ArcFM UN Network Categories

A network category is a way to classify and group network features, such as devices, lines, or junctions, based on shared characteristics or roles within the network. These categories help define behavior, tracing logic, and visualization within the Utility Network (UN) model. We break down the network categories used by the ArcFM UN into two groups: Equipment Type Categories, and Modeling Categories. Network Categories are created and assigned to network features for specific AssetGroup and AssetType combinations. The AssetGroup and AssetType are integer-valued columns that are on every UN feature class and table in the domain network.

Network categories play an important role to enable the ArcFM XI series to work with data in the UN. Integrated third-party software can identify equipment types, found in any given UN electric data set, from the network category.

Each type of electrical equipment in a category share important properties, such as:

The overhead or underground design and context of the equipment.
The connectivity pattern used by the equipment and its terminals.
Whether the equipment is a bank that contains phase-specific units.
Whether the equipment is a phase-specific unit within a bank.

It is important to understand the meaning and intent of the network categories in the ArcFM UN to assign them correctly. You must make sure that each AssetGroup and AssetType entry in that network category schema can answer the question, “Does this type belong to that category?” Some of the categories are subclasses of other categories as seen in the equipment type category description field.

Example: If a feature type belongs to the E:Reclosing category, it should also belong to the E:Switch category. Other types are mutually exclusive. If a feature type belongs to the E:Transformer - Inline category, it should not belong to the E:Transformer - Tap category.

The network category architecture of the ArcFM UN sets the list of attributes that are expected to be present for each type of equipment. Some categories imply the presence, visibility, and applicability of a specific set of attributes. For example, every feature that belongs to the transformer network category is expected to have attributes that match the technical description of the PrimaryConnectionType and SecondaryConnectionType.

NOTE: Some network attributes are either required or optional for various equipment types. The name given to each attribute is a formal field model name. The actual name of the field in your ArcFM UN implementation may differ. The name is expected to exist, and you are required to map the field model name used in the ArcFM documentation to the actual attribute name of the corresponding field in your database.

The ArcFM UN network categories and attributes that apply to a particular type of equipment are grouped into sections dedicated to that equipment type. The switchable devices section outlines the categories and attributes that apply to all AssetGroup and AssetType combinations used for a switchable device. The subsection under switchable devices that deals with fuses, outlines the categories and attributes that apply to all AssetGroup and AssetType combinations for a fuse.

The complete set of network categories required by the ArcFM UN is listed in Appendix A.

Required Configuration

The ArcFM UN does not prescribe any specific AssetGroup and AssetType classification scheme for feature classes and tables in the electric domain network.
The ArcFM UN does prescribe a minimum set of required network categories that must exist in the UN, and it assumes that the AssetGroup and AssetType classification scheme can be navigated and parsed by those categories.