Using Storm Management
Storm Management supports two operational modes: Non-storm Mode and Storm Mode. Non-storm mode applies to everyday operations. When calculating estimates, crew resources are not taken into account because it is assumed there are enough crews available to handle all events. Storm mode is useful during and after a storm or other high volume outage periods. In this mode, the estimate calculations factor in crew availability. All control zone views operate in non-storm mode until explicitly placed into storm mode.
Using ERT Overrides
While it is periodically simulating the entire restoration process, Storm Management calculates an estimated assessment and restoration time for each eligible event. These estimates for each event are accessible to other modules (for example, may be displayed in a Work Agenda column). However, it is not always prudent to have these estimates available to the other modules; for example, when you initially enter storm mode and the available crew resources have not been fully defined, the calculated estimates would be rather inaccurate.
ERT Overrides provides the ability to override calculated ERTs for one or more specified control zones. The ERT overrides will impact existing outages as well as future outages in those control zones until the override is removed. Either a new specific ERT can be specified using the ERT Override tab, or an ERT offset from the outage start time can be specified using the ERT Delay tab. Both tabs also support tiering, which provides more granular override values based on the number of customers impacted by an event.
Note: The ERT overrides will not affect the ERT of existing outages with an ERT source of ‘C', meaning it was input by a crew or operator as opposed to calculated by the system.
ERT Override Dialog Box
To open the ERT Override dialog box, do one of the following:
• Select the ERT Override... option from the System menu, or
• Click the ERT Override button on the toolbar.
The ERT Override window opens with the ERT Override tab displayed. The ERT Delay functionality is accessed via the ERT Delay tab. Both window tabs offer consistent actions via the buttons at the bottom of the window.
ERT Override Tab Fields
• The Zone column contains the control zone that is having its Storm Management calculated estimates made inaccessible or overridden. With a row selected, click in the Zone field to activate the Control Zone Selection button (
), which opens the Control Zone Selection dialog box. Select the desired Control Zone and click OK.
), which opens the Control Zone Selection dialog box. Select the desired Control Zone and click OK.• The Tier column contains the optional tier criteria for using a given ERT Override value. See the Add Tier button description below to learn how to add tiers. Note that if tiers are used, the ERT Override field on the Summary Information pane will not display a value (since there will likely be more than one), but rather just display "Published" or "Non-Published."
• The ERT Override column contains the estimated restoration date and time for all events within the control zone to be displayed outside of Storm Management. Once you click in the ERT Override column, a date selector. The date/time you enter must be in the future. This field may be left blank.
• The Publish Projections column contains a check box that indicates whether or not the ERT Override value is published to other modules for the affected events.
• The Override All Existing ERTs check box indicates whether the ERT Override, as applied to the selected row (zone), will override all ERTs (of that zone) irrespective of the ERT source.
• The User column displays the id of the user who provided the ERT override/delay value.
ERT Delay Tab
The ERT Delay tab exchanges the ERT Override column for a Delay column; all other columns function exactly the same as described in the ERT Override tab overview including the ability to add tiers to the delay.
• The ERT Delay column contains the delay to be added to the start time of outages to calculate the ERT, rather than using the normally calculated ERT. Once you click in the ERT Delay column, a mask for hours and minutes is displayed (that is, ##:##). Enter a delay value in hours and minutes to set the delay value. The ERT Delay will be activated once the OK button is clicked.
Example - Using the Mask
If you want to set the ERTs to be four hours and 30 minutes from the outage start times, enter 0430; the mask will show 04:30.
ERT Override Buttons
• The Add button adds a new row to the table in the ERT Override dialog box. That row may then be edited to contain the desired control zone, ERT Tier (using the Add Tier button), ERT Override date/time, and publish values. If a row marked for removal is selected, pressing the Add button will undo the removal mark. New, unsaved rows display in the table as green. Edited, unsaved rows display in the table as cyan.
• The Add Tier button adds a tier to a selected row. The Tier column will be populated with a context menu that defaults to the first tier criteria. Clicking the menu will display all of the tiers configured in the system. If multiple tiers are configured with overlapping numbers of customers impacted, the first tier (T1) values will take precedence over the second (T2) and third (T3) tiers; likewise, T2 will take precedence over T3.
The product configuration has three tiers each with five values:
• Tier 1
• T1 1-5 customers
• T1 6-25 customers
• T1 26-100 customers
• T1 101-250 customers
• T1 >250 customers
• Tier 2
• T2 1-10 customers
• T2 11-100 customers
• T2 101-250 customers
• T2 251-500 customers
• T2 >500 customers
• Tier 3
• T3 1-50 customers
• T3 51-250 customers
• T3 251-500 customers
• T3 501-750 customers
• T3 >750 customers
• The Remove button highlights the selected row and it's child rows (zones) whose ERT value is empty (in red) to indicate that it has been marked for removal from the table in the ERT Override dialog box. Rows are not removed until you click the OK button.
• The OK button applies any actions taken, with the following exceptions:
• If the ERT Override table contains more than one row for the same zone, an error dialog box will appear and no changes will be saved. I
• If another user enters an ERT override while you have the dialog box open, the system will block the update and display an ERT override conflict message that tells you to refresh the data to see the latest values. Once the data has been refreshed, using the Refresh button, you may then modify the ERT override, if still applicable.
• The Print… button brings up the Print Preview dialog box, which allows you to print out the contents of the ERT Override dialog box.
• The Cancel button closes the dialog box without saving changes, and leaves the accessibility/overrides of the Storm Management estimates as they were.
• The Refresh button repopulates the ERT Override dialog box with the latest information from the server.
Note: Applying overrides to the Storm Management estimates has no effect on events that have a crew onsite or events that have had an ERT manually entered in Oracle Utilities Network Management System. Those events will retain the display of their present manually entered/Storm Management ERT.
The following table describes what occurs when different combinations of ERT Override column and Publish Projections column values are applied.
If... | Then... |
|---|---|
The Publish Projections check box is checked and you enter a date and time in the ERT Override column for that row… | All events in that control zone will receive that date and time as their default ERT value outside of Storm Management: The ERT Override value displays in the ERT Override field of the Summary Information table along with the word "Published." The ERT Override value displays for current outages in that control zone in other modules. New outages in that control zone receive the ERT Override value until you turn the override of the Storm Management estimates off. |
The Publish Projections check box is checked and you did not enter a date and time in the ERT Override column for that row… | • For top-level zones, publishing an empty ERT Override value is not supported. To hide ERT values, deselect the Publish Projections check box. • For child zones where the parent zone already has an override, then the blank value for the child zone indicates that it should be excluded from the parent override and normal ERT calculation is applied. |
If the Publish Projections check box is not checked and a date and time are entered in the ERT Override column for that row… | All events in that control zone will receive a blank value as their default ERT value outside of Storm Management, regardless of whether or not a date and time is entered in the ERT Override column for that row; current and new events display a blank ERT value in other modules until you turn the override of the Storm Management estimates off. The ERT Override value displays in the ERT Override field of the Summary Information table along with the word "Non-Published." |
If the Publish Projections check box is not checked and a date and time are not provided in the ERT Override column for that row… | All events in that control zone will receive a blank value as their default ERT value outside of Storm Management, regardless of whether or not a date and time is entered in the ERT Override column for that row; current and new events display a blank ERT value in other modules until you turn the override of the Storm Management estimates off. The ERT Override field in the Summary Information pane contains the word "Non-Published." |
Note: If the Override All Existing ERTs check box is selected, then all of the above operations are applied to all incomplete events irrespective of the Est Src.
