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The purpose of this technote is to briefly review the methodology for setting up a formula-derived User Data Extension, also known as Formula UDX. Additional information can be found in the Help section for the program.
User Data Extensions (UDX) have been a feature available in the water and waste water products for some time. With the release of SELECTseries 2 builds of the software, a new 'Formula' ability was added to give extra flexibility to the user. This feature will allow the user to calculate results that the programs might not otherwise generate and display these results in the element properties or FlexTables.
NOTE: a formula-derived user data extension currently only evaluates at a given timestep. Meaning, you currently cannot perform functions against time-series data, such as the maximum, minimum or average value of a result field over the simulation duration.
User Data Extensions allow the user to create new fields for use in reporting, graphing, or data analysis. For example, you can add a field for keeping track of the date of installation for an element or the type of area serviced by a particular element.
The UDX dialog can be accessed directly by going to Tools > User Data Extensions. Selecting this will open the User Data Extension dialog.
There are a number of data types available. These include integers, real (or any fraction decimal number), text, date/time, boolean (true or false), and formula.
There is a label field to allow the user to give the UDX a unique name so that it can be easily viewed in the element properties or FlexTables. With real and formula UDX fields, the user must also enter Dimension, Storage Unit, and Numeric Formatter.
To create a UDX, highlight the element and select the New icon. The section on the right will fill in with default data. As this technote is related to formula-based User Data Extensions, change the Data Type to “Real (Formula)”. When this is completed, the Units section will appear. Enter the appropriate Dimension, Storage Unit, and Numeric Formatter for analysis you will be conducting. You should also change the label to something recognizable for the analysis. Once you have done, select Okay.
Note: Once you select Okay, some fields, such as Data Type, Dimension, and Storage Unit, cannot be changed or edited. The formula itself can still be edited though.
Bentley's Hydraulics and Hydrology products give a wide range of results that are generated after the computing a model. In most cases, these results are sufficient for analyzing and reporting on a system. However, there are times when a user may want to see a set of results that are not available in the program. It was for cases like this that the formula-based User Data Extension was developed.
Note: You cannot create a formula that uses properties from more than one element type, and the results of a formula UDX are only evaluated at a given timestep (you currently cannot find the max/min/average for example, of a result over time)
The formula-based UDX allow the user to generate new results based on the data already calculated after computing the model. The basic steps below are universal, with only the element types and available properties differing depending on the product. The example below will be using WaterGEMS.
Let us say that you want to display the percentage of pressure head compared with the calculated hydraulic grade for the junctions in a WaterGEMS model. To begin, open the User Data Extension dialog. Create a new UDX by selecting the New icon at the top of the dialog. Change the label to something recognizable to these results and change the Data Type to “Real (Formula)”. Since the result will be a percentage, change the Dimension field to “Percent”, the Storage Unit to “%”, and Numeric Formatter to “Percent”.
Next, click in the Formula cell. An ellipsis (...) will appear.
Click this to open the Formula dialog.
In the upper left is a list of all available properties for the junctions. The list is in alphabetical order. The same properties are accessible through the “>” icon above the list. In the upper right are all of the mathematical functions available. The empty window in the lower part for the dialog is where the formula is built.
To move a property to the lower window, simply doubleclick the name. It will then appear in the window. Note that the appearance is not the same as the property list; the window shows the Access database table name for that property. To include a simple math function, like multiplication or subtraction, click the corresponding button. For the geometric or trigonometric math functions, doubleclick the name to include in the formula.
In the example where we want the percentage of the pressure head compared with the calculated hydraulic grade, first select the “(“ icon. Next, find “Pressure Head (ft)” in the properties list and doubleclick. Next choose the divide icon, then the “Hydraulic Grade (ft)” property, and then the “)” icon. Since we want this as a percent multiply this by 100.
Once completed, select 'OK' to return to the User Data Extension dialog. Click 'OK' again to save the UDX.
*Note: Many features, including the Data Type, Dimension, and Storage Unit, cannot be changed or edited after selecting 'OK'.
Since the results are saved as user data extensions, you can view the results in either the element properties or the FlexTables.
After computing the model, double click on a junction to open the Properties dialog. Find the “User Defined” section. This is where the formula UDX field will be located and, since the model was computed, you should see the results.
To see the results in the FlexTables, open the element FlexTable (View > FlexTables, for instance). With the FlexTable open, select the Edit icon. Scroll through the list on the left to find the UDX field. The list is in alphabetical order. Select the 'Add' button and it now appears in the list on the right. Click 'OK' to return to the FlexTable. The statistical analysis results should now be available.
This data is also available for results presentation in graphs and data tables. You will also be able to created color coding and annotation through Element Symbology once the User Data Extension is created.
If you want to use the User Data Extensions that you have created, you can export them to a .XML file for use in another model. To do this, click the Export to XML button in the upper left. This will allow you to save the UDX as an .XML file for later use. To add the exported UDX's into a new model, open the User Extension Manager in the new model. Then click the Import button in the upper left and browse to the .XML file with the User Data Extensions you wish to use. The UDX's will then appear in the model for use.
Creating Custom Calculated Results with Formula User Data Extensions