PDMS 116 - Gettingstarted PDF

Getting Started with
PDMS
Version 11.6
pdms1160/Getting Started with PDMS

issue 211004
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Revision History
Date
Version
October2003 11.5
NewmanualatthisPDMSversion
Sept2004
11.6
UpdatedtoshownewPDMSGUIfeaturesatthisversion.
Coverpageamended.
VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Getting Started with PDMS
Notes
Revision History

Contents
Contents
1
The scope of this guide .................................................................... 1-1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
Whatitincludes ..................................................................................................................... 11
Whatitexcludes..................................................................................................................... 11
Whoitismeantfor ................................................................................................................ 11
1.3.1 Assumptions.............................................................................................................. 12
Howthemanualissetout.................................................................................................... 12
Textconventions .................................................................................................................... 12
PDMS functions................................................................................ 2-1
2.1
2.2
2.3
PDMSandwhatitcandoforyou ....................................................................................... 21
UsingPDMSinthePlantDesignprocess........................................................................... 23
PDMSmodules....................................................................................................................... 23
2.3.1 Designmodules ........................................................................................................ 23
2.3.2 Draftingmodules...................................................................................................... 24
2.3.3 Catalogueandspecificationmanagementmodules............................................ 26
2.3.4 Projectadministrationmodules ............................................................................. 27
Finding out more the user documentation and the online help .... 3-1
3.1
TheUserDocumentation...................................................................................................... 31
3.1.1 Accessingandusingthedocumentation .............................................................. 31
3.1.2 Thecontentofthedocumentation ......................................................................... 32
Theonlinehelp....................................................................................................................... 36
3.2.1 Accessingandusingthehelp ................................................................................. 36
3.2.2 Thehelpicons ........................................................................................................... 37
3.2
The PDMS databases........................................................................ 4-1
4.1
4.2
Introduction............................................................................................................................ 41
Thedatabasetypes ................................................................................................................ 41
4.2.1 TheProject ................................................................................................................. 41
4.2.2 DESIGNdatabase ..................................................................................................... 42
4.2.3 PADDdatabase......................................................................................................... 42
4.2.4 ISODdatabase........................................................................................................... 43
4.2.5 CATALOGUEdatabase........................................................................................... 43
4.2.6 LEXICONdatabase .................................................................................................. 43
4.2.7 PROPERTIESdatabase ............................................................................................ 43
4.2.8 SYSTEMdatabase ..................................................................................................... 43
4.2.9 COMMSdatabase..................................................................................................... 44
4.2.10 MISCdatabase .......................................................................................................... 44
4.2.11 TRANSACTIONdatabase....................................................................................... 44

contents-i
Contents
4.3
4.4
4.5
PDMSprojectstructure......................................................................................................... 44
4.3.1 Otherprojects ............................................................................................................ 45
Therelationshipsbetweendatabases ................................................................................. 45
Multipledatabases(MDBs) .................................................................................................. 47
How PDMS data is stored................................................................. 5-1
5.1
5.3
TheDesigndatabaseelementtypes .................................................................................... 52
5.1.1 WORLD...................................................................................................................... 52
5.1.2 SITE............................................................................................................................. 52
5.1.3 ZONE ......................................................................................................................... 52
5.1.4 EQUIPMENT(EQUI) ............................................................................................... 52
5.1.5 SUBEQUIPMENT(SUBE) ...................................................................................... 53
5.1.6 PRIMITIVES .............................................................................................................. 54
5.1.7 STRUCTURES(STRU) ............................................................................................. 54
5.1.8 FRAMEWORK(FRMW).......................................................................................... 54
5.1.9 SUBFRAMEWORK(SBFR) .................................................................................... 55
5.1.10 STRUCTURALCOMPONENTS ............................................................................ 55
5.1.11 PIPE ............................................................................................................................ 55
5.1.12 BRANCH(BRAN) .................................................................................................... 56
5.1.13 PIPINGCOMPONENTS ......................................................................................... 56
AttributesinPDMS ............................................................................................................... 57
5.2.1 NAME ........................................................................................................................ 58
5.2.2 TYPE ........................................................................................................................... 58
5.2.3 LOCK.......................................................................................................................... 58
5.2.4 OWNER ..................................................................................................................... 58
5.2.5 POSITION.................................................................................................................. 59
5.2.6 ORIENTATION ...................................................................................................... 510
5.2.7 LEVEL ...................................................................................................................... 510
5.2.8 OBSTRUCTION ...................................................................................................... 510
5.2.9 HEIGHT ................................................................................................................... 511
5.2.10 DIAMETER.............................................................................................................. 511
UDAs(UserDefinedAttributes) ....................................................................................... 511
Using PDMS...................................................................................... 6-1
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
GettingintoPDMS................................................................................................................. 61
6.1.1 Workinginamodule ............................................................................................... 62
6.1.2 Changingtoanothermodule.................................................................................. 62
GettingoutofPDMS ............................................................................................................. 63
Internationalisation ............................................................................................................... 65
Customisationfacilities;theprogrammablemacrolanguage......................................... 66
Basic GUI features ........................................................................... 7-1
7.1
7.2
Usingthemouse .................................................................................................................... 71
Usingforms ............................................................................................................................ 71
7.2.1 Usingtextboxes........................................................................................................ 72
7.2.2 Usingdropdownlists ............................................................................................. 72
5.2
contents-ii

Contents
7.3
7.4
7.5
7.6
7.7
7.8
7.9
Usingmenus........................................................................................................................... 72
Usingthetoolbars.................................................................................................................. 73
Usingthestatusbar ............................................................................................................... 73
Moreonusingforms ............................................................................................................. 74
7.6.1 Usingoptionbuttons................................................................................................ 74
7.6.2 Usingcheckboxes .................................................................................................... 74
7.6.3 Usingscrollablelists................................................................................................. 74
7.6.4 Usingactionbuttons ................................................................................................ 75
Respondingtoalertforms .................................................................................................... 75
DockableWindows,MenuBarsandToolBars ................................................................. 76
Usingcommands ................................................................................................................... 76
7.9.1 Whyusecommandsyntax? .................................................................................... 76
Basic operations in PDMS ................................................................ 8-1
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
Querying ................................................................................................................................. 81
Currentelementandcurrentlistposition .......................................................................... 82
Navigatingtoagivenelement............................................................................................. 84
8.3.1 TheDesignExplorer................................................................................................. 84
8.3.2 TheMembersList ..................................................................................................... 85
8.3.3 OtherExplorers......................................................................................................... 86
8.3.4 MyData...................................................................................................................... 86
Modifyingthecontentofadatabase................................................................................... 87
Interfaces to other systems............................................................. 9-1
9.1
VANTAGEPlantEnginerring(VPE) .................................................................................. 91
9.1.1 VPEWorkbench........................................................................................................ 91
9.1.2 IntroducingtheVPEWorkbenchuserinterface .................................................. 92
9.1.3 VPEP&ID .................................................................................................................. 94
VANTAGEPlantResourceManagement(VPRM) ........................................................... 95
9.2.1 VPRMInterfaces ....................................................................................................... 96
9.2.2 VPRMFacilities......................................................................................................... 97
9.2.3 VPRMArchitecture .................................................................................................. 98
9.2.4 IntroducingtheVPRMuserinterface.................................................................... 99
VPEandVPRMInterfacesSummary ............................................................................. 910
VANTAGEPlantDesignModelManagement................................................................ 910
9.4.1 TheModelManagementSystemcorefacilities.................................................. 911
9.4.2 IntroducingtheModelManagementSystemGUI ............................................ 912
VANTAGEEnterpriseNET(VNET)................................................................................. 912
VANTAGEPlantDesignGlobal........................................................................................ 913
9.6.1 TheTransactiondatabase ...................................................................................... 913
VANTAGEPlantDesignReview ...................................................................................... 913
TheDataExchangeInterfaces ............................................................................................ 914
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6
9.7
9.8

contents-iii
The scope of this guide
1.1
What it includes
ThismanualisdesignedtointroduceyoutoPDMSasasystemandhowitfitsinto
AVEVAsVANTAGEproductfamily.ThemanualgivesanintroductiontowhatPDMS
doesandhowitdoesit,includingintroductionsto:
thePDMSmodulesandwhattheydo
thePDMSdatabases
thePDMSuserinterface
Moredetailedinformation,particularlyonthePDMSmodulesandthedatabasestheyuse,
canbefoundelsewhereinthePDMSuserdocumentationset.SeeChapter3.
1.2
What it excludes
Thismanualdoesnotincludeinformationabout:
1.3
FacilitieswhicharerelatedtothecomputeroperatingsystemfromwhichPDMSis
entered.Forinformationaboutthese,seeyourcomputeroperatingsystemmanuals
oraskyoursystemadministrator.
FacilitieswhichapplyonlytoasmallproportionofPDMSmodules.Forinformation
aboutthese,seetheuserdocumentationoronlinehelpfortherelevantmodules.
DetailedinformationonanyofthePDMSmodulesordatabases
FacilitiesneededtocreatemacrosandusetheProgrammableMacroLanguage
(PML)tocreateintelligentmacros,newinterfacesetc.Youllfindinformationon
thesetopicsintheVANTAGEPlantDesignSoftwareCustomisationUserGuideand
SoftwareCustomisationReferenceManual.
Who it is meant for
Themanualiswrittenforanewuserwhois:
comingtoa3DPlantDesignManagementSystem(i.e.PDMS)forthefirsttime
or
migratingfromasimilar3Dsystem

1-1
Bothtypesofuserwillprobably,butnotnecessarily,haveattendedaPDMSBasicTraining
course.
1.3.1
Assumptions
Itisassumedthatthereader:
1.4
isfamiliarwithtypicalIntelPChardwareandMicrosoftWindows2000and/orXP
hasareasonableunderstandingoftheprinciplesandjargonofprocessplantdesign
How the manual is set out
Themanualisorganisedasfollows:
Chapter2introducesthebasicstepstobetakentodesignaProcessPlantusing
PDMS,andintroducesthePDMSmodules.
Chapter3describestheUserDocumentationsetandtheonlinehelp
Chapters4and5introducethePDMSdatabasesandthewaydatainPDMSis
structuredandhowitisstored
Chapters6to8describehowtogetintoPDMSanduseitperformsimpleoperations.
Chapter9introducestheotherproductsintheVANTAGEsuite,whichPDMScan
interfacewith.
AppendixAisaglossaryofPDMStermsandabbreviations.
Notethatthisguidedoesnotalwaysprovidefulldetailsofmenusandformsassociated
withthesetopics.ForthisinformationseethePDMSDesignonlinehelp.Directreferences
maybemadetotopicswithintheonlinehelp,thefollowingdevicebeingusedtoindicate
suchreferences:
: The 3D View Window; Creating a 3D View Window
1.5
Text conventions
Thisguideusesthefollowingtextconventions:
Serif
Bold
forthemajorityofthetext.
tohighlightimportantinformation,andtointroducespecial
terminology.
Serifitalic
todenoteinternalcrossreferencesandcitations.
Sans-serif
todenotekeysonyourkeyboard.
1-2

Sans-serif bold
formenunamesandoptions,andforthenamesofforms.
Typewriter
textoutputtothescreen,includingtextthatyouenteryourselfusing
thekeyboard.Alsofortextwithinaform
NotethatthismanualmayrefertothePDMSonlinehelp,butitwillnotalwaysprovidefull
detailsofmenusandformsassociatedwithspecifichelptopics.Forthisinformationseethe
relevantonlinehelp.Directreferencesmaybemadetotopicswithintheonlinehelp,the
followingdevicebeingusedtoindicatesuchreferences:
: The Current Session Units form

1-3
1-4

PDMS functions
PDMSispartofAVEVAsVANTAGEsuiteofPlantDesignproducts.PDMScaninteract
withtheothertwoprincipalmembersoftheVANTAGEsuite,VANTAGEPlant
Engineering(VPE)andVANTAGEProjectResourceManagement(VPRM)(seeChapter9).
Chapter6introducestheprinciplesofusingPDMS.
2.1
PDMS and what it can do for you
PDMS(thePlantDesignManagementSystem)enablesyoutodesigna3Dcomputermodel
ofaprocessplant.PDMSallowsyoutoseeafullcolourshadedrepresentationoftheplant
modelasyourdesignprogresses,addinganextremelyimpressivelevelofrealismto
traditionaldrawingofficetechniques.
Inthemodelyoucanstorehugeamountsofdatareferringtoposition,size,partnumbers
andgeometricrelationshipsforthevariouspartsoftheplant.Thismodelbecomesasingle
sourceofengineeringdataforallofthesectionsanddisciplinesinvolvedinadesignproject.
Allthisinformationisstoredindatabases.Therearemanydifferentoutputchannelsfrom
thedatabasesthroughwhichinformationcanbepassedon.Theserangefromreportson
datastoredinthedatabases,fullyannotatedanddimensionedengineeringdrawings,tofull
colourshaded3Dwalkthroughcapabilitieswhichallowyoutovisualisethecomplete
designmodel.

2-1
PDMS functions
Figure21 DifferenttypesofoutputfromPDMS
EvenwiththeadvancedfeaturesofPDMS,themainformofcommunicationbetweenthe
plantdesignerandthefabricatorremainsthedrawings.Withoutengineeringdrawingsthe
taskofbuildingaplantwouldbealmostimpossible.Tomeetthisrequirement,PDMScan
producenumeroustypesofdrawing,rangingfromcomplex3Dillustrationstofully
annotatedanddimensionedarrangementdrawingsandpipingisometrics.
AllthedatainaPDMSdesignwouldbeoflittlevaluewithouttheabilitytoensurethe
qualityofthedesigninformation.PDMScontributestothequalityofthedesigninthe
followingways:
Ensuresconsistentandreliablecomponentdata
Inadesignenvironmentwhichusesonly2Ddrawingtechniques,thesizeofeach
fittingmustbedecidedbeforeitcanbedrawn.Thisisatimeconsuminganderror
proneprocess,whereoftenthedesignerrorsareonlyfoundduringtheerectionstage
oftheproject.WithPDMS,allpipingcomponentsizesandgeometryarepredefined
andstoredinacatalogue,whichcannotbechangedbythedesigner.Thisensures
thatallitemsaretruetosizeandareconsistentthroughoutthedesign,nomatter
howmanyusersthereareontheproject.
Adherestodefinableengineeringspecifications
Pipingspecificationsandsteelworkcatalogues,statingpreciselythecomponentsto
beused,arecompiledforthepurposeofensuringconsistent,safeandeconomic
design.DesignapplicationsforPiping,HangersandSupports,HVAC,Cabletrays
andSteelworkallusespecificationstoassistcomponentselection.
Ensurescorrectgeometryandconnectivity
Therearemanydifferentwaysofmakingdesignerrors,suchasincorrectfitting
lengths,incompatibleflangeratings,orsimplealignmenterrors.PDMScancheckall
oftheseusingdataconsistencyproceduresbuiltintothesystemtocheckallor
individualpartsofthedesignmodel.
Avoidscomponentinterferences
Despiteawealthofskillandexperienceinplantdesign,traditionaldrawingoffice
techniquesarestillsubjecttohumanerror.Layingoutcomplexpiperunsand
generalarrangementsinconfinedareasusingconventional2Dmethods,inevitably
leadstoclashesbetweenelements,whicharetryingtosharethesamephysicalspace.
PDMSenablesyoutoavoidsuchproblemsintwoways:
1. Byviewingthedesigninteractivelyduringthedesignprocess,allowingvisual
checksonthemodelfromdifferentviewpoints.Potentialproblemscanthusbe
resolvedastheyarise.
2. ByusingthepowerfulclashcheckingfacilitywithinPDMS,whichwilldetect
clashesanywhereintheplant.Thiscanbedoneinteractivelyorretrospectively.
2-2
Annotationanddimensionsobtaineddirectlyfromthedesigndatabase