Turning Off Accessibility of the Estimates
To turn the accessibility of the estimates off, complete these steps:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the ERT Override button on the toolbar, or
• Select the ERT Override option from the System menu. The ERT Override dialog box opens.
2. Click the Add button to add a new row to the ERT Override table.
3. Click into the Zone cell of the new row, and then click the button on the right of the Zone field.
• The Control Zone Selection dialog box opens.
4. Select the control zone whose estimates you wish to make inaccessible.
5. Click OK.
• The Control Zone Selection dialog box closes.
• The zone you selected populates the Zone field.
6. Uncheck the Publish Projections check box.
7. Click OK. Storm Management's calculated estimates for that control zone are no longer accessible to other Oracle Utilities Network Management System windows and the ERT Override dialog box closes.
Overriding the Estimates
To override the estimates to a default "global" ERT for the events in a zone, complete these steps:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the ERT Override button on the toolbar, or
• Select the ERT Override... option from the System menu. The ERT Override dialog box opens.
2. Press the Add button to add a new row to the ERT Override table.
3. Click into the Zone cell of the new row, and then click the button on the right of the Zone field.
• The Control Zone Selection dialog box opens.
4. Select the control zone whose estimates you wish to make inaccessible and click OK.
• The Control Zone Selection dialog box closes.
• The zone you selected populates the Zone field.
5. Select the ERT Override cell of the new row, and then click the date/time field.
6. Select a date and time for the new default ERT. Click OK on the Date/Time dialog box to close it.
7. Click out of the ERT Override cell and into a different cell to ensure the ERT Override time is saved.
8. Make sure the Publish Projections check box is checked.
9. Click OK. Storm Management's calculated estimates for that control zone are no longer displayed to other modules; the provided ERT Override value is displayed instead. The ERT Override dialog box closes.
Changing Publish/Non-Publish or Default ERT Information
If you have the accessibility of the Storm Management estimates turned off, you can revise the default ERT, or you can change from publishing the default ERT to not publishing it or vice versa, without having to first turn the accessibility back on. To do this, complete these steps:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the ERT Override button on the toolbar, or
• Select ERT Override... option from the System menu. The ERT Override dialog box opens.
2. If you want to update the ERT Override for a zone, click into the ERT Override cell of the applicable row, click the Date/Time button.
3. Select a date and time, then click OK.
4. Click out of the ERT Override cell and into a different cell to ensure the ERT Override time is saved.
5. Check or uncheck the Publish Projections check box for the applicable row.
6. Click OK. The following occurs:
• The ERT Override dialog box closes.
• The default ERT is published and/or revised if the Publish Projections check box was checked, or
• The default ERT is not published if the Publish Projections check box was not checked.
Turning Accessibility of Projections Back On/Removing Overrides
To turn the accessibility of the Storm Management estimates back on and/or remove ERT Overrides, complete these steps:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the ERT Override button on the toolbar, or
• Select the ERT Override... option from the System menu. The ERT Override dialog box opens.
2. Select the row that corresponds to the zone for which you want to turn the accessibility of estimates back on/remove the applied ERT Override.
3. Press the Esc key.
4. Click Remove.
5. Repeat previous steps as needed.
6. Click OK. The following occurs:
• All eligible events immediately receive the most recently calculated Storm Management estimates.
• If all rows have been removed from the ERT Override table, the status bar indicates ERT Override is off.
Printing ERT Overrides
To print the contents of the ERT Override dialog box, complete these steps:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the ERT Override button on the toolbar, or
• Select the ERT Override... option from the System menu. The ERT Override dialog box opens.
2. Click the Print… button. The Print Preview dialog box opens.
3. Adjust the scale, orientation, and page setup as desired.
4. Click the Print button on the toolbar to print the pages. The Print Preview dialog box disappears and the print output appears at your selected printer.
Manual Overrides
It actual averages may be significantly different from the historical averages. The Storm Report's % Change row lets you temporarily manually override each category of historical averages. The percentage you enter (within the allowed range of 1% to 32767%) changes the lookup values that are used in the calculation of the estimates. This functionality is only available when the currently selected control zone is at the simulation level.
Overriding Historical Averages
To override the historical averages, complete these steps:
1. Make sure the currently selected control zone is at the simulation level.
2. Click in the cell of the % Change row for the column of the corresponding historical average category you want to change.
3. Revise the percentage in the cell to the value you want to use.
4. Click Enter.
5. Click the Save button on the toolbar or select Save from the System menu. The historical averages in the column immediately update to reflect the change.
Storm Management will use the modified values when recalculating estimates during the next scheduled simulation iteration. The modified values stay in place until you manually change the % Change row back to 100% or, if applied during storm mode, you exit storm mode. The historical averages are not changed in the database.
Using Storm Mode
Storm mode is useful during and after a storm or other high volume outage period. In this mode, the estimate calculations factor in crew availability.
Once a crew arrives onsite at an event, the Storm Management estimate calculation will then use the actual crew arrival time rather than the projected arrival time. The estimate calculation can adjust again when a crew reports an estimated repair time based upon observed field conditions.
This section includes the following topics:
Entering Storm Mode
To enter storm mode for a control zone, complete these steps:
1. Do one of the following:
• Select Start Storm... from the Storm menu, or
• Click the Start Storm... button () on the toolbar.
The Start Storm dialog box opens. Enter the storm data.
2. Click the OK button.
Note: You can only enter storm mode from real-time mode. Once in storm mode, you can switch to study mode.
Using Start Storm Dialog Box
The Start Storm dialog box opens once you select the Start Storm... option. You must enter information about the storm before Storm Management will start the storm. The information you provide here is used to populate parts of the Storm Information section of the window.
The Start Storm dialog box displays the following fields and buttons:
• The Zone field displays the Name of the currently selected zone. This control zone and all of its children that aren't already in storm mode will be placed into storm mode as a part of this storm. This field is not editable.
• The Storm Name field allows you to enter the name of the storm. This value is used in conjunction with the current date as the unique identifier of the storm. If this field is not populated when you click the OK button, and error appears. Click OK to close the message and correct the error.
• Special Condition is a drop-down list of storm types that indicate a predefined condition existing with the storm. This condition may also dictate a different set of historical average values be used in the estimate calculations made by the system.
