Types
Types provide a way of grouping similar items together.
Note that if you're familiar with the Haystack structure used in building monitoring, this term can be a little confusing - please feel free to read our information on the differences in terminology between ARDI and Haystack.
In the same way that tags are used to categorise videos on most sharing sites and articles on news sites and blogs, types group together assets that have similar functions or features.
Unlike the tagging systems you might be used to though, types in ARDI form a hierarchy - types can have their own sub-types. For example, the 'Pressure Transmitter' tag will have two parents - 'Transmitter' and 'Equipment'.
This makes tagging even more effective, as you can see all transmitters of any kind by looking at the 'Transmitter' list, or narrow down your view by looking at only those that transmit pressure.
Overview
You can find a useful presentation about types below…
Types and Properties
Types can also include properties - these properties automatically appear on any asset that uses the type.
This means that you can set up a type for each major form of instrument in your database. This not only makes creating your system much faster, but it makes maintenance easier, as you only need to add a property to the type to add it to all of the assets that use it.
Mixing Types
A single asset can have many types.
You can also mix-and-match types. For example, one type may be used to define what the asset looks like (ie. it's 3D Model and it's Symbols), while another may describe it's actual values.
Valves are a good example of this. A valve that moves between 'open' and 'closed' has the same properties no matter how it works. But valves that work differently have unique symbols and appearances.
If you had types for how your valves operate (ie. On-Off Valve, Control Valve, Manual Valve etc.) and types for what they look like (ie. Butterfly Valve, Gate Valve, Ball Valve), then you mix and match for each valve in your system.
You can have a On-Off Buttefly Valve or a Control Gate Valve by simply adding the two types to the same asset.
Types and Templates
Types work with templates to make creating new assets extremely quick.