PDMS functions
ExtractedinformationfromthePDMSdatabase,suchasarrangementdrawings,
pipingisometricsandreports,willalwaysbethelatestavailableasitisstoredonlyin
onesource.Throughthecourseofaproject,informationisconstantlychangingand
drawingsneedtobereissued.Whenthishappens,drawings,reportsetccanbe
updatedandreissuedwiththeminimumofeffort.
2.2
Using PDMS in the Plant Design process
Thesequenceofoperations(greatlysimplified)inanewplantdesignprojectwouldbe:
Createtheprojectandsetupadministrativecontrols(usingthePDMSAdmin
module).
CreatetheCatalogueandSpecificationdatafromwhichstandarddesign
Componentscanbeselected(usingtheParagonandSpeconmodules).
Designthevariouspartsoftheplant,referencingitemsfromthecatalogues(using
theDesignmodule).
Checkthedesignforerrorsandinconsistencies(Design).
Documentthedesignintheformofdrawings(generalarrangement,construction,
assembly,andisometric),reportsandmateriallists(DraftandIsodraftmodules).
Youmayalsowishtotransferdesigndatatoorfromothersystemsatvariousstages.
2.3
PDMS modules
PDMSissplitintoanumberofmoduleswhichareusedatdifferentstagesintheplant
designprocess.Chapter3containsdetailsofthePDMSuserdocumentation,which
describesthePDMSmodulesandhowtousethem.
2.3.1
Design modules
Design
Designisthemain,graphicallydrivenconstructormodulewithinPDMS.Designenablesa
fullsizedthreedimensionalplantmodeltobedefinedintheDesigndatabase,withselected
viewsofthecurrentstateofthedesignshownonthegraphicsscreenasthedesign
progresses.
Allpartsofthedesign(includingequipment,andpipingandstructuralsteelworklayouts)
canbecreated.ComponentselectionisprovidedthroughSpecificationsthatdictatewhich
CatalogueComponentscanbeused.Eachpartofthedesignmodelcanbedisplayedin
colourshadedsolidcolourcodedrepresentationsforeaseofinterpretation.

2-3
PDMS functions
Designcancheckforinterferences(clashes)betweenitemscreatedinthedesign.Thereisa
veryflexiblereportingcapabilitythatcanbeusedtoproduceawidevarietyofdesign
documentsfrombulkMaterialTakeOfftodetailednozzleschedules.
PipingisometricscanbepreviewedinDesign(withouthavingtoswitchtotheIsometric
generationmodule,Isodraft).
Figure22AtypicalDesign3DView
Spooler
Spoolerisusedforpipeworkspooling.Itallowsthedesignertosplitthepipeworkdesign
intologicalsections(spools)readyforfabrication.Thespooldatacanthenbeoutputas
isometricdrawingsusingIsodraft(seebelow).
2.3.2
Drafting modules
Draft
Draftenablesdimensionedandannotatedscaledrawingsofselectedpartsofthedesign
modeltobeproduced.Allinformationneededtocreatethedrawingisaccessibleviaa
singledrawingdatabase,whichextractsdatatobeusedfordimensioningdirectlyfromthe
Designdatabase.
2-4

PDMS functions
Annotationcanbeintheformoflabelsattachedtodesignelements,or2Dannotationsuch
asdrawingnotes,ordrawingframes,tables,linesetc.
AnnotationattachedtoaDesigndataelementonthedrawingwillmoveifthe3Dpositionof
theelementchanges.Dimensionsarerecalculatedautomaticallyeverytimethedrawingis
updated.
ADesignmodel3DviewcanbepreviewedinDrafttoaidassemblyofadrawinginthe2D
view.
Figure23AtypicalDraftannotatedanddimensioneddrawing
Isodraft
Isodraftproducesautomaticallyannotatedanddimensionedpipingisometricdrawings,
withassociatedmateriallists,ofspecifiedsectionsoftheplantpipework.Thecontentand
styleofthedrawingscanbechosentosuittheneedsofpipefabricatorsand/orerectorsand
canincludeawiderangeofoptionalfeaturestosuitlocalrequirements.
Otherfacilitiesinclude:
Fullmateriallists.
Automaticspoolidentification.
Automaticsplittingofcomplexdrawings.
Userdefineddrawingsheets.

2-5
PDMS functions
Figure24AtypicalIsodraftpipingisometric
2.3.3
Catalogue and specification management modules
Paragon
Usedtogenerateandmodifycatalogues,withfacilitiesforcataloguecomponent
constructionwithvisualcontrol(including3Dcolourshadedrepresentationsoftheitem
beingdesigned).ThecataloguesinPDMSserveasimilarpurposetothemanufacturers
catalogues,whichyouwouldrefertowhenusingconventionaldesignmethods.ThePDMS
componentcatalogueisusedtospecifythegeometry,connectioninformation,obstruction
anddetailingdataofsteelwork,piping,andHVACandcabletraycomponents.
Itshouldbenotedthat,wherethedesigndataisspecifictoaparticulardesign,catalogues
andspecificationsmaybespecifictoacompanybutgeneraltoanumberofprojectsinthat
company.Forexample,thesamecataloguecomponentmayalsoappearinotherdesigns
proceedingatthesametime.
2-6

PDMS functions
Figure25AtypicalParagoncataloguecomponentdisplay
Specon
Usedtocreateormodifythecomponentspecificationswithinthecataloguedatabase.
Specificationsdefinethesuitabilityofcataloguecomponentsforparticulartypesofuse.
Propcon
Usedtocreateormodifythepropertiesdatabase,whichholdsdetailsofthosepropertiesof
thecomponentsandmaterialswhichmaybeneededforstressanalysisorsafetyauditingof
allorpartofadesign.
2.3.4
Project administration modules
Admin
LargeplantsdesignedusingPDMSwillusuallybebrokendownintoindividualareas
(eitherphysicalareasordesignareas),dependingonthephysicalsize,complexityand
configurationoftheplant.OnalargeProject,theSystemAdministratorwillfirstagreewith
ProjectandDesignManagement,thebreakdownofthePDMSProjectintosectionswhich:
Arerelevanttotheneedsofprojectreportingandcontrol.
Formreasonabledesignsubdivisionswithsensiblematchlinesanddesigncontent.
Enableenoughdesignerstoworkinparallelwithsimultaneousaccesstocarryout
theirdesigntasks.

2-7
PDMS functions
Inmuchthesamewayasinadesignoffice(withitssectionleader,draughtspeople,etc.),
PDMShasTeams,themembersofwhicharecalledUsers.TheseTeamscanconsistofany
numberofUsersandcanbeorganisedbydisciplineorphysicalworkareas.
Themainfeaturesare:
AccessControl(TeamsandUsers)
Databases
MultipleDatabases(MDBs)
Databasemanagementfunctionality
Adminincludesadatabaseintegritycheckingutility,usedtocheckforinconsistenciesinthe
contentsofthedatabasesandtoderivestatisticalinformationabouttheuseofthedatabase
storagecapacity.
AdminalsoallowstheSystemAdministratortoreconfigureaproject.Thismaybe
necessary:
tocompactdatabasesatintervals,freeingdiskspace
toupgradePDMSprojectswhenthedatabasestructurechanges
tocomparethecontentsoftwosimilardatabases;forexample,tocreatea
modificationrecord
Lexicon
UsedbytheSystemAdministratortosetupuserdefinedattributes.Attributesdefinedin
thiswayareheldinaLexicon(ordictionary)databaseandmaythenbeassignedto
elementsinotherdatabasesasrequired.UDAsallowadditionalinformationtobestoredin
thedatabasesandextractedintodrawingsandreports.
2-8

Finding out more the user

documentation and the online help
PDMScomeswithanextensivesetofuserdocumentsandonlinehelpfiles.Thischapter
explainshowtoaccesstheseresourcesandhowtomakethebestuseofthem.
3.1
3.1.1
The User Documentation

Accessing and using the documentation
TheuserdocumentationisprovidedasasetofAcrobat.pdffilesonthePDMSproductCD.
AfterinstallingPDMS,theuserdocumentationmaybefoundat(forexample)
C:\AVEVA\Pdms11.6\manuals\pdms116.Thisfolderwillcontaina.pdffilecalled
iindex.pdf,whichisacontentslistforthedocumentationset.
ProvidedyouhavetheAcrobatReadercorrectlyinstalledonyourworkstation,double
clickingonthe
willgiveadisplaysomethinglike:
Usingthemousetopointatoneofthedocumentsinthelistandclickingthelefthand
mousebuttonwilldisplaytheselecteddocumentintheAcrobatReaderwindow.From
hereitcanbereadonscreen,printedandsearchedthroughusingtheAcrobatReader
facilities.

3-1
Finding out more the user documentation and the online help
Ifyouareunsurewhichdocumentcontainsinformationonthetopicyouareinterestedin,
buttononthe
usetheAcrobatcataloguesearchfacility.Thisisaccessedfromthe
Acrobat Reader toolbar.Typingakeywordtosearchforwillresultina(selectable)listof

allthedocumentsinthecontentslistwhichcontainthatkeyword.
3.1.2
The content of the documentation
Broadlyspeaking,thesupplieduserdocumentationmaybedividedintothreeclasses:
ReferenceManuals
UserGuides
Others
ReferenceManualscontaindetailedinformationaboutthePDMSdatabasesandfacilities,
usuallyatmodulelevel.
UserGuides(includingTutorialguides)tellyouhowtousePDMStoperformaparticular
task,andcontainworkedexamples.
Othermanualsdonotfiteasilyintoeitheroftheaboveclasses,forexamplethePDMSUser
Bulletin.Also,therearemanualswhich,strictlyspeaking,arenotPDMSspecificbutwhich
areincludedinthePDMSuserdocumentationsetbecausetheyarestillrelevanttoPDMS.
Intheorderofthe.pdfdocumentcontentslist,thedocumentsare:
Title
Description
UserBulletin
Tellsyouaboutthenewfeaturesandbugfixesinthecurrent
versionofPDMS
InstallationGuide
TellsyouhowtoinstallthecurrentversionofPDMS
StructuralDesignUsing
PDMS
TellsyouhowtousePDMStoproduceaconnectedsteelwork
structure;includesahandsontutorialexercise.
SupportDesignUsing
PDMS
TellsyouhowtousePDMStocreatepipehangersand
supports;includesahandsontutorialexercise.
PipeworkDesignUsing
PDMS
TellsyouhowtousePDMStocreateinterconnectedpiping
networks;includesahandsontutorialexercise.
HVACDesignUsing
PDMS,Volume1
TellsyouhowtousePDMStocreateinterconnectedHVAC
networks;includesahandsontutorialexercise.
HVACDesignUsing
PDMS,Volume2
ContainsHVACDesignandCataloguedatabasereference
material
ReportingfromPDMS
TellsyouhowtousethereportingfacilitiesinPDMS;includes
ahandsontutorialexercise.
MonitorReferenceManual
DescribesthecommandsyntaxavailableintheMonitor
3-2

Title
Description
module.Usefulifyouwishtoproduceacustomisedinterface,
writemacrosorsetupbatchfiles.
DraftAdministrator
ApplicationUserGuide
DescribeshowtosetuptheLibrariesusedbythePDMSDraft
applications.ForSystemAdministrators.
AutoDRAFTUserGuide
DescribeshowtousetheAutoDRAFTAutoCADapplication
inconjunctionwithdrawingsproducedbyPDMSDraftand
Isodraft.
DraftUserGuide
ThedefinitiveDraftreferencemanual;mainlycommand
syntaxbutwithmanyillustratedexamples;usefulforthose
wishingtocustomisetheinterfaceorwritemacros.
DrawingProductionUsing TellsyouhowtousePDMStocreate2Ddrawings;includesa
PDMS
handsontutorialexercise.
IsodraftUserGuide
IsodraftReferenceManual
IntroducesIsodraft,PDMSsisometricplottingfacility.
ExplainstheconceptsunderlyingIsodraftanddescribeshow
totailortheoptionstomeetyourownrequirements.
Describesthecommandsyntaxavailabletocontrolthe
productionofisometricdrawings;usefulforthosewishingto
customisetheinterfaceorwritemacros.Alsoshowsthe
defaultsymbolkeys(SKEYs)thatareusedtoplotthe
drawings,andgivesexamplesofplotfiles.
AimedatexperiencedPDMSusersandsystem
administrators.
ParagonReferenceManual
Describesthecommandsyntaxavailablefordesigning
cataloguecomponents;usefulforthosewishingtocustomise
theinterfaceorwritemacros.
PlantDesignConventions
forCataloguesand
Specifications
Describestheconventionstobeadheredtowhenconstructing
PDMSCataloguesandSpecifications,ifdatainconsistencies
withinaprojectaretobeavoided.Intendedforspecialists
whoareresponsibleforbuildingupandmaintainingthe
standardCataloguedatabaseswithinaPDMSprojectteam.
AdminCommand
ReferenceManual
DescribesthePDMSAdmincommandsforStandard(non
Global)andGlobalprojects.WrittenforSystem
AdministratorswhoarealreadyexperiencedAdminusers
andwhowishtowritemacrosorusecommandinputrather
thantheGUI.
AdminUserGuide
Describeshow(usingtheGUI)tosetupandadminister
PDMSprojects.WrittenforSystemAdministrators.

