. For example, to insert another worksheet, right-click the worksheet tab and select New from the shortcut menu. Select Manage to change the order of the worksheets. To record the current view of your data in a report, you can transfer the worksheet to DIAdem REPORT. Click the Transfer to REPORT button shown on the left, on the DIAdem VIEW toolbar. DIAdem REPORT generates a new worksheet with the axis systems and tables in the same layout as in the DIAdem VIEW worksheet. DIAdem REPORT offers functions for the final presentation and documentation of your results. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-2 ni.com

42 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Viewing Data as Curves Use axis systems for an overall view of your data. If the x-channel and the y-channel of a curve are not the same length, the curve is as long as the shorter channel. Double-click the axis system to open the Display dialog box, where you add, modify, or delete curves. You can change the y-axis scaling to compare curves that have different y-value ranges in one axis system. Click 1system[%] in the axis system toolbar to display each curve in the value range from 0 100%. To see more of the legend, drag the dividing bar to the left. The legend contains the y-channel name and a checkbox that is the same color as the curve. The legend can display other channel properties such as extreme values or the cursor coordinates. To configure the legend, click Select properties in the axis system shortcut menu. To copy a curve, click next to the checkbox of the curve and drag and drop the checkbox to another axis system. To delete a curve, select the curve and press <Del>. Evaluating Curves Each axis system has a graphics cursor, which you move along the curve manually with the mouse or with the arrow keys, or which you move automatically with the player functions from the toolbar. To change the play speed of the automatic graphic cursor, click the Cursor parameters button displayed on the left, on the toolbar. The standard graphics cursor is a crosshair cursor with three settings: freely movable, following the curve, or jumping to minimum values or maximum values. To examine the maximum values on a curve, click Maximum values cursor on the toolbar. To open the coordinate display, click Coordinates. If you move the graphic cursor along the curve, the crosshair jumps from one maximum value to the next. The coordinate display shows the x-value and the y-value of each maximum value. If one axis system has several curves, the graphic cursor moves along the leading curve. To specify the leading curve, select the checkbox for the curve in the legend. If you have several axis systems in your worksheet, the graphic cursors move along the same value ranges in the other axis systems. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-3 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

43 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Enlarging Curve Sections Select the band cursor or the frame cursor to zoom and to scroll curves. You set the width of the band cursor or the frame cursor to specify the zoom depth. The narrower the band cursor, the more the section is enlarged. You enable and disable zooming and scrolling in the axis system toolbar. If you examine a section of a curve, and you want to see the entire curve at the same time, you create two axis systems with the same curve definition. One of the axis systems displays the whole curve and the other axis system zooms a section of the same curve. Click Band cursor on the DIAdem VIEW toolbar, and click Zoom, dynamic in the toolbar for the second axis system. If you now move the band cursor within the overview axis system, the zoomed axis system displays the section of the curve inside the band cursor. Editing Curves You also can edit curves in the axis systems. For example, if a curve has erroneous sections or outliers, you can replace the erroneous curve points. The functions Flags: Remove data points, Flags: Copy data points, and Flags: Interpolate NoValues process only curve points that you have marked with flags. Click the Band cursor on the DIAdem VIEW toolbar to select a curve section. Set the band cursor to a width that encloses the vertical lines of the curve section you want. In the axis system toolbar, click the Set flags button shown on the left to select all the curve points in this section of the leading curve. If you want to select the curve points of all the curves in this curve section, <Shift>-click Set flags. Click Flags: Remove data points in the axis system toolbar to delete selected curve points or curve sections. Select Settings»Options»VIEW to specify whether DIAdem deletes the curve points from the respective channels, or replaces the curve points with NoValues. Click Flags: Copy data points in the axis system toolbar to copy selected curve points or curve sections. To regenerate sections that you have deleted and replaced with NoValues, click Flags: Interpolate NoValues in the axis system toolbar. Select Settings»Options»VIEW to specify whether DIAdem applies linear interpolation or interpolates with a spline function. The calculated values replace the NoValues that are marked with flags, in the channels of the curves. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-4 ni.com

44 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Evaluating Videos and Curves You also can select several sections to delete, to copy, or to interpolate all the marked curve points. Use the crosshair cursor and click Set data point and flag in the axis system toolbar to mark single points. To remove flags from curves, click Remove flags from all data on the DIAdem VIEW toolbar. Use video areas to evaluate data and videos that were recorded simultaneously. Previously, you could only execute these evaluations with DIAdem CLIP. If you select Video as the display type from the shortcut menu of an area, DIAdem VIEW opens the dialog box where you can enter the video file. DIAdem supports the video formats that have the filename extensions avi, mpg, and mpeg. To load another video into an open video area, doubleclick the video area. To view a complete video, use the player functions on the DIAdem VIEW toolbar. DIAdem does not enable the player functions until you click a video area or an axis system. To inspect specific points or a period of time more closely, use the curve cursor in the axis system. For example, if an unexpected result occurs in the test, move the curve cursor to the respective data points. DIAdem VIEW shows the video and the curve synchronized over time. Synchronizing Videos and Data DIAdem VIEW synchronizes videos and curves using the time channel of the axis system and the frame rate of the video. When DIAdem loads the video file, DIAdem reads the Frame frequency and sets the Start time as 0. The start time specifies in seconds the time of the measurement value in the first video frame. In most cases, for example if you record the video with a camcorder, you can apply these settings. Depending on the data acquisition rate, DIAdem displays the same video frame for several measured values. For example, if the data acquisition rate is 100 khz and the frame frequency is 1,000 frames per second (1 khz), the video frame changes at every 100th data point on a curve. Select Synchronization from the shortcut menu of the video area to modify the start time and the frame frequency of the video. The Getting Started with DIAdem manual describes these settings using an example video of weather with the associated weather data. The weather data is recorded with an absolute time channel, which DIAdem displays in the internal time format. In the example you specify the start time and the play range, and you convert the absolute time data into seconds. The satellite film shows frames that change hourly, so you calculate the frame frequency National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-5 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

45 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Editing Data in Channel Tables in seconds, from the number of video frames in relation to the play range. If you run the video or move the graphic cursor in the axis system after you synchronize the video, DIAdem moves the cursor synchronously to the video. If the video time range is not the same as the time range of the measurement data, you must specify the play range in which the measurement data overlaps with the video. To specify the beginning and the end of the play range, position the band cursor within the time range during which the video was recorded, in the axis system. Then click the Cursor parameters button shown on the left on the toolbar and clear the Specify play range automatically checkbox. Click Apply cursor position to apply the positions of the band cursor for the beginning and the end of the play range. If you now use the player bar functions, the graphic cursor moves in the axis system and the video moves only within the play range. Use channel tables to display and to edit the contents of numeric channels, waveform channels, text channels, and time channels. The channel table displays channels columnwise. The table heading includes the channel properties such as the channel name and the channel length. Click the top edge of a column frame to move channels or to remove channels from the table. Click a data field to delete or to overwrite the value or the text. Double-click a data field to edit the value or the text. If you select several data fields in a column or in neighboring columns, you can use the Block operations from the shortcut menu to edit the data block. In the channel table you can create new channels and fill the channels with values. Select Add new channel from the shortcut menu. Enter a channel name and specify the display format, for example, Numeric for a numeric channel. DIAdem creates a new channel in the default group of the Data Portal and inserts the numeric channel into the channel table at the same time. You can now enter values or use the Generate function in the shortcut menu to generate data rows. Select Table settings from the shortcut menu to modify the display of the channel contents and the channel properties, such as the font size. To display other channel properties such as the maximum value, in the table heading, select Select properties from the shortcut menu. You also can select a property such as Maximum in the properties window of the Data Portal and drag and drop the property into the channel table. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-6 ni.com

