Filtering Tags, Alarms and Realms

You can restrict certain information to authorized users or authorized workstations by using a filtering protocol defined in configuration files. These features are complementary to the VTScada security system, rather than duplicating it.

 

You can apply several types of filtering to tags:

Global Tag & Area Filtering

The filtering dialog is visible only in a secured application, and then only to those who have been granted the associated privilege. Allows operators to create custom filters as needed, restricting their view of tags and alarms to only those they need to see right now. Global Tag & Area filtering is not linked to any workstation.

Realm Filtering:

Limit the display of tags belonging to one or more specified areas or tag hierarchies to operators who belong to a given security realm. Operators will not see alarms outside their assigned realm. Note that they will still see all tags drawn on any page they are permitted to view, but will not be able to see or edit properties of tags outside their realm and will not be able to issue control actions using those tags.

Unlike tag area filtering and alarm area filtering, realm filtering is not linked to any workstation.

Tag Area Filtering:

Tag area filtering is an older feature and works only with areas that are a single word. Do not use spaces and wildcards in this type of filter.

Prevent tags belonging to one or more specified areas from loading on a given workstation when your application runs. This type of filtering is generally used in applications where memory is limited, and certain workstations do not require access to all of your application's tags (e.g. in a large plant where a certain plant section is beyond the responsibility of operators in other sections).

Alarm Area Filtering:

Display only the alarm tags belonging to one or more specified areas on a given workstation. This type of filtering is generally used in applications where certain users should not see certain types of alarms on their workstation (e.g. in a large plant where alarms belonging to equipment in a certain plant section is beyond the responsibility of operators in other sections).

Using Multiple Filter Types

In general, more filters equates to a slower application. Consider your goal and options carefully before defining more than one kind of filter. If using multiple filter types, they are applied in the following order:

  1. Tag area filtering
  2. Realm filtering (tag and area)
  3. Global filtering (tag and area)
  4. Alarm area filtering
  5. Local filters applied by dialog boxes or pages.