ClearSCADA 2014 R1

BulkEdit User Guide

A ClearSCADA Reference Guide
02/2014

This document and attachments contain confidential information and is

to be treated as Commercial-In-Confidence.
Copying or disclosure to a third party is prohibited without prior consent
in writing from Schneider Electric.
www.schneider-electric.com

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The information provided in this documentation contains general descriptions and/or technical characteristics of the performance of the
products contained herein. This documentation is not intended as a substitute for and is not to be used for determining suitability or
reliability of these products for specific user applications. It is the duty of any such user or integrator to perform the appropriate and
complete risk analysis, evaluation and testing of the products with respect to the relevant specific application or use thereof. Neither
Schneider Electric nor any of its affiliates or subsidiaries shall be responsible or liable for misuse of the information contained herein. If
you have any suggestions for improvements or amendments or have found errors in this publication, please notify us.
No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without
express written permission of Schneider Electric.
All pertinent state, regional, and local safety regulations must be observed when installing and using this product. For reasons of safety
and to help ensure compliance with documented system data, only the manufacturer should perform repairs to components.
When devices are used for applications with technical safety requirements, the relevant instructions must be followed.
Failure to use Schneider Electric software or approved software with our hardware products may result in injury, harm, or improper
operating results.
Failure to observe this information can result in injury or equipment damage.
2014 Schneider Electric. All rights reserved.

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Table of Contents
Safety Information .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Important Information ........................................................................................................................................................ 4
Please Note ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Before You Begin ................................................................................................................................................................. 5
About the Guide ...................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Document Scope ................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Intended Audience .............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Validity Note ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Related Documents ............................................................................................................................................................. 6
User Comments................................................................................................................................................................... 6
How to use BulkEdit ................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Login to the ClearSCADA Database ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Select Items in Database (Property Edit Mode) ................................................................................................................ 11
Select Properties to Edit, Export and Import .................................................................................................................... 13
Exporting a File .............................................................................................................................................................. 15
Edit the Exported File .................................................................................................................................................... 16
Import a File .................................................................................................................................................................. 18
Import Log ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Quick Edit Feature............................................................................................................................................................. 20
Filter the Property List ...................................................................................................................................................... 22
Search Database Tab ......................................................................................................................................................... 23
Property Override Mode ................................................................................................................................................... 25
Buttons Toolbar ................................................................................................................................................................ 27

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Safety Information
Important Information
Read these instructions carefully, and familiarize yourself with ClearSCADA before trying to install, operate, or
maintain your system. The following special messages may appear throughout this documentation or on the
ClearSCADA application to warn of potential hazards or to call attention to information that clarifies or simplifies a
procedure.

Please Note
Electrical equipment should be installed, operated, serviced, and maintained only by qualified personnel. No
responsibility is assumed by Schneider Electric for any consequences arising out of the use of this material.
A qualified person is one who has skills and knowledge related to the construction and operation of electrical equipment
and the installation, and has received safety training to recognize and avoid the hazards involved.

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Before You Begin

StruxureWare SCADA Expert ClearSCADA is a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) solution. It comprises
software that is used to control and monitor various devices, applications and processes on your system. Throughout
the documentation, StruxureWare SCADA Expert ClearSCADA is referred to as ClearSCADA.
Due to ClearSCADAs central control and processing role, you must appropriately design, commission and thoroughly
test your systems configuration for proper operation before placing it in service. Any further configuration changes
made online (once ClearSCADA is commissioned, tested, and in service) must be thoroughly tested before being used in
an operational setting.

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About the Guide

Document Scope
This guide explains how to use the BulkEdit tool to export and bulk edit multiple properties on multiple database items.
For more information, see How to use BulkEdit.

Intended Audience
This guide is intended for engineers that are tasked with bulk editing configuration properties in the ClearSCADA
database.

Validity Note
This guide is valid for ClearSCADA 2014 R1 running on computers that are using an appropriate Windows operating
system (see Operating Systems in the ClearSCADA Installation Guide).
Further Information
System Requirements: see ClearSCADA System Requirements in the ClearSCADA Installation Guide.

Related Documents
This guide includes references to content in the following guides:
ClearSCADA Guide to Core Configuration
ClearSCADA Installation Guide.

User Comments
We welcome your comments about this guide. You can reach us by e-mail at supporttrss@schneider-electric.com.