46 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Using Text and Graphics for Design Documenting Data You can illustrate worksheets with text and graphics. Select the Textbox display type for an area to add headings or comments to a worksheet. After you double-click the textbox, you can enter text and variable information, for example, you can enter the current date You also can select a property such as the Name of the data set in the properties window of the Data Portal and drag and drop the property into the textbox. Use the shortcut menu to refresh the variable contents at any time. Refer to the section on Variable Formats in this chapter for more information about displaying variables. Select Textbox settings from the shortcut menu to modify the display of the text and of the variable contents, such as the font size. Use the Graphic display type for an area to insert a picture of the test rig or a company logo into a worksheet. Double-click the graphic area to load the picture. DIAdem supports all common graphic formats. When you insert graphics, DIAdem generates a link to the graphics file. DIAdem saves the link with the path definition in the layout. When you load a layout, DIAdem only can display the graphic if the graphics file is still in this folder. Use DIAdem REPORT to create a report that records measurement data and results. A report can consist of several worksheets that include axis systems, tables, text, and graphics. Axis systems display data in curves or bar diagrams and tables list channel contents. You can label worksheets with text and illustrate them with graphics. Creating a Report A report may consist of several worksheets with different views of your data. You save the structure of all the worksheets in a report, and maintain the links to the report data in the layout. You can reuse layouts as templates for similar reports. Worksheet Design For example, if you want to display data as curves in a 2D axis system, open the 2D axis systems function bar and click the Simple 2D axis system button shown on the left. A rectangle appears at the cursor. Click and drag open a frame where you want to have the 2D axis system in the worksheet. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-7 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

47 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs To display a curve, select a channel in the Data Portal and drag and drop this channel into the axis system. DIAdem REPORT displays a numeric channel with its index and a waveform channel with its x-part. To display one or more curves over one x-channel, click the x-channel, for example Time, first in the Data Portal. Then <Ctrl>-click the numeric y-channels, for example Pressure and Temperature. Drag and drop these channels into the axis system. DIAdem REPORT displays the pressure and the temperature as curves over time. If you drag a channel group into an axis system, DIAdem automatically selects the first channel in the channel group as the x-channel. If you drag and drop several waveform channels into an axis system, DIAdem displays the waveform channels over their x-parts. To create another worksheet, right-click the name of a worksheet in the tab bar and select New from the shortcut menu. Select Manage to change the order of the worksheets. To insert worksheets from an existing layout, select File»Append layout. To specify the page orientation for the worksheets of a report, select Settings»Layout setup»worksheet parameters. The portrait format is more suitable for tables. The other worksheets in a report can display diagrams in landscape format. Using the Chart Wizard Use the Chart Wizard to display or to edit data in 2D axis systems or in polar axis systems. In three steps you select the type of diagram, specify the channels with the data to be displayed, and specify the display. If you enable the preview, DIAdem shows how each setting you make in the Chart Wizard effects the worksheet. When you click Finish, DIAdem applies your settings to create the new worksheet or the new axis system. If you click Cancel, DIAdem restores the original status. You can open the Chart Wizard at several points in DIAdem REPORT. If you want to create a new worksheet, open the Chart Wizard from the DIAdem REPORT toolbar. If you want to display the channels selected in the Data Portal, open the Chart Wizard from the shortcut menu of the Data Portal. If you want to insert a 2D axis system or a polar axis system in a worksheet, open the Chart Wizard from the 2D axis systems function bar or the Polar axis systems function bar. If you want to edit a 2D axis system or a polar axis system, open the Chart Wizard from the shortcut menu of the axis system. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-8 ni.com

48 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Editing Objects You can position objects such as axis systems, tables, text, graphics, and lines anywhere in the worksheet, and resize them. To zoom in or out on an object, click the object. DIAdem selects an object and frames the object with a dashed line that has small squares in the corners and on the sides. Drag the squares at the sides to change the width and the height. Drag the squares at the corners to zoom the object in and out while maintaining the proportions. Press <Ctrl> at the same time to change the size but keep the center. You can select several objects and move and zoom them together. You can align selected objects and scale the size of the objects. The dashed frame around the object group is the reference point for DIAdem. To make an axis system and a table the same width, click the Align width button shown on the left, in the toolbar. If you have a table to the lower right of an axis system, DIAdem sets the width at the left edge of the axis system and the right edge of the table. Most objects consist of several subobjects, such as axes, axis text, and curves. You can select and edit each subobject. You can move a selected axis text, use the functions in the format bar to format the text, or doubleclick the text to open the dialog box where you can change the text. You can modify only those properties of several selected objects, that are common to all the objects in the group. If you select an axis system and a text, you cannot set parameters for the group, because the group has no common properties. However, if you select an axis text and a heading, you can change the font for both texts in the format bar. Displaying Objects You can superimpose axis systems, tables, text, and graphics in a worksheet. The superimposed objects are visible because the backgrounds are transparent. To highlight a text in an axis system, select White for the text background. DIAdem displays objects in the same order that you insert the objects in. DIAdem displays new objects in the foreground. You can change the order of the objects. To position a new graphic behind an existing axis system, right-click on the graphic and select Move to background from the shortcut menu. When you move an axis system, DIAdem does not refresh the entire worksheet, it only refreshes the moved axis system, which appears to move it to the foreground. Click Refresh on the toolbar, to display all the objects in the correct order. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-9 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

49 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Numeric Format You can use format instructions to specify numeric display on axes or in tables. You select the numbers that are to be formatted in the worksheet and select the type of numeric display in the dialog box. To format the numbers in a table, double-click the numbers in a column. DIAdem opens the table definition on the Column properties tab. To specify a format instruction, click the... button next to Format. Select Number as the category and set 2 as the number of decimal places. DIAdem displays the numbers in this column as decimals with two places after the decimal point. To format time data, use the categories Date, Time, or Date/time. Select a Region to specify whether the order of the separate parts of the date, and the separators, are displayed according to the European or to the North American standards. In the preview you can see how DIAdem displays the time data. Variable Formats Use the Str function to display formatted numeric variables. For example, to display the current median value with four decimal places, enter the following line in a d.dddd )@ The Str function converts the numeric contents of the StatMedian variable into text. The format definition d.dddd rounds off the fourth decimal place. For DIAdem, character indicates a variable expression. Formatting with User Commands To display data in a format that DIAdem does not recognize, define user commands as format definitions. You define user commands in DIAdem SCRIPT. Refer to the Defining User Commands section of Chapter 5, Automating Sequences, for more information about user commands. Figure 4-1 displays the same data in two axis systems that have x-axes in different formats. The top axis system displays the time in hours, and the bottom axis system displays the time in days after 5,000 hours. The CalcRelFun user command in the UserCmdExample.vbs script generates the second format. The format specification for the x-axis in the bottom axis system contains the following command call with CFV or CurrentFormatValue for the unformatted " :00:00")@@ DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-10 ni.com

50 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Figure 4-1. User Commands Format the Time Axis To apply user commands when the report is updated, select Settings» Layout parameters»commands to be performed and enter user commands. You can define user commands to format axis systems and tables, to read information from databases, and to execute calculations. Editing Layouts You save the descriptions of all the worksheets in your report in a layout file with the filename extension.tdr. The layout file contains descriptions of all objects, such as axis systems, tables, or text, and the data links. You can alter or delete data assignments in the dialog boxes for the axis systems and tables. By default, DIAdem uses the group index and the channel name to create a unique channel reference. A report can include various channel references, that consist of the group name or the group index and the channel name or the channel index. You also can use only the channel name for the channel reference. The channel reference is ambiguous if several channels in different groups of the Data Portal have the same name. You can use the layout file as a template for other reports that have data in the same structure. If you select Settings»Options»REPORT you can specify a template file and the start file that DIAdem REPORT displays when it opens. DIAdem uses the template when you select File»New to create a new report. You can insert standard objects that every layout should include, such as the company logo, in the template. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-11 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

