The Level of Complexity Depends On What You Test and Your Record Keeping Requirements

Every organization's device testing requirements are different. Consider the following:

  • Some organizations simply use the CIS system to create and dispatch field activities when it's time to test devices. After the field activities are dispatched, the test results are maintained in a separate system. You can set up the system to work this way for you.
  • Some organizations maintain very detailed test result records, others don't. For example, some organizations record both "as found" and "as left" test results, i.e., they test the meter in its "as found" state, then they recalibrate it and test it again and record the "as left" state. You can set up the system to work this way for you.
  • Some organizations maintain separate test results for every individual register on a meter. For example, they might record 3 separate test results for an electric meter with kWh, kW, and kVar registers (and, if they recorded both "as found" and "as left" results, they would have 6 separate test results, at least, for this meter). You can set up the system to work this way for you.
  • The type of information that can be recorded in respect of a test varies widely. Some organizations simply record if the test passed or failed. Other organizations keep track of a great deal of information about the test results. Consider the following examples:
    • Most organizations record who performed the test, the state of the seals on the meter, and whether or not a repair is necessary.
    • A company with gas meters might record the ambient air temperature, the temperature of the oil used in the test, the test spin time, the actual meter reading, the "chart" (should be) reading and the percent accuracy.
    • A company with electric meters might record the following information: meter reading at full capacity, meter reading a light capacity, meter reading with a power factor of 50%, and the percent accuracy.
  • You can set up the system to work this way for you.

Given that the system supports the above disparate requirements, you can understand why the set up process is either straightforward or challenging. The remaining topics in this section provide some guidelines to help you through this setup process.