Understanding Referencing Master Data by Identifiers
There are many places within admin configuration where direct references to master data can be made. Since master data relies on system generated keys this configuration often breaks once migrated to a new environment since the master data referenced does not exist in the target environment. To alleviate this issue, in each of these instances, a user defined identifier can be used instead of the system generated keys.
This has an added benefit for installations that support multiple time zones by enabling the identification of the master data to not only search by the user defined identifier but also the time zone of the instance data. This is advantageous because it allows one set of admin configuration to satisfy master data in multiple time zones since things like TOU Maps and profile measuring components will be identified at run time using the identifier and time zone.
The following types of data can be referenced by an identifier on admin configuration:
• Device: can be referenced by a device identifier type. An example of this can be seen on the Specification Lookup (D1-SpecificationLookup) extendable lookup.
• Measuring Component: can be referenced by a measuring component identifier. When multiple time zone support is enabled the measuring component's time zone will also be evaluated. There are two major patterns for this:
• Profile Factors: The profile factor itself will reference the measuring component by identifier and then the admin configuration will point to the profile factor. An example of this is the profile factor list on interval measuring component types.
• Direct Measuring Component references: An example of this is the Final Values Overlay Profile (D1-FinalValuesOverlayProfile) extendable lookup.
• TOU Map: can be referenced by the TOU map template code. The appropriate TOU map is then found by searching for the appropriate TOU map that references a TOU map type for the supplied TOU map template. When multiple time zone support is enabled the TOU map type time zone will also be evaluated. An example of this is the default TOU map that can be configured in the display profile of a measuring component type.
During execution the identifier supplied will be used to find the appropriate master data entry. The following validation will occur:
When multiple time zone support is off: the search must find one and exactly one master data entry for the identifier type and value.
When multiple time zone support is on: the search must find one and exactly one master data entry for the identifier type, identifier value, and time zone. Note: some installations may want to use master data across time zones, this can still be achieved by supplying one and only one master data entry for the identifier type and value:
When the search fails to find the master data for the identifier type, identifier value, and time zone and there is only one entry for the identifier type and value that master data will be used (thus allowing one master data entry to be used across time zones)
When the search fails to find the master data for the identifier type, identifier value, and time zone and there are multiple entries for the identifier type and value an error will be encountered.