Configure Model Associations

If associations have been configured, the Configure model associations for <modelName> page displays the current Source and Target associations for the selected model. It also shows the data item mappings for the models. As long as you have the appropriate privileges, you can add, remove, and modify associations in this page. The model associations enable the data items for a selected model to be forwarded to a target model.

Note that you do not have to add associations to two models that serve as source and target. For example, suppose you want to set up a Composite Model (or asset). In the View and manage models page, you would select to manage associations for the model that will be the Composite. In this page, you would find all the models that would serve as Source models for the Composite and set them as Source models. You would also map the data items of those Source models to data items for the Composite model. After setting up the Composite Model, take a look at the Model Associations for one of the models you assigned as a Source for the Composite. This page will show the Composite Model as the Target model for that Source model.

Important! When you search for models, the Platform returns only those models to which you have privileges. In addition, to access this page and add or remove associations, you must have the appropriate privileges.

After initially associating models and data items, any new data items for a model must be associated with data items on the target models for them to appear in the Asset dashboards for assets of the target models. Associations are NOT created automatically for new data items.

What do you want to do?

If you want to see the alarms, events, mobile locations, uploaded files, and data item values reported by an asset in the Asset dashboard for that asset, associations are not necessary. However, if you want to see this information in the Asset dashboard of another asset, associations allow you to set up the necessary mappings. The following topics provide a general outline of the steps you need to take for associations:

When you are ready to set up associations, refer as needed to the procedures below and to the procedures to Configure Asset Associations.

Procedures from this page

From this page you can search for models that you want to set as source or target associations for the model whose name is shown in the title of the page. You can then set those models as source or target for the selected model, and map data items between the models. Once models have been configured as Source or Target here, you can remove them or change their association as needed. Click the title of a procedure to display it; click the title again to hide the procedure.

1. Under Model Search, type all or part of the name of a model you want to find and click the Search icon ( $image\icon_search_for_models_edit_associations.gif$ ). To find all models available to you, click the Search icon.

2. When models appear in the Model list, you can drag and drop them to the Source or Target lists.

3. In the Source or Target list, map the data items:

a. In the Source Models or Target Models list, click the $image\icon_display_expression_rules_details.gif$ icon to display the DataItem Mapping table.

b. Under the Source or Target model name, click the down arrow to display the complete list of data items for the model, and select a data item name.

c. Under the name of the selected model (the one in the title of the page), click the down arrow to display the complete list of data items for the model and select the data item to which you want to map the data item from the other model.

Important! When selecting source and target data items, make sure that the data items are of the same data type. Otherwise, the Save operation looks like it works, but in reality, the mapping is NOT saved.

d. Click the right arrow between the two lists of data items, $image\icon_modelassociations_dataitems_rightarrow.gif$ to add the mapping to the table.

e. Repeat steps b through d to add the data items that you want reported to the selected model from the Source model.

f. Repeat this procedure to map data items from the selected model to a Target model. If you want data items reported by the selected source model (the one whose name appears in the title of this page) to show up for itself as well as for the Composite Model, make sure that you add the selected source model to the Target list and map the data items. You are essentially mapping the Model and its data items to itself. You also need to map the asset to itself for the data items of a source asset to show up on the Asset dashboard of the source asset.

g. To close the DataItem Mapping table for the model, click $image\icon_hide_expression_rules_details.gif$ .

h. Repeat this procedure for each model in the Source or Target list.

4. Click:

Save -- to save the associations and return to the View and manage models page.

Reset -- to restore the original Source and Target settings for the selected model and leave this page open.

Cancel -- to discard your changes and return to the View and manage models page.

1. In the Source Associations or Target Associations list, click the line containing the name of a model that you want to remove from association with the selected model. If you want to remove more than one model, select the other models.

2. Once you see that the check boxes for the models that you want to remove are selected, click Remove. The names of the models move to the Model list on the left side of the page, with the check box still selected so that you can quickly correct an error (drag the model back to the list it came from).

3. Click

Save -- to save the changes and return to the View and manage models page.

Reset -- to restore the original Source and Target settings for the selected model and leave this page open.

Cancel -- to discard your changes and return to the View and manage models page.

Note: If you delete a model, the Platform automatically deletes the model from any associations. It does not warn you that it is going to remove associations.

In the Source Models or Target Models list, click the $image\icon_display_expression_rules_details.gif$ icon to display the DataItem Mapping table for the model whose mappings you want to remove.
Select the check box for each data item mapping that you want to remove.
Click the Remove button for the DataItem Mapping table. If you cannot see this button, use the vertical scroll bar to scroll to the bottom of the table. The Remove button for the table will come in to view.
Click

§ Save -- to save the changes and return to the View and manage models page.

§ Reset -- to restore the original DataItem Mapping settings for the selected model and leave this page open.

§ Cancel -- to discard your changes and return to the View and manage models page.

Note: If you delete a data item from the Platform, the Platform automatically deletes the data item from any associations. It does not warn you that it is going to remove associations.