3-3
Title
Description
SAINTReferenceManual
Describes,thePDMSStructuralAnalysisInterfacemodule,an
interfacetotheGTSTRUDLandSTAADIIIpackages,usedfor
thestressanalysisofstructuralsteelwork.
AccessStairsandLadders
UserGuide
Tellsyouhowtoaddaccessfeaturestostructuralsteelwork
createdusingPDMS;includesahandsontutorialexercise.
DataAccessRoutinesUser
Guide
DescribestheuseofasetofFORTRAN77subroutineswhich
maybeincorporatedintouserwrittensoftwareforthe
purposesofnavigatingandmanipulatingthedataheldwithin
aPDMSproject.Canbeusedforthecreationofinterfacesto
othersoftwarepackages,e.g.materialtakeoff,pipestress,
isometrics,etc.
PlotUserGuide
ExplainshowtousethePlotstandalonegraphicalplotting
utilitytointerpretplotfilesinarangeofpseudocodeformats,
asproducedbyanumberofAVEVA(andthirdparty)
programs.
DataCheckerUtilityUser
Guide
Describeshowtoallowdataconsistencycheckingsoftware
writteninAVEVAsProgrammableMacroLanguage(PML)
tobeaddedtoPDMSDesign.
PipeworkSpoolingUsing
PDMS
TellsyouhowtousePDMStoproducePipeworkSpoolsfrom
existingPipeworkdata;includesahandsontutorialexercise.
IntroductiontoPDMS
DesignTemplates
TellsyouhowtousethefacilitiesprovidedinPDMSforthe
creationofDesignTemplates;includesahandsontutorial
exercise.
DesignGraphicalModel
ManipulationUserGuide
IntroducesthegraphicalfacilitiesavailableinboththeModel
Editor3DViewandtheModelEditoritself.
DesignReferenceManual
Part1
DescribesgeneralDesigncommands,whichareused,for
example,forsettingupthedisplay,andqueryingand
navigatingaroundtheDesigndatabase.Usefulforthosewho
wishtowritemacrosorusecommandinputratherthanthe
GUI.
Part2
Describesthecommandsforcreatingdatabaseelementsand
settingtheirattributes.
Part3
Containsdetailsofalltheelementswhichcanbecreatedin
theDesigndatabase,theirpositioninthedatabasehierarchy
andtheirattributes.
DescribestheDesignUtilitiesfordataconsistencychecking
andclashdetection,andforexportingDesigndatato
3-4

Title
Description
Part4
programssuchasReview.
IndustrialBuildingDesign
UsingPDMS
TellsyouhowtousePDMStocarryoutthedesignand
documentationofinterconnectedwallsandfloors;includesa
handsontutorialexercise.
PropconReferenceManual
Describesthecommandsforcreatingandeditingthe
Propertiesdatabase.
SpeconReferenceManual
Describesthecommandsforcreatingusedtocreateormodify
Specification(SPEC)elementsinCatalogueDatabase.
LexiconReferenceManual
Describeshowtocreateuserdefinedattributes(UDAs)for
useintheDesign,DraftandCataloguedatabases.
PlantDesignSoftware
CustomisationGuide
DescribeshowtousePML,AVEVAsProgrammableMacro
Language.ShouldbeusedtogetherwiththePlantDesign
SoftwareCustomisationReferenceManual.
PlantDesignSoftware
CustomisationReference
Manual
TheReferenceManualforPML;intendedforuserswhoare
alreadyfamiliarwithPML.

3-5
3.2
The online help
TheonlinehelpexiststoprovideyouwithassistancewithaparticularfeatureofPDMSas
youareusingthatfeature,downtoformlevel.(SeeChapter7formoredetailsofformsand
menus.)Theonlinehelpdoesnotattempttoprovideastructurednarrative,althoughmuch
referencematerialdoesexistwithinthehelp.
3.2.1
Accessing and using the help
OnlinehelpexistsforallPDMSmoduleswithagraphicaluserinterface,namelyAdmin,
Design,Draft,Isodraft,Monitor,ParagonandSpooler.
MostbarmenusendwithaHelpoption,whichgivesyouthefollowingchoicesfromits
submenu:
Help>Contents
ThisdisplaystheHelpwindowwiththeContentstabatthefront,sothatyoucanfindthe
requiredtopicfromthehierarchicalcontentslist.
Help>Index
ThisdisplaystheHelpwindowwiththeIndextabatthefront,sothatyoucanfindalltopics
relevanttoaselectedkeyword.
3-6

Help>Search
ThisdisplaystheHelpwindowwiththeSearchtabatthefront,sothatyoucansearchfor
instancesofakeywordacrossallthehelptopics.
Help>About
Thisdisplaysinformationaboutthecurrentoperatingsystemonyourcomputerandabout
theversionsofPDMSanditsapplicationstowhichyouhaveaccess.
Pressingthe F1keyatanytimewilldisplaythehelptopicforthecurrentlyactivewindow.
Thehelpattemptstoprovideyouwithinformationinavarietyofways:
Howtohelp.Pickfromalistofhowtos.Thehowtowilljumptoasequenceof
stepstellingyouhowtoperformthetaskyouhaveselected.
Contextsensitivehelp.Provideshelpspecifictotheformyouareusing.
Indexsearch.Findsalltopicsrelevanttoaselectedkeyword.
Keywordsearch.Findsalltopicswhichcontainauserspecifiedwordorphrase.
3.2.2
The help icons
Note:notalloftheiconslistedbelowwillnecessarilyappearinallPDMShelps
The symbolindicatesabookwithowncontent.Thisbookdoesnotcontainany
helptopics,butdoubleclickingthe iconwillbringupthecontentofthebook.
The symbolindicatesabookwithowncontentandtopics.Doubleclickingthe
iconwillbringupthecontentofthebookandalistofthehelptopics(and/or
otherbooks)containedwithinthatbook.
The symbolisanormalbook.Doubleclickingthe iconwillbringalistofthe
helptopics(and/orotherbooks)containedwithinthebook.
The symbolindicatesanorderedstepstopic(typicallyaHowtotopic).
The symbolindicatesareferencetopicgivingsupplementaryinformation.
The symbolindicatesanordinaryhelptopic

3-7
The PDMS databases
4.1
Introduction
TheoverallpurposeofPDMSisthecontrolledcreationofacompletethreedimensional
processplantdesignmodelusingcomputersimulationtechniques.Allinformationwhich
existsaboutaPDMSdesignproject,whetheradministrativeortechnical,isstoredinaseries
ofhierarchicaldatabases.UseofthevariousPDMSmodulesallowsyoutocreate,modify
andextractinformationfromthesedatabases.
Thischapterdescribes
Thepurposeofeachtypeofdatabase
Howthedetailedprojectinformationisheldineach
Howtheseparatedatabasesarerelatedtoeachother
4.2
The database types
4.2.1
The Project
APDMSProjectconsistsofthecompletecollectionofinformationwhichrelatestoasingle
designproject.Thisisidentifiedbyathreecharactername,allocatedbytheProject
Administratorwhentheprojectisfirstinitiated.Thisnameisusedtoidentifytheprojectto
thesystemwheneveryouwishtoworkintheprojectusingPDMS.Thisallowsaccessrights
anduseofsystemresourcestobemonitoredandcontrolled.Forfurtherdetailsofthese
functions,seetheVANTAGEPDMSAdminandMonitorReferenceManuals.
Thereare10differenttypesofdatabasewhichcangotomakeupacompleteProject:
Design and Drawing Databases:
DESIGNdatabase
PADDdatabase
ISODdatabase
Reference Databases:
CATALOGUEdatabase
DICTIONARYdatabase
PROPERTIESdatabase

4-1
The PDMS databases
Administration Databases:
SYSTEMdatabase
COMMSdatabase
MISCdatabase
TRANSACTIONdatabase
(Seesection4.4formorebackgroundinformationonReferencedatabases)
EachPDMSmodulerequiresaccesstooneormorespecificdatabasetypes,andentrytothe
modulemaybepreventedifappropriatedatabasesdonotexistorifyoudonthavethe
appropriateaccessrights.NewdatabasescanonlybecreatedbytheProjectAdministrator;
seethePDMSAdminReferenceManualfordetails.
Thefunctionsofeachtypeofdatabasearesummarisedinthefollowingsubsections.
4.2.2
DESIGN database
TheDesigndatabasescontainallinformationneededtocreateafullscalethreedimensional
representationoftheplant.
EachuserisnormallyallowedtomodifytheDesigndatabaseswhichrelatetohisfunctionin
theplantdesignteam,andwilloftenhavepermissiontolookatotherDesigndatabasesso
thathisworkiscompatiblewiththatofotherdesigners.
Typicaldesignfunctions,eachofwhichmayuseadifferentDesigndatabase,include:
Equipmentdesign(processvessels,storagevessels,pumps,heatexchangersetc.)
Pipeworkdesign(theinterconnectingpipesbetweenthevariousequipmentitems)
Structuraldesign(thecolumns,beams,walls,stairwaysetc.whichsupportandgive
accesstotheoperationalequipmentandpipework)
HangersandSupports(specialisedpipesupportstructures)
ThecompositionsoftheprincipaltypesofDesigndatabasearedescribedinthePDMS
DesignReferenceManual,Part3.
4.2.3
PADD database
(PADDisanacronymforProductionofAnnotatedandDimensionedDrawings)
Thistypeofdatabaseholdsdataaboutboththepictorialcontentofdrawingsandabout
theirannotationanddimensionalinformation.Itthereforeholdsacompletespecificationof
thecontentsofadrawing.ItsuseisspecifictotheinteractivedrawingmoduleDraft.
Forfurtherinformation,seethePDMSDraftUserGuide,Part1.
4-2

The PDMS databases
4.2.4
ISOD database
TheISODdatabaseholdspipeworkspooldrawingsgeneratedbytheSpoolermodule.See
PipeworkSpoolingUsingPDMSformoredetailsofSpooler.
4.2.5
CATALOGUE database
Thiscontainsacatalogueofthestandardcomponentswhichyoumayselectwhendesigning
pipework,ducting,hangersandsupportsorstructuralsteelwork.Itincludes:
Dimensionaldetailsforeachcomponent
Detailsofpermissibleconnectionsbetweendifferentcomponentsandofthebolts
neededtoassembleflangedcomponents
Specificationsofthecomponents,whichdefinetheconditionsofuseforeachtype
(maximumpressure,temperatureetc.)
ACataloguedatabasemaycontainasingleuniversalcatalogue,butitwillmorecommonly
containageneralcatalogueplusoneormorespecialisedcataloguesspecifictoparticular
designfunctions.
4.2.6
LEXICON database
TheLexicon(orDictionary)databaseisaprojectspecificdatabasewhichisusedtoholdthe
definitionsofuserdefinedattributes(UDAs).TheUDAsareusedtoholdanyinformation,
notallowedforbythestandardattributes,aboutelementswhicharethemselvespartof
eitheraDesign,CatalogueorDraftdatabase.
Forfurtherinformation,seethePDMSLexiconReferenceManual.
4.2.7
PROPERTIES database
Thisisavailableforstoringdataaboutmaterialproperties,whichmaybeneededto
supplementCatalogueandSpecificationdataforsomedesignfunctionssuchasstress
analysis.Itsuseisspecialisedandwillnotbedescribedfurtherinthismanual.
Forfurtherinformation,seethePDMSPropconReferenceManual.
4.2.8
SYSTEM database
Thereisone,andonlyone,SystemdatabaseineachProjectFolder.Itholdsadministrative
informationaboutthecompositionanduseoftheproject,includingthefollowing:
Alistofdatabasesofallcategorieswhichareusableintheproject
Alistofallusers,identifiedbynameandpassword,whocanlegallyaccessthe
databases,andtheoperatingTeam(s)towhichtheyareassigned

4-3
The PDMS databases
4.2.9
AlistofPDMSmodulesavailableforuseintheproject
Accesscontroldata,whichdefinesthosedatabaseswhichareaccessibletoany
specificuserandwhetherhemaymodifythemoronlylookatthem
COMMS database
TheCOMMSdatabasestorestheinformationaboutwhoisusingwhichmoduleandwhich
databasesarecurrent.EachuserhasaseparateareaoftheCOMMSdatabase,whichcanbe
accessedinwritemode,andsocanrecordmodulechangesetc.Eachuserhasreadaccessto
theotherusersareas,andsocanfindoutaboutotherusersintheproject.
4.2.10 MISC database

TheMISCdatabaseisusedtostoreinterusermessages,andinterdatabasemacros.This
databasecanonlybeopenedinwritemodebyoneuseratatime,butmanyuserscanread
fromit.Allusersneedtobeabletowritetothisdatabase,butonlywhentheyaresending
messagesorwritinginterdatabasemacros,ordeletingmessagesandmacros.Alluserscan
readfromthedatabaseatanytime.
4.2.11 TRANSACTION database

ToenabletheSystemAdministratortomonitortheprogressofGlobalcommands,PDMS
GlobalstoresdetailsofissuedcommandsinaTRANSACTIONdatabase.Transaction
messagesaregeneratedinthedatabaseeachtimetheprogressofthecommandchanges.
TransactiondatabasesareonlypresentwhenPDMSincorporatestheGlobalproduct.See
Chapter9andthePDMSAdminReferenceManualfordetailsofGlobal.
4.3
PDMS project structure
Aprojectisidentifiedbya3charactername.Forexample,thesampleprojectsuppliedwith
PDMSisprojectSAM.Thestructureoftheprojectfolderisshownbelow:
Figure41ProjectSAMstructure
4-4

The PDMS databases
sam000
Theprojectdirectory.Thefilesundersam000are:
samsys
TheSYSTEMdatabase.
samcom
TheCOMMSdatabase.
sammis
TheMISCdatabase.
samnnnn_sammmmm Databasefileswhichcontaintheactualmodeldata.nnnnhasa
maximumvalueof8188.
samiso
ThedirectorywhichstoresfilesneededbyIsodraft.
sampic
ThedirectorywhichstorespicturefilesproducedbyDraft.
sammac
Thedirectorywhichstoresinterdatabaseconnectionmacros.
DFLTS
ThePDMSdefaultsdirectory.
4.3.1
Other projects
BesidesSAM,yourPDMSinstallCDwillincludetheMASandIMPprojects:
4.4
MAS(Master)providesthesampleprojectdatainreadonlydatabases.Thisdata
shouldnotbedeletedorchangedinanyway,ortherestofthesampleprojectwill
becomeunusable.
IMPisan(empty)projectsettouseImperialunits
The relationships between databases
Althougheachtypeofdatabasecontainsitsownspecifictypeofdata,someofthedataitems
inonedatabasearederivedfromcrossreferencestodataitemsinotherdatabases.Itis
thereforesensible,andsometimesessential,tobuildupthevarioustypesofdatabaseina
logicalorder.
Inparticularyoushouldnotethefollowingpoints:
ASYSTEMdatabasemustexistbeforeyoucanaccessanyothertypeofdatabasein
whichyouwishtowork.Itiscreated(usingtheMAKEmacro)whenanewprojectis
setup;allothertypesofdatabasearecreatedusingtheADMINmodule.Seethe
ADMINReferenceManualforfurtherdetails.
DESIGNdatabases,particularlythosecontainingpipingorstructuralsteelwork
designdata,deriveinformationabouttheindividualdesigncomponentsfromthe
CATALOGUEdatabases.Thisinformationincludesdimensionaldata,specifications
foruse,andconnectivitydata.ACATALOGUEdatabasemustthereforebebuiltup
beforeyoutrytoworkinaDESIGNdatabase.
PROPERTIESdatabases,ifused,arereferencedbyCATALOGUEandDESIGN
databases.

