2010 China International Conference on Electricity Distribution 1

Application Research of Power Supply

Company Decision Support System under Smart Grid
CUI Qi-ming, PAN hong-jian, SUN wen-tao

Liaoning Anshan Electricity Supply Company，Anshan 114001，China

Abstract: Under the development trends of Smart Grid and the two data centers overall framework of State Grid and the
provincial company, with the fine management needs of the municipal power supply company, the paper studies on data and
application integration model of municipal power supply company, proposes the establishment of municipal distributed data
backup center and power supply company decision support system. On this basis, we have integrated core databases such as
marketing, production, human resources of Anshan Electricity Supply Company, built a data management platform based on data
warehouse, solved the problem of data sharing basically. Research and application results show that: various functions achieve
system design goals, the system is practical and effective. The establishment of core business data backup center and power
supply company decision support system in municipal companies is a necessary foundation and an important part of smart grid
construction.
Keywords: smart grid; municipal power supply company; distributed data backup; assisted decision support system

advanced analysis applications for Smart Grid to achieve

1. Introduction
Smart Grid is the newest direction of electric power
evolution. It is regarded as the significant technology
innovation and development trend of electric power system in
21st century[1] 。 Smart Grid achieves the continuing
monitoring of power customers, power assets and power
operation, improves the power company's management,
operational efficiency, network reliability and service levels
using the changing information. Smart Grid integrates
management information and real-time information to provide
a more comprehensive, complete and detailed view of
network status for network operation and management and
strengthen the analysis and optimization of power business[2].
It can guarantee real-time market transactions and seamless
connection between the power grid members [3, 4 ,5]. In the
construction environment of Smart Grid, enterprise
information will penetrate all aspects of power business,
management Information and automation will be integrated
more closely, information technology and business innovation
will be integrated more thoroughly [6]. Smart grid has a
complete information architecture and infrastructure[2]
( CPS ， Cyber-physical Systems). CPS will support the
construction of national and even global level, large or extra
large networked system of physical equipment [7]. It needs
more sophisticated, intelligent operation and management.
People have done a lot of researches for Smart Grid
information architecture and related applications
[6,8,9,10,11].
The foreign power enterprise information integration
starts earlier. Power companies of France and other developed
countries have completed the process of information systems
integration. Currently, foreign companies focus on the
advanced applications after integration, such as business
intelligence analysis, data mining, data warehouse
construction. State Grid has proposed a ambitious goal of
building a strong unified smart grid, and has implemented the
information projects: "SG186" and ERP. According to its own
characteristics, network and provincial power companies have
launched a series of effective construction. For example,
Jiangsu Electricity Supply Company has established
provincial and municipal data center through EPII（Electric
Power-Company Information Integration ） construction to
integrate enterprise core data using ESB (Enterprise Service
Bus) for municipal decision support system and other
advanced applications. Zhejiang Electricity Supply Company
has established provincial and municipal level SAP XI
platform to meet the needs in fine-grained, high real-time data
analysis of municipal company. In Liaoning Electric Power
 2 2010 China International Conference on Electricity Distribution

