You can view measurements saved in a Spot's messages on the browser's Charts tab. A chart lets you compare measurement values or the number of entries. Exporting to Excel gives you individual messages to check and process further.

Prepare comparable data

You need permission to view the messages you want to examine. The chart uses data from the server according to your permissions; it is not limited to table rows already loaded in the browser. Spot messages successfully saved on Android and iOS are included in the same data.

For a measurement chart, filter for a numeric message type representing the same measurement and unit. Agree on the unit, for example in the message type's name or description. The chart does not convert units: for example, degrees Celsius, pressure and operating hour readings should not be combined in the same measurement series. Check the filters yourself; do not rely on the chart to automatically prevent you from selecting text messages or incorrect message types.

A message's numeric value is separate from the Spot's operating hours counter. Instructions for recording operating hours are available in How do I update a Spot's operating hours counter reading?. To prepare measurement messages, see the instructions for defining a message type and recording a message or measurement data.

Filter messages and open the chart

  1. In the browser menu, open Assets and content → Messages → Messages. In the Manager menu, the Messages page is directly under Assets and content → Messages.
  2. Use the table's column filters on the Message list tab to select the Spot and Message type you want.
  3. Open the Charts tab and wait for loading to finish.
  4. Check the Datatable filters in use at the top of the tab and the settings to the right of the chart.

The chart uses the applicable column filters from the table. The Folder and Author filters and filters for Spot additional information fields are excluded. The list's separate search by additional information field value also does not filter the data retrieved from the server for the chart. If you need measurements from a specific folder, for example, select the relevant Spots using the Spot filter and check the chart's filter list.

Switching to the chart tab changes the list's main Message created at filter to all messages. A previous list covering three months, for example, therefore does not determine the chart's date range. Check the chart's own date range and, when you return, the message list's main filter as well.

Select the value to calculate and the grouping

In the chart settings, the default selection in the Value 1 menu is Count. For measurement results, select Value instead.

  • Count counts the messages matching the filters in each group. Text messages may also be included. It shows the number of entries, not the magnitude of a measurement or a percentage.
  • Value uses the message's numeric content. When grouped by time, each Spot forms its own series. The result for a time group is the highest positive value or zero. The result is not a sum, an average, the latest reading or the difference between cumulative readings.

For example, message values of 10 and 14 for the same Spot on the same day produce a Value result of 14 and a Count result of 2 when grouped by day, provided both entries are included in the data. Values of −10 and −4 produce a Value result of 0. A missing observation may also appear as a zero point in the series, so zero alone does not prove an actual zero measurement or the existence of an entry.

The calculation handles both decimal commas and decimal points, and no separate decimal rounding is applied to the measurement value. However, there is a display limitation: a series whose results are all zeros or positive values below one may be entirely absent from the chart. Check values such as 0.2 and 0.8 in individual messages or in Excel. To examine negative measurements, use the message list and its export.

Select Date/time from the Group by menu to use the message's creation time. Updated uses the last update time, so correcting a message may move it to a different time group. When grouping by Spot, the frequency and the chart's own date range do not limit the calculation. If you need a time filter for this grouping, set it using the message table's Created column filter before generating the chart.

Set the date range and maximum number

When grouping by time, Frequency determines whether messages are combined by hour, day, week, month or year. The default is Month. In the Date range field, you can select start and end dates for all groupings except hourly grouping. The selected start begins at the start of the day, and the end includes the end date; when grouping by week, the end boundary extends to the end of that week. The week starts on Monday.

Without a custom date range, the following defaults apply:

  • Hour: today from midnight to the current time. A custom date range does not affect this mode.
  • Day: one month back from today's date.
  • Week: from the start of the week 52 weeks ago to the end of the current week.
  • Month: from the start of the month 12 months ago to today's boundary.
  • Year: two years back from today's date.

Select your own start and end dates when you need a precise reporting period. The chart's date range and any included table date filters work together: expanding the chart's date range does not remove a column filter's restriction.

Top values defaults to 100. It limits the server's grouped calculation data before the final chart points are formed. For Value calculations, the limit may exclude individual entries and therefore change the maximum value displayed. For Count calculations, the limit applies to the groups being counted. The limit does not mean selecting the highest measurements, nor is it merely a display limit for the completed chart.

Use a sufficiently large positive integer and check the result by increasing the limit if the data may exceed it. An empty, non-numeric or below-one value is changed to 1; zero does not remove the limit.

Generate and interpret the chart

Select Generate chart at the bottom of the settings. Use the bar and line icons under Chart type to change the presentation after generating the chart. The Color selection changes its color.

You can add a second value to calculate using the plus icon next to the Value 1 menu, for example to show the number of entries alongside the measurement value. Up to two values are supported: the first is shown as bars and the second as a line. Next to the second value, you can select Own scale or Single scale. Different units, such as a measurement result and the number of entries, are usually easier to read on separate scales. The minus icon removes the value selection from the chart.

The Stack bar chart values option stacks the bar series on top of one another. The total stack height does not change the Value calculation rule: each Spot's point is still the group's highest positive value. Click a series name in the chart legend to hide or restore the series; this changes the presentation, not the saved messages.

Verify the result by comparing a chart point for one Spot and one time group with its individual messages. Check the message type, unit, timestamp used and maximum number. If the chart is missing or looks unexpected, also check the filters, zeros, negative values, values below one and any error message. Separate instructions for searching and editing messages explain how to correct a message.

Save the filters for later use

Select Save chart at the bottom of the chart settings, fill in Name on the form that opens and confirm using the same button. Click a name in the Saved charts table below the chart to reopen a saved chart.

Saving preserves the value selections, grouping, frequency, any date range, maximum number and table filters. The chart type, color, stacking and scale selection are not saved. Opening a saved chart also restores message table filters, so check the list's filters afterwards. The chart still uses only the filters applicable to it.

A saved chart is not a fixed copy of the results: opening it recalculates the data. New, corrected or deleted messages and changes to permissions may change the result. Without a fixed date range, the default period also moves with time. Keep a checked Excel file if you need the individual entries from a particular moment for later comparison.

Export entries to Excel

  1. Return to the Message list tab. Check the main Message created at filter again, as the chart tab may have changed it to all messages.
  2. Set the required list filters and make sure the data has finished loading. Display the columns needed for checking, such as Spot, Message type, Message and Created.
  3. Select the Export view to Excel button at the top of the Messages page.
  4. Open the file and check the columns, row count, Spots, message types, timestamps and values. Also verify how Excel interprets the decimal separator before performing calculations.

The export contains the message table's data, with export columns corresponding to the visible columns. It exports individual messages, not the chart's aggregated points. Do not assume it covers the entire history if all the required rows have not been loaded.

The chart and Excel export may contain different data: the chart uses a server query and a maximum number, while the export uses the browser's table, where filters excluded from the chart may also be active. For comparison, match the timestamp, period and filters. Instructions for preserving the table layout are available in saving views and exporting to Excel.