51 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Inserting Report Objects You can specify the page format as relative or as scaled in DIAdem REPORT. A relative page format specifies the worksheet size as the height of the worksheet in relation to the width. In the print dialog box you enter the width of the printout, corresponding to the selected paper format. The default DIAdem REPORT settings specify a ratio of 0.7 for A4 landscape format or 0.77 for letter landscape. If you select User defined as the page format, you can change the ratio. If you change the ratio you move the objects in your report, because you specify the position of the object as the distance from the edge, as a percentage of the width and height of the worksheet. For scaled page format, select Settings»Layout setup»layout parameters and enter a fixed height and a fixed width for your worksheets. DIAdem always prints your report in the specified size, regardless of the paper format. If you select a scaled page layout, you can scale your axis system manually to ensure that DIAdem always prints the same number of units per centimeter, for example, 10 C/cm. In the function bars, DIAdem REPORT provides predefined objects for documenting your data. You can change the definitions in the function bars. The following objects are arranged by category in the DIAdem REPORT function bars: 2D axis systems Polar axis systems 3D axis systems 2D tables 3D tables Graphics Decorations DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-12 ni.com

52 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Inserting Axis Systems Axis systems display channels as curves and as bar diagrams. Use a 2D axis system to display velocity over time as a curve. Use a polar axis system to display the sensitivity of a microphone in a circle diagram. Use a 3D axis system to display a characteristic diagram of engine performance over RPM and densification. 2D Axis Systems Use 2D axis systems to display channels as two-dimensional curves or as two-dimensional bar diagrams. You usually enter an x-channel and a y-channel for a curve. The x-channel is often a time channel. You also can use any other channel as the x-channel, for example, the frequency of a spectral analysis. DIAdem assigns each x-value the corresponding y-value. If the two channels are not the same length, the curve is as long as the shorter channel. If you specify only one y-channel, DIAdem REPORT displays a numeric channel using its index and displays a waveform channel using its x-part. You can combine various display types in one axis system. Use a bar diagram to display a statistical evaluation as a histogram. Numbers above the bars show the frequencies of the individual results. A horizontal line in the axis system represents the arithmetic mean. With automatic scaling, DIAdem REPORT displays the entire channel as a curve. Use manual scaling to zoom a section. Enter the first and last values for the x-axis and the y-axis in the dialog box for the axis system. DIAdem REPORT has various types of scaling, such as linear and logarithmic. You can scale the x-axis differently from the y-axis. One axis system can include several curves. DIAdem automatically uses the entire value range for scaling. You can define curves with the same x-channel or with different x-channels. Use subaxes if the axis system contains y-channels that have different value ranges and different units. Each subaxis has a separate scale. Figure 4-2 shows a separate subaxis for each test parameter in an engine test, because the CO emission, fuel consumption, and exhaust temperature each have different units. If you zoom in or out in subaxes, DIAdem REPORT adjusts the display of the associated curves. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-13 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

53 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Polar Axis Systems Figure 4-2. Engine Test Evaluation with Subaxes Use polar axis systems to display curves in circle diagrams. For a polar axis system you select one channel or two channels in the Data Portal, the same as for a 2D axis system. For a channel pair, the x-channel contains the angle and the y-channel contains the lengths. Figure 4-3 shows different levels of sensitivity for two microphones. The polar axis system shows how the sensitivity of the microphones, which are positioned at the axis origin, depends on the direction of the microphones. You can define polar axis systems as semicircles, quarter circles, or with any angle from DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-14 ni.com

54 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Microphone Sensitivity [db(a)] Microphone Microphone Figure 4-3. Different Reception Ranges for Two Microphones 3D Axis Systems Use 3D axis systems to display a characteristic diagram of engine performance over RPM and densification, as shown in Figure 3-5. Figure 3-3 shows a waterfall display of the results of an order analysis. Figure 4-4 shows a combination of several display modes for a spiral in a 3D axis system. To display the spirals as 3D curves, select three channels in the 3D axis system dialog box. The arrows on the spiral are vectors that display the force for each point on the spiral. The xy-plane and the xz-plane show the spiral projections. To change the view of a 3D axis system, rotate the axis system by resetting the Axis definition dialog box. You can specify the scaling, the labels, and the grid display for each display plane. As Figure 4-4 shows, you also can move the display planes. To move a plane outwards, click the edge of the plane. The cursor changes to a triangle and you can move the plane outwards. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-15 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

55 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Figure 4-4. Vector Display of a Spiral with Projections onto the Plane DIAdem organizes the data in a matrix structure for waterfall display, surface display, or isoline display. For these display modes, you select three channels in the dialog box for 3D axis systems: one x-channel, one y-channel, and the first z-channel in the data matrix. 3D display must have the same number of consecutive z-channels as the number of values in the y-channel. You can use the 3D analysis functions in DIAdem ANALYSIS to convert channels into a matrix or a triple value. Inserting Tables You list channel contents in tables. You also can display text channels and variable contents in a 2D table. Tables can be aligned horizontally or vertically. 2D Tables Use 2D tables to list numeric channels, waveform channel, time channels, and text channels in columns. For each column, select a channel, specify the display parameters, and enter a heading. You can change the order and the width of the columns. For long channels, you can specify the first value, the last value, and the step width of the displayed values. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-16 ni.com

56 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs You can record long channels completely if you select Automatic expand as the table length on the Scaling tab in the dialog box for the table settings. This defines a table that lists the channel contents on several pages. The button shown on the left is on the DIAdem REPORT toolbar and scrolls the pages. You also can display scalar variables and vector variables in a 2D table. Select Variable as the data type on the Table columns tab and enter the variable name. If you enter the scalar variable CurrDate in the dialog box, the current date appears in the top line of the table. If you enter the CD vector variable, DIAdem displays the units of all the channels in the Data Portal, in the table column. 3D Tables Use 3D tables for numeric display of the matrix structure of 3D data. Enter the x-channel, the y-channel, and the first z-channel of the matrix structure in the dialog box for 3D tables, the same way as for the 3D axis system. Figure 4-5 shows how the 3D table assigns each xy-value pair the relevant z-value. Figure D Tables Assign Each XY-Value Pair the Relevant Z-Value The 3D table can display the entire data matrix or a section. You specify the display parameters such as font and display format for the x-values, the y-values, and the z-values. To display 3D data in triple structure, list the three channels in a 2D table. Each line has a triple. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-17 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

57 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Adding Text and Comments For creating text, DIAdem REPORT provides simple text, the text object, and comments. Use simple text to create text in a uniform format, such as headings, and use the text object to generate multiline text with different formats. Use comments to position labels at prominent positions in the worksheet. All texts can include formula expressions and DIAdem variables, which DIAdem updates along with the rest of the report. For example, to display the current time, insert the CurrTime variable in a text characters indicate to DIAdem which parts of the text are variables. You can include user variables as well as the program variables and auxiliary variables. Refer to the section on Using Variables in Chapter 5, Automating Sequences for more information about variables. Simple Text Use simple text to insert text in uniform format, such as headings or subtitles. To enable simple text, select Decorations»Text. Click the worksheet with the text cursor and enter, for example, the heading shown in Figure 4-6 Ribs Left. If the text cursor is activated and you press <Enter>, DIAdem generates a new line, where you can enter the subtitle Dummy front left, Hybrid III 50%. To end the text entry, click another position in the worksheet. Double-click a simple text to modify the text. In the dialog box you can extend the simple text and modify the font attributes for the entire text. You can rotate simple text. Click one of the squares at the corners of the selected simple text and rotate the simple text to the right or to the left with the curved arrow. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-18 ni.com