Company, ERP, "SG186" marketing system, PMIS and other
systems have already been on line. Jinan and Qingdao
Electricity Supply Company have integrated the production,
marketing, dispatch and other core data using “Integrated
construction " and the Web Service method ,and also these
two companies have built some advanced applications to meet
the actual needs. Anshan Electricity Supply Company has
accumulated a large amount of business data after years of
information construction and has the needs and foundation to
establishment a comprehensive, real-time, fine-grained
decision support system.
2. The Design of Data Backup Center
The design of data backup center is: it backup
data(stored in the provincial data center ) belong to the
municipal companies in the municipal companies local. The
aim is easy to read data (due to huge amount of data, network
bandwidth and other reasons) in addition to backup related
data in the provincial data backup center.
Data Backup Center architecture adopts the State Grid
typical design: it contains the following three parts - ODS
(Operational data store), data warehouse and data mart. Every
definition and function is consistent with State Grid typical
design, their individual characteristics are:
2.1 ODS
1) ODS is still an effective buffer from a data source to a
data warehouse, the data sources are:
a) Provincial data center
We can directly access data from provincial data center,
and then store in the local (ODS can be considered as a
distributed backup of provincial data center. Its format, rules
are consistent with the provincial company.)
b) The core business system data which provincial data
center have not yet integrated and the database server is
located in the province company. Such data needs data access
interface provided by related business systems to save into
ODS through the ETL process. Those systems include ERP,
SG186 marketing system and SG186 PMIS system.
c) The core business system data which provincial data
center have not yet integrated or integrated coarse-grained
and the database server is located in the municipal company.
Those systems include dispatch system, load control system,
GIS system and customer service system.
Data access methods can be:
a) Access data through the data access interface provided
by related systems:
Let us take ERP system for an example, we can access
data through the ETL process in accordance with the BAPI
interface specification.
b) Access data through the database interface:
We can use Database Link technology to access
back-end database directly to get the data which stored in the
municipal company.
2) ODS which is acted as a real-time or quasi real-time
data support of data query, exchange, analysis applications to
store fine-grained, high real-time data of municipal company.
For example, ODS will store 96 points power
consumption everyday in every metering point of all the
voltage levels.
3) ODS is divided into subject field in accordance with
State Grid typical design. But the subject field may be more
than the province's existing data center.
2.2 Data warehouse and data mart
Data in the Data warehouse is extracted from the
municipal distributed data backup center and ODS through
the ETL process. Data in the Data mart is extracted from data
warehouse and ODS in the municipal data backup center
through the ETL process.
3. Assisted decision support application
research
Figure 1. diagram of the overall system architecture
Assisted decision support system architecture(Figure 1)
is:
We extract data which stored in provincial data center,
province application system and local application system
through the ETL process (Extraction-Transformation-
Loading), build ODS, enterprise data warehouse model,
 2010 China International Conference on Electricity Distribution
enterprise OLAP analysis model together with the data and
model provided by local integrated information resource
working platform, reprocess data in accordance with the
related data model and exchange with the outside through a
unified data interface. Platforms and business-related
application layers are established upon a unified data interface
layer. On this basis, application integration, analysis,
reporting, and querying are achieved or provided.
3.1 Data source condition assessment and
data validity analysis
Decision support system monitors data quality from the
access system (data source database) and data for two levels.
It can view global or a subject field of data source, warning
(error) data, the extracted data situation and the historical
trend information. At the same time, it can provide alarm of
abnormal situations.
3.2 The core business data display platform
The most important indicator is displayed on the
platform comprehensively, intuitively and seasonable
according to subject field. For example, we can view the real
time data on core indicators of marketing departments at all
levels accurately and seasonable. In accordance with business
management mode "Anshan Electricity Supply Company -
electricity supply branch company - electricity supply
business department - lines - electricity marketing districts -
users", it can display the statistics and analysis data about
core marketing indicators such as the corresponding quantity,
prices, costs, losses sequential.
3.3 The main business indicators data
evaluation system
As to the core indicators data of enterprise's main
business, through establishing threshold or standard, link
relative ratio, year-on-year and other methods to analyze and
appraise data, it finally gives the appraisal about the
indicators score and whether the situation is qualified, and
carry on the show through many kinds of functions such as
the gauge board, traffic light, report form, reminding.
3.4 The main business performance score
card evaluation system
Score card can be tactical and strategically used for