• Storm Level is a drop-down list of severity levels for the storm. This value is recorded for information and reporting purposes only and has no effect on the estimate calculations.
• Start Date is the date and time at which the storm started. When you deselect the Use Current Time option, the Date/Time field will become editable. Valid dates and times are those prior to (and including) the current time. If your entry is invalid, an error message appears. Click OK to close the message and correct the error.
• The Use Current Time check box is selected by default. This option allows you to leave the Start Date field blank and have the current system time on the server be used as the Start Date of the storm. Deselecting this option enables editing in the Date/Time field.
• The OK button saves the entered storm information and closes the dialog box. Storm Management is now operating in storm mode for the corresponding control zones.
• The Help... button launches online help for the Start Storm dialog box.
• The Cancel button discards the entered storm information and closes the dialog box without saving the entered information.
Starting a Storm for a Control Zone
To start a storm for a control zone, complete these steps:
1. Make sure the desired control zone is selected in the Zone Selection pane.
2. Do one of the following:
• Select the Start Storm... option from the Storm menu, or
• Click the Start Storm... button () on the toolbar. The Start Storm dialog box opens.
3. Provide information in the Storm Name field.
4. Select a Special Condition from the drop-down list, if desired.
5. Select a Storm Level from the drop-down list, if desired.
6. Select a date and time for the storm's Start Date. Either:
• Leave the Use Current Time option checked.
• Uncheck the Use Current Time option. Edit the date and time in the Date/Time field. Click OK.
7. In the Start Storm dialog box, click OK. The following occurs:
• The Storm Information pane appears in between the Zone Selection and Summary Information panes. The Crew Information pane appears below the Zone Selection and Storm Report panes.
• Storm Management operates in storm mode for the selected control zone.
• If the selected control zone has any child zones not already operating in storm mode, the child zones operate in storm mode as part of this same storm.
Note: If your system has a control zone set up directly beneath the top-level control zone to contain all of the fuzzy events in the system, that fuzzy control zone cannot be placed into storm mode. That fuzzy zone will only go into storm mode when its parent zone is placed into storm mode.
Joining Existing Storms
If you try to place a control zone into storm mode and either: 1) there are other control zones at the same level that are already operating in storm mode, or 2) the selected zone has children that are currently operating in storm mode, then the Start Storm dialog box opens with a Join Existing Storm pane. This pane gives you the option of adding the currently selected control zone to an existing storm rather than creating a separate new one.
The Join Existing Storm pane lists the existing storms that the selected control zone can be added to. When you select a storm from the list, the Storm Details section of the dialog box populates with the information that pertains to the selected storm, and then the only editable field is the Start Date.
The Join Existing Storm pane displays the following buttons:
• The Clear Selection button deselects the storm in the list and reverts the fields of the Storm Details section back to their default, editable values. This button is only enabled when an existing storm is selected from the list.
• The OK button saves the entered storm information and closes the dialog box. Storm Management is now operating in storm mode for the corresponding control zones.
• The Cancel button discards the entered storm information and closes the dialog box.
Joining a Control Zone to an Existing Storm
To join a control zone to an existing storm, complete these steps:
1. Make sure the desired control zone is selected in the Zone Selection tree.
2. Do one of the following:
• Select the Start Storm... option from the Storm menu, or
• Click the Start Storm button () on the toolbar. The Start Storm dialog box opens with the Join Existing Storm pane displayed.
3. In the Join Existing Storm pane, select the storm you want the selected zone to join.
4. Select a date and time for the storm's start date using one of the methods below:
• Leave the Use Current Time option checked. The current system time on the server will be used as the Start Date of the storm in this control zone.
• Uncheck the Use Current Time option. The Start Date of the storm you selected to join will be used as the Start Date of the storm in this control zone, unless you explicitly edit it.
• To then edit the Start Date, select the Start Date field and select a date and time for the storm's start date. Click OK. The selected date and time populate the Start Date field.
5. In the Start Storm dialog box, click OK. The following occurs:
• The Storm Information pane appears in between the Zone Selection and Summary Information panes. The Crew Information pane appears below the Zone Selection and Storm Report panes.
• Storm Management operates in storm mode for the selected control zone.
• If the selected control zone has any child zones not already operating in storm mode, the child zones operate in storm mode as part of this same storm.
Note: If all of the children of a zone are eventually placed under the same storm individually with the Join Existing Storm pane, the parent zone is automatically placed into storm mode when the last child zone is joined to that storm. The parent zone adopts the earliest Start Date of all of its children.
Changing Storm Levels
The Storm Level value is recorded for information and reporting purposes only and has no effect on the estimate calculations.
To change the Storm Level selection, complete these steps:
1. Make sure the currently selected control zone is operating in storm mode and the desired storm is selected in the Storm Name drop-down list.
2. In the Storm Information pane, select the new storm type from the Storm Level drop-down list.
3. Click the Save Changes button or select the Save Changes option from the System menu.
• Any child zones of the currently selected zone that are also part of this same storm will receive the new storm level as well.
Changing Storm Types
The storm type listed in the Special Condition drop-down list is linked to a specific set of historical average values. If the characteristics of a zone's storm change, you can change the Special Condition value and have the system use a new set of historical average values in its estimate calculations for that zone.
To change the Special Condition storm type, complete these steps:
1. Make sure the currently selected control zone is operating in storm mode and the desired storm is selected in the Storm Name drop-down list.
2. In the Storm Information pane, select the new storm type from the Special Condition drop-down list.
3. Click the Save Changes button or select Save Changes from the System menu.
• Any child zones of the currently selected zone that are also part of this same storm will receive the new storm type as well.
• If the current storm is used for calculations, then the Storm Report pane immediately repopulates with the historical averages for the new storm type. During the next scheduled simulation iteration, Storm Management will use the new storm type historical average values when recalculating estimates for events in that control zone and any child zones that belong to the same storm.
Example of Changing Storm Types
For example, the Branch level of the control zone hierarchy is the simulation level. A Wind/Rain storm was defined for the Stark branch zones, which includes the Lake, Alliance, and Massillon zones. However, the temperature in the Alliance zone was cold enough for ice to form. The Special Condition in the Stark zone is set to Wind/Rain storm, so estimates being calculated for Alliance could be inaccurate due to the increased travel time involved in the icy conditions observed there.
If you change Special Condition in the Alliance zone to Ice, the historical value averages in the Storm Report repopulate with values appropriate for an ice storm. When the next scheduled simulation iteration occurs, the events in the Alliance zone receive estimates calculated using the historical averages for Ice, while the events in all other control zones in the Stark region continue to receive estimates calculated using the historical averages for Wind/Rain.
Forecasting Outages
Outage forecasting takes into account future storm load. It provides more accurate estimated restoration projections in the early stages of a storm by simulating the expected impact of the storm. Outage forecasting can be performed in a control zone at the simulation level currently operating storm mode.
