Timestamp variable

[walt24m]

Zenon is receiving data in DNP3 and after that It generate a report in the report viewer.
The value of the time stamp that comes from the device is required in the report. How could I get it to show up in the report viewer report?

Or
how could I separate the value of the variable and the value of the
time stamp that comes from the device, in two different variables?

[markclemens]

Hi walt24m,

In zenon, variables in the runtime have a value, a timestamp and statusbits. With many communication protocols, like for example modbus, there is only the value. The timestamp is applied by zenon when the value is received. Statusbits may be applied e.g. when the communication is interrupted.

With some protocols, the device / IED / PLC provides the timestamp and statusbits together with the value. zenon in this case normally uses the external timestamp that is received.

With DNP3 it depends on the configured default variation in the outstation for events if zenon receives a timestamp together with the value. If zenon receives a timestamp, this timestamp from the device will be used as the timestamp in zenon.

If zenon receives a value without a timestamp, zenon will apply the timestamp when the value was received. In this case, you may be able to change the default event variation to a variation that includes a timestamp.

Note, that with DNP3, the static variation (for values returned in a class 0 poll) do not include an external timestamp and are always stamped locally by zenon.

Depending which dataset and which report you are using with the report viewer, displaying the timestamp is as simple as adding the column to the report.

Best regards,
Mark

[walt24m]

Hi Support,

Im receiving data from a meters using DNP3.0 protocol with Class 1 polling. I receive all data with external timestamp from the IED and we show that data in CEL.
Now, our customer wants show this data in a Report (Report viewer in excel), but the data must be appear with his external timestamp from IED (not SCADA timestamp). We were doing
some tests but we can only show SCADA timestamp in the excel report and not timestamp from IED.

How can we do it?.

Thanks in advance for your support.
Regards,
Walter

[markclemens]

Hi Walter,

Are you positive that you receive the DNP3 event objects in a variation that includes the external timestamp?
In other words, do you see the correct external timestamp also in the zenon CEL?

If so, you should also have this same timestamp in your reports. If not, perhaps it is best to contact your local COPA-DATA support and provide information on how to reproduce this.

Best regards,
Mark

[walt24m]

Hi support,

With respect to the timestamp external, as you can see in the image, you can see in the diagnostics of variables the external timestamp that is the one that comes from the device, I want is a way to obtain the external timestamp as a variable or in what way I can visualize the external timestamp in the report viewer.

when I generate a history this is saved with a local timestamp that is ZENON. It not is timestamp of device.

Is there any way to get that data?

[markclemens]

Hi Walter,

For the analog inputs with point index 1 and 3, there has been a value change that caused an event in the outstation. This was transferred as an event object (Object Group 32) to the DNP3 master in zenon with the external timestamp. You can see that the values in the columns "timestamp external UTC" and "timestamp" match. (Except for the time zone offset which appears to be UTC-5 in your case). In such a case, the variable status also has the statusbit T_EXTERN set.

You can also see the internal timestamp in zenon, when the value was received by the DNP3 master driver, in the column "timestamp internal UTC". Note the difference. It appears that either your DNP3 outstation clock is not synchronized or the computer time is not correct. By default, if the outstation inhibits the IIN 1.4 flag, the DNP3 master in zenon will synchronize the time of the outstation. Using a command string variable with the DNP3_TG driver, you can also manually perform a time synchronization of the outstation.

The "timestamp" column is the timestamp that is used throughout in zenon. In the event list, the historian and also in the report viewer. If an external timestamp is received, this timestamp is used in zenon. Therefore for the analog inputs with point index 1 and 3, you should have this timestamp also in your reports.

For the point index 0 and 2, you can see the variable status "GI" (General Interrogation). This is the current static value that was received in the response of a Class 0 poll. Such a poll is performed by the master either cyclically (default every 1 hour), when the master starts up, after a connection loss, or triggered manually using a command string variable. Static values do not include a timestamp when these are provided by the outstation in a response to a class 0 poll. In this case, the DNP3 master in zenon provides a local timestamp for the variable as they are received. This you see due to the missing value in the column "Timestamp external UTC", the missing statusbit T_EXTERN and the fact that the "timestamp" column shows a local timestamp.

If you want the values in the columns "timestamp" and "timestamp external UTC" for point index 1 and 3 to match, you need to look into the driver configuration and the outstation configuration. In earlier days of the DNP3 specification, it was not defined if the timestamp would be local time or UTC. This has changed in more recent years and the IEEE Std 1815 specification now says that time in DNP3 is UTC. Some devices may still use local time or provide a configuration option to define whether the time is local time or UTC time. The DNP3_TG driver in zenon also provides such a configuration option. This setting should match the setting of the outstation. Furthermore, you probably would want to ensure that the outstation and the PC with zenon are configured for the same time zone. Finally you probably also want both your PC with zenon and your DNP3 outstation to be time synchronized.

I hope this helps somewhat. I realize that this may not answer directly why the timestamp is not displayed in your report the way you would expect it. For this it is best to contact your local COPA-DATA support and have someone look into your project to see how you configured the report viewer report.

Best regards,
Mark

[felixst]

Good morning Walter,

one more question: How is the data stored for the report?
If you use cyclic archives the values are saved with the timestamp of the cycle.
Please switch to on change recording if that is the case...

Regards,
Felix