DeltaV Bulk Edit application

The DeltaV bulk edit application is an Excel add-in created to facilitate editing of data files to be bulk imported into the DeltaV configuration database. You can create new data files in the Excel add-in, start from one of the example data files in the Bulk Edit folder, or start from a file of data you exported from DeltaV. The Excel add-in, example data files, and sample format specification files in the DeltaV\DVData\BulkEdit folder have been created to speed up the bulk configuration process for common objects such as cards, channels, fieldbus devices, loop modules, monitoring modules, and discrete control modules (motors and valves).

Starting the Bulk Edit application

To start the Bulk Edit application, use the Excel Tools → Add-Ins menu selection, then browse to DeltaV\DVData\BulkEdit\BulkEdit_Support.xla. If the macro virus protection is set to Very High or High you must change it to Medium or Low to run the macros. Installing the add-in adds the BulkEdit selection to the DeltaV menu and creates a floating DeltaV Bulk Edit command bar. The buttons on this command bar correspond to the selections under the Bulk Edit menu.

Working with an example data file in the add-in

Open the channels.txt data file from the BulkEdit menu or toolbar. When the data file opens, notice that comment indicators appear in the cells in Row 1. If you position the cursor over one of these cells, the cell contents will appear in the comment followed by a context-sensitive comment if one is available for that field.

If the data in a particular column can be chosen from a list of valid entries, this is indicated by the Row 1 comment displaying "Use Select Entry for list of valid entries." Select any cell in this column other than Row 1, then invoke the Select Entry command. A combo box appears from which you pick one of the valid entries from the list. When you select an entry, it is pasted into the currently selected cell.

Saving the data —

Once you have created new rows and/or edited the cells in an opened data file, use the Save File command to save the data file. The file is saved as tab-delimited text.

Creating user defined import and export files

The sample format specification files in the DeltaV\DVData\BulkEdit folder correspond to the example data files. In the case of channels.txt, there is a format specification file called Channels.fmt used for import of the channels data into DeltaV. The same format specification file can be used to do a user-defined export of the channels in the DeltaV configuration database.

BulkEdit_Support.xla can be used with data files that you create via a user-defined export from the DeltaV Explorer.

Tips (general):

To use the bulk edit add-in, you must be using Excel.
The Excel add-ins open text files, not Excel workbooks. Use the add-in's Open Data File and Save Data File commands to open and save files. The default file type is Text Files in this case. Do not use the Open, Save, and SaveAs options in the File menu or on the standard command bar.
DeltaV exports files in the UNICODE format. When you open a UNICODE file from the add-in, an informational message appears indicating that a copy of the data will be created in ASCII format. When you save your edits, the default file name is your exported file name with _ASCII appended. When you import, remember to use the appended file name, not the exported file name.
Whenever you open a data file while the bulk edit add-in has focus in Excel, comment indicators appear in Row 1. You can hover over cells in Row 1 to see comments for those parameter types. To see a list of all bulk edit parameters, select the first empty Row 1 cell, then invoke the Select Entry command. A list of parameter paths for which context-sensitive comments are available appears. The comment field for that parameter appears when the cursor is in the cell. If the header comment says to use the Select Entry list, select the cell below the header, then invoke the Select Entry command. Open the drop down list in the dialog that appears to see the valid entries for the parameter.
Prior to saving the data file, look for empty cells in populated rows. If a particular column is not applicable to the object in a row, do not leave the cell blank. Type <NULL> (including the brackets <>) in the cell. If a particular column is applicable to the object in a row, it is OK to leave the cell empty if empty is a valid value, for example, in a description field.
When doing a user-defined import from the Explorer, be sure the data file is not open in Excel. The import file cannot be generated if there is a sharing violation on the data file.
If an example data file is missing data you want to import into DeltaV, edit the format specification file using the DeltaV Explorer wizard and insert the added fields in the appropriate location.

Tips (object specific):

Cards — The controller(s) must be created using the Explorer prior to importing the cards data file. Always import the cards data file prior to importing channels or ports data file. When a card being imported already exists in the DeltaV database, the channels or ports on that card are not affected. When a card being imported does not yet exist, the card is added along with the default channels and ports for that card type.
Channels and Ports — The card must exist in order to successfully import channels and ports for that card. Importing the channels or ports files will not create new cards, so import the cards data file first. Be careful to have the appropriate number of rows for the card type. To successfully import a channel, the format specification file and data file must include the following fields at a minimum: node_name, card_slot, channel_slot, and channel_type. This is true whether or not the channel already exists in the DeltaV database.
Modules (Loops, Motors and Valves, Analog Monitors, Discrete Monitors) — Create a row for each module. If the module does not exist in the DeltaV database, a new module is created during import based on the module_subtype field for that row. The module_subtype is the name of the template in the module library used (or to be used) to create the module. If the module defined by the module_name field does not exist, a module of that name will be created upon import starting from the template defined by the module_subtype field. Then the other fields in that row are imported. If the template defined by module_subtype does not exist in the DeltaV database, an empty module is created on import. When modules are created during a user-defined import, the creation occurs as the import file is generated, that is, prior to importing the values in the import file.
Modules (Loops, Motors and Valves, Analog Monitors, Discrete Monitors) — The format specification files for these objects require the plant area defined by the area field to exist in the DeltaV database. This means that the plant areas must be created manually in the Explorer prior to importing the data files. If the plant area does not exist when a user-defined import is done, the module will not be imported if your format files specifies that the area must exist in the database. If this is not specified and the area does not exist, modules are created in AREA_A.
Modules and Channels — When importing option bitstring parameters for which some bits are not included in the format and data file, the excluded bits are created with False values.
Loop Modules — The example data file and format specification file can be used for modules created from PID_LOOP, CASCADE_MASTER, CASCADE_SLAVE, and FF_PID_LOOP module templates. For modules created from CASCADE_MASTER, it is necessary to use the DeltaV Explorer after the import has been completed to convert the module block representing the slave module. To do this select SLAVELOOP under the module in the DeltaV Explorer tree, right-click and choose Convert to Existing Module, then browse to the slave module.
Motor/Valve Modules — There are fields for Condition block expressions (the interlock condition expressions). Expressions that begin with a single-quote need special treatment when editing in Excel. Excel removes a leading single-quote in a cell when the data file is saved as text. If an expression begins with a parameter path enclosed in single-quotes, add an additional leading single quote to the beginning of the expression. When this is done, the expression appear as expected in the saved data file.
Fieldbus Devices — When exporting fieldbus devices, the system automatically includes the usage names of the function blocks in the exported text file. In the example data file, FF_Devices.txt, the block names appear under headers called FBlock_1, FBlock_2, etc. You can override the names of your field blocks via user-defined import even though the headers (FBlock_1, etc.) do not appear in the format specification file. Note that field device function block names must be unique system-wide. However, you do not have to provide a unique name if you use an asterisk as a wildcard as shown in the example data file, FF_Devices.txt.