4-5
The PDMS databases
PADDdatabasesnormallyincorporatereferencestopartsofthedesignmodel,for
graphicalrepresentation,aswellasselfcontainedinformationfordrawing
annotationandadministration.ADESIGNdatabase,andhenceaCATALOGUE
database,shouldthereforeexistbeforeyoutrytoworkinaPADDdatabase.
LEXICON(DICTIONARY)databasesholddefinitionswhicharereferencedfrom
DESIGN,CATALOGUEorPADDdatabases.
Generallymultidisciplineprojectsareexecutedusingdisciplinespecificdesignerswhowill
usespecificapplicationsinPDMStoconstructthemodelcomponentsfortheirdiscipline.A
project,therefore,mayconsistofanumberofDesigndatabasesforeachdiscipline.
Whenconstructingthemodel,referencesaremadetocatalogue,propertyanduserdefined
attributedatathatareheldindifferenttypesofdatabases.Asthisdataiscommontoall
usersofeachdiscipline,eachuserwillrefertoacommonsetofdatafortheproject.These
databasesarecollectivelyknownasReferencedatabases.
Inorderthateachusercanseetherequireddesigncomponentsmodelledbyotherusersand
refertothecommoncatalogue,propertyanduserdefinedattributedata,theDesignand
ReferencedatabasesaregroupedtogetherintoaMultipleDatabase,orMDB.Seesection4.5
formoredetailsofMultipleDatabases.
Thecrossreferencesthatexistbetweenthevarioustypesofdatabase(excludingthe
administrationdatabases)areillustratedinFigure42.
4-6

The PDMS databases
PROPERTIES DB
CATALOGUE DB
DICTIONARY
DB
DESIGN DB
PADD DB
ISOD DB
Figure42Relationshipsbetweenthedatabasetypes
4.5
Multiple databases (MDBs)
WhenaPDMSprojectissetupbytheProjectAdministrator,groupsofdatabasesare
definedforparticularpurposes.Forexample,themembersofanydesignteamwillneed
accesstothosedatabasescontainingthepartsofthedesigndataforwhichthatteamis
responsibleplussomeoftheCatalogueandDrawingdatabases.Suchagroupofdatabases
isknownasaMultipleDatabaseorMDB.TherewouldusuallybeseveralMDBsfora
project,eachdefiningspecificgroupsofdatabases,foruserswithdifferenttaskstoperform.
ThewayinwhichanMDBissetup,intermsofitsconstituentdatabasesandaccessrights,is
describedinthePDMSADMINReferenceManual.
AlthoughanMDBmaycontainupto1000databases,only300ofthesemaybeaccessedat
anyonetime.Theseaccessibledatabasesareknownasthecurrentdatabases;allothers
withinthatMDBaresaidtobenoncurrentordeferred.Databasesmaybetransferred
betweencurrentanddeferredstatusatanytime.
ManyuserscanaccessthesameMDB,butinmostsituationsitisrecommendedthatthereis
oneMDBperuser.Thisallowsthedatabasewithwriteaccesstobeplacedatthestartofthe
MDB.Thisisessentialifnewdataistobeaddedtoanemptydatabase.Analternative
approachistohaveasingleMDBformanyusers,andthenusetheMonitormoduletomove
therequireddatabasetothefrontofthelist.

4-7
How PDMS data is stored
DespitethehugepowerandpotentialofPDMS,thedatabaseisstructuredinaverysimple
andlogicalform.Thedatabaseishierarchical,atreelikestructure,asillustratedbelow.
Note: thehierarchybelowillustratesthe(simplified)Designdatabasehierarchy,butthe
Catalogue,PADD,ISOD,LexiconandPropertiesdatabasesalsohaveahierarchical
structure.
Figure51ThePDMSDesigndatabasehierarchy
Inthishierarchicalstructureallthedatabaseelementsareownedbyotherelements,with
theexceptionoftheWORLD.Elementsthatareownedbyanotherelement,e.g.aZONEis
ownedbyaSITE,aresaidtobemembersoftheowningelement,e.g.TheZONEisa
memberoftheSITE.

5-1
5.1
5.1.1
The Design database element types

WORLD
Whenthedatabaseisfirstbuilt,itisemptyexceptforasingleelementnamedtheWORLD.
EverydatabasehasitsownWORLDelementasthefirstelementinthehierarchy.
5.1.2
SITE
BelowtheWORLD,thesecondlevelofthehierarchyistheSITE.ASITEmaybeconsidered
asasignificantcollectionofplant,whosesizeisnotnecessarilydeterminedbyphysicalarea,
butbypracticalconsiderations.Itmay,forexamplebethewholeProject,oronepartofa
largeProject.TherecanbeasmanySITEswithinaPDMSprojectasrequiredfordata
organisation.
5.1.3
ZONE
ThenextlevelbelowaSITEisaZONE.Again,aZONEisnotnecessarilyusedtodefinea
physicalarea,itismorelikelytostoresimilartypesofitemforeasyreference,suchasa
pipingsysteminoneZONE,relatedequipmentinanother,andsoon.Therecanbeasmany
ZONEsownedbyasiteasrequiredfordataorganisation.
SITEandZONEelementsarecommontoalldisciplines.BelowZONElevelthehierarchyis
disciplinedependent,i.e.theelementsdependonwhichdisciplineyouaremodelling.
5.1.4
EQUIPMENT (EQUI)
EquipmentitemsarebuiltupinPDMSusingelementsknownasprimitives.Eachpieceof
Equipmentcancompriseanynumberofprimitiveshapespositionedtoformtheitem.The
primitivesmaybeowneddirectlybytheEQUIelementorbyaSubEquipmentelement.An
EquipmentwouldtypicallybeaPump,oraVessel.TheBoxandCylinderprimitivesare
clearlyvisibleinthePumpEquipmentshowninFigure52.
5-2

Figure52APumpEQUIelement
5.1.5
SUB-EQUIPMENT (SUBE)
ASUBEisanoptionalelementtofurthersubdivideanEQUI.TheSUBEcanalsoown
primitiveelements.
Figure53AVesselEQUI,withaSUBE

5-3
5.1.6
PRIMITIVES
PrimitivesarethebasicbuildingblocksofPDMS.Theyareusedbyotherdisciplinesto
createcataloguecomponents.Therearemanytypesofprimitive,eachwithitsownfeatures,
whichwhencombinedwithotherprimitivescanrepresentcomplexshapes.Examplesof
primitivesarenozzle(NOZZ),box(BOX),cylinders(CYLI)andpyramids(PYRA).
5.1.7
STRUCTURES (STRU)
STRUelementsareadministrativeelements,i.e.theyexisttoownFRAMEWORKelements,
andallowtheplantstructurestobeseparatedforeaseofmodellingandreporting.
5.1.8
FRAMEWORK (FRMW)
FRMWelementsareusedtostorestructuralcomponentsinthemodel.Acomplexstructure
canbedividedintologicalframeworks.Dividingthestructureinthiswayallowsstructural
modelling,andalsoreporting,tobedonemoreefficiently,e.g.bycopyingacomplete
FRMW.StructuralcomponentsmayalsobeownedbyaSubFrameworkelement.
Figure54ApiperackFRMWelement
5-4

5.1.9
SUB-FRAMEWORK (SBFR)
ASBFRisanoptionalelementthatcanownstructuralcomponents.Subframeworksare
usedtofurthersubdividecomplexprojectsorformodellingsubassemblieswithina
framework.
5.1.10 STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS

StructuralprofilesarerepresentedinPDMSbysection(SCTN)elements.Isectionprofile
sizesareselectedusingaSectionSpecificationthatreferencesstandardcataloguedatafor
sectionsizescomplyingwithvariousnationalstandards.Platesarerepresentedbypanel
(PANE)elementsandcurvedprofilesaremodelledusingageneralsection(GENSEC)
component.
5.1.11 PIPE
Pipesmaybeconsideredlikelinesonaflowsheet.Theymayrunbetweenseveralend
connectionpointsandareusuallygroupedbyacommonspecificationandprocess.
Figure55APipeelement,showingBranches

5-5
5.1.12 BRANCH (BRAN)

Branchelementsaresectionsofapipe,whichhaveknownstartandfinishpoints.InPDMS
thestartandfinishpointsarecalledtheHeadandTail.Headsandtailsmaybeconnectedto
nozzles,teesorotherHeadsandtails,dependingontheconfigurationofthepipe,orleft
openended.
5.1.13 PIPING COMPONENTS

ABRANcanownawidevarietyofcomponentssuchasgaskets(GASK),flanges(FLAN),
tees(TEE),valves(VALV),elbows(ELBO),etc.Theseformtheshapeandgeometryofthe
BRANandultimatelythepipelineitself.
PipingcomponentsareselectedusingPipingSpecificationsthatreferencestandard
cataloguedata.Forexample,eachtimeyouwanttousea100mmboreelbow,PDMSalways
accessesthedataforitfromthecomponentcatalogue.Thedataforthisremainsconstantno
matterhowmany100mmboreelbowsareusedinthedesign.
Figure56Aselectionofpipingcomponents
5-6

5.2
Attributes in PDMS
EveryelementinaPDMSdatabasehasafixedsetofpropertiesknownasitsattributes.
Someattributesarecommonthroughouttherangeofelementswhileothersdifferaccording
tothetypeofelementinvolved.Forexample,acylinder(CYLI)hasHeightandDiameter
attributeswhilstthesizeofabox(BOX)isdeterminedbyXlength,YlengthandZlength
attributes,asillustratedbelow:
Figure57CylinderandBoxattributes
Whenyoucreateanelement,asetofappropriateattributesareenteredintothedatabase.
Theattributeswillvaryaccordingtothetypeofelementbutessentiallytheprocessisthe
same.Forexample,acylinderhasthefollowingattributes:
Attribute
Default Value
Name
Nameifspecifiedorhierarchydescription
Type
CYLI
Lock
false(theelementisnotlocked)
Owner
thenameoftheowningelementoritshierarchydescription
Position
N0mmE0mmU0mm(relativetoitsowner)

5-7
Attribute
Default Value
Orientation
YisNandZisU(relativetoitsowner)
Level
010(thisisarepresentationlevelsetting)
Obstruction
2(itisasolidhardelementforclashingpurposes)
Diameter
0mm
Height
0mm
Thesearealloftheattributesofacylinder,andallcylindersinthedatabasewillhave
preciselythesamenumberofattributes.
5.2.1
NAME
EveryelementinPDMScanbenamed.Whethernamedornoteveryelementwillhavea
uniquesystemgeneratedreferencenumber.Ifanameisnotspecified,thenahierarchy
descriptionwillbedisplayedintheDesignExplorerorMembersList(seesection8.3).
InternallyPDMSusesthereferencenumbersincethiscannotchange.Atableofnames
againstreferencenumbersismaintainedforthispurpose.
AllPDMSnamesbeginwithaforwardslashcharacter(/),whichisconsideredtobepartof
thename.Inordertosaveyoutheeffortoftypingthis,alloftheformsyouencounterwill
addtheforwardslashforyouwhenyoupresstheEnterkeyaftertypinganame.The
forwardslashcharacterisnotshownintheDesignExplorerorMembersList.TheWORLD
hasaspecialnameinPDMS,/*.
Namescannotcontainspacesandarecasesensitive.Forexample,/E1302Aisadifferent
namefrom/E1302aor/e1302A.ElementsinaPDMSdatabaseareunique,i.e.theycannot
havethesamenameorreferencenumber.
5.2.2
TYPE
Thisattributereferstothespecifictypeofelementitis,e.g.EQUIisanEquipmenttype.
5.2.3
LOCK
TheLOCKattributedeterminesifanelementmaybechangedornot.Ifanelementis
locked,itsLOCKattributeissettothevalueTRUE,preventingitfrombeingmodifieduntil
unlocked.Bydefault,LOCKisfalse.
5.2.4
OWNER
ThedifferentlevelsinthehierarchyaremaintainedbyanOwnerMemberrelationship.An
EQUIwillhaveZONEasitsowner,whileaCYLImightwellbeoneoftheEQUIsmembers.
5-8

Theowneristhatelementwhichisdirectlyrelatedtothecurrentelementatthenextlevel
upinthehierarchy,asshowninthediagrambelow:
Figure58Asimpleownershipstructure
TheelementontheupperlevelistheOwnerofthoseelementsdirectlybelowit,e.g.the
equipment(EQUI)ownstheprimitive(CYLI).ThelowerlevelelementsareMembersofthe
owningelement,e.g.theEQUIisamemberoftheZONE.
5.2.5
POSITION
ManyitemsinadatabasehaveaPOSITIONattributewhichisthepositionoftheelementin
relationtoitsowner.Allprimitiveshaveapositionattributewhichrelatestoitspointof
origin.AseachprimitivehasadifferentPointofOriginchangingthepositionattributewill
havetheeffectofmovingthecylindertosomeotherpositionwithitspointoforigin
positionedonthenewcoordinates.

5-9
Figure59PointofOriginofaCYLI
5.2.6
ORIENTATION
Bydefault,acylinderiscreatedinaverticaldirection;thatis,withoneofitsendsfacingup.
Theorientationattributeallowsthistobechangedtoanyangleonanyaxis.
5.2.7
LEVEL
PDMScanproducedifferentrepresentationsofanitem,dependingonhowithasbeen
modelledandtherepresentationlevelsused.Thedefaultlevelis0to10butlevelscanbeset
beyondthisrangeifneeded.
Forexample,steelworkprofilescanberepresentedbycentreline(stickrepresentation)only
orbythefulldetailofthesectionprofile.Bymanipulatinglevelsettingsitis,therefore,
possibletohavesimpleorcomplexrepresentationofelementsforDesigndisplayorDraft
drawings.
5.2.8
OBSTRUCTION
TheOBSTRUCTIONattributeisusedtodeclarewhetheranelementissolidornot.
ObstructionscanbedeclaredasHard,SoftorNoObstruction,dependingonthevalueofthe
OBSTRUCTIONattribute.Thedefaultvalueof2resultsinaHardobstruction,1resultsina
Softobstruction(usedforwalkways,maintenanceaccessetc.)and0isforNoObstruction
(usedtosavecomputingtimewhenelementsareenclosedinanotherelementwhichactsas
anoverallobstruction).
5-10

5.2.9
HEIGHT
Theheightofthecylinder.
5.2.10 DIAMETER
Thediameterofthecylinder.
5.3
UDAs (User Defined Attributes)
ThistypeofattributeisdefinedandassignedtoelementsusingtheLexiconmodulebythe
SystemorProjectAdministrator.AUDAisjustlikeanyotherattributebutmaybespecific
tothecompanyortheparticularproject.ThesettingoftheUDAisuptotheuser,althoughit
mayhavebeensettoadefaultvalue.Changingthisisthesameaswithallotherattributes.
Theircurrentvaluesmaybefoundbyqueryingtheitemsattributes.AUDAcanbe
recognisedbythecolonplacedinfrontofit:
COLOUR
(UserDefinedAttribute)
HEIGHT
(NormalAttribute)

5-11
5-12

Using PDMS
6.1
Getting into PDMS
AssumingPDMShasbeencorrectlyinstalledonyourworkstation,startPDMSbyselecting
(forexample)Start>Programs>AVEVA>VANTAGE PDMS 11.6>Run PDMS;two
commandwindowsandasplashscreenwillappearbriefly.TheVANTAGE PDMS Login
formthatappearsrequiresyoutospecifyanumberofdetailsattheoutsetofyoursession.
ToenterPDMS,youmustfirstclickonthePDMS Loginformtomakeitactive.
Project istheprojectyouwillbeworkingon(forexample,SAM).Typein,orselectfrom
thepulldownlist,pressingEnterineachcase.
UsernamewillhavebeenallocatedtoyoubyyourSystemAdministrator.Typein,orselect
fromthepulldownlist,pressingEnterineachcase.
PasswordwillhavebeenallocatedtoyoubyyourSystemAdministrator;typein.
MDB
isthemultipledatabasewithinthegivenProjectthatyouwishtouse.Typein,or
selectfromthepulldownlist,pressingEnterineachcase.Makesurethatyou
leavetheRead Onlyboxuncheckedifyouwishtomodifythedatabaseasyou
work.
Module isthePDMSmodulethatyouwishtouse.Typein,orselectfromthepulldown
list,pressingEnterineachcase.