58 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Text Objects Figure 4-6. Crash Test Report with a Heading and a Text Field Use text objects to create a single text with different formats. To generate a text object, open the Decorations function bar and click Text object. DIAdem inserts a white field into the worksheet. Double-click the text object and enter a text or import a prepared text file in ASCII, RTF, or HTML format. The text object editor offers functions for formatting single words and sections. Set up your text structure using list points, enumeration, tabulators, paragraphs, and tables. You define the font size differently for text objects than for simple text or axis labels. You specify the text size in absolute terms for the text object but in relation to the worksheet for simple text. If you zoom simple text, you enlarge the text itself. However, if you enlarge a text object, you only change the layout, not the size of the text. Comments Use comments to highlight key points in your worksheet. To create a comment, open the Decorations function bar and click Comment. Drag open a frame where you want to position the comment in the worksheet. DIAdem creates an arrow with a text frame. Double-click the frame and enter the text. You enter the font size as an absolute value, the same as for the text object. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-19 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

59 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs If you anchor an arrowhead at a curve point, the arrowhead remains linked to the curve point when you move the comment. To reposition the arrow, click the arrow and move the square to the arrowhead. If you select and delete the arrow, a comment frame appears. Unlike a simple text, a comment frame remains the same size regardless of the amount of text you enter. Inserting Graphics and Lines Use graphics to include a diagram of a test stand or to insert a company logo into your worksheet. You can use the Graphics function bar to load graphics in common formats. You can position graphics behind axis systems and tables, because these objects have transparent backgrounds. When you insert graphics, DIAdem generates a link to the graphics file. DIAdem saves the link with the path definition in the layout. If you load a layout and DIAdem displays a gray frame instead of the graphic, DIAdem was not able to find the graphics file in the specified folder. Double-click the graphic and correct the path definition. Use frames to highlight a text field or a heading in the worksheet. To display a frame, open the Decorations function bar and click the Rectangle button. Drag open a frame where you want to position the frame in the worksheet. To insert a circle in the worksheet, open the Decorations function bar and click Circle and ellipse. If you want to display an ellipse, clear the Force circle checkbox in the dialog box for the circle settings. Use lines and arrows to partition the worksheet with lines or to indicate points in the worksheet with arrows. To insert an arrow, open the Decorations function bar and click Line and arrow. Drag open a frame where you want the arrow to start in the worksheet. You can reposition the start point and the arrowhead. To create a double arrow, select another arrow for the start point in the dialog box with the arrow settings. To change an arrow into a line, select No arrow as the end point in the dialog box with the arrow settings. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-20 ni.com

60 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Displaying Measurement Data on 3D Models DIAdem INSIGHT, which is a separate program, projects measured data onto a model of your measurement object as shading or as a deformation. You load a grid model of the test object and you link the measured signals to the 3D model. You can move the model to view it from all sides. Use the player bar to automatically play the scene or use the crosshair cursor to inspect specific points or a specific period of time more closely. Hinweis DIAdem INSIGHT is an external program you must install separately from the second CD. DIAdem INSIGHT offers functions for evaluating measurement data and videos, the same as DIAdem CLIP. Creating Scenes with 3D Models The 3D model of the text object is the key element of the DIAdem INSIGHT scenes. 3D models consist of numerous grid points. Connect the grid points, which represent sensor positions, to the measurement data from the individual sensors. DIAdem INSIGHT displays the measured data on each grid point as shading or as deformation. By default, the workspace in DIAdem INSIGHT displays a prepared layout with a model area, an axis system area, and a picture area. The data window to the right of the workspace in DIAdem INSIGHT organizes model files, measurement data files, and graphics files. For example, to analyze the effects of an air conditioner on a driver, drag and drop the dummy.fem model from the data window into the DIAdem INSIGHT layout. To connect measurement data to the model, open the DIAdem data files tab in the data window. Double-click the klimadummy.dat data set to display all the data channels. Drag and drop one data channel to a point on the model. A dialog box opens where you select the display type, such as Color. Assign additional data channels successively to other model points. To display the same temperature channels as curves in the axis system, drag and drop the selected data channels into the area with the axis system. DIAdem INSIGHT displays a curve for each data channel. To insert a picture of the temperature dummy, click the Graphic files tab in the data window. Drag and drop the dummy.jpg graphics file into the graphics area. To resize or to move an area, click the edge of the area. Drag the black squares to adjust the size, or move the area to another position. Press <Del> to delete a selected area. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-21 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

61 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Evaluating Scenes Use the player functions on the DIAdem INSIGHT toolbar for an overview of the entire scene. DIAdem INSIGHT colors temperature changes on the dummy. Red tones indicate warm areas and blue tones indicate cool areas. The player bar functions are similar to the buttons on a video recorder. Use the crosshair cursor in the axis system to inspect specific points or a period of time more closely. For example, if an unexpected result occurs in the test, move the crosshair cursor to this point. DIAdem INSIGHT displays the corresponding temperature distribution on the model. You can rotate and enlarge the model during the evaluation. To rotate a model, click and drag the mouse. To zoom a model in or out, right-click and drag horizontally. To move the model along a coordinate axis, right-click and press <X>, <Y>, or <Z> at the same time for the relevant coordinate axis. Saving Scenes, Presentations, and Layouts When you save a scene, DIAdem INSIGHT saves the layout and the links to data files, video files, and picture files. The file has the filename extension cis. You can load a prepared layout as an empty template for frequent evaluations of similar tests. A layout specifies only the type and the number of areas, including their size and position. To load a layout, select File»Open layout to open the layout library. To save the layout of the current scene in the layout library, select File»Save layout. You can save a scene as a presentation. A presentation file combines all data files, video files, and picture files into a single CIP file. Select File»Save as and select Presentation (cip) as the file type. You also can passwordprotect a presentation to prevent alterations. Use the DIAdem CLIP INSIGHT Player to run presentations on computers without DIAdem INSIGHT. Inserting Measurement Data, Models, Videos, and Graphics The data window to the right of the workspace in DIAdem INSIGHT displays folders with model files, measurement data files, video files, and graphics files. To add folders to the data window, select New directory from the shortcut menu. To delete a folder, right-click the folder and select Delete from the shortcut menu. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-22 ni.com

62 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Models You can display data on a model as color shading or as deformation. Use color shading to display temperature changes on the model. Use deformation to display movements of the model surface. If you assign a data channel to a point that already has data assigned to it, DIAdem INSIGHT applies the new data channel. You can combine display types on one model. For example, you can display temperature both as color shading and as deformation. To do this, assign the same data channel to the one model point twice with a different display mode each time. The ToolTip for a point shows which display type and which data channel you defined for a point. To assign a data channel to several model points, press <Ctrl> and drag open a rectangle over the model points. Then drag and drop the data channel onto the selected model points. You can simplify the assignment of multiple data channels to multiple model points. Name the points in a model to match the channel names. DIAdem INSIGHT automatically assigns the data channels to the matching model points, if you drag and drop the entire data file onto the model. If you have several different data files for the same model, you do not need to reassign the data channels to the model each time you load a new data set. As long as the data channels are in the same order in all the data sets, the channel assignment to the model points remains the same. To delete the channel assignment of a model point, select the Signal assignment deletion button shown on the left, from the shortcut menu. To delete the assignment for several points, press <Ctrl> before you delete, and drag a frame around several model points to select them. DIAdem INSIGHT works with the following grid models: VRML model (.vrml) ANTRAS finite element model (.fem) Geometric ANTRAS model (.mod) In the model area you can specify the display and the lighting. Select Display from the shortcut menu to alter the settings for color shading, deformation, and size. Select Lighting and Light sources from the shortcut menu to set the brightness and to specify additional light sources. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-23 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