Forecasting Outages by Percentage
To perform outage forecasting by percentage, complete these steps:
1. Make sure the Forecast Mode field in the Storm Report pane is set to % Change, and the current control zone is at the simulation level.
2. Click in the % Change cell beneath the Actual Outages column.
3. Revise the percentage in the cell to the value you want to use. This value must be greater than or equal to 100%.
4. Press Enter.
5. Click the Save Changes button on the toolbar or select Save Changes from the System menu. The following occurs:
• The value in the Actual Outages column for each outage category is multiplied by the percentage in the % Change row and the result is displayed in the Total Outages column for each outage type. If any outage type currently has an Actual Outages value of 0, then 0 will remain displayed in the Total Outages column until at least one event of that outage type appears.
• New outages that enter the system reflect the forecasting percentage and update the Total Outages column accordingly.
• During the next scheduled simulation, the Storm Management estimates calculation takes into account the increased outage percentage. The modified percentage stays in place until the value in the % Change row is changed back to 100 or until storm mode is exited for the control zone.
Forecasting Outages by Value
The Total Outages column of the Storm Report is a calculated column containing the number of total forecasted outages for each outage type. When the currently selected control zone is at the simulation level and operating in storm mode, you can override the value of this column by editing individual cells within the column.
To perform outage forecasting by value, complete these steps:
1. Make sure the Forecast Mode field is set to Value and the current control zone is at the simulation level.
2. Click in the cell beneath the Total Outages column for the Outage Type whose value you wish to forecast.
3. Enter the new value.
4. Click Enter.
5. Click the Save Changes button on the toolbar or select Save Changes from the System menu. The following occurs:
• The Total cell value beneath the Total Outages column updates to reflect the new sum using the modified forecast values.
• During the next scheduled simulation, the Storm Management estimates calculation takes into account the increased number of outages.
• As new outages enter the system, the Total Outages column stays the same until the number of Actual Outages for an outage type exceeds the number of total outages. Once that occurs, Value forecasting is no longer applied to that outage type.
Note: If you enter an invalid value into the Total Outages column, the cell reverts to its previous value when the Save button is pressed.
Using Forecast Profiles
You may want to define and save one or more outage forecasting profiles to be used for analysis and resource planning prior to a storm's occurrence. You can create, edit, delete, and apply forecasting profiles by using the Forecast Profiles window.
This section includes the following topics:
1. Forecast Profiles Window
To open the Forecast Profiles window, complete these steps:
1. Make sure the currently selected control zone is at the simulation level.
2. Do one of the following:
• Select the Forecast Profiles… option from the System menu, or
• Click the Forecast Profiles on the toolbar.
The Forecast Profiles window displays the following fields and buttons:
• The Add Profile button adds a new default row to the table in the Forecast Profiles dialog box. That default row may then be edited to contain the desired profile name and outage type values. If a row marked for removal is selected, pressing the Add Profile button will undo the removal mark. New, unsaved rows display in the table as green. Edited, unsaved rows display in the table as cyan.
• The Remove Profile button marks the selected row for removal from the table in the Forecast Profiles window. Rows marked for removal display in the table as red.
• The Save Profiles button saves any new or modified profiles, and any rows marked for removal will be deleted. If the Forecast Profiles table contains more than one row with the same profile name, an error dialog box will appear and no changes will be saved.
• The Profile Name column contains a unique name for the profile.
• The remaining columns correspond to each Storm Management outage type category. These columns contain the number of outages of that outage type that comprise the forecast profile.
Buttons
• The Apply Profile button applies the selected forecast profile values into the Total Outages column of the Storm Report pane.
• The Print… button brings up the Print Preview dialog box, which allows you to print out the contents of the Forecast Profiles dialog box.
• The Cancel button closes the dialog box without saving changes, and leaves the forecast profiles as they were.
Adding a Profile
To add a new outage forecasting profile:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the Forecast Profiles button on the toolbar, or
• Select Forecast Profiles from the System menu. The Forecast Profiles dialog box opens.
2. Click the Add Profile button to add a new row to the Forecast Profiles table.
3. Click into the Profile Name cell of the row and specify a unique name for this profile.
4. Click in the desired outage type cells of the row and specify a number of outages.
5. Click the Save Profiles button. The Forecast Profiles dialog box closes and the new profile is saved for later use.
Editing a Profile
To edit an existing outage forecasting profile:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the Forecast Profiles button on the toolbar, or
• Select Forecast Profiles from the System menu. The Forecast Profiles dialog box opens.
2. Click into the desired cell of the desired forecast profile and modify the profile name/outage type count.
3. Click the Save Profiles button. The Forecast Profiles dialog box closes and the edited profile is saved for later use.
Removing a Profile
To remove an existing outage forecasting profile:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the Forecast Profiles button on the toolbar, or
• Select the Forecast Profiles option from the System menu. The Forecast Profiles dialog box opens.
2. Click into the any cell of the forecast profile to be removed.
3. Press the Esc key.
4. Click the Remove Profile button.
5. Click the Save Profiles button. The Forecast Profiles dialog box closes and the marked profile is removed.
Applying a Profile
To apply an outage forecasting profile:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the Forecast Profiles button on the toolbar, or
• Select Forecast Profiles from the System menu. The Forecast Profiles dialog box opens.
2. Click into the any cell of the forecast profile to be applied.
3. Click the Apply Profile button. The Forecast Profiles dialog box closes, and the Total Outages column of the Storm Report for each outage type is now populated with the corresponding value from the forecast profile.
4. Click the Save Changes button. The Total cell value beneath the Total Outages column updates to reflect the new sum using the modified forecast values. For any outage type where the Actual Outages value exceeds the forecasted value, the Total Outages column for that outage type will instead display the Actual Outages value rather than the forecasted value.
Printing Forecast Profiles
To print the contents of the Forecast Profiles dialog box, complete these steps:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the Forecast Profiles button on the toolbar, or
• Select Forecast Profiles... from the System menu. The Forecast Profiles dialog box opens.
2. Click the Print… button. The Print Preview dialog box opens.
3. Adjust the scale, orientation, and page setup as desired.
4. Click the Print button on the toolbar to print the pages. The Print Preview dialog box disappears and the print output appears at your selected printer.
Working with Crew Information
Storms create critical outage situations that make it vital to account for crew resources. For example, you may need to move a crew to a different control zone depending on the backlog of outages within each zone.
Crew Information Pane
The Crew Information pane lists all of the crews identified in Storm Management for the currently selected control zone and its children. Crews of certain skill and availability within a control zone are grouped together. Each row in the Crew Information table represents a group of crews.