6-1
Using PDMS
UseLoad fromtospecifywhichsetupfilestoloadatstartup.Youcanchooseeitherthe
applicationdefaultsettings(Load from Macro Files)oracustomised
setupsavedduringanearliersession(Load from Binary Files).
TheexamplebelowshowsthatuserSTRUChasenteredPDMStoaccessMDBSTRUC from
theDesignmodule,loadingtheinitialsetupfrominbuiltmacrofiles.
Clickonthe
6.1.1
buttontoentertheDesignmodule.
Working in a module
Onceyouhaveenteredamoduleyoucancarryoutanyvalidoperations(normallyreading,
addingtoormodifyingthedatastoredinthecurrentdatabases;seeChapter8)byusingthe
GUI(seeChapter7)orbyusingthecommandsyntaxforthatmoduleasdescribedinthe
relevantReferenceManual.
Youcanusuallychangethedatabasestowhichthemodulehasaccessfromwithinthe
module.YoucantransferdatafromPDMStopartsofyourcomputernetworkwhicharenot
partofthePDMSdatabase,suchasexternalfilesorhardwaredevices,andyoucanalsogive
nonPDMScommandsdirectlythecomputeroperatingsystem,asdescribedinsection7.9.
Youcanupdateyourwriteabledatabasesatanytime,soastoreflectanydesignchanges
youvemadewhileworkinginthecurrentmodule.
6.1.2
Changing to another module
EachPDMSmodulehasaModulessubmenuenablingyoutoswitchtoanyothermoduleto
whichyouhaveaccessrights.Forexample,fortheDesignmodule:
6-2

Using PDMS
Anoptionformwillbedisplayedaskingyouwhetheryouwishtosavethechangesyou
havemadeinthecurrentmodulebeforeenteringanotherone.
6.2
Getting out of PDMS
YouwillnormallyleavePDMSdirectlyfromtheapplicationmoduleinwhichyouare
working.Youmayeithersaveallworkdoneinthecurrentmodulebeforeleavingoryou
mayquitdirectlywithoutupdatinganydatabases.
AllthemoduleshaveanExitmenuselection;theoneshownbelowbeingforDesign:

6-3
Using PDMS
IfyouhavemadechangespriortoselectingExit(andifyouhavenotcarriedouta
SAVEWORKoperation),youwillbeaskedifyoufirstwishtosaveyourchangestothe
appropriatedatabase:
ClickingYESatthispointwouldbetheequivalentofdoingaSAVEWORK (andthena
QUIT).IfyouhavedoneaSAVEWORK (andmadenosubsequentchanges),orifyouhave
madenochangesatallduringyourDesignsession,thenExitwilldisplayamessagewhich
merelyasksyoutoconfirmthatyouwishtoleaveDesign:
Ineverycase,whenyouleavePDMSyouwillbereturnedtotheoperatingsystematthe
pointfromwhichyouenteredPDMS.
6-4

Using PDMS
6.3
Internationalisation
MicrosoftproducesmanylocalisedvariantsofWindows.VANTAGEproductsaredesigned
toworkinEnglishonallofthese,thoughtheydonotcurrentlysupporttheuseofallthe
locallanguages.Atthetimeofwriting,AVEVAprovideslimitedfacilitiesthatvary
somewhatbetweenproducts.
UsersofPDMSneedtoenterdata(textandnames)usingtheirlocallanguageandoutput
thesameontodeliverablessuchasdrawings,reportsetc.Insomecases,thereisalsoaneed
tolocaliseortranslatetheuserinterface.Thesamedataarealsorequiredinotherproducts
suchasVANTAGEPlantDesignReview.
Bydefault,yourPDMSprojectcanuseanylanguagewhosecharactersarecontainedwithin
theLatin-1 characterset,comprising:
Danish
Dutch
English
Faroese
Finnish
French
Icelandic
Irish
Spanish
German
Norwegian
Portuguese
Swedish
Italian
PDMScanalsosupportthefollowinggroupsoflanguages:
Far Eastern,comprising:
Japanese SimplifiedChinese
Korean
TraditionalChinese
Latin-2,comprising:
Albanian
Hungarian
Polish
SerboCroatian
Czech
English
German
Rumanian
Slovak
Slovene
Latin-Cyrillic,comprising:
Bulgarian
Byelorussian
English
Macedonian
SerboCroatian Ukrainian Russian
PDMSdoesnotsupportanyothercharacterset/language,nordoesitsupportthemixingof
anyoftheaboveexcept themixingofoneFarEasternlanguagewithEnglish.
PDMSmustknowifyouareusinganonLatin1languageinordertodisplaycharacters
correctlyondrawings.
Touseanalternativecharacterset/language:
YoumustuseanappropriateversionofWindowsandasuitablekeyboard.

6-5
Using PDMS
YoumustselecttheappropriateoptionsfromtheWindows
Regional Options.
Forfurtherdetails,seethePDMSInstallationGuide,alsothePDMSAdminUserGuidefor
detailsoffontfamilies.
6.4
Customisation facilities; the programmable macro

language
MostPDMSmodulesmakeuseofaGUItodrivethesoftware.Theinterfacesprovidedwith
PDMSaredesignedtoapplytoawiderangeofsituationsandbusinessneeds.However,as
youbecomemoreexperiencedwithPDMSyoumaywishtodesignaninterfacewhichis
morecloselyrelatedtoyourrequirements.YoudothisusingAVEVAsprogrammable
macrolanguage(PML).
TherearetwoversionsofPML,theolderone,knownasPML1,andthenewerone,known
asPML2.PML2hasbeenspecificallydesignedforwritingandcustomisingtheFormsand
MenusofPDMSandotherAVEVAproducts.AlmostallthefacilitiesavailableinPML1and
theolderFormsandMenusfacilitiesarepresentinPML2.
BeforeyoubegincustomisingaGUI,youmusthaveagoodworkingknowledgeofthe
commandsyntaxforthemoduleyouareworkingwith.Thecommandsaredescribedin
detailinthereferencemanualsforthemodules.
PML2hasnotcompletelyreplacedPML1,andtherearesometaskswhicharecarriedout
moreefficientlyusingPML1facilities.Inparticular,thePML1expressionspackage,which
isusedwithinPDMSforwritingrulesanddefiningreporttemplates.
TheabilitytocustomiseindividualApplicationstosuityourownspecificneedsgivesyou
greatflexibilityinthewaysinwhichyouuseyoursystem.Butitalsointroducestheriskthat
yourmodifiedmacrosmaynotbecompatiblewithfutureversionsofthesoftware,since
theyarenolongerunderAVEVAscontrol.YourownApplicationsmaydivergefromfuture
standardversionsandmaynottakeadvantageofproductenhancementsincorporatedinto
thestandardproduct.Tominimisethisrisk,itismostimportantthatyourinhouse
customisationpoliciesconstrainanychangeswhichyoumaketotheApplicationssothat
theyretainmaximumcompatibilitywiththestandardproductatalltimes.Rememberthat
AVEVAcangiveyoufulltechnicalsupportonlyforproductsoverwhichithascontrol.It
cannotguaranteetosolveproblemscausedbysoftwarewhichyouhavewrittenyourself.
ForfulldetailsofPML,refertotheVANTAGEPlantDesignSoftwareCustomisationGuideand
thePlantDesignSoftwareCustomisationReferenceManual.Ifyouneedafulldescriptionof
PML1,forexampleifyouaremaintainingoldcode,youwillneedtorefertoprevious
versionsofthePlantDesignSoftwareCustomisationGuide.ThelastonetodescribePML1
fullywasdatedOctober1995.
6-6

Basic GUI features
PDMSusesaGUIusingforms(dialogboxes)andmenuswithwhichMicrosoftWindows
usersshouldnotbeunfamiliar.ThischapterdescribesthoseGUIfeatureswhicharespecific
toPDMS.
7.1
Using the mouse
Youusethemousetosteerthepointeraroundthescreenandtoselectorpickitemsbyusing
themousebuttons.Thebuttonsperformdifferenttasksdependingonthetypeofwindow,
andthepositionwithinthewindow,wherethepointerispositioned.Theappearanceofthe
pointerchangesaccordingtothetypeofdisplayitemthatisunderneathit.
Thelefthandmousebuttonhasthreefunctions:
Onagraphicalview,clickingthelefthandbuttonwiththepointeroveradesign
elementresultsinthatelementbecomingthecurrentelement(thatis,thedesignitem
onwhichyouwanttocarryoutthenextoperation).
Inasequenceofmenus,draggingwiththelefthandbuttonactivatesthecommand
representedbythehighlightedmenuoptionwhenthebuttonisreleased.
Onaform,theeffectvariesaccordingtowhatyouselect.
Themiddlemousebuttonisusedprimarilytomanipulateagraphicalview;therighthand
buttonisusedtoaccessthemenuoptionsspecifictothegraphicalviewwindow.
7.2
Using forms
Formscanincludeanyofthefollowing:
textboxes
dropdownlists
optionbuttons
checkboxes
scrollablelists
actionbuttons.
Textboxesanddropdownlistsareexplainedbelow;theremainderareexplainedlaterin
thischapter.

7-1
Basic GUI features
7.2.1
Using text boxes
Textboxesaretheareaswhereyoutypeinalphanumericdatasuchasnamesordimensions.
Atextboxwillusuallyhavealabeltotellyouwhattoenter.
Whenyoufirstopenaformwhichcontainstextboxes,thefirsttextboxontheformis
currentandatexteditingcursor(averticalbar)isdisplayedinthebox.Atextboxoften
containsadefaultentry(suchasunset)whenfirstdisplayed.Sometextboxesacceptonly
textoronlynumericdata,andentrieswiththewrongtypeofdataarenotaccepted.
Toenterdataintoatextbox:
Clickintheboxtoinsertthetexteditingcursor.
Typeintherequireddata,editinganyexistingentryasnecessary.(Youmayneedto
deletetheexistingentryfirst.)
Whenyouhavefinished,confirmtheentrybypressingtheEnter (orReturn)key.
Anytextboxwithanunconfirmedsettingishighlightedbyayellowbackground.
7.2.2
Using drop-down lists
Dropdownlistsletyouchooseoneoptionfromamultipleselection.Thelistwillusually
havealabeltotellyouwhatyouaresettingandwillshowthecurrentselection.
Theytypicallyhavethefollowingappearance:
Tochangethesetting,clickonthedownarroworbuttonfacetorevealthefulllistof
availableoptions,thenpicktherequiredoption.
7.3
Using menus
Menuoptionsinpulldownorpopupmenuscanbeinanyofthreeformats:

Standaloneoptionsinitiateanactionimmediately.
Optionsfollowedbythreedotsdisplayaform.
7-2
Optionsfollowedbyapointer,displayasubsidiarymenuthatoffers
afurtherrangeofoptions.

Basic GUI features
Throughoutthisguide,relatedselectionsfrommenusareabbreviatedformusingthe>
symbolasaseparator.Forexample:
SelectPosition>At>Explicitmeans:
1. SelectPositionfromthebarmen.
2. SelectAtfromtheresultingpulldownmenu
3. MovethepointertotherightandselectExplicitfromtheresultantsubmenu.
7.4
Using the toolbars
Toolbarsaredisplayedimmediatelybelowthemainmenubarintheapplicationwindow.
Somemodulesareprovidedwithseveraltoolbars.Toolbarscontainanumberoficon
buttonswhichletyoucarryoutcommontaskswithoutsearchingfortheoptionsinthe
menus.
Theactionsofthebuttonsareexplainedintheonlinehelp.Ifyouhoverthecursorovera
button,atooltippopupboxwillremindyouofthefunctionofthebutton.Toactivatea
button,youclickonit.
Note: Toolbarscanbeswitchedonoroffbyrightclickingonatoolbarorthemenubar.
Thenamesofallthetoolbarsavailableforthemodulewillthenbelisted.Toolbars
currentlydisplayedwillhaveaticknexttotheirnames.Clickonthenameofa
toolbartoaddorremoveitfromthedisplayasrequired.
7.5
Using the status bar
Thestatusbardisplaysmessagestellingyouwhatactionstheapplicationiscarryingout.
Youshouldlookatitfrequently,especiallyifthesystemappearstobewaitingforyoutodo
something,sinceitwillalwayspromptyouforanyinputoractionwhichisrequiredtocarry
outthenextstepofyourcurrentactivity.
Ifthepromptletsyourepeatataskanunspecifiednumberoftimes,suchaspickinga
selectionofitemsusingthecursor,youmustpresstheEsckeywhenyouhavefinishedto
indicatethatyouarereadytomovetothenextoperation.

7-3
Basic GUI features
7.6
More on using forms
Formsareusedbothtodisplayinformationandtoletyouenternewdata.Formstypically
compriseanarrangementofbuttonsofvarioustypes,textboxes,andscrollablelists.Input
toaformisusuallyviaacombinationofmouseandkeyboard.
Whileyouhaveaccesstoaform,youcanchangeasetting,returntotheinitialvalues,accept
andactonthecurrentdata,orcanceltheformwithoutapplyinganychanges,accordingto
thenatureoftheform.
7.6.1
Using option buttons
Optionbuttons(sometimesreferredtoasradiobuttons)areusedtoselectone,andonlyone,
fromagroupofoptions.Theselectionismutuallyexclusive,sothatselectingoneoption
deselectsothersinthatgroupautomatically.
Optionselected
Optionnotselected
Tochangetheselectedoptionbuttoninagroup,clicktherequiredbutton.
7.6.2
Using check boxes
Checkboxesareusedtoswitchanoptionbetweentwostates,typicallysetandunset.
Unlikeoptionbuttons,theydonotinteract,sothatyoucansetanycombinationofcheck
boxesatthesametime.
Set
Unset
7.6.3
Using scrollable lists
7-4

Basic GUI features
Ascrollablelistisdisplayedasaverticallistofoptionswithinaform,withverticaland
horizontalscrollbarsalongitssides.Toselectanoption,clickonthelineyouwant.The
selectedlineishighlighted.
Somescrollablelistsletyoumakeonlyasingleselection,sothatselectinganyoption
deselectsallothersautomatically.Otherlistsletyoumakemultipleselections,withall
selectedoptionshighlightedsimultaneously.Youcandeselectahighlightedoptionina
multiplechoicelist,byclickingonitagain(repeatedclickstoggleaselection).
7.6.4
Using action buttons
Mostformsincludeoneormoreactionbuttons.YouusethesetotellPDMSwhattodowith
thedetailsyouhaveenteredintheform.
Thecommonactionbuttonsare:
TellsPDMStoacceptthecurrentformsettings,andclosestheform.
Cancelsanychangesyouhavemadetotheform,andclosestheform.
TellsPDMStoacceptthecurrentformsettings,andleavestheformdisplayed
forfurtheruse.
Cancelsanychangesyouhavemadetotheform,andleavestheformdisplayed
forfurtheruse.
Closestheform,keepingthecurrentsettings.
Someformscontainmorespecifictypesofcontrolbuttonwhichcarryoutparticular
commandoptions.Theactionisindicatedbythenameofthebutton(suchAddorRemove).
7.7
Responding to alert forms
Alertformsareusedtodisplayinformationsuchaserrormessages,promptsandrequests
forconfirmationofchanges.Youshouldrespondbycarryingoutthetaskpromptedfor,or
byclickingonthecontrolbuttonsontheform(usuallyanOKorCancelbutton).

