Device Documentation and Help
From time to time customers ask me if there is an easy way to refer to documentation related to the device and plant location, for instance user manual and hookup drawings etc. and how time spent searching through large manuals can be reduced.
All of these documents can easily be accessed from the device management software at a click of a button. It is a matter of having the documents loaded on the server. The device management software retrives the document and displays it. Although EDDL is not required to achieve this function, software based on EDDL supports this capability. However, EDDL is used by the device manufacturer's experts to provide help text for every setting. See the approach in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GABvCJJYOIk
What is your opinion on such functionality? What documents do you need to access when working on devices? How do you retrieve information: navigate to document or "Google" search topic?
Drawing management
The key to true usability...the Holy Grail, if you will, is the use of EDDL and FDT/DTM and just plain operator feedback as data to continuously update drawings..."living as-builts"...that's what everyone has wanted for years.
Being able to access documentation in the field is great, but not so great if the documentation is in error or out of date.
Walt Boyes
Editor in Chief, Control and ControlGlobal.com