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How to use BulkEdit

You can use the BulkEdit tool to select multiple properties of multiple database items in ClearSCADA. You can then
export the selected properties to an xls file for editing in a suitable application, such as Microsoft Excel. You then
import the edited file back into the BulkEdit tool. Alternatively, you can use the tools Quick Edit feature to edit
properties that are to have the same value directly in the tool and ClearSCADA database.
To bulk edit or export multiple properties using the tool, the BulkEdit tool needs to be installed on the same computer
as the ClearSCADA database with which the tool will be used. The BulkEdit tool uses a network connection to the
ClearSCADA database (although the network connection is limited to providing a connection on the same computer on
which that database is installed).
CAUTION
UNEXPECTED BEHAVIOR OF APPLICATION
The BulkEdit tool is intended to facilitate large-scale changes to a ClearSCADA
database. Schneider Electric recommends that all changes are performed within an
offline development environment before making them on a live production system.
As a general-purpose utility that is new to ClearSCADA, it may be that some database
changes will raise errors. If you have any feedback on how the Bulk Edit Tool can be
improved in functionality or error handling, we welcome your input on the Bulk Edit
Tool forum:
http://telemetry.schneider-electric.com/id3/forum/index.cfm
Failure to follow these instructions may result in unexpected configuration changes.

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Login to the ClearSCADA Database

To edit database properties using the BulkEdit tool, you need to logon to the ClearSCADA database from the BulkEdit
tool. The BulkEdit tools Login window contains the following properties:

Enter the required Login information.

The network Address defaults to localhost, although you can also specify the computer name or IP address.
You also need to specify the Port that the BulkEdit tool uses to communicate with the ClearSCADA server. The Port
number that the tool uses by default is 5481.
To log on to ClearSCADA successfully, you need to use a ClearSCADA User Account that provides sufficient Read/Write
permissions for the areas of the database with which the tool is to be used. Use the User and Password fields to enter
the user name and password combination of such a ClearSCADA user.
ATTENTION: Only select the Import Only check box if the only action you want to perform is to import a previously saved
Properties file.

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Press the Log In button to log on to the ClearSCADA database.

It might take a while for the BulkEdit tool to load the database for a large system. Loading progress is indicated in the
lower left corner of the application window.

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Once the database is loaded, a hierarchical tree view of the database is displayed. The hierarchy is similar to that
available in the Database Bar in ViewX.

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Select Items in Database (Property Edit Mode)

Expand the tree view in the application window to locate the section of the database that you want to edit.
To select an object and all of its children, select that objects check box.
To deselect an object and all of its children, clear that objects check box.
Example:
The diagram on the left shows an expanded tree hierarchy with no check boxes selected.
The diagram on the right shows the result of a single check box that for the Stations group being selected. When the
Stations check box is selected, the check boxes for all of its children are selected automatically (you do not have to
select them individually).

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When a check box is selected, the BulkEdit tool provides options for editing the properties of the selected objects.

For more information, see Select Properties to Edit, Export and Import.

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Select Properties to Edit, Export and Import

A modular ClearSCADA database might include Group Templates and Group Instances in addition to normal Groups.
You can use the BulkEdit tool to select the properties of objects that are not part of a Group Instance, including the
properties of objects that are in normal Groups and Group Templates. You can only use the BulkEdit tool to select the
properties of objects that are in Group Instances if the Property Overrides feature has been used to set those
properties as editable on a per Instance basis (rather than derived from the Group Template). For more information on
Group Templates and Group Instances, see the ClearSCADA Guide to Core Configuration. Also see Property Override
Mode, later on in this guide.
Be aware of the Property Overrides settings when exporting and editing the properties in the export file.
ATTENTION: The FullName and Name properties are automatically included in the export file for those classes for which
other properties are selected for inclusion in that export file. The BulkEdit tool uses the values of these default
properties to identify the database items for which the values of other properties are selected for being edited and
exported.
To select the properties that you want to edit, you start with the Selected Classes section of the application window.
The section appears in the lower left of the application window.
You can only select one class at a time. When you select a property class, the right side of the application window
displays a list of the properties that you can edit in the selected class. The lists title indicates the class that you have
selected.
The BulkEdit tool supports the exporting of multiple properties from different classes. To select properties from multiple
classes, select the properties that you require from one class, and then select the properties that you require from
another class; repeat this process as required.
Typically, you do not edit the property values in the BulkEdit tool itself instead, you export your property selections in
the form of an xls file. You then edit the exported file using a suitable application, such as Microsoft Excel. (However,
see the section about the tools Quick Edit Feature).
To mark a property for inclusion in the export file, select the check box for that property in the pane on the right side of
the application window. Select as many properties as required for each object class.
NOTE: It might take a short amount of time for the tool to load the newly selected class properties into the pane on the
right side.

Example:
If you need to edit the InService property on DNP3 analog points, you would need to select the InService property in the
analog point classes CDNP3AnalogIn (the class for DNP3 analog input points) and CDNP3AnalogOut (the class for DNP3
analog output points).
To do this, you would select the CDNP3AnalogIn class in the lower left of the application window, and then select the
InService check box in the properties pane on the right.

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You would then select the CDNP3AnalogOut class in the lower left of the application window, and then select the
InService check box in the properties pane on the right.

