Understand the Database Classes that are Associated with this Driver
The Geo SCADA Expert Guide to the Database explains the database structure - the collection of tables and classes that contain information about all of the items in the database. You need to understand the database structure in order to navigate your way around the Database Schema. You might need to use the Schema to ascertain the names of fields, methods, aggregates, alarm conditions, and so on, when performing tasks such as animating Mimics, creating reports, or using external applications to access the database.
The database structure that is described in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to the Database applies to the SCADAPack x70 driver. However, with this driver you typically use an 'object-pair' of database items to represent a SCADAPack x70 device, input or output:
- A SCADAPack x70 Configuration item for the configuration that is specific to a particular SCADAPack x70 device, input or output.
- A protocol-specific outstation or point for the protocol-specific information that defines how Geo SCADA Expert communicates with the SCADAPack x70 device and processes the data that it retrieves from that device.
As with other items in the Geo SCADA Expert database, the hierarchy of the driver's creatable classes in the Database Schema mirrors that of the driver's entries in the Create New menu in ViewX:
With the SCADAPack x70 driver:
- Only the classes for SCADAPack x70 protocol-specific items have an Alarm Conditions section.
- For database items for which you can configure an 'object-pair' to represent an input or output, only the classes (or base classes) of the SCADAPack x70 protocol-specific items have a Methods section that contains information about driver-specific methods and pick actions.
- The classes for SCADAPack x70 Device Configuration items derive from a Cx70Outstation base class. The Methods section for that base class contains driver-specific methods that are associated with configuration that can exist in the SCADAPack x70 device itself.
- The classes for SCADAPack x70 protocol-specific Outstations derive from base classes that include a Methods section for methods that are protocol-specific.
The classes for both SCADAPack x70 configuration items and protocol-specific items are derived from the CDBObject base class, which has a Methods section. However, that Methods section purely contains methods that apply to all items in the database. For example, the CheckAccess method that can be used to check whether a user has a specific permission for a database item.
You navigate the information in each class in the Database Schema as you would for any database items in Geo SCADA Expert (see Display Information about a Creatable Class in the Geo SCADA Expert Guide to the Database).
Further Information