{"id":21462,"date":"2017-12-15T13:08:42","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T05:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/help\/?page_id=21462"},"modified":"2026-07-06T23:05:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T15:05:32","slug":"overview-of-server-management","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/oihelp.corporate.ifs.com\/help\/p2-server\/primers\/overview-of-server-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Server Management Navigation Overview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Overview<\/h2>\n

Server Management provides functionality for connecting to data, and then defining that data, as well as modelling data relationships, for use in other applications such as IFS OI Explorer. This article provides an overview of IFS OI Server Management, and describes how to navigate it.<\/p>\n

Server's parts work together. To find out how to navigate to a part\/component, click on the appropriate link in the table below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Component<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/td>\nAbout<\/strong><\/td>\nNavigation<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Hierarchies<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"hierarchyicon\"<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\u00a0<\/td>\nHierarchies are used to logically define parent-child relationships between entities<\/strong>, such that they model real-world data. For example, a corporate hierarchy could be modelled as its organisational levels and sub-levels (corporation, business units, regions, areas, wells).<\/td>\nHierarchies in Server<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

and<\/em> Entities in a Hierarchy<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\u00a0<\/td>\nEntities are added to a hierarchy in various parent-child relationships.<\/td>\nEntities in a Hierarchy<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Entities<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"entity-icon-sm\"<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\u00a0<\/td>\nEntities take on the data structure of their current primary template<\/strong>, and are used for modelling data in a hierarchy.<\/td>\nEntity Navigation<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

and<\/em> Attribute Values<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\u00a0<\/td>\nAttributes (and their attribute values) are assigned to an entity<\/strong> based on its current primary template<\/strong>. When you edit an entity, you need to specify where the Attribute Values get their data from.<\/td>\nAttribute Values for an Entity<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Configuration<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\u00a0<\/td>\nAll the components required for configuring connections to datasources, as well as for configuring the elements of data modelling, are found under this menu.<\/td>\nConfiguration Navigation<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/td>\nDatasources: <\/strong>These define the connections to various datasources, such as historians and relational databases.<\/td>\nNavigate Datasources<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n\u00a0<\/td>\nand<\/em> Tags: <\/strong>A tag is an item of time-series data that is retrieved from a data historian, using a Tag datasource<\/strong>.<\/td>\nNavigate Tags<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n\u00a0<\/td>\nand<\/em> Datasets: <\/strong> Relational datasources<\/strong> contain a collection of datasets, which are SQL queries (with optional parameters), written using specialised Server syntax.<\/td>\nNavigate Datasets<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/td>\nCalculations: <\/strong> Calculations in IFS OI Server allow users to combine existing data and derive new tags that aid in analysing existing data.<\/td>\nNavigate Calculations<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/td>\nAttribute Groups: <\/strong> These are used for organising attributes<\/strong> into smaller, more manageable lists.<\/td>\nNavigate Attribute Groups<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/td>\nTemplate Groups: <\/strong> These are used for organising templates<\/strong> into smaller, more manageable lists.<\/td>\nNavigate Template Groups<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/td>\nTemplates: <\/strong> A template is a collection of attributes<\/strong> that is used for modelling entities<\/strong>. The template can also contain links<\/strong> and an icon<\/strong>, that are adopted by the entity. The Template Group<\/strong> and icon, as well as the name and description of the template and its attributes, further define the purpose of the template.<\/td>\nNavigate Templates<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n\u00a0<\/td>\nand<\/em> Attributes<\/strong> A name, description and data type. This can be grouped under an attribute group<\/strong>.<\/td>\nNavigate Attributes<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n\u00a0<\/td>\nand<\/em> Attribute Values<\/strong> A name and description. Each attribute<\/strong> gets a default <\/em> attribute value.<\/td>\nNavigate Attribute Values<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/td>\nLink Groups: <\/strong> Links<\/strong> are grouped into Link Groups.<\/td>\nNavigate Link Groups<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/td>\nLinks: <\/strong> A link represents a reference to a page, trend or fixed URI that is assigned to a template<\/strong> in order to model related information for entities<\/strong> that use this as their current primary template.<\/td>\nNavigate Links<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\nDigital State Sets: <\/strong> Digital state sets are used to map numbers and names for digital states which are usually returned by tags or calculations. Digital state sets can either be imported from datasources during tag discovery or they can be defined manually.<\/td>\nNavigate Digital State Sets<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/td>\nUnits: <\/strong> You can associate a unit to a tag<\/strong> (to define the unit of values fetched from a historian).<\/td>\nNavigate Units<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/td>\nImages: <\/strong>Use images in Templates<\/strong> so that they appear alongside entities<\/strong> in a hierarchy<\/strong>.<\/td>\nNavigate Images<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Import\/Export<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\u00a0<\/td>\nYou can import or export data to\/from the IFS OI Server database using an Excel\u00ae spreadsheet<\/td>\nNavigate Import\/Export<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Logging In\/Out<\/h3>\n

To launch IFS OI Server Management and log in:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Open a new window in Microsoft\u00ae Internet Explorer or Google\u00ae Chrome.<\/li>\n
  2. In the address bar, type the URL supplied by your System Administrator. For example, https:\/\/servername\/P2.server.managment\/<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Note: A link to IFS OI Server is usually available via your corporate intranet.<\/p>\n

    You will usually be logged in automatically. If automatic login fails, or if you have logged out, the P2 Security login screen appears.<\/p>\n

    \"security-login\"<\/p>\n

    If you are logged in to a corporate network, you will usually be able to log in by clicking \"Automatic Log In<\/strong>\".<\/p>\n

    If you do not want to use your current network login:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. In the Username<\/strong> box, type your user name. If you are using a network user name, you may need to also specify your domain name. E.g. DOMAIN\\user.name<\/li>\n
    2. In the Password <\/strong>box, type your password.<\/li>\n
    3. Click Manual Log In<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      IFS OI Server Management opens, on the Hierarchies page.<\/p>\n

