Adhoc Trend

The Adhoc Trend enables fast, on-demand data visualization without the need to create dashboards or persistent charts. It supports exploratory analysis, quick comparisons, time-based statistics, and contextual investigation—directly from views or search results.

Adhoc Trend

Use Cases

Adhoc Trend is ideal for quick analysis—without the need to configure or save a full dashboard. Common use cases include:

• Investigating anomalies: Identify outliers, spikes, or deviations in values.
• Comparing data: Analyze channels across different time periods, views, or data sources.
• Exploring unmapped channels: Visualize data directly from Quick Search.
• Using cursors for insights: Place cursors to calculate changes between points with time-based statistics (see Cursors and Statistics).
• Combining data channels: Temporarily display multiple channels in one chart for side-by-side analysis

Configuration and Customization

General Settings

By default, the Adhoc Trend opens as a popup overlay. This can be changed in your User Profile Settings:

• Show Adhoc – Enables or disables Adhoc Trend feature
• Open Adhoc in New Window – Opens each trend in a separate browser window

Configuring Adhoc Trend in User Profile

Component Style

The Adhoc Trend interface can be fully customized using the Component Style feature. This allows you to control which interface areas are shown and where they appear—for example, whether to include the Channel Panel or reposition it. Additional behavior settings can also be configured, such as automatically applying Individual scaling when multiple channels are added or showing a grid by default. Once defined, the selected Component Style is applied to all popup Adhoc Trends and can be switched at any time to adapt to different analysis needs.

Different Adhoc Trend Component Styles

Define Adhoc Trend in Component Style

To configure the Adhoc Trend layout using Component Style:

1. In the Tools section of the left sidebar, click Component Style.

   

   Component Style

2. Click the + icon to create a new style or the pen icon to edit an existing one.

3. In the Component Style editor, scroll to the bottom of the Components panel on the left and select Adhoc Trend.

4. Expand the Format section to configure which interface areas are visible and arrange them using drag-and-drop.

   

   Configure Adhoc Trend Areas

5. Adjust any layout or behavior settings as needed, then click Apply to save the style.

6. To activate the style, select it from the Component Style dropdown in the floating component panel or the Tools menu.

   

   Apply Component Style

Opening Adhoc Trends

Adhoc Trends can be opened in two ways:

• From a view containing components with mapped data.
• From Quick Search using individual channel results.

Open from a View

You can open an Adhoc Trend directly from a view containing mapped data using any of the following actions:

• Double-click a component
• Right-click the component → Show Trend
• Cmd/Ctrl + click to select multiple components, then right-click → Show Trend

⚠️ The view must be locked to open an Adhoc Trend (see the lock icon in the top bar). If the view is unlocked, this action is disabled.

Open Adhoc from View

Open from Quick Search

To open an Adhoc Trend from Quick Search:

• Search for a channel
• Double-click the result

Open from Search

Add Channels to an Existing Trend

You can add additional channels to an open Adhoc Trend in two ways:

• Drag and drop data channels directly into the trend
• Or double-click / right-click a channel→ Show Trend

You’ll be prompted to choose:

1. Create New Trend — opens a new chart
2. Append to Existing Trend - select from the list and click Apply

Add Channels

Tip

Adhoc Trends remain open when navigating between views, allowing cross-view and cross-system comparison.

Compare Across Views

Managing the Popup

Once opened, the Adhoc Trend popup can be:

• Resized by dragging the bottom-right corner
• Maximized using the expand icon in the top-right corner
• Collapsed using the _ icon in the top-right corner
• Closed using the × icon in the top-right corner

When collapsed, the Adhoc Trend appears as a small tab in the top-right corner of the view.
Click the expand icon on the tab to reopen it—your selected channels and settings are preserved.

The popup persists across view changes, making it easy to compare data between different views without losing context.

Interface Overview

Adhoc Trend consists of the following main areas:

Adhoc Trend Areas

Area	Name	Description
A	Chart Display	Time-series chart for all selected channels
B	State Timebars	Visual representation of discrete state transitions
C	Chart Controls	Tools for scrolling, zooming, and exporting
D	Scaling Options	Tools to manage scale grouping and Y-axis behavior
E	Channel Panel	Metadata display and channel configuration settings
F	Cursors & Statistics	Cursor markers for value inspection and interval statistics
G	Time Controls	Time settings to define start, end, or duration

You can customize the visibility and layout of these areas using the Component Style feature—for example, to add the Channel Panel or hide chart controls.