communication, measure and manage business performance.
The dashboards and score cards are convenient for users to
view the progress in the implementation and development
trend, also the correlation between the data is more clarity.
3.5 Company Internal Data-sharing
In practical work, it often happens: When we view the
lines, electricity marketing districts and other information in
3
the marketing system, we need GIS systems to view the
actual geographic information; After opening GIS systems
and looking over, we need learn more about their assets,
equipment information and operating conditions; After
opening the production system, the new data demand appears
again…
In Anshan Electricity Supply Company, through the core
business data integration of data backup center, assisted
decision support platform enables fully capable of providing
cross-sectoral, cross-business, cross-system data applications.
By integrated interface, we can view not only the
indicators such as quantity, price, costs, losses of the lines and
electricity marketing districts (data and charts), the images
related to GIS (GIS maps, line diagrams, etc.) but also the
equipment, operation and other related information. Further
studies on the function here can be done as the article [12] to
achieve and integrate a power distribution fault diagnosis
system.
4. System functions have already been
implemented
4.1 Data management platform based on data
monitoring, custom, standard.
Using data integration middleware to connect with many
core databases and establish a mapping between data tables. It
ensure to access to all core databases through the only
entrance: data management platform. We can build models in
accordance with the actual business, establish ETL rules
combined with data in the core database and load the various
data into the data management platform through ETL process.
Data management platform provides a standard interface
specifications, external applications and individual users can
access and use the data has already been modeling in data
management platform through the interface, direct access to
various core databases through data management platform.
Finally, initial data-sharing across the company is achieved.
Data management platform with the following characteristics:
1) Only one database: From the outside world, it seems
the power company has only one database which includes all
the enterprise's business data .
2) Data interface: It provides interface module link with
the existing business database conveniently.
3) Data access mechanism: It provides data access
mechanism to integrate different types data.
4) Data validation system: According to the indicators
model and business specification established, integrated data
 4 2010 China International Conference on Electricity Distribution
have been monitored and given a warning if necessary.
5) Custom reports: Through a simple web graphics
operation on the enterprise portal platform, it can realize the
data management platform for all data query, statistics and
reports.
4.2 Assisted decision support application base
on unified model
On this basis of unified business model in the data
management platform, it mines in-depth distributed business
data in various systems to provide decision support
applications.
4.2.1 Quantity, prices, costs, losses analysis
According to time, branch company and power selling
classification, it can analyze electricity sales with the line
charts, pie charts and histogram multi-dimensionally, display
the most important indicator intuitively and seasonable,
provide alarm of abnormal situations. All these above
establish a foundation of user interaction. It includes the
following:
1) The multi-dimensional analysis of electricity sales and
total power supply;
2) The multi-dimensional analysis of average price;
3) The multi-dimensional analysis of income from
electricity sales;
4) Electricity losses analysis of 66kV, 10kV and
electricity marketing districts line losses;
5) Unbalance rate analysis of bus in 220kV and 66kV
power substation.
4.2.2 Leadership enquiry system about marketing core
indicators
Through a unified interface display, it meets the query
needs of marketing department leadership accurately and
entirely.
4.2.3 The electricity sales forecasting
Through in-depth analysis of electricity sales historical
trend data and classification, in accordance with a reasonable
combination of multiple prediction algorithms, it can predict
the electricity sales completion of currently month and every
category before the 20th of each month.
4.2.4 Multi-dimensional analysis
Based on multidimensional data model, it provides many
forms, multi-dimensional, multi-granularity in-depth analysis
of core business indicators in addition to displaying business
situation to meet actual business needs using business
intelligence middleware. Let us take the core indicator
“losses” for example: The data related to planning, dispatch,
marketing and other departments, this system can analyze
from the "total losses" to "primary losses", " distribution
losses", "medium-voltage losses" and "low-voltage line
losses" by drilling-down; after determining the level of
analysis priority, it analyzes the "bus unbalanced rate", "line
losses", " electricity marketing districts losses" based on the
losses classification continually; According to the information
of electricity losses, it can also analyzes real time electricity
sales (96 points per day) of the 220kV, 66kV, 10kV metering
point or even load control users and high-voltage users.
4.2.5 Analysis report based on expert system concept
This system can display the indicators and influence
factors analysis using the most familiar words. Take the
increase in electricity sales for example, it can analyze that
the greatest impact on sales growth factor is a part of which
branch company and category.
4.3 Comprehensive data applications based
