![Metron-icon-diagram-2.png]](https://www.metronlab.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Metron-icon-diagram-2.png?height=40&name=Metron-icon-diagram-2.png){kind=icon}
A classic form looks like this:
A. General information
In the header of this sheet, you can find the general information associated with it. At the top left, we have its name, then its reference in grey. Just below, we find the icon associated with the entity as well as its type. (Here, it is a "SITE" type, but it could be an "ENTITY", or a "METER" (counter), or any other type predefined in the database)
Next to this, there is a "Status" button to enable or disable an entity/counter as required. The button opens a pop-up to define the inactive periods of the entity/counter, and this status information can then be used in the formulas to exclude inactive meters from consumption balances for example.
At the top right there are two buttons:
- The first one in star allows to mark this entity as a favourite (it will then appear in the list of favourites, in the entity selector in favourites mode)
- The button with the small dots opens a list of options to edit, minimize or close the record, or to add the displayed entity/counter to the active selection. Editing is obviously only available to users who have edit rights on the displayed entity.
The rest of the form is divided into several tabs: Structure, Properties, Channels, Documents, Invoices, Events and Contracts.
B. Structure "tab
- The top left box shows the ascending relationship of my entity/counter. In the example above, we have an entity "Site de la plaine" which is a child of the entity "Brussels".
- The frame at the bottom left shows the children of the selected entity, organised in a parentage tree. In the example, the "Site de la plaine" has 2 children: "Building A" and "Building B".
- The right-hand frame shows all the other entities/counters linked to my selected entity, sorted according to the type of logical link that unites them. In the example, we find the consumption meters associated with my selected entity, linked via "ENTITY_METER" links, then a technical meter linked via a "TECHNICAL" link and finally the meter of the nearest weather station, linked via a "WEATHER" link.
All the entities/counters visible on the entity sheet can be clicked on to open the corresponding entity/counter sheet, which makes it easy to navigate through the tree structure from one entity/counter to another.
C. Properties" tab
The "Properties" tab gathers all the properties associated with the entity/counter. These properties are organised in blocks, depending on the type of entity considered. Example: the properties available for a site will be different from those of a counter.
To facilitate reading, the blocks can be expanded or minimised by simply clicking on the small > or V next to the block name (in the coloured band).
Properties and property blocks are defined and updated by METRON ENERGY MANAGEMENT (JOOL) administrators.
Each property block can be defined as
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Simple: a single, permanent value. Example: site identifier.
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Multiple: several values valid at the same time. Example: the name of the contact persons.
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Historicised: a single set of values, but which can evolve over time. Each instance of these values can then be associated with a start date and an end date of validity. Example: the surface area of a building.
The reference of each property or block of properties can be seen in a tooltip that appears next to the mouse, when hovering over the property (or block) name.
In the case of multiple blocks, an ID will be visible in the "#" column. This ID is used to clearly identify the instance of the property block we are interested in, either for a specific display or to identify it during a massive import.
In the case of a historised block, in addition to the ID (used in the same way as for multiple blocks), the "Since" and "To" columns of the record may contain the start and end dates of validity of the block values respectively. If the "Since" column is empty, this implies that the values in the block have always been valid. Similarly, if the "Until" column is empty, the values of the block are valid forever. In case there are several instances of the same historical block (with different validity periods and therefore not overlapping), the past instances of the property block will have a light tint on their header and the current instance of the block will be in the normal colour.
In the example above, the "Address - Entity" block is a multiple block with an ID (1), and the "General Technical Information - Entity" block is a historical block, which has two instances in this record, the first one valid until 1/01/2019, with its pale header, and the second one valid from the same date, with its header in the normal colour.
D. Channels" tab
In the case of a counter record (metering point), the "Channels" tab will list the various source channels making up the counter. In the case of an entity (type SITE, BUILDING...), the tab will remain empty since no data channel is directly linked to it.
On the left-hand side of the interface, the list of channels associated with the meter appears in columns. Each channel is identified by its type (and possibly an optional name), and clicking on one of them will display the details of the properties of this channel in its file on the right-hand side.
One of the source channels is marked as the default channel. This is the one that will be called when the "meter profile" is requested without specifying a specific channel. It will generally contain the overall consumption of the meter, the other channels being either partial consumptions (peak hours, off-peak hours...) or secondary measurements (reactive, A+, A-...).
At the top of each channel sheet, you can see the type of channel (MAIN, MODEL, TEMPERATURE, HP, HC, MANUAL, VIRTUAL... ) as well as its name (if it has one) and its reference.
On the right-hand side, we see all the properties specifically associated with the selected source channel. The properties are organised in tabs:
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Properties: for channel properties. These properties are organised in blocks, single, multiple or historicised, and they are managed exactly like the property blocks of the entities. Example of channel properties: time step, unit, type of resource measured...
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Alarms: for specific properties related to the management of alarms on this channel. Again, these properties are organised in blocks, each block corresponding to the configuration properties of a given alarm type. The management is again similar to the entity property blocks. Example of alarm properties: trigger thresholds, types of alarms to be monitored...