Crew Information Toolbar
The Crew Information pane provides toolbar action buttons:
Button | Description |
|---|---|
Add Crew... | The Add Crew… button opens the Add Crew Group dialog box, which lets you define new crew groups for the Crew Information table. |
Edit Crew... | The Edit Crew… button opens the Edit Crew Group dialog box, which lets you change crew data for a selected crew group in the Crew Information table. |
Delete Crew... | The Delete Crew… button removes the selected crew group from the Crew Information table. A warning dialog box opens, prompting you for confirmation before deleting. |
Move Crew... | The Move Crew… button opens the Move Crew Group dialog box, used to transfer crews from the selected crew group in the Crew Information table to another control zone. |
Apply Crew Change... | The Apply Crew Changes button saves changes made in the Crew Information table. Unapplied changes in the Crew Information table are highlighted in different colors. |
Import Crews... | The Import Crews… button opens the Import Crews dialog box. In real-time mode, this dialog box lets you import crews from Oracle Utilities Network Management System Web Trouble into the Crew Information table. In study mode, it additionally lets you import crew group information from the real-time session or the applied manual override or outage forecasting parameters from the real-time session into study mode. |
Crew Information Table
The Crew Information pane displays the following fields:
• The # Crews column contains the number of crews that belong to the group.
• The Zone column contains the name of the control zone that crew group is assigned to.
• The Company column contains the name of the company that the crew group works for. This column is for informational purposes and does not affect the outcome of the estimate calculations.
• The Crew Type column contains the type of crew within the group. This indicates the type of work performed by the crews. The options here match the crew types defined in the Crew Makeup window (see “Using Crew Makeup” for details).
• The Start Date column contains the date and time at which each crew in the group is available for work.
• The End Date column contains the date and time at which each crew in the group becomes unavailable for work.
• The Hours On column contains the length of the shift worked by each crew in the group.
• The Hours Off column contains the length of time between shifts worked by each crew in the group (that is, the number of hours that the each crew in the group has off after completing each shift).
Hiding the Crew Information Table
You can hide the Crew Information table by clicking the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the pane.
Sorting the Crew Information Table
You can sort the Crew Information table in ascending or descending order according to any column in the table.
To sort the Crew Information table, click on the column heading of the column you want to sort by. The table sorts in ascending order of the selected column, and an up arrow appears on the column heading, indicating that the sort is ascending.
Click the same heading again to toggle to descending sort order. A down arrow appears, and the table re-sorts.
Applying Changes
A highlighted row in the Crew Information table indicates that there have been changes entered but not yet saved.
• Green highlighted rows are new rows that are added to the table.
• Cyan highlighted rows are rows that have been edited or updated.
A crew group may have been added, edited, moved or imported, but the changes are not permanent until you click the Apply Crew Changes button on the Crew Information toolbar.
Once you save the changes, the new or changed rows in the Crew Information table are no longer highlighted. If at the time of the application there are rows in the Crew Information table that contain the same data in all of their columns (except the # Crews column), then those rows are combined. The numbers of crews for each row are added together and the sum appears in the # Crews column.
If you try to change the control zone view while there are unsaved changes in the Crew Information table, a dialog box prompts you to do one of the following:
• The Yes button saves the changes in the Crew Information table and moves to the newly selected control zone.
• The No button discards the changes in the Crew Information table and moves to the newly selected control zone.
• The Cancel button closes the dialog box without altering the changes in the Crew Information table or moving to the selected control zone.
Importing Crews
The crew information used by Storm Management is maintained separately from that in Oracle Utilities Network Management System Web Trouble. However, crew information defined in Web Trouble can be imported into Storm Management with the Import Crews dialog box.
To open the Import Crews dialog box when in storm mode, click the Import Crews… button on the toolbar.
Note: Changes made within Storm Management to the imported crews will not affect the data in Oracle Utilities Network Management System Web Trouble.
The Import Crews dialog box serves two functions:
• In real-time mode, it lets you import crew information from Web Trouble into the Crew Information table, based on specified filtering criteria.
• In study mode, it lets you import Web Trouble crew information, as well as the manual override/outage forecasting parameters of the currently selected control zone and any crew information from real-time mode into study mode.
Import Crews Window
The Import Crews window contains the following fields and buttons:
• Zone Information
• The Current Zone field displays the name of the currently selected control zone. This field is not editable.
• Import Criteria
• The Reset option, when checked, replaces all crews currently in the Crew Information table with the imported crews. When not checked, the imported crews are added to the existing data in the Crew Information table.
• The Real Crews option is checked by default. This option imports crew information from Web Trouble. This option is only deselectable in study mode.
• The Crew Groups option, when checked, lets you import the crew groups from the real-time session. This option is only enabled in study mode.
• The Parameters option, when checked, lets you import the outage forecasting and manual overrides from real-time mode for the selected control zone. This option is only enabled in study mode.
• Filters
• The Zone option, when checked, option imports only crews from the specified control zone. The button on the right opens the Control Zone Selection dialog box. (In this dialog box, select the zone you want and click OK.)
• The Company option is only enabled when the Real Crews Import Criteria option is not selected. It imports only the crews with the Company specified in the drop-down list.
• The Crew Type option, when checked, imports only the crews whose type matches the crew type specified in the drop-down list.
• The Real Crew Status option, when checked, imports the crews whose status in Web Trouble matches the status specified in the drop-down list. Available crew status options are On-Shift (crew is active and currently on shift), Off-Shift (crew is active and currently off shift) and Inactive (crew is currently not active). This option is only enabled when the Real Crews Import Criteria is selected.
• The Import button imports the crew information and/or outage forecasting and manual override parameters as specified and closes the dialog box. In the Crew Information table, the imported data is highlighted and crews with identical parameters are automatically combined into the same group. To confirm the changes and remove the highlighting, click the Apply Crew Changes button.
• The Cancel button discards the import criteria options and closes the dialog box without importing anything.
How to Import Crews
To import crews, complete these steps:
1. Make sure the currently selected control zone is operating in storm mode.
2. Click Import Crews… on the Crew Information toolbar.
3. Select the import criteria and filters for the crews you want to import.
4. Click Import. If an imported crew is not an identical match to any existing crew group rows in the Crew Information table, then it's added to the table as a new row and highlighted in green. If an imported crew is an identical match to any existing crew group rows in the Crew Information table, then the number of crews in the existing crew group row is incremented and the row is highlighted in cyan.
5. To apply the changes, click the Apply Crew Changes button on the toolbar.
Example of Importing Crews
The highlighted rows in the Crew Information table below show the results of importing crews into real-time without using the Reset option. The Hours On and Hours Off values default to 8 and 16 respectively for any crew information imported from Web Trouble.
• Green highlighted rows are new rows that are being added to the table.
• Cyan highlighted rows are crew groups that are having crews added to them. The # Crews column has been increased to reflect the new number of crews in the group.
Note: The End Date column is not populated because there is no corresponding value defined in Web Trouble.
Adding Crew Groups
You can add new crew groups to Crew Information table using the Add Crew dialog box. To open the Add Crew dialog box, click the Add Crew… button on the toolbar.
• Details Pane
• The Zone field is the control zone that the crew group is assigned to. The default value is the control zone that Storm Management is currently viewing. The button on the right opens the Control Zone Selection dialog box. (In this dialog box, click on the zone you want and click OK.)