7-5
Basic GUI features
7.8
Dockable Windows, Menu Bars and Tool Bars
PDMSusesanumberofMicrosoft.NETformswherewindowsaredockableand
undockable,andwhereotherwindowmanipulationfacilitiesareavailable.Forfulldetails
ofthesefacilitiesseethePDMSonlinehelp(forthegraphicalmodules),Dockable
Windows, Menu Bars and Tool Bars helptopic.
7.9
Using commands
PDMScommandscanbetypedinwhenusingPDMSviatheDisplay>Command Line
menuselection,whichgivesthe Command Window:
Togiveacommand,clickintheCommand>textentrybox,typeinthecommand,andpress
Enter.Thescrollablelistshowsthecommand(s)enteredandanyresultingoutputfrom
PDMS(includingerrormessages).
Commandeditingaidsareavailable:
7.9.1
ClickingonalineinthescrollablelistareacopiesthatlinetotheCommand >box.
CommandsyntaxintheCommand>boxcanbeeditedusingtheDeleteand
Backspacekeysinthenormalway.
HighlightingsomeorallofthetextintheCommand>boxandpressingtheright
mousebuttongivesusefulWindowseditingcommands(Cut,Copy,Paste,Delete,
Undo).
Why use command syntax?
FormostpurposesyouwillwanttousePDMSviatheGUI.However,byusingcommands
youmaybeabletostreamlineyourmethodsofworkingandsaveyoutimeonrepeated
tasks.Inparticular,youmaywantto:
7-6
Createmacrostoautomaterepetitiveprocedures(seethePlantDesignSoftware
CustomisationGuideandReferenceManual)
Basic GUI features
Designandcreatenewformsandmenusforyourgraphicaluserinterfacethatmatch
yourworkingneedsprecisely(seethePlantDesignSoftwareCustomisationGuideand
ReferenceManual)
InsomecasesitcanbeslightlyquickertousecommandsratherthantheGUIforsimple
operations.Forexample:
Q MEM
listthemembersofthecurrentelement
Q ATT
listtheattributesofthecurrentelement
NotethatyoushouldalwaysusetheGUItocreateelements.

7-7
Basic GUI features
7-8

Basic operations in PDMS
WorkinanyPDMSmoduleismostlyaboutmanipulatingtheelementsandtheirattributes
inoneormoredatabases;eithertoadd,change,readordeletedata.Youmustthereforebe
abletotellPDMS:
whichdatabase(s)youwanttoaccess
whichelementsinthedatabasehierarchyyouwanttoaccess
whatchanges,ifany,youwanttomaketothedatabasescontents
Thischaptertellsyouhowtodothesethings
8.1
Querying
Youwilloftenfind,whenworkinginPDMS,thatyouneedtocheckexistinginformation
aboutsomeaspectoftheprogramsoperations.Forexample,youmayneedtofindout
aboutanyofthefollowing:
Thecurrentusageoftheprogramintermsofusers,modulesanddatabases
Theuniquecodewhichidentifiestheprocessyouarerunningandthestationyouare
runningitfrom(usefulforgeneratinguniqueworkfilenames)
Thecurrentsettingofacommandoption
Thecontentsofpartofaparticulardatabase;forexample,thecurrentsettingofan
attributeorthelistofmemberelementsownedbyaspecificelement
Theelementswhichmatchspecificselectioncriteriaenteredbyyou
EachmoduleincorporatesaQuery pulldownmenu whichallowsyoutoaskaboutsomeof

thesetopics,thescopeofthefacilitybeingdependentupontheparticularmodulewhichyou
areusing.Forexample,theQuerypulldownmenuforDesignis:

8-1
ThequeryingoperationsavailablefromtheGUIarefullyexplainedbytheonlinehelpfor
themoduleinquestion.
NotallofthequeryingoperationsavailablefromPDMScanbeaccessedusingtheGUI.For
theseother(general)options,theQUERYcommandmustbeused.SeethePDMSDesign
ReferenceManualPart1fordetails.
8.2
Current element and current list position
Chapter5explainedtheprinciplesofdatabasestructuresandtheconceptofownersand
members.Thissectionintroducestwonewconceptswhichapplytoallaspectsofdatabase
navigationwhenyouareusingaconstructormodule.
Whenyouareworkinginanydatabase,PDMSalwaysconsidersyoutobelocatedata
specificelementinthatdatabase.ThiselementisknownastheCurrentElement.
TheMemberListofanyelementcomprisesalistofpointerstothoseelementsdirectly
belowitinthedatabasehierarchy;thatis,tothoseelementswhichitowns.Thesepointers
haveadefiniteorder,identifiedbynumberedpositionsinthelist(seeFigure81).In
additiontobeingnotionallyattheCurrentElement,PDMSalsoconsidersyoutobeata
specificpointer.ThispositionisknownastheCurrentListPosition.
Pointer to
Current List Position
Current Element
Members of
Current Element
1
List Position in Member List
Figure81CurrentElement,MemberListandCurrentListPosition
Asyoumoveaboutwithinadatabase,theCurrentElementandCurrentListPositionare
continuouslyupdatedsothatPDMSalwaysknowswhereyouare.Assoonasyouaccessa
newelement,thisbecomestheCurrentElement.
TochecktheCurrentElementanditsMemberList(innumericorder)atanytime,simply
clickthe boxnexttothedesiredcurrentelementintheDesign Explorer.Themembersof
thecurrentelementwillbeshow.Forexample:
8-2

Alternatively,givethecommands:
Q CE
todisplaythecurrentelement
Q MEM
todisplaythememberslistofthecurrentelement

8-3
8.3
Navigating to a given element
YouwouldnormallynavigatetoanelementbymeansoftheExplorerortheMemberslist.
8.3.1
The Design Explorer
TheDesign Explorerprovidesaneasytouse,graphicalmethodofexploringtheDesign
Database.Ithasthefollowingfeatures:
ATreeViewdisplayofDesigndatabaseelements(whichcanbeexpandedand
contractedbyclickingthe or icons)inthecurrentMDB.Theiconsinthetree
viewrepresentthedifferentDesigndatabaseelementtypes.
navigationtodatabaseelementsinDesigndatabases
theabilitytomanageitemsinthedisplayusingtheDraw List(aseparatewindow
listingthedisplayeditems)
theabilitytoquerytheattributesof,rename,delete,copyandpasteDesigndatabase
elements.
ThecurrentelementcanbeidentifiedintheDesign Explorerasthehighlightediteminthe
treeviewandisdisplayedintheHistorylistinthemainmenubar.TheHistorylistcontains
alistofrecentlyvisiteditems.
DesignExplorerreplacesmostofthefunctionsoftheMembers ListinPDMSDesign.The
Members ListisstillavailablefromtheDisplaymenu.
8-4

TheDesign ExplorerwillbedisplayedonentrytoDesign.Ifyoudismissit,itcanbe
reinstatedbyselectingDisplay>Design Explorerfromthemainmenubar.
8.3.2
The Members List
AswiththeDesign Explorer,theMembersListdisplaysthedatabaseelementsinthe
currentMDB.
Thereareanumberofwaystonavigatefromoneitemtoanother.The and arrowsat
thetopoftheMembersListallownavigationupanddownthelistatthelevelofthecurrent
element.Forexample,ifpositionedatanEQUIelement,selecting
nextEQUIelementinthelist.Selecting
wouldmovetothe
wouldmovebacktothepreviousEQUIelement.
TheGotomenuatthetopoftheformcanalsobeused.Firstselectthismenu,thenselectthe
Owneroption,thiswillnavigatetotheowneroftheCE.
ChoosingtheGoto>Referenceoptionwillgivealistoffurtheroptionsdependingonthe
CurrentElement.Goto>ReferenceatEQUIlevelwillonlynavigatetoitsowner,i.e.a
ZONE.Ifthecurrentelementwereanozzle(NOZZ)thenGoto>Referencewouldallow
navigationinsidethecataloguedatabaseviatheNOZZsCatrefattribute.
PDMSdatabasesmaycontainmanythousandsofelements,however,onlyoneelementcan
beaccessedatatime.Asallelements,withtheexceptionoftheWORLD,areownedby
anotherelement,deleting,say,aZONEwouldcauseeverythingownedbythatZONEtobe
deletedaswell.
Fulldetailsoftheseformsandhowtousethemaregivenintheonlinehelp.

8-5
8.3.3
Other Explorers
BesidestheDesign Explorer(tonavigatetheDesigndatabase),therearesimilarexplorers
inDraft(tonavigatetheDraftdatabase),SpoolerandIsodraft(tonavigatetheISOD(spool
drawings))database.
8.3.4 My Data
My Dataprovidesascratchpadfacility,enablingyoutoassemblecollectionsofdataand
transferthemfromonemoduletoanother.
8-6

8.4
Modifying the content of a database
Youwouldnormallycreate,modifyordeleteelementsusingtheGUI,bymeansofthe
Create, Modifyand Delete pulldownmenus.Theoptionsavailabledependonthemodule
thatyouareinandtheapplicationthatisloaded.Forexample,fortheDesignmodule,
Generalapplication:
Fulldetailsofthesemenusandhowtousethemaregivenintheonlinehelp.

8-7
Interfaces to other systems
PDMSisamemberofAVEVAsVANTAGEPlantDesignfamilyofproducts,theothers
beingVANTAGEPlantEngineering(VPE),VANTAGEProjectResourceManagement
(VPRM),andVANTAGEEnterpriseNet(VNET).Thischapterintroducestheseproducts
andgivesanoverviewofthewaysinwhichPDMSinterfaceswiththem.
9.1
VANTAGE Plant Enginerring (VPE)
TheVPEproductsstoreandmanagetheengineeringdataforaplantdesignproject.There
aretwoVPEProducts:
9.1.1
VPEWorkbench
VPEP&ID
VPE Workbench
VPEWorkbenchisaprojectdatastorebasedaroundanOracledatabase.Thedatabaseis
capableofstoringalltheengineeringdatarequiredtodesign,buildandcommissiona
processplant.
VPEWorkbenchinterfaceswithawiderangeofapplicationsincludingPDMS,VPEP&ID
andVPRM.Togetherwiththeseapplications,VPEWorkbenchcanbeusedfromthestartof
plantconceptualdesignallthewaythroughtoplantoperation.
9-1
OneofthegreateststrengthsofVPEWorkbenchisitsdatamanagementcapabilities.These
includeaccesscontrol,security,issuecontrol,validation,changemonitoringandtheaudit
trail.
VPEWorkbenchcanbeusedtoproducearangeofdeliverablesincludingdatasheets
(specifications)andschedules.IfVPEUtilitiesandBusinessObjectsareusedwithVPE
Workbench,thisrangeofdeliverablescanbeextendedtoincludediagramsandallmanner
ofadhocreports.VPEWorkbenchmaintainsalogofdeliverablesthatitproducesbutdoes
notcontroltheseoutsideofitself.
Clientsareabletoreceivedeliverablesinelectronicformatandtherearevarioustools
availablesuchasDataMapperthatcantakeclientdataandimportitintoVPEWorkbench.
UsingVPEWorkbench:
Providescontrolled,multiuseraccesstomanagedengineeringdataresultingin
improveddataaccuracyandlesstimespentwaitingfordataorlookingforthelatest
release;
Resultsinlessrework,becauseuptodatedataisalwaysavailable;
Leadstoimproveddataaccuracyandvalidationwithinbuiltexpertise;
Enablescomprehensiveaudittrailstobemaintainedwhichrecordthetimethat
changesweremadeandbywhom;
Provideselectronicdeliverablesandflexiblereportingoutput;
Enablesacommonsystemtobeestablishedineveryoffice,permittingmultioffice
projectexecutionwithglobalworkingacrossawideareanetwork,andenabling
efficienttransferofengineersbetweenofficeswithminimalretraining;
Enablesrapidstartupofnewprojects,asdataheldinadatabaseforanexisting
projectcanbecopiedtoanewproject;
Automaticallyhighlightsdatachanges;
Providesadvancedqueryfacilities;
FacilitatesimplementationofSTEPstandardsfordataexchange;
PresentstheuserwithaninterfacecommonwithotherWindowssoftwarealreadyin
useandhencereduceslearningtimes.
QuickandeasyreportingofUDAdatafromPDMS.
VPEWorkbenchismadeupofmodules,fiveofwhicharebasedonengineeringdisciplines.
TheyareProcess,Instrumentation,Mechanical,ElectricalandPiping.Theuserinterface
foreachofthesemodulesistailoredtosuittheusersroleandnormalworkactivities.The
structureoftheunderlyingdatastoreremainscompletelyhidden.Thereisonefurther
module,theAdministrationmodule,whichisusedtosetupdataforallthemodules.
9.1.2
Introducing the VPE Workbench user interface
TheVPEWorkbenchentryscreenisasshownbelow:
9-2

Youaccessdataviaforms.Regardlessofthenumberofusersconcurrentlyaccessingthe
system,VPEWorkbenchensuresthatdataduplicationiseliminated,andthatthefulldata
historyispreserved.
VPEWorkbenchautomaticallytracksandhighlightsalldatachangesandprovidesan
effectivemechanismforconfiguringthecontrolledapprovalandreleaseofdata,and
associatedchangenotification.
AtypicalVPE/Oracleformis:

9-3
9.1.3
VPE P&ID
VPEP&IDisa2Ddraftingsystem,optimisedforproducingProcessandInstrumentation
diagrams(P&IDs).
VPEP&IDisanapplicationthatcanbecombinedwitheitherAutoCADorMicrostation,to
drawintelligentP&IDsquicklyandaccurately.TheintelligenceofeachP&IDconsistsofthe
data,providedbytheuserthatisassociatedwiththedrawingsymbols(AutoCADblocksor
Microstationcells).Thisdata,togetherwiththegraphicalinformationofthedrawing,can
betransferredtoVPEWorkbench.DatafromVPEWorkbenchcanalsobeimportedinto
VPEP&ID.
VPEP&IDcanalsobeusedtobuildschematiconlyorfirstpassflowdiagramsquickly
withoutthenecessitytoenterprojectdata,whichmaynotbeavailableatthetime.VPE
P&IDusesthedataonP&IDstogeneratelistsofprocessinformationthatcanthenbeused
toautomaticallycreatedocumentsviaaninterfacewithadatamanagementsystem.Typical
documentsaredrawinglists,equipmentlists,pipinglinelists,instrumentindexes,valve
listsandlistsofspecialpipingitems.
SpecificdatainterfacesexistbetweenVPEP&IDandVPEWorkbench.TheP&IDLoaderis
onesuchinterface,whichenablesasetoffiles,containingvariouscategoriesofengineering
data,tobeloadedandreloadedwhenevernecessary.Also,thetwowaytransferof
informationbetweenVPEP&IDandVPEWorkbenchenablesloopnumbers,I/O
information,andselectedequipmentdesigninformationtobeautomaticallyincludedina
P&ID.
9-4

InformationisvalidatedonlineasitisenteredintoVPEP&IDbyaconformancecheck
againstvalidationlists.ThedatamaythenbeexportedtoseparatefilesoutsideofAutoCAD
orMicrostation.Thesefilescanthenbeimportedbyadatabaseandmanipulated,as
required.
TheVPEP&IDuserinterfacecomprisescustomisedmenus,toolbarsand,inthecaseof
Microstation,acommandwindow,whichintegrateswiththeAutoCADorMicrostation
displayandsoftware.Theinterfacealsoincorporatesdialogueorlistboxes,pulldown
menusand,optionally,tablet(digitiser)menus.
9.2
VANTAGE Plant Resource Management (VPRM)
TheVPRMWorkbenchproductprovidesProjectControlandResourceManagement
facilitiescoveringthekeyProjectVariablesof:
Materials
Documents
Progress
Costs