63 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs Measurement Data DIAdem INSIGHT works with measurement data in the DIAdem DAT data format. To use other data formats in DIAdem INSIGHT, save the data in DAT format in DIAdem NAVIGATOR. Refer to the section on Saving Internal Data in Chapter 2, Finding and Managing Data for more information about converting data. If you add a data file or a data channel to an axis system, DIAdem INSIGHT uses the time channel of this data file as the x-channel. If this data file contains more than one time channel, select the x-channel you want to use. A downwards arrow appears in front of the x-channel. Each axis system has a legend, which you can display by selecting the Legend on/off button shown on the left, from the shortcut menu. A square that is the same color as the curve represents the curve in the legend. To delete a curve from the axis system, select the curve symbol in the legend and press <Del>. DIAdem INSIGHT scales the y-axis to the value range of all data channels and the x-axis to the value range of the time channel. Use Scale to extract/curve to enlarge sections in the y-direction and use Zoom on/off to enlarge time sections. Videos DIAdem INSIGHT works with video files in AVI format and MPEG format, the same as DIAdem CLIP and DIAdem VIEW. Unlike DIAdem CLIP, DIAdem VIEW offers easy-to-use functions for viewing data and supports all DIAdem data formats. Each video area contains only one video. When you drag and drop a new video into the video area, DIAdem INSIGHT replaces the old video with the new one. Create additional video areas to compare videos. You can enlarge videos to inspect details more closely. DIAdem INSIGHT synchronizes videos and curves using the time channel of the data set and the frame rate of the video. If the data acquisition rate is higher than the frame rate, DIAdem INSIGHT displays the same video frame for several data points. For example, if the data acquisition rate is 100 khz and the video frame rate is 1,000 frames per second (1 khz), the video frame changes at every 100th data point on a curve. If the video time channels are not the same as the time channels of the measurement data, you can specify the time range in which the measurement data overlaps with the video. In DIAdem INSIGHT, the time range you specify is called the active segment. DIAdem INSIGHT only displays DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 4-24 ni.com

64 Chapter 4 Displaying Data in Graphs changing video frames when you move the crosshair cursor inside the active time section in the axis system. To enter the beginning and the end of the active segment, select the Synchronization parameters button shown on the left from the shortcut menu of the video area. With the Apply cursor position button, you can use the position of the crosshair cursor in this dialog box to specify the start time of the video or the beginning and the end of the active segment. When you evaluate a scene using the player bar, use the metronome shown on the left to specify whether DIAdem INSIGHT displays the entire video or only a section of the video. If you drag and drop the metronome onto a video area, DIAdem INSIGHT plays the entire video and the crosshair cursor follows along inside of the active segment of the axis system. If you drag and drop the metronome into the axis system, the crosshair cursor follows along the entire length of the axis system and the video plays only the active segment. Graphics DIAdem INSIGHT uses pictures in JPEG format and BMP format. Each picture area contain only one picture, which you also can enlarge. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 4-25 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

65 Automating Sequences 5 Working with Scripts Use the interactive mode in DIAdem for changing tasks. For recurring work sequences such as standard calculations and serial evaluations, you can use DIAdem SCRIPT to combine the steps into one script. Control structures and dialog boxes help to design scripts for various data sets, evaluation methods, and report displays. The easiest way to generate a script is in the recording mode. DIAdem records the commands and the variable assignments for each interactive editing step. You can edit, test, and extend the recorded script. To record a script, click the Enable recording mode button shown on the left, in the the DIAdem SCRIPT toolbar. In the recording mode, you generate script by interactively loading data or layouts, or executing calculations. DIAdem SCRIPT records these actions as commands in the editor. To end the recording, select Disable recording mode. DIAdem displays the recorded script on a new tab in the script editor. Save the script for reuse. To facilitate editing, use functions such as line numeration, jump instructions, bookmarks, restoring, and find and replace. The syntax colors distinguish between comments, commands, and variables. If you select commands or variables and idle the cursor over the selections, the ToolTip displays parameters. If you set the indentation marker at a command or a variable and press <F1>, you open the help page for the command or variable. To start the script that is displayed in the editor, click Run script in the DIAdem SCRIPT toolbar. To run a saved script, without loading it into the script editor, click Execute script file. You can assign frequently-used scripts to a button in the script function bar in DIAdem SCRIPT. The bottom function bar is available in all the DIAdem panels, so you can use these scripts in all panels. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 5-1 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

66 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Note You can enter scripts in the DIAdem shortcut properties to start sequences automatically when DIAdem launches. Refer to the section on Launching DIAdem with Parameters in Appendix A, Configuring DIAdem. Use the script debugger to detect script errors. When the debugger detects an error, the debugger displays a green marker in front of the incorrect script line and aborts the error search. The error appears in the information area. To monitor variables in the information area, copy the variable from your script into the watch window of the information area. While you test the script, DIAdem displays the changing variable contents. You can set breakpoints at crucial points in your script. Note The debugger is not installed with DIAdem because it is not included in the license. Refer to the DIAdem help for information about installing the debugger. Creating Scripts Executing Commands Use the file overview when you edit projects that have several scripts, variable collection files, and list files. Drag the left edge of the editor window to the right to open the file overview. The hierarchical display lists all the loaded files according to the file type. Use the file overview to switch files, to close files, and to create new folders. To change the syntax coloring for the various file types in the script editor, select Folder properties from the shortcut menu. To save all the settings of the workspace, select File»Save workspace. DIAdem generates a WSP file, which DIAdem links to the current desktop file. The section on Launching DIAdem with Parameters in Appendix A explains how you start DIAdem with a desktop file and a prepared workspace and load all the files and settings you need for a project. A script is a sequence of commands, variable assignments, and formula calculations. You use loops and branches to control the script. You can use comments, empty lines, and indentation to give the script a clear structure. You can use the commands from all the DIAdem functions in scripts. The recording mode in the DIAdem SCRIPT script editor records the command for each function that you call in the interface. DIAdem also includes commands that you only can use in scripts, such as the SQL commands for communicating with databases. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 5-2 ni.com

67 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences You execute DIAdem commands in the script with Call. Enter the parameters, such as the channels to be used and the selection terms for the calculation procedure, in brackets: Call ChnPeakFind("[1]/Time","[1]/Speed", "Results/X_Peak","Results/Y_Peak", 5, "Max.Peaks","Amplitude") In this example, the peak search command searches for the five highest amplitude peaks in the curve that consists of the Time and Speed channels, and stores the results in the channels X_Peak and Y_Peak. If you do not specify a channel group for the result channels, DIAdem creates the two new channels in the default group of the Data Portal. Channel names can occur multiple times in the Data Portal, so we recommend that you specify the group index with the channel name. If the channel group is not always at the same position in the data set, add the name of the group to the channel name, for example, Drive/Time. A unique channel reference that consists of the group name and the channel name ensures that recurring channel names in your script will not cause incorrect results. Using Variables Use DIAdem variables to transfer parameters to commands or to accept the results of mathematical calculations. DIAdem distinguishes between program variables, auxiliary variables, and user variables. Refer to the DIAdem help for a list of all the program variables and auxiliary variables. You can use VBS variables and DIAdem variables. Program Variables Use program variables to set parameters for commands in a script. If you use standard functions interactively, DIAdem saves your settings in program variables and then calls the command. For the peak search example described above, first assign values to the program variables PeakNo, PeakType and PeakSort, and then call the command: PeakNo = 5 PeakType = "Max.Peaks" PeakSort = "Amplitude" Call ChnPeakFind("[1]/Time","[1]/Speed", "Results/X_Peak","Results/Y_Peak") National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 5-3 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