Chart Display

The main chart area visualizes all selected time-series data channels. By default, users can:

• Drag horizontally to scroll through time
• Scroll or pinch to zoom along the X- or Y-axis
• Hover to display tooltips with timestamp and value

Interaction behavior is consistent with the LineChart component.

Y-axis limits update automatically based on the visible range, zoom level, and the selected Scale Behavior.

Additional navigation options—such as zoom area selection, axis-specific scrolling, and realtime mode—can be accessed via the Chart Controls toolbar in the top-right corner.

State Timebars

State Timebars visualize discrete values—such as equipment states or process phases—as horizontal colored bars below the trend chart. They provide context alongside continuous signals (e.g., temperature, pressure) by showing transitions such as Running, Stopped, or Error.

Key Behavior

• Supports channels with digital or categorical values
• Each colored segment represents a state and its duration
• Hovering reveals the state name and timestamp

Typical data sources include:

• Tags with digital or binary values
• Attribute values using enumeration-like structures (e.g., PI AF Enumeration Sets)

How to Enable

To display a State Timebar for a channel:

1. Open the Channel Panel
2. Go to the Advanced Section
3. Set the Plot Type to State Timebar

⚠️ The underlying data must support discrete state transitions.

Chart Controls

The toolbar in the top-right corner of the chart provides tools for navigating, zooming, and exporting data.

Chart Controls

Tool	Function
1. Export CSV	Download visible data as CSV
2. Search Latest	Jump to most recent data
3. Zoom Area	Draw a zoom box for specific time/value ranges
4. Free Scroll	Enable horizontal and vertical scrolling
5. Horizontal Scroll	Time-axis scrolling only
6. Vertical Scroll	Value-axis scrolling only
7. Realtime	Auto-update with incoming data

Interaction Behavior

• Scrolling or zooming disables Realtime.
• Using Zoom Area or vertical zoom activates Custom Limits and updates the Lower and Upper fields in the Channel Panel.
• Double-clicking reverts the last zoom performed using the Zoom Area tool.
• Enabling Realtime removes any cursor markers.

Scaling Options

Scaling Options control how Y-axes are grouped across channels and how their limits are calculated. These tools are especially useful when comparing channels with different units, value ranges, or grouping needs.

The scaling toolbar is located in the top-left corner of the Adhoc Trend chart and includes three controls:

Scale Options

1. Scale Mode

This dropdown controls how Y-axis scales are grouped across channels:

Mode	Description
Single	All channels share one Y-axis scale.
Individual	Each channel has its own scale.
UOM	Channels with the same Unit of Measure (UOM), as defined in the Units column, are grouped onto a shared Y-axis.
Group	Channels are grouped manually using the Group field. All channels in the same group share one Y-axis scale.

Use Single or UOM when comparing absolute values. Use Individual or Group when channels differ in units or ranges and require separate scaling.

2. Scale Behavior

This dropdown defines how Y-axis limits are determined:

• Auto Scale – Limits are dynamically adjusted based on the visible data range. Zooming or scrolling automatically updates the Y-axis.
• Data Source Defined – Applies static min/max limits provided by the data source (if available). These appear in the Lower and Upper columns of the Channel Panel when this mode is selected.
• Custom Limits – Allows manual control over Y-axis limits, per channel or per group (depending on the selected Scale Mode). Enter values in the Lower and Upper columns; confirming (✓) automatically switches to Custom Limits.

See Chart Controls for how interactions like zoom and realtime affect scale behavior.

3. Reset Scale

This icon resets the Y-axis limits according to the selected Scale Behavior:

• Auto Scale – Resets to fit the current visible data range
• Data Source Defined – Reapplies the static min/max values from the data source
• Custom Limits – No reset action is available, as manually entered values define the limits.

Channel Panel

The Channel Panel below the chart shows metadata and display settings for each channel.

⚠️ To ensure the Channel Panel is available in the Adhoc Trend interface, make sure it is included in the selected Component Style configuration.