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Formulas: the (historical) formula(s), if any. In the case of a calculated virtual channel, the formula indicates how to build up the data profile of the channel concerned, possibly based on the profiles of other channels.
Formulas will be written in METRON ENERGY MANAGEMENT (JOOL) and can use any of the functions available in the syntax. Note: the keyword "Selection" used in a channel formula will point to the full counter to which that channel belongs.
At the top of the "Formulas" tab is a context selector and a "Data Update" button. This button allows you to force a restart of the pre-calculation for the channel concerned, within the limits of the chosen time context. This allows an administrator who has made a formula change or data correction to force a recalculation without having to wait for the automatic precalculation task to run automatically.
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Data: contains an interface for viewing and correcting channel data.
The column "Date" indicates the END of the measurement period (a reading is usually available at the end of the time interval it measures), the raw values (directly stored in the DB without numerical modification) are available in the next column, and the column "Status" indicates whether the data is e.g. a direct reading (Real) or a reconstructed data.
At the top of the page, a time context selector allows you to choose which time frame to analyse. The "Min" and "Max" fields allow the search to be filtered, and the "Reload" button (the arrows in a circle) sends the data retrieval request.
At the top of each column, an option button allows you to resize the columns or filter their content.
If the user has the rights to do so in METRON ENERGY MANAGEMENT (JOOL), he/she will be able to switch to edit mode and correct the data directly via this interface.
In the case of a calculated channel (containing one or more formulas), and whose values are not free but result from a pre-calculation, a padlock icon will indicate that the data cannot be edited.
E. Documents" tab
The "Documents" tab lists the files that have been stored on this entity. Files of any format can be stored here, and these can be organised into folders.
Clicking on the name of one of the documents will start its download.
This is also where reports generated by recurring tasks (report submissions) can be stored automatically.
F. Invoices" tab
The "Invoices" tab lists all invoices that have been attached to the selected entity or counter.
At the top of the main display area, there is a date selector allowing you to filter the displayed invoices according to a given time frame. There is also a search field by reference, and a drop-down menu to filter the invoices displayed by type (Supplier, Default, Proforma... )
At the bottom of the page, you can choose the number of invoices displayed per result page, and you can change the page if necessary.
The table listing the invoices displays some useful information to identify the invoice you are looking for (id, start and end date of the invoice...), and the first column contains the invoice identifiers in the form of hyperlinks to the invoice page.
Note: When you click on an invoice link, you leave the entity record you were browsing and open the invoice record. The two records will then be present separately in the METRON ENERGY MANAGEMENT (JOOL) browsing history (section on the right of the screen).
Displaying an invoice
An invoice card looks like this:
At the top of the invoice card, you will find its main identification information, such as its reference, the entity to which it is attached (in the form of a hypertext link to return to the record for that entity), its start and end dates, and its type.
Below, we will find all the information associated with the invoice, in the form of properties, arranged once again like the property blocks of the other objects in the database (properties of entities, counters, channels, users...)
At the top right of the page, there is the options button ( ... ), which allows you to go into edit mode and modify the values of the invoice properties (if the user has the corresponding rights), as for all the other properties of the other objects in the database.
G. Event" tab
An event is a temporary property block that can be attached to an entity/counter to notify an unusual circumstance. Within the framework of an analysis of the consumptions of the associated site for example, the event will come to announce that there are exceptional circumstances, and that that can explain a certain drift of the consumptions compared to the normal.
Example of event types:
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Work: If work is being carried out on a site, an event can be created to indicate this work. The event will be valid from the start date of the work to its end date, and it can contain a whole series of information relating to the work carried out, such as the name of the person in charge of the site, the exact content of the work, the budget allocated, the expected improvements, etc.
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Closure: This type of event may explain drops in consumption during periods when the company is not active.
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Information : An event can also have nothing to do with consumption, but simply be used as a means of providing information on certain topics. For example, one could attach to each site a set of events listing the news associated with that site and which would be included in a dashboard, like a newsletter.
On the entity/counter card, the "Events" tab looks like this:
As with the invoices, there is a time selector to filter the events displayed, and a "Reference" field to search for a specific event. There is also a "Type" field allowing you to display only events of a given type, and finally, the "Reload" button (the arrows in a circle) allows you to send the filtered request.
In the table, we find the reference of each event in the form of a clickable link that will open the event file. We can also see the type of each event, associated with an icon and a colour (configured by the administrator when defining the types of events), as well as the start and end dates of the event's validity.
Note: an event may not have an end date (e.g. end date of work still unknown), but it must have a start date.
Displaying an event
When you click on the link of an event in the "Events" tab of an entity/counter, you open the record of this event. This one has the following appearance:
At the top of the event record, you will find its reference, its name, its type, the associated icon, and its start and end dates.