68 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences VBS Variables Unlike DIAdem, VBScript does not recognize predefined variables or data types. VBS variables are always a variant data type, which uses different data types depending on what you use it for. A VBS variable reacts like a number when you use the variable in a calculation and it reacts like a string when you enter text. Register VBS variables with the Dim instruction. The following example contains the registration for a numeric variable and a text variable. At the beginning of a script you can use the Option Explicit command to force the registration of VBS variables. Option Explicit Dim MyVariable, MyString MyVariable = 10 MyString = "DIAdem" Auxiliary Variables Use auxiliary variables if you need a predefined variable that is not bound to a DIAdem command. You can use auxiliary variables as scalar or vector values with different data types, as shown in Table 5-1. Table 5-1. Data Types for Auxiliary Variables Type of data Scalar Vector Boolean B1 Integer L1 LV1 Numeric R1 RV1 Text T1 TV1 Dynamic Enumeration List G1 GV1 Assign values to auxiliary variables before you use the auxiliary variables in your script. To preset several auxiliary variables simultaneously, select Edit»Auxiliary variables to open the dialog box for auxiliary variables in DIAdem SCRIPT. Use dynamic enumeration variables as text variables to provide various keywords for selection, such as the days of the week. You define the selection list for the dynamic enumeration variable G1 in the G1Var.asc DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 5-4 ni.com

69 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Calculating Formulas text file, which is in the DIAdem library folder. Load the G1Var.asc file into the script editor and enter the day of the week: Monday Tuesday.. Sunday User Variables Use user variables if your task requires project-specific variables that have unique names and special dimensions or special data types. You define user variables in a variable collection file, which is a text file with the extension vas. To access the months in the Month_ user variable, generate the variable collection file MyMonths.vas in the script editor, with the following definition: Month_: A ('January','February','March','April','May', 'June','July','August','September','October', 'November','December') <'May'> The underscore in Month_ indicates that it is a user variable. The A after the colon specifies the user variable Month_ as an enumeration variable. The variable is preset with May. Unlike the program and auxiliary variables, the user variables are not automatically included in the collection of DIAdem variables. You must activate the variable collection file MyMonths.vas with the UserVarCompile command at the beginning of the script, before you can use one of your user variables: Call UserVarCompile("Demo\Aut\MyMonths") You also can use the formulas that you enter in the Calculator to calculate channels and single values, in scripts. DIAdem records your formulas with the complete syntax in the recording mode. For example, if you convert the Celsius channel into degrees fahrenheit and store the result in the new Fahrenheit channel, DIAdem records the following command line in the script editor: Call FormulaCalc("Ch('[1]/Fahrenheit') := 1.8 * Ch('[1]/Celsius') + 32") DIAdem calls the Calculator function FormulaCalc with Call and calculates the formula that is specified as a parameter. Refer to the section National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 5-5 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

70 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Controlling the Script Sequence on Calculating Formulas in the Calculator in Chapter 3, Analyzing Data with Mathematical Functions, for a description of formula syntax. When you record a script, DIAdem works down through the script line by line. For the script to run dynamically, you can insert loops and branches. Use loops to repeat command lines. For example, you can use a For loop to set the 22 variables for calculating descriptive statistics as No. Then set the variables that calculate the script as Yes. For i = 1 to 22 StatSel(i) = "No" Next StatSel(4) = "Yes" 'Minimum StatSel(5) = "Yes" 'Maximum Call StatBlockCalc("Channel", "1-", "[1]/Speed") Use branches to apply various functions in association with conditions. If L1 is not equal to zero, the following If...Then...Else instruction smooths the Speed channel with a window width that depends on the channel length: If L1 = 0 Then MsgBoxDisp("No Calculation") Else SmoothWidth = trunc(chnlength("[1]/speed")/10) Call ChnSmooth("[1]/Speed", "Results/Smooth_Speed", SmoothWidth) End If Use control commands to stop, to end, or to repeat your script. For example, the KeyWait command stops the script until the user presses a key, and the Pause command stops the script for a specific length of time. The AutoQuit command terminates the script. If the interaction mode is enabled, you can stop your script to work interactively with DIAdem. You can, for example, use DIAdem VIEW to specify a curve section for evaluation in a script. You enable the interaction mode in scripts with the InterActionOn command. To end the interaction mode, click the End interaction button, which is on the toolbar in all panels. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 5-6 ni.com

71 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Readability and Reusability Creating User Interfaces Calling Program Dialog Boxes Scripts are easier to read and to reuse if you adhere to a few basic standards when you write your scripts: Only write one instruction per script line. Use comments to describe the structure of the script and the commands you use. Start comments with a single quotation mark and include them at any point in your script. Insert an empty line to separate sections for single functions. Indent the instructions for branches and loops, so the beginning and the end of the loop are in line and easier to identify. This is useful for nested branching. You can link your scripts to dialog boxes to select calculation methods, to request entries, or to load files. To set parameters for a standard mathematical function before the calculation, call the appropriate DIAdem program dialog box in the script. Use the DIAdem SCRIPT dialog editor to create user dialog boxes for making entries and specific project requests. Program dialog boxes are standard DIAdem dialog boxes that you use in your script, for example, to set parameters for standard mathematical functions or to execute file operations. Open the dialog box for standard mathematical functions with DlgOpen. Click Help in the dialog box and refer to the DIAdem help page under the Script Call heading for the name of the program dialog box. To select the characteristic values of the descriptive statistics, use the following script line: Call DlgOpen("DlgStatBlockCalc") The script opens the dialog box, where you select the characteristic values you want, and click Execute. DIAdem calculates the characteristic values, transfers the results to the associated program variables, and continues to execute the script. To load files, add the following lines to the script: Call FileNameGet("NAVIGATOR", "FileRead") If DlgState = "IDOk" Then Call DataFileImport(FileDlgFile) Else MsgBoxDisp ("No file selected") End If National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 5-7 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

72 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Creating User Dialog Boxes The FileNameGet command opens the dialog box for loading data files in DIAdem NAVIGATOR. You select the data file you want in the dialog box, and DIAdem writes the file name into the FileDlgFile variable. If you click OK to close the dialog box, the script loads the file specified in FileDlgFile into the Data Portal. You create user dialog boxes for entering values, requesting settings, or starting functions. Use the DIAdem SCRIPT dialog editor to create user dialog boxes, which you save in a dialog box file with the filename extension sud. You call user dialog boxes in the script with the SudDlgShow command. Include the dialog box name and the dialog box file. For example, the following call displays the user dialog box shown in Figure 5-1: Call SudDlgShow("DlgEvalMain", "Crash_MMEEvaluation.sud") Figure 5-1. User Interface for a Crash Evaluation You can use events to connect the elements in a user dialog box with logical operations. Figure 5-1 shows the main dialog box for a crash evaluation, in which DIAdem enables the buttons one at a time after the appropriate steps. In the first step you load the test data and specify whether you want to examine a frontal impact or a side impact. In the second step you evaluate the selected data set. In the third step you select the display mode for the results. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 5-8 ni.com