Example of CDNP3AnalogIn InService being selected.

Example of CDNP3AnalogOut InService being selected.

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Exporting a File
Once you have selected the properties that you want to export for editing, you need to create an Excel export file.
To do this, select the File menu, followed by the Export option. Alternatively, press the Export button

The Save As window is displayed (its layout differs slightly depending on the Windows operating system). Use the
window to navigate to the location to which you want to save the export file. Specify a suitable name for the file, and
then select the Save button.

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Edit the Exported File

Once you have created an export file, you can edit the property values in that file. To do this, you use an xlsx editing
application such as Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice Calc. The diagram below shows an export file opened in Microsoft
Excel. The export file includes the values of the InService and FullScale properties for two DNP3 classes. The database
classes are ringed in the diagram.

Each class forms a separate spreadsheet tab (as ringed in the diagram above). To edit the exported properties for a class,
select the tab for that class and then edit the values of the properties as required. Each property type that was selected
for editing and inclusion in the export file appears in its own column to the right of the default columns.
The default columns, which are always included in an export file, are the FullName and Name properties of the
objects; do not edit the values in these two columns or the import will fail.
CAUTION
UNEXPECTED BEHAVIOR OF APPLICATION
Do not edit the values of the default exported object properties, FullName and Name.
Failure to follow these instructions will result in the inability to import the edited
database file.

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The first row of each spreadsheet tab comprises a header row. Each column header comprises the name of the property.
Do not edit the names of the columns or the Import will fail.
CAUTION
UNEXPECTED BEHAVIOR OF APPLICATION
Do not edit the values of the column headings in an export file.
Failure to follow these instructions will result in the inability to import the edited
database file.

A note attached to each header cell provides a short description of the property and indicates the accepted values for
that property type. Move the cursor over the column heading to display the associated note.

In the body cells of columns (other than the FullName and Name columns) enter the required property values.
Save the changes to the file.
You now need to import the edited file back into the BulkEdit tool (see Import a File).

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Import a File
When you have saved the changes to the exported xls file, you need to import that file back into the BulkEdit
application.
To do this:
1. In the BulkEdit application window, select the File menu, followed by the Import option. Alternatively, press the
Import button
.
The Open window is displayed (its layout varies depending on the Windows operating system).
2. Use the window to navigate to the file that you want to import.
3. Select the required file.
4. Select the Open button.

The importing progress is displayed in the lower left corner of the main application window.
When the import has finished, an Import Log window is displayed. The window lists the edited properties. Use the
window to verify that the changes imported successfully (see Import Log).

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Import Log
The Import Log window is displayed once an import has finished. Use the Import Log to verify that the property changes
imported successfully. The Import Log also indicates whether any changes were unsuccessful.
The entries in the Import Log are color-coded as follows:

Blue: The name of the property that is to be set

Green: An action that completed successfully

Red: An action that did not complete.

Example:
This Import Log shows a short example with one failure and one successful edit.

The last action to be performed is shown at the top of the log; the first action is shown at the bottom.
From the bottom up, the import activities read as follows:
1. The Import process is started.
2. Importing of the worksheet CDNP3AnalogIn is started.
3. The import process tries to set the FullScale property of Stations.BPS012.Inlet Flow.Value.
The request fails because a Group Template controls this property, and the property override is not set in the
Group Template.
4. The import process tries to set the FullScale property of Stations.BPS012.Inlet Pressure.Value.
This request succeeds and the value of the FullScale property is set as requested.
5. The import process for the Worksheet CDNP3AnalogIn is completed.
6. The Total Import has been completed.

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Quick Edit Feature

ATTENTION: See the section on Property Override Mode before using the Quick Edit feature to modify Property Override
values.
Use the Quick Edit feature if you only want to edit a few properties and want to apply the same property value to most
of the selected objects.
To do this, select the object that you want to edit in the tree structure and then double-click on the relevant property in
The Quick Edit pane (bottom right) shows the property that was double-clicked, and lists the selected objects within the
current class selection.

Select the Edit check box of those objects for which the property is to be edited.
Alternatively:
1. Select all of the objects in the lower right pane. To do this:
i.
Select any of the rows in the pane.
ii.
Press the CTRL and A keys simultaneously.
All of the objects in the lower right pane are selected.
2. Press the spacebar to select all of the check boxes.
3. Individually select or deselect specific check boxes as required.
If any of the objects with the selected property are controlled by a Group Template, their entries have a grey
background. This indicates that the property override is not set in the Group Template, and as a result you cannot select
those particular properties for editing.
Once you have selected the properties that you want to edit, select the Click Here To Edit Checked Object[s] button (it
appears as red text in the bottom right of the application window).
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The Set Property window is displayed.