• The Company drop-down list is the name of the company that the crew group works for. This column is for informational purposes and does not affect the outcome of the estimate calculations.
• The Crew Type drop-down list is the type of crew within the group. This indicates the type of work performed by the crews. The options here match the crew types defined in the Crew Makeup window of Web Trouble.
• The # Crews field allows you to specify the number of crews that belong to the group.
• Schedule
• The Start Date field is the date and time at which each crew in the group is available for work.
• The Avail Until field is the date and time at which each crew in the group becomes unavailable for work.
• The Hours On field allows you to specify the length of the shift worked by each crew in the group, beginning at the Start Date.
• The Hours Off field allows you to specify the length of time between shifts worked by each crew in the group (that is, the number of hours that the each crew in the group has off after completing each shift).
• The OK button confirms the details and schedule for the new crew group, inserts the information into the Crew Information table, and closes the dialog box. You must save the new crews by clicking the Apply Crew Changes button or selecting the Apply Crew Changes option from the Crew menu.
• The Cancel button discards the details and schedule and closes the dialog box without inserting any information.
When there is at least one crew in the table, right-click to select the row in the Crew Information table and display the context menu .
• The Copy Crew option copies the selected row in the Crew Information table.
• The Paste Crew option inserts the copied crew into the Crew Information table below the current line.
• The Add Crew option inserts a new row into the Crew Information table containing default values. Once the new row is added, you can change the values in each column.
Adding Crew Groups with the Right-Click Context Menu
You can add crews directly in the Crew Information table by using the right-click context menu. To do this, complete these steps:
1. Right-click in the Crew Information table. The context menu appears, with the Add Crew option enabled.
2. Select Add Crew. A new row appears in the Crew Information table with the default values, highlighted in green.
Editing Crew Groups Using Edit Crew
Once you have imported or added crew groups, you can modify the details of a crew group. Modify crew information using the Edit Crew Group dialog box.
1. Click the Edit Crew… button on the toolbar to open the Edit Crew Group dialog box. The Edit Crew Group dialog box contains the same fields as the Add Crew Group dialog box. The fields are populated with data from the selected row of the Crew Information table.
2. Modify the crew as necessary and click OK to update the Crew Information table.
3. To apply the modifications, click the Apply Crew Changes button.
Editing Crew Groups within the Crew Information Table
You can also edit crews directly in the Crew Information table. To do this, complete these steps:
1. Click the cell of the row that you want to edit. Depending on the type of data in the cell, one of the following occurs:
• A cursor appears within the cell.
• A dialog box opens for you to select a new date and/or time.
• A Control Zone Selection dialog box opens.
• A drop-down list opens.
2. Make changes by either editing the value in the cell or selecting from the dialog box or drop-down list. (In the Control Zone Selection dialog box, click on the zone you want and click OK. In the Date/Time field, select a new date/time. The edited row becomes highlighted in cyan.
3. Click Apply Crew Changes. The following occurs:
• Your edits are saved.
• The row is no longer highlighted.
• The changes are used during the next scheduled simulation iteration.
Deleting Crew Groups
To delete a crew group from the Crew Information table, complete these steps:
1. Select the crew group in the Crew Information table.
2. Click the Delete Crew button.
A message box opens, requesting confirmation that the selected crew group should be permanently deleted.
3. Click Yes to confirm the delete. The crew group disappears from the Crew Information table.
Note: The No button cancels the delete.
Moving Crew Groups to a Different Control Zone
Each crew group is assigned to a specific control zone when it is created. During your analysis, you may want to adjust your crew resource allocation by reassigning crews to different control zones. The Move Crew Group dialog box enables you to move all or part of the crews within a selected crew group to different control zones.
To open the Move Crew Group dialog box, select a crew group from the Crew Information Table and click the Move Crew… button. The Move Crew Group window contains the following fields and buttons:
• The Company field displays the name of the company that the crew group works for. This field is not editable.
• The Crew Type field displays the type of crew within the group. This indicates the type of work performed by the crews. It matches the crew types defined in the Web Trouble Crew Makeup window This field is not editable.
• The From Zone field displays the current control zone of the selected crew group. This field is not editable.
• The To Zone is the control zone that the specified number of crews is moving to. The button on the right opens the Control Zone Selection dialog box. (In this dialog box, click on the zone you want and click OK.)
• The # Crews field allows you to specify the number of crews within the selected crew group to move to the new control zone. If you enter a number greater than the number of existing crews, an error will occur when you click OK.
• The OK button confirms the details of the move and closes the dialog box. If all of the crews in a group are being moved, the original crew group row now appears highlighted in cyan with the control zone modified. If only part of the crews is being moved from a crew group, the original group row is now highlighted in cyan with the number of crews decreased appropriately. A new crew group row appears highlighted in green with the number of specified crews to move and new control zone (all other fields in the row are the same as the original crew group).
• The Cancel button discards the details about the move and closes the dialog box without saving any information.
To move crews, complete these steps:
1. Select a crew group row in the Crew Information Table.
2. Click the Move Crew… button. The Move Crew Group dialog box opens.
3. Click the zone selection button on the right of the To Zone field. The Control Zone Selection dialog box opens.
4. Select the control zone you want to move the crews to and click OK. The Control Zone Selection dialog box closes, and the zone you selected populates the To Zone field.
5. If you only want to move part of the crews in the group, enter the number of crews you want to move in the # Crews field.
6. Click OK. The dialog box closes.
If all of the crews in a group are being moved, the original crew group row now appears highlighted in cyan with the control zone modified.
If only part of the crews is being moved from a crew group, the original group row is now highlighted in cyan with the number of crews decreased appropriately. A new crew group row appears highlighted in green with the number of specified crews to move and new control zone (all other fields in the row are the same as the original crew group).
7. Click the Apply Crew Changes button. The following occurs:
• The crew groups are moved to their assigned control zones.
• The modified rows are no longer highlighted.
• The updated information is used during the next scheduled simulation iteration.
Moving Entire Crew Groups Using the Table Edit Features
You can also move a crew group by clicking directly in the Zone field of the crew group row and changing the control zone. To move a crew group in this way, complete these steps:
1. Click in the Zone field for the crew group you want to move. The row becomes selected, and the Control Zone Selection dialog box appears.
2. Select the zone you want to move the crew group to and click OK.
3. Click in a different field of the row. The Zone field updates to reflect the zone you selected, and the row becomes highlighted in cyan.
4. Click Apply Crew Changes. The modified row moves to its new control zone and is no longer highlighted. The updated information is used during the next scheduled simulation iteration.
Moving Partial Crew Groups Using the Right-Click Context Menu
You can also move partial crew groups directly from the Crew Information table. To do this, complete these steps:
1. Select a crew group row in the Crew Information Table.
2. Copy the crew group by selecting the Copy Crew option from the context menu.
3. Paste the crew as a new row by selecting the Paste Crew option from the context menu.
4. Edit the Control Zone in the new row.
• Click the Zone cell to select it and then click again to edit it.