The Channel Panel is divided into three sections:

1. Basic section — Includes metadata columns and display settings
2. Advanced section — Contains additional configuration options and styling features
3. Statistics section — Appears when cursors are placed to show interval statistics

Use the section toggle icons in the lower-left corner of the panel to switch views and configure which columns are shown.

Basic Section Columns

Column	Description
Lock	Locks the channel’s time position, allowing it to scroll independently for comparison
Visibility	Toggles whether the channel is shown in the chart
Color	Sets the display color for the data channel. By default, Adhoc Trend inherits the color from the channel definition. If multiple channels share the same color, distinct alternatives are automatically applied to ensure clarity in the chart
Data Type	Shows the source-defined type of data (e.g., tag, enumeration)
Name	Displays the tag or attribute name from the data source
Timestamp	Shows the most recent timestamped value or, when hovering, the value at the cursor position
Value	Shows the latest data value or the value under the hovered timestamp
Units	Displays the Unit of Measure (UOM), if available. Used for UOM-based scaling. Can be edited manually
Group	Assigns a group label to the channel. When Group scale mode is active, channels with the same label share a y-axis. Can be string and numeric values
Lower	Displays the lower Y-axis limit. Value depends on the active Scale Behavior. When manually edited and confirmed (✓), switches to Custom Limits
Upper	Same as Lower, but for the upper Y-axis
Remove x	Removes the channel from the trend chart.

Advanced Section Columns

The Advanced Section provides optional styling and statistical details for each channel.:

• Descriptive statistics:

  • Minimum, Maximum, Average, Standard Deviation, and Population Standard Deviation
  • Calculated based on the visible time range in the chart

• Plot Type selection:

  • Choose how the channel is visualized (e.g., Line, Bar, Step, Step After, Step Before, Annotation)
  • For channels with discrete states, you can also select State Timebar

Statistics Section

The Statistics section displays statistical information when at least two cursors are placed on the chart. It provides statistical insights about the time range between the markers for the channels on the adhoc chart.

Available statistics include: Minimum, Maximum, Average, Delta

⚠️ Statistics are only shown if supported by the data source (e.g., PI System).

Channel Panel Configuration

You can configure which columns are shown in each section of the Channel Panel.

• Click the gear icon in the lower-left corner
• Select which columns to display for each section using the configuration dialog

Cursors and Statistics

Cursors can be used to inspect and compare values across a time range.

• Click the + icon on a tooltip to add a cursor
• Click the x icon on a cursor to remove it

The tooltips display the value of the data channel at that point in time.

When two or more cursors are placed, statistical information is displayed in the Statistics Section [Σ]. It shows calculated values - such as: average, minimum, maximum, and delta - based on the time range between the cursors.

⚠️ Statistics are only shown if supported by the data source (e.g., PI System).

Adding and Removing Cursor Markers

Interaction Behavior

⚠️ Enabling Realtime removes any placed cursors.

Time Controls

The Time Controls below the chart allow you to define a fixed time window for analysis.

You can configure the visible time range using:

• Start Time and End Time pickers
• A Duration field to define the time span
• Arrow buttons (<, >) to shift the entire window forward or backward by the selected duration

These controls work the same way as in the LineChart.

Behavior Notes

• Adhoc Trends persist across views, allowing cross-view comparisons, but they close when the browser is refreshed
• State Timebars and statistics are only shown if the underlying data source supports them
• Multiple Adhoc Trends can be open simultaneously in separate overlays or windows

Add Adhoc Trend Features to a LineChart

To use Adhoc Trend-like functionality in a standard LineChart component, you have two options:

Option 1: Define a reusable Component Style

Follow the steps in Component Style to configure the layout. Add the Channel Panel, Chart Controls, and other interface areas, then apply the style to your LineChart.

This method allows consistent reuse across multiple components.

Option 2: Configure an individual LineChart manually

To enable core features in a specific LineChart:

1. Add the Channel Panel

   • In the Settings of the LineChart component, go to the Format section.
   • In the Chart Layout, drag and drop the Table element to add the Channel Panel.

2. Enable Cursors

   • In the Scales / Cursors section, enable the Cursor toggle.

For more details on component behavior, see the LineChart documentation.