There is also an "Entities" field indicating the number of entities with which the event is associated. By clicking on this number, we obtain the list of entities in question and we can open their files if necessary.
In edit mode, and if the active user has the corresponding rights, he can also add or remove linked entities. Indeed, work can potentially impact several meters on a site... they will then all be linked to the event indicating the work.
The rest of the form is divided into several tabs:
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Properties: contains the properties associated with this event. The display is similar to that of the property blocks of other objects such as entities, channels, users...
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Comments: This tab shows the thread associated with this event. It shows the comments left by the various participants, by date range, with the name, date and time of each message.
The user who has participated in the thread has access to a button at the top right of the frame of each of his or her messages allowing him or her to modify or delete the message. At the bottom of the page, there is a field for writing a new comment and sending it.
At the top left of the chat window, a small pushpin icon allows you to pin this thread to your interface. This thread will then appear at the bottom right of the METRON ENERGY MANAGEMENT (JOOL) screen, similar to an instant messaging system.
Once the discussion has been pinned to the interface, you can close the event form without losing sight of the discussion. It is possible to minimize the discussion window and recover it with the buttons at the top right of its frame.
In the header of the discussion window, there is also a link that allows you to reopen the event form associated with this discussion at any time.
When a thread is pinned to the interface and minimised, its frame will flash to indicate the arrival of any new message in the thread.
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Documents : In the same way as for an entity/counter, it is possible to associate documents with a particular event. For example, one could see the photos of a damaged meter, taken by the technician who noticed the damage and created the event directly via the mobile application...
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Recipients: By default, any user who is entitled to see an entity/counter is entitled to see the events associated with it. However, at times, it may be appropriate to add someone to the list on an ad hoc basis. The "Recipients" tab allows you to do this, by adding additional recipients for specific events if necessary.
H. Contracts" tab
The "Contracts" tab on an entity/counter record lists the contracts with which the entity/counter is associated. The interface of this tab is very similar to that of the invoice or event tabs.
There is a date selector and a reference search field for filtering the displayed contracts, as well as a button to restart a search.
The results are displayed in a table with the contract reference and name, the name of the client concerned, and the start and end dates of the contract. The reference of each contract is a url link to open the associated contract file.
Displaying a contract
When you click on the link of a contract in the "Contracts" tab of an entity/counter, you open the record of this contract. This one has the following appearance:
There is a header with the reference and name of the contract and its start and end dates. There is also an indication of the client to which the contract is linked, and a "Zones" button which opens a pop-up listing the zones concerned by the contract, in other words the different entities to which the contract relates.
Example: The contract shown in the example above is for the client "LHT_CLIENT_TEST", and it relates to the zone "Building 2".
In the context of one or more zones, a contract can then be broken down into several rental units. A rental unit is a set of meters (belonging to the zones concerned by the contract) which will be treated in a similar way by the contract in terms of allocation methods and billing.
Each rental unit will have a tab on the contract form. In the example, there is only one rental unit, called "Unit 1".
In the tab of each unit, there will then be a box listing the allocation methods, and another listing the billing methods.
As far as the allocation methods are concerned, there will be one or more lines for each meter concerned, indicating for each of them whether its consumption is to be allocated totally or partially to the customer linked to the contract. The allocation methods available are :
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Totality: all meter consumption is charged to the customer
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Percentage: a value in % of the meter consumption is assigned to the customer
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Percentage via a property: the proportion of consumption is imputed via a value to be related to
a given property. This method allows, for example, to specify that the customer rents 500m2 of surface, while the total surface is indicated elsewhere, in a METRON ENERGY MANAGEMENT (JOOL) property. The system will then make the ratio between the rented area (configured in the allocation method) and the total area (indicated in a property) and will attribute this proportion of the meter consumption to the customer.
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Daily Fixed Rate / Monthly Fixed Rate: These methods charge a fixed value per day or month of consumption to the customer.
It should be noted that these allocation methods may have a validity period (limited in practice by the validity of the contract itself), and that several methods may coexist at the same time, for the same meter. Indeed, one could imagine an allocation with a fixed monthly part to which a fixed percentage is added for example. If several allocation methods coexist in this way, the consumption finally allocated will be the sum of all consumptions calculated by each method.
Important: if a user affiliated to a customer logs in, he will see his meters, even those shared by several tenants (several simultaneous contracts distributing consumption), but he will only see for each of his meters the consumption specifically allocated to him by the distribution method concerned. This is the whole principle of this tenant module, the details of which will be covered in a dedicated expert booklet.
Finally, for billing methods, there will be one line per method, with its validity dates, the type of method used and a list of the properties it requires with their configured values. Billing methods must be pre- created by an administrator to be used here, and the relevant properties are an integral part of the method definition.
Important: Billing methods have no direct impact on the information displayed (unlike dispatch methods which filter the data displayed to customer users to show them only their share of consumption for each of their meters), and the values configured here will be accessible for use in datasets and spreadsheets that may be created in the METRON ENERGY MANAGEMENT (JOOL) engine.