Make Specs As Detailed As Necessary

In Designer XI, a specification, or spec, refers to the collection of attributes required to uniquely describe a type of component. For example, one transformer spec in an electric implementation might look like this:

Another transformer type that differs only in rated kVA, say, would constitute a different spec. Each type of equipment in a network has its own spec.

Schneider Electric assigns a spec ID to the unique collection of attributes that comprises a spec—the combination of the six attributes above would receive a spec ID. The required level of equipment specs is determined early in the contract process based on scoping discussions. The decision for minimal or detailed specs in an electric implementation depends on whether Designer XI will work alongside an Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS).

• Minimal Specs (Non-ADMS): In this approach, one specifies only the minimum subset of attributes needed for Designer XI to function and perform its network analysis calculations. The bulk of the attributes in the geodatabase receive a default spec ID. This approach accelerates implementation and yields fewer attributes to maintain. However, the data are less accurate, and if higher fidelity becomes required in the future, those attributes with default spec ID assignments will need to be reevaluated and, most likely, updated.

• Detailed Specs (ADMS): In this approach, a spec ID is assigned to every combination of attributes in all feature classes that are edited in Designer XI. This approach may require creating new attributes not already in the equipment catalog. This approach yields high-fidelity data, better network calculation results, and more possibilities to push data to an Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS). However, implementation takes longer and results in more attributes that must be maintained.

Gas components are non-ADMS by definition, so equipment specs for a gas implementation need only be as detailed as desired.