on the data management platform
According to the actual business process, it integrated,
cleaned up and loaded scattered data in the database,
realized data exchange between databases and established
new cross-database applications based on data management
platform.
4.3.1 10kV line losses management
Through marketing, dispatch, load control and other
database integration, it has already established a unified lines
model, calculated the 10kV line losses automatically,
provided the management functions of statistics and alarm
about 10kV line losses and improved the 10kV lines loss
statistics and management.
4.3.2 Data exchange between marketing and financial
Through ETL process of the data backup center, it has
already obtained data in marketing database automatically,
transformed data and formed financial report, achieved
data-sharing between marketing and financial core databases
based on data integration platform.
4.3.3 Application of electrical inspection
This system has already established sets of information
management processes of electricity marketing districts and
realized those management processes information and
automation according to data model. It has already realized
unified monitoring and overall management, displayed the
assess districts each month automatically, compared the
districts automatically, track core indicators and the problem
districts, increased the assess rate from 10% to 100%.
4.3.4 Housing maintenance and management system
It has achieved the unity register and management of the
housing. It has already realized the information process
 2010 China International Conference on Electricity Distribution
"online apply - accepted - return - approval". It provides the
integrated search function of the core information such as
repair tickets, repair orders, housing basic information,
records information, maintenance materials information and
maintenance plan information.
4.4 User-level enterprise portal management,
customization and maintenance platform
It is a portal construction and management platform
based on templates and processes. It provides a lot of good
templates and themes. By using these, it realizes not only the
enterprise portal custom skin and style, user personalization,
but also user-level zero-programming self-construction and
self-maintenance.
5. Conclusions
Research and application results show that: For all
management, the enterprise portal with decision support
system has become an indispensable integrated information
resources platform. For a long time, locally generated
information (such as load control information) can only be
stored and processed locally because of huge amount of data,
network bandwidth and other reasons. In Smart Grid, smart
metering and interaction with users have to be local in
municipal power supply company to establish the appropriate
mechanisms for data management and data analysis, decision
support type applications. These local applications play an
irreplaceable role in fine management of power supply
company, especially in the fine-grained analysis
information. The establishment of decision support platform
including data integration, information management, in-depth
analysis in all levels grid from national, provincial to
municipal, core business data backup center and power
supply company decision support system in municipal
companies is a necessary foundation and an important part of
smart grid construction.
Acknowledgements
This research work got a strong support and a great help
from all related leaders such as Yuhui Pan, Weichun Ge and
other persons following: Youhong Li,Xingyan Xu,Mingyi
Li(Anshan Electricity Supply Company)and Qian Meng, Du
Lin, Xulong Guo (Beijing FLAG Power Technology
Corporation). I would like to express my thanks to all of
them..
References
[1]Qinghong Wang, “Survey on Smart Grid Research
5
[J]”, Guangxi Electric Power, 2009, Vol 32, No.6, pp.1-6, 13.
[2]Xuejuan Gao, ” Power Enterprise perform high-wire
act between shortage and surplus [J]”, China Informatization,
2007. Vol 3
[3]Bin Liao, Hongxiang Chou, “Enhance network
security using standardized smart grid [J]”, Shanghai Electric
Power, 2006. Vol 6.
[4]Kai Xie, Yongqi Liu, Zhizhong Zhu, “The vision of
future smart grid [J]”, China Electric Power, 2008. Vol 41, No.
6.
[5]Yixin Yu, Wenpeng Yi, “Smart Grid [J]”, Power
System and Clean Energy, 2009. Vol 25, No.1.
[6]Yuan Yi, “Study on Power Information System in
Smart Grid[J]”, Energy Industry Research, 2009. Vol 8.
[7]Jifeng He, “Cyber-physical Systems[J]”,
Communications of the CCF, 2010. Vol 1.
[8]Chunlin Chen, Yan Chen,“Preliminary exploration of
information service for the smart grid[J]”, EAST CHINA
ELECTRIC POWER, 2009. Vol 37, No. 6.
[9]J. D. McDonald, Substation Automation, “IED
integration and availability of information”, IEEE
Power&Energy, Vol 1, No. 2, March/April 2003.
[10]M. Kezunovic, T. Popovic, “Substation Data
Integration for Automated Data Analysis Systems”, IEEE PES
2007 General Meeting, Tampa, Florida, June 2007.
[11]Ali Ipakchi, ”Implementing the Smart
Gird :Enterprise Information Integration[J]”, Grid-Interop
of Forum 2007.
[12]Yixin Cai, MoYuen Chow. “Exploratory Analysis of
Massive Data for Distribution Fault Diagnosis in Smart
Grids”.
http://www.adac.ncsu.edu/res_proj/small_world/Docs/Publica
tion/exploratory%20data%20analysis_final.pdf.
Qiming CUI is a senior engineer of Information
Management Center in Liaoning Anshan Electricity Supply
Company, China.Research area:database and application,
expert system.Email:ospb2002@yahoo.com.cn
Hongjian PAN is a director of Information Management
Center in Liaoning Anshan Electricity Supply Company,
China and senior engineer.
Wentao Sun is a engineer of Electricity Dispatching
Center in Liaoning Anshan Electricity Supply Company,
China. Research area: grid dispatch technology and
information application in power system. Email:
sun-wentao@163.com