• Click the select zone button () to open the Control Zone Selection dialog box. Select the new control zone and click OK.
) to open the Control Zone Selection dialog box. Select the new control zone and click OK.5. Edit the # Crews cell in the original row.
6. Edit the # Crews cell in the new row.
7. Click Apply Crew Changes. The following occurs:
• The new row moves to its assigned control zone.
• The modified rows are no longer highlighted.
• The updated information is used during the next scheduled simulation iteration.
Using Study Mode
While in Storm Mode, you may enter study mode, which enables you to manipulate parameters that affect the estimate calculations, such as outage forecasting, manual overrides and crew information, without altering the current real-time calculations.
This section includes the following topics:
Entering Study Mode
To toggle between study mode and real-time mode, do one of the following:
• Select Toggle Study Mode from the Storm menu, or
• Click the Toggle Study Mode button on the toolbar.
You can only enter study mode from a control zone that is currently in storm mode.
The first time you enter a study session, several portions of the Storm Management window are not populated as they were in the real-time session:
• The Summary Information table's Est Assessed By and Est Restored By columns are empty.
• The Storm Report table's Total Time to Assess and Total Time to Restore columns display zeros.
• The Storm Report table's Estimated Assessed By and Estimated Restored By columns are empty.
• Outage forecasting parameters that existed in the real-time session are not applied.
• Manual overrides that existed in the real-time session are not applied.
• The Crew Information table is empty.
• The Last Update field of the status bar does not contain a time.
Once you create a study session, it remains active throughout the storm. You may find a need to toggle between study and real-time modes repeatedly during a storm. Each time you re-enter study mode, Storm Management loads the saved data saved from the most recent visit to the study session.
The status bar at the bottom of the Storm Management window identifies the current operating modes, as shown below for study, storm mode.
When in study mode, the window's refresh interval is disabled, and estimate calculations using the data in the study mode session must be triggered manually. However, the system does continue to make real-time estimate calculations for all control zones.
Calculating Crew Resources
In storm mode, Storm Management can calculate the approximate number of crews that the system requires to complete assessment and restoration in the currently selected control zone by a specified date. You can enter variables used in the calculation and see the results in the Calculate Crews dialog box.
To open the Calculate Crews dialog box, do one of the following:
• Select Calculate Crews from the Storm menu when in storm mode, or
• Click the Calculate Crews… button on the toolbar.
The Calculate Crews dialog box displays the following fields and buttons:
• The Assessment Desired Date field contains the assessment completion time you want to achieve. The button on the right of this field opens a calendar that enables you to select a date and time. You must select a date and time later than the current time. The value you enter (and the system uses) displays in the upper left corner above the Used Crews table after the results are calculated. You may leave this field blank if you wish to Calculate Crews for Repair only.
• The Assessment Work Efficiency (%) field contains the efficiency of the assessment crews as a percentage. This value affects the amount of work to be completed and is applied along with performance factor values associated with the crew type. You must specify the assessment work efficiency as a percentage between 1 and 100. The value you enter (and the system uses) displays to the right of the Estimated Assessed By date above the Used Crews table after the results are calculated.
• The Repair Desired Date field contains the repair completion time you want to achieve. The button on the right of this field opens a calendar that enables you to select a date and time. You must select a date and time later than the current time. The value you enter (and the system uses) displays to the left of the Repair Eff percentage above the Used Crews table after the results are calculated. You may leave this field blank if you wish to Calculate Crews for Assessment only.
• The Repair Work Efficiency (%) field contains the efficiency of the repair crews as a percentage. This value affects the amount of work to be completed and is applied along with performance factor values associated with the crew type. You must specify the assessment work efficiency as a percentage between 1 and 100. The value you enter (and the system uses) displays above the right corner of the Used Crews table after the results are calculated.
• The Hours field contains the number of hours that equal one crew unit. The results are returned in crew units rounded to the next whole integer. The value entered and used by the calculation displays above the Available Crews table.
• The Calculate Crews button calculates the number of crews based on the specified data. It populates the Used Crews and Available Crews panes with the results.
• The Reset button resets the entries in the Assessment Desired Date and Work Efficiency, the Repair Desired Date and Work Efficiency, and the Crew Unit Hours fields back to their default values.
• The Print… button brings up the Print Preview dialog box, which allows you to print out the contents of the Calculate Crews dialog box.
• The Cancel button closes the dialog box.
• The Outage Types column contains the name of the Storm Management outage type category.
• The Assessment Units Existing column contains the number of existing assessment crews units that can assess each outage type by the specified date.
• The Assessment Units Needed column contains the number of additional assessment crew units needed to assess each outage type by the specified date.
• The Assessment Units Total column contains the total number of assessment crew units needed to assess each outage type by the specified date.
• The Repair Units Existing column contains the number of existing repair crews units that can repair each outage type by the specified date.
• The Repair Units Needed column contains the number of additional repair crew units needed to repair each outage type by the specified date.
• The Repair Units Total column contains the total number of repair crew units needed to repair each outage type by the specified date.
• The Crew Type column indicates the type of work performed by the crews. It matches the crew types defined in the Crew Makeup window of Oracle Utilities Network Management System.
• The Unused Units column contains the number excess crew units for each crew type that are found to exist by the calculation.
• The Total Units column contains the total number of units for each crew type that are found to exist by the calculation.
Calculating Crews Needed to Assess and Restore Outages by a Given Time
To calculate the number of crew units needed to assess and repair all events in the currently selected control zone by a specific time, complete these steps:
1. From a control zone in storm mode, do one of the following:
• Select Calculate Crews option from the Storm menu, or
• Click the Calculate Crews… button on the toolbar.
2. Click on the Assessment Desired Date calendar button.
3. From the calendar dialog box, select the date and time you want all assessment completed by and click OK.
4. Select the percentage in the Assessment Work Efficiency (%) field and type the percentage you want to use.
5. Click the Repair Desired Date calendar button.
6. From the calendar dialog box, select the date and time you want all repair completed by and click OK.
7. Select the percentage in the Repair Work Efficiency (%) field and type the percentage you want to use.
8. Click the Calculate Crews button. Storm Management estimates the number of crew units needed and available and displays the results in the Used Crews and Available Crews tables.
Printing Calculate Crews Results
To print the contents of the Calculate Crews dialog box, complete these steps:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the Calculate Crews button on the toolbar, or
• Select Calculate Crews... option from the System menu. The Calculate Crews dialog box opens.
2. Click the Print… button. The Print Preview dialog box opens.
3. Adjust the scale, orientation, and page setup as desired.
4. Click the Print button to print the pages. The Print Preview dialog box disappears and the print output appears at your selected printer.
Importing Crews and Parameters
In study mode, the Import Crews dialog box has additional options not available in real-time mode. It enables you to import Web Trouble crew information, as well as the manual override/outage forecasting parameters of the currently selected control zone and any crew information from real-time mode into study mode.