9-5
VPRMenablesProjectManagementtoidentifyandaccessinformationrelatingtotheabove
variables,enablingtimelydecisionstobemade.
9.2.1
VPRM Interfaces
VPRMinterfaceswithgeneralofficesystems,suchasMSExcelandWord,andwithother
strategicsystems,forexample:
9-6
VANTAGEPlantEngineering(VPE).
VPRMimportsengineeringdesigndatafromVPE,andtoensurethecompatibilityof
thistransfer,VPEimportsreferencedatafromVPRM.
PDMSandPDS3DModellingSystems
ThesesystemscanimportVPRMSpecificationDataforuseintheproductionof
isometricdrawings.MTOdetailsarederivedfromthesedrawingsandimportedinto
VPRM.
GPI(GlobalProcurementInformation)System
VPRMprovidesGPIwithdetailsofgloballystrategicvendors,materials,bids
receivedandpurchaseordersplaced,toenableGPItobeasourceofinformationon
worldwidebestpricesandavailabilityofequipmentandmaterials.GPIprovides
VPRMwithastandardforcategorisingmaterials,knownasGMC(GlobalMaterial
Category).
EDM(EnterpriseDocumentManagement)System
EDMandVPRMoperateinconjunctiontomanagedocumentation.EDMcoversthe
documentstorageanddistribution,andVPRMcoverstheorganisationofdocument
numbering,registering,progressingetc.EDMssearchandretrievalfacilitiesare
availablefromwithinVPRM.
KMSManagementSystem
InterfacesbetweenKMSandVPRMenableusersofKMStoutiliseVPRMfor
materialmanagementactivities,whilecontinuingtousethefunctionalityofKMSfor
otherpurposes.
PRIMAVERAPlanningSystem
PRIMAVERAprovidesVPRMwithactivityandmilestonedetailsandplanneddates.
VPRMprovidesPRIMAVERAwithforecastandactualcompletiondates.
FinancialSystems(e.g.PENTA)
VPRMprovidesafinancialsystemsuchasPENTAwithbudget,costand
commitmentvaluesandinformationonvendorsandthematerialsreceivedfrom
them.ThefinancialsystemprovidesVPRMwithinformationonexpenditureand
actualhoursworked.
ICARUSEstimatingSystem
ICARUSprovidesVPRMwithoriginalbudgetdataforaproject.VPRMprovides
ICARUSwithhistoricaldataonwhichtobaseestimates.
Extensiveinterfacesbetweenthesesystemsensurethatdata,oncecreated,iscontinuously
availableforongoingrelatedprocesses.
9.2.2
VPRM Facilities
Onceinstalledinanoffice,VPRMcanbeusedtocontrolmanyprojects.Tosupport
operationoftheprojects,VPRMprovidesCorporatefacilities,consistingofamaterial
catalogue,avendordatabaseandanestimatingdatabase.Thesupportofprojectsby
corporatefacilitiesensuresconsistentreferencingandidentificationofmaterialsand
vendors,withinandbetweenprojects.
ThefacilitiesprovidedbyVPRMaresummarisedbelow:
DataSecurity
Tosafeguardthehelddata,VPRMincorporatesanaccesscontrolfacility.This
involvesallocationofpasswordstothevariousVPRMSystemUsersand,
dependingonthefunctionalroleoftheparticularuser,theallocationofaccessrights
toscreensandreportspresentedbyVPRM.
ProjectManagement
VPRMpresentsahighlevelviewofthestatusandoverallhealthofeachproject.The
presentedinformationcoverscosts,progress,materialsanddocuments.Criticaldata
ishighlighted.
CostManagement
VPRMpresentsbudget,expenditureandcommitmentvaluesandotherdataforthe
managementofprojectcosts.Theinformationispresentedastodateandfor
specifiedperiods.Tohighlightpotentialmanagementproblems,variancesbetween
forecastandbudgetvalues,andbetweenexpendituretodateandcommitment
values,aredisplayed.
ProgressMeasurement
VPRMpresentsinformationonthebudgets,progress,productivityandscheduling
ofworkcarriedinthehomeofficeforeachproject.Progressofindividualdesign
documentsisincluded.Overallprojectmanhourrequirementsforthedurationof
theprojectarecomputed.
DocumentControl
VPRMprovidesfacilitiesforcontrollingdocumentsproducedforthedesignand
constructionoftheproject(DesignDocuments)anddocumentsthatsupportthe
purchaseditemsandmaterials(VendorDocuments).VPRMinterrelateswithEDM
forhandlingoftheactualdocuments.
EngineeringandMaterialsManagement
Forthecontrolofallmajorequipment,taggeditemsandbulkmaterials
(summarisedhereasmaterials)throughoutthelifeoftheproject,VPRMprovides
facilitiesfor:

9-7
Specifyingwhichmaterialsarepermittedforuse,
Systematicallyanalysingtheprojectdesigninformationwithregardtothe
materialsrequiredforconstruction(MaterialTakeOff),
Requisitioningthematerialsinalogicalandcontrolledmanner,
Sendingenquiriestopotentialvendors,analysingtheresultantbids,andthen
placingpurchaseorders,
Expeditingandorganisinginspectionofmaterialspriortodespatchfrom
vendors,
Organisingthetransitofconsignmentsfromvendorstosite,
Recordingreceiptofmaterialsatsite,andmaintainingrecordsofthemwhenin
stores,
Planningandschedulingconstructionwork,takingintoaccounttheavailability
oftherequiredmaterialsand,whereappropriate,assigningthemto
subcontractors.
MaterialCatalogue
TheVPRMmaterialcataloguefacilitatesthelogicalidentificationofmaterialsand
purchasableitemsandisthesourceofallstandardVPRMdescriptionsand
referencesforthem.Inadditiontothestandardversions,thematerialcataloguecan
providedescriptionsinotherlanguages,andreferencenumbersspecifiedbya
particularclientordefinedbytheuser.
VendorDatabase
TheVPRMvendordatabaseisasinglesourceofinformationonvendorsandsub
contractors.Vendorsareidentifiedassupplyingmaterialsofparticularcategories,
anddataisavailableregardingpastbidandpurchaseorderperformance,and
qualityassuranceandqualitycontrolperformance.
EstimatingDatabase
TheVPRMestimatingdatabasecontainsbulkmaterialpriceinformationforusein
theproductionofestimatesforfutureVPRMprojects.Infuture,thedatabasewill
alsoprovidefacilitiestoproducetheestimatesthemselvesandwillalsocontain
standardcostsforconstructionactivities.
9.2.3
VPRM Architecture
VPRMusesanOracle3tierarchitecture,consistingof:
9-8
AnOracleDatabaseserver,whichcontainsthedataandsomeoftheapplication
logic.
AnOracleInternetApplicationserver(iAS).ThiscommunicateswiththeDatabase
serverandcontainsthebulkoftheapplicationlogicaswellastheiASaspects.
AClienttierthatprovidestheuserinterface,viaPCs,withtheserversidetiers.It
communicateswiththeiASbydirectsocketconnection.ThePCsrunWebbrowsers.

9.2.4
Introducing the VPRM user interface
VPRMusesastandardMSWindowsformsandmenususerinterface.AllVPRMsessions
aredisplayedinastandardbrowserwindow.Themainmenubar,withatypicalselection,is
shownbelow.Notethetoolbar.
ThedataentryscreenswithinVPRMareproducedusinganumberofdatabaseitems.These
itemsformastructureinwhichdatacanbequeried,inserted,modifiedordeleted.Atypical
screen(IdentityCodeDetails)isshownbelow:

9-9
9.3
VPE and VPRM Interfaces - Summary
TheinterfacesbetweenAVEVAsVANTAGEPlantEngineeringandVANTAGEPlant
ResourceManagementpackagescanbesummarisedbythediagrambelow:
Bulk Material Control and Procurement

MTO data
PDMS
Engineering Data
Spec data
VPRM
Tray Access and

E&I position data
VPE
ThePDMS VPRMinterfacetakesplacefromthePDMSIsodraftmodule.Seetheuser
documentationforIsodraft,andtheonlineguidesfortheVPEandVPRMproductsformore
details.TheVANTAGEPlantDesignModelManagementproductconstitutesamuch
moreextensivesetofinterfacesbetweentheabove(andother)products.Seebelow.
9.4
VANTAGE Plant Design Model Management
ModelManagement(whichrequiresPDMSandVPEtobepresent)integratesPDMSand
VPEintotheModelManagementproduct.TheModelManagementSystemprovides
facilitiesforcontrollingdatarelatedtoengineeringobjectsdesignedin3DusingPDMS.The
facilitiesencompasscreatingandmaintainingthePDMSdatafrom2Dengineeringdatafor
lines,equipmentandinstruments,asinputusingVPEWorkbench.Thisstructureensures
9-10

thatthereisconsistencybetweenthespecifiedengineeringdata,the2DP&IDs,andthe3D
designmodel.
ModelManagementalsoincludestheModelObjectManager,ConnectivityManagerand
ClashManagerproducts.BespokeproductscanalsobeprovidedaspartoftheModel
ManagementSystem,namelyVPDDeliverableManager,AreaBasedAutomaticDrawing
ProductionandMultiDisciplineSupports.
TheDataStorageareaofVPEisthecentralrepositoryfor2Dobjectsandassociateddata.
The2DobjectscanbecreatedbyimportingdatafromaP&ID,bydirectentryintoVPE,or
bymappingthedatafromaspreadsheet.VPEdatastoragealsoholdsthe3Ddatafor3D
objectsthatcorrespondtoeverycontrolleddesignobjectinPDMS.Thisenablesa
comparisonofthedatatobemadebetweentheengineeringdataanddesigndatawithin
VPEitself,andassociatedreportstobeproduced.
ThePDMSDesigndatabaseisthecentralstoragepointfor3Ddesignobjectsandassociated
attributedata.The3DdesignobjectsarecreatedandmanagedduringaPDMSsession.The
statusofeachcontrolledobjectismanagedthroughVPDModelManagement.
9.4.1
The Model Management System core facilities
ModelObjectManagermanagesthebuildandattributecomparisonof3Dobjectsagainst
the2DdatacontentinVPEWorkbench.ModelObjectManagerprovidesfacilitiesfor
controllingdataforallengineeringobjectsdesignedin3DusingPDMS,maintainingrecords
of3DobjectsthatmirrorthoseinPDMS,mainlyforreportingpurposesanddrawingcontrol
facilities.
Facilitiesareavailableforviewingthelistsofengineeringdata,andcertainattributesthat
affectthe3Ddesign,andforcreatingdesigndatabasedonengineeringdata,comparing
designdatawithengineeringdata,andmodifyingdesigndatatobringitintolinewith
engineeringdata.
ClashManagermanagestheresolutionofclashesinthe3Dmodel.ClashManagercanbe
usedtoprocessthe3Ddataandgenerateclashdatawhentwoormoreitemsthatarenot
connectedoccupythesame3Dspace.Thesystemprovidesreportsonclashesandenablesa
status,historyandresponsibledisciplinetobeallocatedtoeachone.ThisenablesthePDMS
usertoprioritise,controlandmonitortheworkinvolvedintheresolutionofallclashes.
ConnectivityManagermanagestheconnectivitycomparisonofpipelinesinthe3Dmodel
withthecounterpart2DP&IDlines,andalsoprovidesfacilitiesforbuilding3Dpipelines
andcomponentsfrom2Ddata.ConnectivityManagerensuresthatthepipes,components
andequipmentofthedesignedprocessplantarerepresentedconsistentlybytheP&IDsand
the3DmodelinPDMS.TheConnectivityManagerGUIdisplaysinformationonthe
occurrencesofconnectivitymismatches,andcangraphicallydisplaythephysicalpositions
ofthem.

9-11
9.4.2
Introducing the Model Management System GUI
TheModelManagementSystemusesaformsandmenusGUIlikeotherVPDProducts.An
exampleConnectivityManagerscreenisshownbelow.
9.5
VANTAGE Enterprise NET (VNET)
VANTAGEEnterpriseNET(VNET)isanapplicationindependent,webenabledplatform
forcollaborationandmarkupofengineeringinformation.ThroughVNET,3Dmodels,
schematics,documentsanddatafromanyapplicationcanbebrowsedincontextandwith
fullintelligence,givingthemostcomprehensiveprofileofplantdata.
Foritsusers,itisthewindowontheworldforprojectsorplants,irrespectiveoftasksor
discipline.
9-12

9.6
VANTAGE Plant Design Global
GlobalisanoptionalPDMSfacilitywhichisusedtosynchronisethedatabasesbetween
differentsites(whichmaybeatdifferentlocationsandindifferenttimezones)workingon
thesameproject.
Youcansplitaprojectsothatitsdataisdistributedacrossanumberoflocationsbymaking
theprojectintoaGlobalproject.ThePDMSusersinthedifferentlocationsaccessthesame
PDMSproject.Theprojectsdistributednatureislargelyinvisibletotheusers.Eachlocation
hasitsownlocalcopyofthePDMSproduct,andlocalcopiesofPDMSdatabases.Toensure
theintegrityofdata,theprojectdatabasesareautomaticallycheckedandincremental
updatesareissuedacrossallprojectsites.
GlobalisaSystemManagementproductratherthanauserproduct.InaPDMS
installationthatincorporatestheGlobalproduct,Globaltakestheformofextraformsand
menusintheAdminmodule.
9.6.1
The Transaction database
InstandardPDMS,commandsareprocessedoneatatimesothatthenextcommandcannot
beginuntilthepreviousonehasfinished.Inprinciple,thestateofthesystemistherefore
alwaysknown.InGlobal,remotecommandsareprocessedinparallelandsothenext
commandmaybeinitiatedbeforethepreviousonehasfinished.Theadvantageofthismode
ofoperationinGlobalistopreventaslowlongtransactioncommandfromblockingthe
user.Itsdisadvantageisthattheuserneedstoworkinanewwaytoexploitthisparallel
natureofGlobal.
IfaremotecommandtraversingtheGlobalnetworkbecomesheldupataparticularlocation
(forexampleduetoacommslinefault)then,formostcommands,thecommandisplacedin
atransactiondatabaseatthatlocationforlaterprocessing.Asmallnumberofcommands,
knownaskernelcommands,bypassthetransactiondatabaseandarestoredinapending
fileforlaterprocessing.Theuseofthetransactiondatabaseandthependingfilemeansthat
commandsareguaranteedtocomplete,butsomecommandsmaynotsucceed.Somemay
rollback,whileothersmayjustfail.
9.7
VANTAGE Plant Design Review
PlantdesignmodelfilescreatedusingPDMSDesigncanbeexportedtoVANTAGEPlant
DesignReviewforvisualisation.ItisimportanttorealisethatReviewisavisualisation
product,youcannotdesignthingsinReview.
ThevisualisationfacilitiesinReviewinclude:

