ClearSCADA has a Group Templates feature that can significantly reduce the amount of time and effort required to configure database items, including WITS items. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of Group Templates and Group Instances, see Group Templates and Group Instances in the ClearSCADA Guide to Core Configuration.
When configuring WITS database items, you can use Group Templates to:
- Contain the common configuration for an entire Field Device. For example, if your system has many pumping stations, you could create a Group Template for the Outstation that controls and monitors a pumping station.
- Contain the common configuration for part of a Field Device. For example, if your system has many pumps, you could create a Group Template for the set of points that are used to control and monitor a pump.
To determine if either approach is suitable for your system, you will need to look for patterns in the configuration of your Field Device. It may be possible that Group Templates can be used to represent the patterns, and so reduce the amount of configuration work required.
If you want to use a Group Template to contain the configuration for an entire Field Device, there are two possibilities:
- You can use a template bulk configuration file. This is dependent on your Field Devices supporting template bulk configuration. For details, see Using a WITS Template Bulk Configuration File
- You can pre-configure the Group Template in ClearSCADA, and then import the configuration. This approach allows you to use Group Templates without using a template bulk configuration file, and is often used with Field Devices that do not support template bulk configuration. It is also used when there is a requirement to upload the configuration from the Field Device.For more information, see Group Templates for Entire Field Device Configuration.
If you want to use a Group Template to contain the configuration for part of a Field Device, you will need to pre-configure the Group Template and Group Instances in ClearSCADA. You can then either import the configuration or upload it. For more information, see Group Templates for Part of a Field Device's Configuration.