Enter the new value for the property and then select the Set button.
A log of the import is displayed in the lower portion of the Set Property window. When the top line indicates that the
editing process has finished, you can view the log and then close the window.

To edit properties individually, select them by double-clicking on them. You do not have to close the edit section to
select another property to edit. To close the edit section, double-click on the grey property title (in the diagram shown
below, the grey property title contains the text InService [Boolean] and is ringed in the diagram).

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Filter the Property List

To filter the property list, type the name or part of the name of the property that you want to edit. The tool applies the
filter as you type, so you may find that you do not need to specify the whole word. The filter is not case sensitive.
Example:
In this example, the user types the text His to filter the property entries to those for the historic properties. The property
list on the right is filtered to show just those properties that contain His in the name. In this example, the Historic
properties are displayed.

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Search Database Tab

As an alternative to selecting objects from the database tree structure, you can perform a search and select the object
from the results of that search. This may be a preferable way to locate the objects for which you want to edit properties.
To perform a search, select the Search tab located by the Tree tab. The tabs appear on the left side of the application
window, just below the Buttons Toolbar.

Example:
To only edit those analog outputs that are named Value in the database, you might search for NAME containing
EQUALS Value on the green box, and then press the Search button to the right

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The search results include analog inputs as well as analog outputs. To restrict the search results further, you might
change the search to use FULLNAME and ENDS WITH. You might also modify the search to Setpoint.Value. This results
in a more restricted list of search results, containing only the required points.

Select one row in the list of search results and then press the CTRL and A keys together. This selects all of the rows. Press
the space bar to select the properties for all of those rows. You can then edit the selected properties either by exporting
them to a file for editing in a suitable application, or by using the Quick edit option.
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Property Override Mode

When you start the BulkEdit tool, it runs by default in Edit Object Properties mode.
If required, you can select this toolbar button

to change to running in Edit Template Property Overrides mode.

The application interface is similar for that used for selecting the objects, classes, and properties in Edit Object
Properties mode. The exception is that, in Edit Template Property Overrides mode, the tree only displays the Group
Templates that exist in the ClearSCADA database; additionally the only editing option is to allow or not allow setting of
the Property Override property. The property is a Boolean, True or False.
If you intend using an export file, select the properties that are to be changed by using the Export check box next to the
property. The export file will contain a sheet for each Class that contains all Property Override properties of all objects
within that class. The export file will contain the current value, either True or False, for the property override. Set the
Property Override property to the desired setting in the file, save the file, and then import the file back into the BulkEdit
tool. The property overrides will then be set.
Alternatively, you can use the Quick Edit feature to set the property override to True or False directly in the BulkEdit
tool. To do this, double-click on the property in the upper right window. All Property Override properties of objects in
the selected class are shown in the lower right window. The current Property Override status is shown as either
selected or clear. If the object property is selected, the Property Override is set to True. If the object property is clear,
the Property Override is set to False, meaning that it is not overridden in the Group Template. The diagram below
shows a selected check box (circled in red); this indicates that the property is selected and the override is set to True.
When using the Quick Edit feature, the action of selecting or clearing is applied immediately and the override setting is
changed in the ClearSCADA database without any further interaction required.
CAUTION
UNEXPECTED CONFIGURATION CHANGES
Take great care when using the Quick Edit feature to modify Property Overrides. All
setting changes are applied immediately to the ClearSCADA database without any
further interaction being required. This might result in the loss of all overridden values
for a property in every Group Instance that is associated with a Group Template.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in unexpected configuration changes.

When using the Quick Edit feature for Property Overrides, all setting changes are immediately applied to the
ClearSCADA database. If an Override check box is cleared (when it was previously selected), or the value of an
Override is changed from True to False in an export file spreadsheet, and this results in the property value being
different from the Group Template, this will immediately set the property value back to the value contained in the
Group Template. This will result in a loss of all the overridden values for that property in every Group Instance
associated with that Group Template.

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Buttons Toolbar
This section describes the buttons on the BulkEdit tools button toolbar.

From left to right, the buttons are:

Database interface: Use this button to log out of BulkEdit, or reload the ClearSCADA database.

By reloading the database, you can update the changes in the database tree without needing to close BulkEdit or
relocate the property that is currently selected. However, you will need to reselect the database objects with
which you were working.
Properties: Use this button to select Edit Object Properties mode (the mode in which you can select any
editable property in the database).
Property Overrides: Use this button to select Edit Object Property Overrides mode
(see Property Override Mode).
Select: Use this button to select all objects in the database tree.
Deselect: Use this button to deselect all objects in the database tree.
Export: Select this button to export a properties xlsx file (see Exporting a File).
Import: Select this button to import a properties xlsx file (see Import a File).
Toggle Tab View: Use this button to remove the Selected Classes windows and display the Selected Classes on
tabs across the top of the properties list window (as shown in the figure below).

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