9-13
Viewcontrol.Thepositionthattheobserverislookingfrom,thepointthrough
whichtheobserverislooking,theorientationofthemodelwithrespecttothe
viewer,andtheviewinganglecanallbecontrolled.
Materialdefinition.Selectedmodelelementscanbegivenmaterialdisplay
propertiessuchasshininess,smoothnessandtexture.
Lightingfacilitiesallowthepositions,coloursandintensitiesoflightsourcestobe
controlled.
Animationscanbedefinedbysettingupaprogressivesequenceofviews,givinga
walkthrougheffect.
SeaandSkybackgroundscanbeincluded,givingevengreaterrealism.
AtypicalReviewpictureisshownbelow(courtesyofParagonEngineeringServicesInc.).
9.8
The Data Exchange Interfaces
AvarietyofVANTAGEPlantDesigninterfaceproductsexistasseparateaddonpackages
toPDMS:
9-14

Product Name
Function
OpenSteel
ProvidesabidirectionalinterfacebetweenPDMSandleadingsteel
detailingpackagessuchasStruCAD,SteelCadandXSteelusing
theSDNFfileformat.
ImPLANTI
EnablesdesigndataintheIntergraphStandardFileFormat(ISFF)
orMicroStationDGNandDRVformatstobeimportedintoPDMS
andReviewproducts.
ImPLANTSTL
ImportsSTLformatdatafromthirdpartymechanicalCAD
packagesintoPDMSDesign.
ExPLANTI
EnablesgeometrydatafromPDMStobeexportedintothe3D
geometryDGNformat.
RetroView
EnablesthePDMSmodeltobeadjustedtoasbuiltstatusby
comparisonwithphotogrammetricdatafromOffsetsMagan
product.
STRESSC
ExportspipinginformationtoCoadesCaesarIIpipestress
program
STRESST
ExportspipinginformationtoAAATechnologysTriflexpipe
stressprogram
PDMStoCABSYS
ExportsPDMSmodeldatatotheCABSYSCableroutingpackage
PDMStoSTAADIII
ExportsPDMSmodeldatatotheSTAADIIIstressanalysis
package
Formoredetailsoftheseproducts,seetheAVEVAwebsite
www.aveva.com/engineeringit/world/

9-15
Appendix A Glossary of terms and

abbreviations
A.1
Introduction
Thisglossarycomprises:
TechnicaltermsrelevanttoPDMS,withbriefexplanationsoftheirmeanings.
AbbreviationsandacronymsusedthroughoutthePDMSdocumentation,with
expansionstotheirfullderivations.
Itdoesnotlistgeneralprocessengineeringterms,withwhichyouareassumedtobe
familiar.
A.2
Definitions
AddinAnaddinprovidesameansofaddingfunctionality.Anaddinapplication
appearsontheapplicationsmenu,whichprovidesamethodofswitchingtoit.
AlgebraicNotationTheformofsyntaxusedincurrentversionsofPDMSforentering
valuesandoperatorsintonumericalcalculations.Algebraicsyntaxconformscloselytothe
wayinwhichtheexpressiontobecalculatedwouldbewrittenasanordinarymathematical
function.
ApplicationMacroApredefinedmacrowhichallowsyoutoentersequencesofcommands
whichsimplifyspecifictypesofdesignwork.
Applicationware(Appware)Asuiteofformsandmacrosdesignedforusewithaspecific
designtask,forexamplepipeworkdesign.
AttributeAspecificitemofdatawhichdefinesoneofthepropertiesofanelementina
database.Anelementisfullyspecifiedbycombiningallitsattributes.
BatchModeAmethodofrunningacomputerprogramwithoutuserintervention;for
example,overnight.Thecommandinputsarestoredinafileandthenreadsequentiallyinto
thecomputer.TheoppositeisInteractiveMode.
CommandAninstructiontothecomputerprogramtocarryoutaspecificaction.A
commandmaycompriseasingleinstruction,oralistofinstructionscombinedintoasingle
inputline.Acommandwordoftenrequiresaqualifyingargument.
CrosshairsAcrosshaircursor.Ahorizontalandaverticallineonadisplayscreenwhose
intersectionrepresentsthecursorposition.
CurrentElementTheelementinadatabaseatwhichyouarenotionallysituatedatagiven
stageofdatabasenavigation.

A-1
Glossary of terms and abbreviations
DatabaseArelatedsetofdatastoredinalogicallyaccessibleformatinacomputersystem.
Anysingleitemofdatacanberetrievedbydefiningauniqueroutetoitslocation.
DefaultAnoptionselectedautomaticallyifyoudonotspecifyanyparticularchoicefrom
anavailablerangeofcommandsorattributesettings.
DeviceDriverAninterfacewhichtranslatestheoutputfromacomputerintoaformwhich
canbeinputtoanotherdevice(e.g.aprinter,plotterorterminal).
Docking/DockableThisdescribesformsandmenubarsthatcanbeattachedin
appropriateplacestotheframeofthemainPDMSwindow.
DraganddropSelectwithmouseandthendrag(holdingthemousebuttondown)toa
differentplace.
ElementAdiscreteitemofdataheldinadatabase;identifiedbynumberand/ornameand
definedbyitsattributes.
ExpressionAmathematicalorlogicaldefinition,thecalculatedresultofwhichistobeused
asacommandargument.
FileAnidentifiablepartofthecomputersmemoryusedtostoredata.Datamaybeadded
toandremovedfromafile,ormaybemanipulatedasawholebyoperationsonthe
completefile.
FilenameThenameofafileinthecomputersoperatingsystem.Whenreferencedfrom
withinPDMSthefilenamemustbeprecededbya/symbol;thissymbolisnotpartofthe
filenameasdefinedbythecomputersoperatingsystem.
Folder(alsoreferredtoasaDirectory)Anadministrativegroupingoffilesinthe
computersmemorytomakelogicalaccesstoanyindividualfileeasier.
Form(alsoreferredtoasaDialogBox)Thatpartofagraphicaluserinterfacescreeninto
whichyoumayenterthesettingsofparametersorcommandarguments,usuallywith
promptingtextwhichshowsyouwhattoenterateachlocation.
GraphicsFileseePlotfile.
GROUPAcollectiveelementwhichcanbeusedtoformtemporarylinksbetween
otherwiseunrelatedelementsinadatabase.
HeadTheinputendofaBRANCH(undernormalflowconditions).
HitRadiusThemaximumacceptableerrorinidentifyingapointonascreenusinga
graphicspointer.Ifthedistancefromthepointerpositiontotheintendedlocationislarger
thanthehitradius,thelocationwillnotbeidentified.
InteractiveModeThemethodofoperationwherebyyouperformanoperationusingthe
mouseand/orkeyboardandwaitforPDMStointerpretandactuponitbeforeyouperform
thenextoperation.TheoppositeisBatchMode.
A-2

Level(drawing)AnattributeofanelementinaDesigndatabasewhichdefineswhetheror
notthecorrespondingitemistobeshownwhenadrawingisplotted.Thelevelstobe
drawnarespecifiedaspartoftheplottingcommand.
Level(hierarchic)Theverticalpositionatwhichagiventypeofelementissituatedina
databasestructure;analogoustoagenerationinafamilytree.
MacroAsequenceofcommandsstoredasatextfile.Whenthemacroiscalledfromwithin
PDMS,thecommandprocessorreadseachlineofthefileinturnandbehavesasifthe
commandswerebeingdirectlyentered.
Member(ofanElementList)Alowerlevelelementlinkedimmediatelybelowanother
element(itsowner)inadatabasehierarchy.AGroupMemberisanexceptioninthatitis
linkedonlyindirectlytotheGROUP,whichisaparentbutnotitsowner.
Member(ofaTeam)AnamedPDMSuserwhoislinkedwithotherusers(asateam)who
sharecommonaccessrightstooneormoredatabases.
MenuApredefinedlistofoptionsdisplayedaspartoftheGraphicalUserInterface.
ModuleAsubdivisionoftheoverallPDMSprogramwhichisusedtocarryoutaparticular
typeofoperationonthedatabases.Eachmodulehasitsownnamewithintheprogramsuite.
MouseAdeviceforpositioningthepointeronaworkstationscreen.
MultipleDatabase(MDB)Agroupofdatabaseslinkedtogetheradministrativelyfora
specificpurpose.YoucanonlyaccessadatabaseifyouhaveaccessrightstoanMDBwhich
containsit.
MyDataastorageareaforrememberingPDMSdataforfutureuse.Typicallyusedtocopy
collectionsofelementsfromonemoduletoanother.
NameAnameinPDMSisanelementidentifierwhichyouallocatetoit.Itisan
alphanumericstringprefixedbya/symbol.Thisidentifierisalwaysadditionaltothe
elementsreferencenumber,whichisallocatedautomaticallybyPDMS.
OffspringAlowerlevelelementlinkedanywherebelowanotherelement(oneofits
parents)inadatabasehierarchy.Amemberisaspecialcaseofanoffspring.
OwnerOnehigherlevelelementlinkeddirectlyaboveanotherelement(oneofits
members)inadatabasehierarchy.
ParameterAvariableitemofinformation(value,textetc.)whichmustbedefinedbeforea
commandcanbeexecutedunambiguously.
ParentAhigherlevelelementlinkedanywhereaboveanotherelement(oneofits
offspring)inadatabasehierarchy.Anownerisaspecialcaseofaparent.
PIPEAnelement,comprisinganassemblyofBRANCHes,whichdefinespartofacomplex
pipingsystem.ThetermhasaspecificmeaninginPDMSwhichmaynotcorrespondwithits
usualengineeringmeaning.

A-3
PlotfileAfilewhichcontainsencodedgraphicsdata.Thefilescontentscanbeunspooled
toaplotterorgraphicsscreenwhenthecorrespondingdrawingistobegenerated.
Pointer(1)Anindicator(alsoreferredtoasthecursor)onadisplayscreenwhichidentifies
oneoftwotypesoflocation:
Analphapointer(e.g.aflashingblockorbar)showswherethenextinputcharacter
willappear.
Agraphicspointer(e.g.anarrowhead)identifiesalocationoranelementinthe
depictedpartofthedesignmodel.
Pointer(2)Alinkbetweenelementsorattributes,indicatingthepathbywhichinformation
istransferredlogicallybetweenthevariouspartsofthedatabases.
Ppoint(PrincipalPoint)Animaginarylocationanddirectionusedtomanipulateand
interconnectelementswhichrepresentphysicalentitiesinthedesignmodel.APlineisap
pointextrudedinaspecificdirection.
PrimitiveAfundamentaldesignshape(box,cylinderetc.)usedtobuildupthedesignofa
physicalentityinthedesignmodelorcomponentcatalogue.
ReadonlyAnaccesscategorythatallowsyoutolookatthecontentsofadatabaseorfile
butnottomodifythem.
Read/WriteAnaccesscategorythatallowsyoutolookatthecontentsofadatabaseorfile
andtomodifythem.
Enter(key)Thecarriagereturnkeyonthekeyboard.Usedtoendeachtypedcommand
lineandsenditscontentstothecommandprocessor.AlsoreferredtoastheReturnkey.
SelectionAselectionofobjectsdefinedusingthe3Dgraphicalview.
ShortcutMenuacontextsensitivemenuactivatedbythesecondary(usuallyrighthand)
mousebutton.
Syntax(OfCommands)theruleswhichdefinepreciselyhowacommandlinemustbe
enteredsothatPDMScaninterpretyourinstructionsunambiguously.Syntaxisusually
specifiedbyusingdiagramstoshowthevalidcommandsequences.
TailTheoutputendofaBRANCH(undernormalflowconditions).
TeamAnadministrativegroupingofPDMSuserswhosharecommonaccessrightstoone
ormoredatabases.
TextualExpressionAnexpressionwhichmanipulatestextsimplyasstringsof
alphanumericcharacterswithoutregardtotheiroverallmeaning.
TitlebarThetopofawindow,containingitstitle.
ToolbarAcollectionofGUIicons,usedtotriggertheGUIactions.
A-4

UnspoolerAtranslationprogramwhichallowsgraphicaloutputfiles(plotfiles)produced
byacomputerprogramtobeinputtoanofflineplotter.Eachcombinationofoutputformat
andplottertyperequiresaspecificunspooler.
UserDefinedAttributeAdatabaseattributewhosenameandtypeofcontentaredefined
bytheuserratherthanbythedefaultPDMSstructure.
WindowApartofadisplaywhichisallocatedaspecificareaofthescreen.Theposition
and(unlessthewindowisnonresizable)ofthewindowmayberedefinedinteractively.
WORLDThehighestlevelelementinanydatabase;alwaysallocatedthesymbol/*asits
PDMSname.
A.3
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Abbreviationswhicharethoughttobeselfexplanatory,particularlythosewhicharesimply
thefirstfewlettersofanobviousword,arenotlisted.
ADE
ASCIIDecimalEquivalent
ASCII
AmericanStandardCodeforInformationInterchange
CATREF
CatalogueReference
CE
CurrentElement
CL
Centreline
COCO
ConnectionCompatibility
CPU
CentralProcessorUnit
CREF
ConnectionReference
CTORU
Circular(crosssection)Torus
DABACON
DatabaseConstructor
DB
Database
DDL
DataDefinitionLanguage
DXF
DrawingExchangeFormat(asusedbyAutoCAD)
GTYP
GenericType
GUI
GraphicalUserInterface
HPGL
HewlettPackardGraphicsLanguage
I/O
Input/Output
IGES
InternationalGraphicsExchangeSpecification
LJSE
LapJointStubEnd

A-5
MDB
MultipleDatabase
OS
OperatingSystem
Pn
Ppointn(wherenisaninteger)
PA
PArriveorArrivePpoint
PDMS
PlantDesignManagementSystem
PH
PipeHead
P&ID
PipingandInstrumentationDiagram
PID
PipingandInstrumentationDiagram
PL
PLeaveorLeavePpoint
PML
ProgrammableMacroLanguage
POHED
Polyhedron
PT
PipeTail
PTRANS
Percent(%)VariableTranslator
PVOL
PreferredVolumeorPenaltyVolume
Query
Refno
ReferenceNumber(ofanelementinadatabase)
RTORU
Rectangular(crosssection)Torus
SHU
StandardHookup
SKEY
SymbolKey
SPCOM
SpecificationComponent
SPREF
SpecificationReference
STYP
SymbolType
UDA
UserDefinedAttribute
VDM
ViewDefinitionMatrix
WN
WeldNeck
2Dor3D
TwoorThreedimensional
Crosshaircursorlocation
A-6


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Getting Started with

pdms1160/Getting Started with PDMS

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The scope of this guide .................................................................... 1-1

PDMS functions................................................................................ 2-1

The PDMS databases........................................................................ 4-1

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

How PDMS data is stored................................................................. 5-1

Using PDMS...................................................................................... 6-1

Basic GUI features ........................................................................... 7-1

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Basic operations in PDMS ................................................................ 8-1

Interfaces to other systems............................................................. 9-1

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The scope of this guide

Who it is meant for

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The scope of this guide

How the manual is set out

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The scope of this guide

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The scope of this guide

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

PDMS and what it can do for you

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Using PDMS in the Plant Design process

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Catalogue and specification management modules

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Project administration modules

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Finding out more the user

The User Documentation

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Acrobat Reader toolbar.Typingakeywordtosearchforwillresultina(selectable)listof

The content of the documentation

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The online help

Accessing and using the help

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The help icons

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The PDMS databases

The database types

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The PDMS databases

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The PDMS databases

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The PDMS databases

4.2.10 MISC database

4.2.11 TRANSACTION database

PDMS project structure

VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6