73 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences The dialog box file for this crash evaluation contains several dialog boxes. If you click the View values button, the script opens the dialog box DlgResults to list the calculated injury criteria for the evaluated test. Defining User Dialog Boxes To create user dialog boxes, call the dialog editor in the DIAdem SCRIPT toolbar or use the templates in the Dialog box templates function bar. If you need a user dialog box for channel selection, click the Select a data channel template. Enter a name for your dialog box definition, for example, MyDialog.sud. DIAdem loads the template into the dialog editor. The dialog box template for selecting channels contains two selection boxes, a Cancel button, and an OK button. Use the dialog editor to include other controls like checkboxes, tables, or ActiveX objects. Use frames, text, and graphics to design your dialog box. You can modify the size and position of the controls and align them in relation to each other. If you want to include many properties in a dialog box, you can use the TabPageControl to create a multipage dialog box. You group properties onto several tabs. The dialog box for the curve and axis definition of a 2D axis system in DIAdem REPORT has such tabs. Each control has properties that you can view and modify in the properties window. The properties include color, font, design, ToolTip, and tab order. The tab order specifies the order in which controls are focused when you use the <Tab> key to navigate the dialog box. Variables connect the controls of a user dialog box with a script. In the Select a data channel dialog box template, the two selection boxes are linked to the auxiliary variables T1 and T2. If you have preset the two auxiliary variables in your script with channels, the user dialog box displays the channels in the selection boxes. If you select other channels in the user dialog box, T1 and T2 receive the new channels and return the strings to the script. You must register DIAdem variables that you use in the user dialog box. Select Edit»Variables in the dialog editor. Click New entry to register variables. You must register VBS variables in the script with the GlobalDim instruction: Option Explicit GlobalDim ("sdlgmmebutton, sdlgmmecreate, sdlgmmeevaluate") National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 5-9 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

74 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Controlling User Dialog Boxes You can control user dialog boxes in relation to events. For example, you can enable the OK button after the user enters values. To link a control to an event, select the event in the properties window and fill the associated method with instructions. You select events on the Event tab of the properties window. When you click..., the dialog editor opens the script editor, where you define the event. Click the Script view button shown on the left, to return to the view of the dialog box. The EventClick event is linked to a button click. The.Enable method activates a control. To enable the CalculateButton by clicking the LoadButton, use the following VBS script: Sub LoadButton_EventClick() Dim This : Set This = LoadButton CalculateButton.Enable=1 End Sub You can save parts of the user dialog box in the catalog window in the dialog editor. Select View»Catalog to open the catalog. Select the dialog box controls that you want to save and select Copy from the shortcut menu. Then click the catalog window and select Paste from the shortcut menu to add the selected controls from the clipboard to the catalog. You save the properties and events together with the control. You can save catalogs in a CAT file, create new catalogs, and load catalogs. Special Script Functions DIAdem SCRIPT gives you special functions for the following: Defining your own functions as user commands in scripts Executing serial evaluations in scripts Using DIAdem interfaces to communicate with other applications in scripts, and Accessing objects in DIAdem NAVIGATOR, DIAdem VIEW, and DIAdem REPORT. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 5-10 ni.com

75 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Defining User Commands To extend the range of DIAdem commands, you can define user commands in a script. You can use user commands in Calculator formulas, for axis systems formats in DIAdem REPORT, and in DIAdem SCRIPT. For example, if you need a special format for data display in DIAdem REPORT, write a user command with the appropriate instructions. The right column in Figure 5-2 shows a trend display with plus and minus signs corresponding to the values in the middle column. Instead of a format instruction, the definition of the right column has the following user The characters show DIAdem that this is a user command, not a variable or a text format. The CFV or CurrentFormatValue variable stands for the current channel value. Figure 5-2. Table with Trend Display from a User Command You define user commands as procedures or functions. Procedures only can include arguments, whereas the function also can return a value. The TabTrend user command shows a maximum of three plus or minus signs as text: Function TabTrend(ByVal Value) If Value <= -100 then TabTrend = "---" ElseIf (Value > -100) and (Value <= -50) then... National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 5-11 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

76 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Evaluating a Series of Files ElseIf (Value >= 100) then TabTrend = "+++" End If End Function For DIAdem to add your user commands to the collection of commands, you must select Settings»Options»Extensions»User commands and register script files that contain user commands. The TabTrend user command is in the UserCmdExample.vbs script, which is registered by default. DIAdem saves the link to the script file in the desktop file. Your user commands are then permanent, until you delete the link or load another desktop file. You can use DIAdem SCRIPT to automatically evaluate a series of similar files in a script, without having to load each file separately. For example, if you run a long-term test that saves a result file every day, you can evaluate all the data that is recorded in one week, at the beginning of the following week. To do this, you create a text file that contains the names of the data files that are to be evaluated. The list file contains the filenames without filename extensions. The list file must have the same name as the associated script and the filename extension lst. To create list files in the recording mode, select Settings»Options» SCRIPT and select the Enable serial evaluation during recording mode checkbox. If you now enable the recording mode, you can select and load several files in the dialog boxes for loading files. DIAdem SCRIPT automatically records the filenames in the list file with the same name. After you disable the recording mode, DIAdem displays the recorded script and the associated list file in the script editor. The script uses the references to the list file instead of filenames in loading commands and in saving commands: Call DataFileImport("UseFileList") Use the DirLstWrite command to create lists with file types that the recording mode does not include. The following script loads three data files consecutively, displays the data in the MyReport report, and prints the report. If you want to view the data on the screen, you can use the KeyWait command or the Pause command to interrupt the serial evaluation. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 5-12 ni.com

77 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Call DataDelAll(1) Call PicLoad("MyReport") Call DataFileImport(UseFileList,"TDM","Load") Call PicUpdate() Call PicPrint("WinPrint") For example, the associated list file has the following contents: Data1 'tdm data file Data2 'tdm data file Data3 'tdm data file If you access the list file with several commands in the script, you must list the files in the correct order. For example, if the script first calls the DataFileImport command for loading data files, you must specify a data file at the first position in the list file. If the script then calls the PicLoad command for loading a report, you must specify a report file at the second position in the list file. Communicating with Other Applications You can use the DIAdem interfaces OLE, ODBC/SQL, and ASAM-ODS in scripts. DIAdem exchanges data and commands with other applications through the OLE interface (Object Linking and Embedding). DIAdem can be the client as well as the server. DIAdem can use OLE to access other applications or to access another DIAdem instance. Refer to the DIAdem help page on Controlling DIAdem with OLE for more information. DIAdem reads and writes to ODBC (Open Data Base Connectivity) databases through the ODBC/SQL interface. Use SQL (Structured Query Language) commands to access the ODBC databases. The DIAdem SQL commands can access any database that the ODBC administrator in MS- Windows registers as a data source. Refer to the DIAdem help page on The ODBC/SQL Interface for more information. You can use the ASAM-ODS interface (ASAM Open Data Service) for read and write access to ASAM-compliant data files and databases. Open the ASAM data service as a user interface for navigating in ASAM data. DIAdem has special ODS commands for accessing ASAM data. Refer to the DIAdem help page on ASAM Data Service for more information. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 5-13 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