Importing Real-Time Crews and Parameters into the Study Session
To open the Import Crews dialog box, click the Import Crews… button above the Crew Information table.
The following fields are only activated in study mode:
• The Crew Groups option, when checked, enables you to import the crew groups from the real-time session.
• The Parameters option, when checked, option enables you to import the outage forecasting and manual overrides from real-time mode for the selected control zone.
• The Company option is only enabled when the Real Crews Import Criteria option is not selected. It imports only the crews with the Company specified in the drop-down list.
Once you click the Import button, Storm Management Crew Information pane looks and behaves as it does in real-time mode.
The window below shows how the Crew Information table would look if real-time crew groups are imported with no filters. All of the real-time crews are imported.
Importing Real-Time Session Information into the Study Session
To import crews, complete these steps:
1. Make sure the currently selected control zone is operating in study mode.
2. Click Import Crews….
3. Uncheck the Real Crews option under the Import Criteria section.
4. Check the Crew Groups option under the Import Criteria section.
5. Check the Parameters option under the Import Criteria section.
6. Click Import. The following occurs:
• Any outage forecasting and manual override parameters that exist for this control zone in the real-time session are applied to the Storm Report table, but not yet saved.
• The Save Changes button in the toolbar becomes sensitized.
• The Crew Information table is now populated with the crew groups that exist for this control zone in the real-time session. If an imported crew is not an identical match to any existing crew group rows in the Crew Information table, then it's added to the table as a new row and highlighted in green. If an imported crew is an identical match to any existing crew group rows in the Crew Information table, then the number of crews in the existing crew group row is incremented and the row is highlighted in cyan.
7. Apply the outage forecasting and manual override changes by either:
• Clicking the Save Changes button on the toolbar, or
• Selecting Save Changes from the System menu.
8. Apply the Crew Info table changes by clicking Apply Crew Changes.
The Crew Information table updates to display only those crews belonging to the currently selected control zone. The crew groups that are removed from the current view are saved in the study session for their appropriate control zones. You can view them by selecting their control zone from the Zone Selection tree.
Resetting the Current Study Session to Match the Real-Time Session
In the course of working with the study session, the user may want to start over by resetting the state of the study session to the current state of the real-time session.
1. To reset the study session, do one of the following:
• Click the Reset Study Session button on the toolbar, or
• Select Reset Study Session from the Storm menu.
The Reset Study Session confirmation dialog box will appear.
2. Click the Yes button on the confirmation dialog box to proceed. The confirmation dialog box closes. The Crew Information table updates with the crews defined in the real-time session. Special Condition, Forecast mode and override information in the Storm Report table are also updated to match the real-time session.
Note: This operation affects all control zones, not just the currently selected zone.
Exporting Crews and Parameters
Once the user is satisfied with the simulation parameters in study mode, the parameters can be exported back into the real-time session.
To export the study session parameters, complete these steps:
1. Do one of the following:
• Click the Export Study Session button on the toolbar, or
• Select Export Study Session from the Storm menu.
The Export Study Session confirmation dialog box appears.
2. Click the Yes button on the confirmation dialog box to proceed. The confirmation dialog box closes. The contents of the Crew Information as well as Special Condition, Forecast mode and override information in the Storm Report table are copied into the real-time session.
Note: This operation affects all control zones in the real-time session, not just the currently selected zone.
Calculating Estimates in Study Mode
Because estimate calculations using the data in the study mode session must be triggered manually, you must use the Force Simulation Run button to calculate the results.
Note: While you are working in study mode, Storm Management continues to calculate restoration times for control zones operating in real-time.
To calculate estimates in study mode, do one of the following:
• Select Force Simulation Run option from the System menu, or
• Click the Force Simulation Run button on the toolbar.
The Summary Information table and Storm Report table update to display the estimates. The status bar indicates the time at which the forced simulation was last executed in the study session.
Note: Each time you make changes in the Storm Management window in study mode, you must press the Force Simulation Run button in order to view the results of the changes. Because every time you press the Force Simulation Run button causes Storm Management to completely re-analyze and calculate estimates for all events in the system, forcing a simulation could slow down system performance at times. It is recommended you keep forced simulations at a minimum.
When Storm Management completes a forced simulation in real-time mode, a confirmation message is displayed.
Note: Once you've found the optimal settings in your study session, you must manually re-enter them into real-time mode to apply them to the storm.
Exiting Study Mode
To exit study mode, do one of the following:
• Click the Toggle Study Mode button on the toolbar, or
• Select Toggle Study Mode from the Storm menu.
If there are unsaved changes, a dialog box opens prompting you for options to save the changes.
Note: You must exit study mode before you can exit storm mode.
Ending Storms and Exiting Storm Mode
To end the storm and exit storm mode for a selected control zone, do one of the following:
• Select End Storm... from the Storm menu, or
• Click the End Storm... button (
) on the toolbar.
) on the toolbar.These options are only available if the currently selected control zone is operating in real-time mode and storm mode. Storms used for calculations cannot be ended unless it is the last active storm for the control zone; to exit storm mode for a control zone all storms in the zone need to be ended.
End Storm Dialog
Once you click the End Storm... button (), the End Storm dialog box opens, prompting you for the End Date of the storm in this zone.
), the End Storm dialog box opens, prompting you for the End Date of the storm in this zone.The End Storm dialog box displays the following fields:
• The Zone field displays the name of the currently selected zone. The storm will be ended for this control zone and all of its children. This field is not editable.
• The Storm Name field displays the name of the storm. This field is not editable.
• The Special Condition field displays a storm type that indicates a predefined condition existing with the storm. This condition may also dictate a different set of historical average values be used in the estimate calculations made by the system. This field is not editable.
• The Storm Level field displays the severity level for the storm. This value is recorded for information and reporting purposes only and has no effect on the estimate calculations. This field is not editable.
• The Start Date field displays the date time at which the storm started in this zone. This field is not editable.
• The End Date field contains the date and time at which the storm ended in this zone. When you deselect the Use Current Time option, the Date/Time field becomes editable. Valid dates and times are those prior to (and including) the current time. If your entry is invalid, an error message appears. Click OK to close the message and correct the error.
• The Use Current Time check box is selected by default. This option allows you to leave the End Date field blank and have the current system time on the server be used as the End Date of the storm in this zone.
Setting the Storm End Date
To set the storm's end date, complete these steps:
1. Select a date and time for the storm's end date. Either:
• Leave the Use Current Time option selected.
• Deselect the Use Current Time option. Edit the date/time in the Date/Time field. Click OK. Valid dates are those between the start date and time of the storm and the current date and time.
2. Click the OK button on the End Storm dialog box.
• The storm is ended for the selected control zone and all of its children where the same storm was active.
• The control zones where this was the last active storm are returned to non‑storm mode.
Note: The Cancel button discards the End Date without saving it. The End Storm dialog box closes and the currently selected control zone stays in storm mode.