      Alternatively, if you use IFS OI Explorer you can find a link to Server Management from the IFS OI Explorer toolbar.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Click the Configuration icon on the toolbar.<\/li>\n
      2. Click Server Management<\/strong> in the menu.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        <\/a>

        The IFS OI Explorer Toolbar<\/p><\/div>\n

        To Log Out<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Click your User Name on the toolbar.<\/li>\n
        2. Click Logout<\/strong> in the menu.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          <\/a><\/p>\n

          About Box<\/h3>\n

          The About box displays version and copyright information for IFS OI Server.<\/p>\n

          Click the P2 Logo on the toolbar to open the About box.<\/p>\n

          <\/a><\/p>\n

          <\/a><\/p>\n

          Searching and Navigating<\/h3>\n

          Server's navigation follows a pattern. Here are some guidelines:<\/p>\n

          Filtered Searches<\/h4>\n

          Many of the pages have a search box that can be used for filtering a list.<\/p>\n

          To use the search box:<\/p>\n

          Type one or more letters in the search box. The list is filtered as you type.<\/p>\n

          \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

          Note: For versions earlier than 4.4.6, press Enter or click the Search button after typing into the search box.<\/p>\n

          Searching with Wildcard Filtering<\/h4>\n

          Note<\/strong>: Wildcard filtering is available for versions 4.5.4 and later.<\/p>\n

          All Search functions now have Wildcard filtering capabilities for tags and entities, allowing you to search for patterns, as an alternative to the regular simple text match available since earlier versions.<\/p>\n

          Using Asterisks<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Use an asterisk (*) at the beginning, middle and\/or end of the search text, to search for patterns that contain one or more alpha-numeric values.<\/p>\n

          Search results match the search term for all text before or after the asterisks. Any number of alpha-numerical characters can replace the asterisks in the search term. For example, the search term \u2018*900\u2019 will return search results ending in \u2018900\u2019 (such as 12350900<\/strong>, \u2018ABC900<\/strong>\u2019, \u2018989hhh900<\/strong>\u2019, etc.), while the search term \u2018*.pump*rate\u2019 returns results that contain alpha-numeric values before and after \u2018.pump\u2019, and end with \u2018rate\u2019 (such as \u2018Abes.Pump<\/strong>FlowRate<\/strong>\u2019, \u2018Alligator.Pump<\/strong>FlowRate<\/strong>\u2019, etc.).<\/p>\n

          Using Question Marks<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Use one or more question mark characters (?), to limit replacement text to one alpha-numeric character per question mark symbol.<\/p>\n

          Examples Using One or Both Symbols<\/strong><\/p>\n

          You can also use a combination of asterisks and question marks, as shown in the table below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
          Search String<\/strong><\/td>\nValid Search Results<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          RT??MN<\/td>\nRT<\/strong>ABMN<\/strong>
          \nRT<\/strong>W1MN<\/strong>
          \nRT<\/strong>12MN<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          *99?2?4<\/td>\nHello99<\/strong>12<\/strong>34<\/strong>
          \nABCDEFG99<\/strong>H2<\/strong>I4<\/strong>
          \nA99<\/strong>Z2<\/strong>S4<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Pump*8?<\/td>\nPump<\/strong>00098<\/strong>1
          \nPump<\/strong>XYZ1238<\/strong>3
          \nPump<\/strong>888888<\/strong>0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Breadcrumb Navigation<\/h4>\n

          The breadcrumb is useful for navigating back through pages, for example when you are going through a list of attributes for an entity.<\/p>\n

          Most of the sections below explain the relevant breadcrumb navigation.<\/p>\n

          Menu Levels<\/h4>\n

          Sometimes fairly significant components are a level or two away from the main menu items, because of the logic and structure of Server. For example, Tags<\/em> are found within the Datasource<\/em> pages of Tag<\/em> datasources. The navigational table (see above) is there to help you get familiar with the location of these components.<\/p>\n

          FAQ<\/h2>\n

          Read more: Server FAQ<\/a><\/p>\n

          Below are the answers to some of the navigational questions around IFS OI Server.<\/p>\n

          How do I search for a tag?<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Tags can be found under Tag<\/em> datasources. Navigate to the tag's datasource<\/a>, then search for the tag<\/a> by name, or using wildcard symbols.<\/p>\n

          How do I search for an entity?<\/strong><\/p>\n

          All of Server's entities can be searched for by name, or using wildcard symbols, in the Entities<\/a> page.<\/p>\n

          How do I search for an entity in a hierarchy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

          To search for an entity within a particular hierarchy, you need to open that hierarchy<\/a> and then search for the entity within the hierarchy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

          How do I assign a tag to an entity's attribute value?<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Locate the entity, then edit the attribute value, assign the tag type and tag name to the attribute value. (Read more: Navigate to an Attribute Value<\/a>, Configuring Attribute Values<\/a>).<\/p>\n

          Where do I find an attribute's definition?<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Attributes belong to Templates. Navigate to the template<\/a>, then search for the attribute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

          Can I update an entity in a hierarchy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

          You can navigate to an entity's details or overview, from the Entity Details<\/em> panel, in the Hierarchy Editor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

          Hierarchies<\/h2>\n

          Read more: Hierarchies in IFS OI Server<\/a>, Setting up Hierarchies<\/a><\/p>\n

          Hierarchies are used to logically define parent-child relationships between entities, such that they model real-world data. For example, a corporate hierarchy could be modelled as its organisational levels and sub-levels (corporation, business units, regions, areas, wells).<\/p>\n

          Points to note, regarding entities in hierarchies:<\/p>\n