78 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Accessing Objects in DIAdem NAVIGATOR Accessing Objects in DIAdem VIEW DIAdem NAVIGATOR objects include data stores, DataFinders, queries, search results, and browser views. In your script, you can generate new objects and modify or delete objects. You use the object hierarchy to access objects in DIAdem NAVIGATOR. The global object is the Navigator object, which opens data stores, searches for data, and displays the found data in the search results or in the file browser. The following example executes an advanced search for channel groups called weather with the DIAdem NAVIGATOR interface. The example lists the channels of the found channel groups on the Search results tab. Set omyadvancedquery = Navigator.CreateQuery (eadvancedquery) omyadvancedquery.returntype = esearchchannel Call omyadvancedquery.conditions.add (esearchchannelgroup,"name", "=", "weather") Call Navigator.Display.CurrDataProvider.QueryForm. SetCurrQuery(oMyAdvancedQuery) Call Navigator.Display.CurrDataProvider.QueryForm. Search() Call WndShow ("NAVIGATOR","Open") To use a quick search in a script, enter the search term in DIAdem NAVIGATOR in recording mode, and press <Ctrl-A>. In the script editor you see the commands with the object names and the variable assignments for a search with the DIAdem NAVIGATOR interface or in the background. The main objects in DIAdem VIEW are worksheets, areas, axis systems, curves, channel tables, and columns. In your script, you can generate new objects and modify or delete objects. You access objects in DIAdem VIEW using the object hierarchy. The global object is the View object, which can be several worksheets long. The worksheet can be split into several areas, each of which contains either an axis system or a channel table, or is empty. The following script deletes all the worksheets in DIAdem VIEW and generates the new worksheet MySheet. In the new worksheet, the script generates the NewArea as a 2D axis system, and creates a curve in the axis system with Time as the x-channel and Speed as the y-channel. DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation 5-14 ni.com

79 Chapter 5 Automating Sequences Call View.Sheets.RemoveAll() Set MySheet = View.Sheets.Add("NewSheet") Set NewArea = MySheet.ActiveArea NewArea.DisplayObjType = "CurveChart2D" Call NewArea.DisplayObj.Curves.Add("[1]/Time", "[1]/Speed") Accessing Objects in DIAdem REPORT DIAdem REPORT objects include axis systems, tables, and text. The objects in DIAdem REPORT are accessed differently to VBS. You must first open, change, and close the main object, and then open, change, and close the subobject. The following script lines change the color of a curve in a 2D axis system: Call GRAPHObjOpen("2DAxis1") Call GRAPHObjOpen("2DObj3_Curve1") D2CURVECOLOR ="Red" Call GRAPHObjClose("2DObj3_Curve1") Call GRAPHObjClose("2DAxis1") To use the object hierarchy in your script, double-click the axis system to open the axis system dialog box, and press <Ctrl-A>. Switch to DIAdem SCRIPT and press <Ctrl-V> to paste the contents of the clipboard into your script. The script editor displays the commands with the object names and the variable assignments from the dialog box. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited 5-15 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

80 Configuring DIAdem A Appendix A contains information about configuring DIAdem, installing from a network, launching the program with parameters, and the DIAdem folder structure. Settings You can configure various DIAdem properties in the Settings menu: Select Options»General to specify the general DIAdem properties, such as the unit, the time format, or the channel reference. Click Data area to specify the memory range of the Data Portal for internal data. In the Log file you specify whether DIAdem records only error messages or other messages as well. To open the log file, select Help»Display log file. Click Compatibility to modify settings for working with scripts from previous DIAdem versions. The Settings menu has special settings such as the configuration of DataFinders in DIAdem NAVIGATOR, the cursor parameters in DIAdem VIEW, or the layout parameters in DIAdem REPORT. You also can specify which folders the DIAdem panels search for files in, and which start files the DIAdem panels load. Select Options»Extensions to register user commands, DataPlugins, and GPI extensions. By default, DIAdem saves the settings in the desktop file desktop.ddd. When a user starts DIAdem, DIAdem checks whether the folder with the local user settings contains a desktop file. If the folder does not contain a desktop file, DIAdem copies the desktop.ddd from the DIAdem folder into the local user settings. You can set up different DIAdem configurations for different users or different projects, save the settings in various desktop files, and load the files when you need them. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited A-1 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

81 Appendix A Configuring DIAdem To save the current settings in a new desktop file, select Settings»Options» Save as. To load a desktop file, select Settings»Options»Load. DIAdem loads the desktop file and automatically restarts. Launching DIAdem with Parameters You can open DIAdem with parameters, to preconfigure DIAdem or to start DIAdem with a script. Enter the parameters in the properties for the DIAdem call. To change the Windows shortcut to DIAdem, right-click the DIAdem icon. Select Properties in the shortcut menu. Add the call parameters you want in the Target textbox. Use the /D parameter to launch DIAdem with a specific project desktop file. The desktop file contains the DIAdem settings such as file paths, units, or the time format. To load the desktop file testrig.ddd when DIAdem starts, change the call to the following: "diadem.exe" "/DC:\diadem\testrig" Use the /C parameter to perform a command as soon as DIAdem launches. DIAdem works through several commands from left to right, as shown in the following example. To run the MyScript script when DIAdem starts, change the call to the following: "diadem.exe" "/CScriptStart('MyScript.vbs')" Use the /S parameter to specify the local system folder for a network installation when the DIAdem client starts. The DIAdem client searches the system folder for interface files and system files required for the program start. DIAdem also requires a USI installation and a NILM client on the local computer. To specify the system folder system when DIAdem launches, change the call to the following: "diadem.exe" "/SC:\diadem\system" You can use various parameters in one call, and you can use the same parameter several times. For example, to start an application on a test computer, change the call to the following: "diadem.exe" "/DC:\diadem\engine1" "/CScriptStart('MainTest.vbs')" "/CScriptStart('TestReport.vbs')" DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation A-2 ni.com

82 Appendix A Configuring DIAdem Folder Structure First, DIAdem loads the desktop file engine1.ddd, with the paths and settings set up for the project. Then, DIAdem starts the script MainTest, which displays the user interface for the test. When you close the user interface, DIAdem stops the MainTest script and starts the second script, TestReport. Figure A-1 shows the three-level folder structure in DIAdem: the program level, the structure level, and the file level. Figure A-1. Folder Structure 1. The program level is the folder that contains the program files. 2. The structure level breaks down the files as follows: ADDINFO, RESOURCE, and SYMBOLS contain system files. LIBR contains examples and templates. DEMO contains user manual files. USER is for your own files, and is initially empty. You can create other folders for other users and projects. Each DIAdem panel always searches for files on two paths: first on the user path and then on the library path. Select Settings»Options» General»Path selection to modify these paths. When you load a file in the dialog box, DIAdem automatically adjusts the user path. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited A-3 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation

83 Appendix A Configuring DIAdem 3. The file level contains files from the DIAdem panels in various folders: AUT contains scripts (vbs), list files (lst), variable definitions (vas), and user dialog boxes (sud). DAT contains data header files (tdm, dat) and data files (tdx, r64, asc, txt, lvm). GRA contains layout files (tdr and tdv) and graphics files (png, wmf, bmp, tif, jpg). DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation A-4 ni.com

84 DataPlugins B DataPlugins describe data formats to enable DIAdem to browse and read the associated data files via the USI (Universal Storage Interface) interface, as shown in Figure B-1. A DataPlugin is based on a VBS script, which analyzes a data file, creates instances of the data model such as the Root, ChannelGroups and Channels, and fills these instances with the information that has been read. Figure B-1. DIAdem Accesses Data via DataPlugins when Searching for and Loading Data Use DataPlugins to load, register, and browse additional file formats in DIAdem. Refer to the DIAdem help and select Programming Reference» Object-Oriented Script Interfaces»DataPlugin for information about DataPlugins. The DataPlugin help pages provide an overview of the structure of DataPlugins and describe the objects, properties, and methods. Examples demonstrate how to program DataPlugins. To create a DataPlugin you need a detailed description of the data format. Select Settings»Options»Extensions»DataPlugins in DIAdem NAVIGATOR to open the dialog box for the DataPlugin settings. Click New to create a DataPlugin. After you register your DataPlugin, you can insert the framework of the associated script into the script editor. National Instruments Ireland Resources Limited B-1 DIAdem: Data Mining, Analysis, and Report Generation