The type of solution performed by Power Flow analysis is dependent upon the available data and a feeder's assigned power flow analysis mode (kVA or full power flow solutions). A kVA solution will likely solve faster than a power flow solution, but will not show any voltage drop/rise or voltage violation information.

The Power Flow analysis determines whether a solution should be done in kVA mode or power flow mode. If sections of network that are configured for kVA solutions are tied to sections of network that are configured for power flow solutions, the resulting solution will default to using the kVA analysis. The overall look and feel of the user interfaces will be kept the same depending on if the solution was solved using kVA or power flow analysis; in some situations fields may display N/A as they may not be applicable while in kVA mode. For example, power flow will not be able to calculate power transformer tap positions or the status of voltage regulated capacitor banks as voltage drop/rise will not be calculated.

The frequency at which power flow solutions are recalculated is dependent upon which DMS applications have been implemented. If only Power Flow has been implemented, the real-time solution will be resolved cyclically every 15 minutes or when triggered by an electric distribution system topology change and no forecasting will be conducted. Alternatively, if Feeder Load Management (FLM) is implemented in conjunction with Power Flow, the real-time solution will be solved cyclically every 15 minutes, hourly forecasting will be conducted at the top of each hour, and a real-time and hourly forecasting resolve will be triggered immediately after a topology change. Consequently, by implementing FLM, a customer is able to gain forecasting ability that assists with identifying potential issues. See Chapter 17, Feeder Load Management for more information on when FLM performs solutions.