Correlate Items Automatically During Publish - Integration - Update 44 - Help - Hexagon

If you publish a document into the Auto-Correlate workflow, the workflow compares the objects in that document to the objects that are already in SmartPlant Foundation. For each object in the document, the Auto-Correlate workflow looks for objects in the database that are shareable through the same shared object class as defined by the SmartPlant Schema. Among the objects that are shareable through the same object class, Auto-Correlate looks for objects that have the same name as the object in the document that you put in the workflow. Objects that match in both name and shared object class can correlate.

If an object in the document that you put in Auto-Correlate can correlate through objects using one shared object class, Auto-Correlate automatically correlates the objects. However, if an object can correlate with objects using more than one shared object class, Auto-Correlate puts a task in the To Do list to allow you to pick the correlation.

The following is an example of publishing a document to the Auto-Correlate workflow.

A 3D model document is published using the Auto-Correlate workflow. The document contains an object of class PDSPipeline named P-222 and an object of class PDSInstrument named CV-100.

Objects of class PDSPipeline can be correlated through one shared object class, SharedPipeline. Auto-Correlate looks in the database for objects that are named P-222 and can be correlated through SharedPipeline. Auto-Correlate automatically correlates these objects with the PDSPipeline object named P-222.

Objects of class PDSInstrument can be correlated through two shared object classes, SharedInstrument_PM and SharedPipingComponent_PM. The software searches the database for objects that are named CV-100 and that can be correlated through either SharedInstrument_PM or SharedPipingComponent_PM.

If the software only finds objects that can be correlated through SharedInstrument_PM, it correlates those objects with the PDSInstrument object named CV-100. If the software only finds objects that can be correlated through SharedPipingComponent_PM, it correlates those objects with the PDSInstrument object named CV-100.

If the software finds both types, it cannot automatically correlate because an object can be correlated through only one shared object class. In this case, a Correlate task is added to the To Do list. For more information about running a correlate task, see Correlate Items from a New Tool. You then select to correlate with either the object found through SharedInstrument_PM or the object found through SharedPipingComponent_PM, but not both.

Piperuns, which belong to the SharedPiperuns Shared Object definition, are not discussed in this section. Piperuns cannot be correlated based on name because in a typical plant, there would be many piperuns runs with duplicate names from a tool.

Auto-correlation rules

Using auto-correlation rules, you can configure the auto-correlate workflow to correlate objects that do not have a name. For example, most piping ports will not have a name, but should be correlated. You can create this correlation manually, or you can use auto-correlation rules to consider properties other than the name of the object.

An auto-correlation rule is specific to a CDW class definition. The rule uses either the relationship to the parent of the object or the specific property values to find the correct object to correlate with.

Auto-correlation rules will correlate an object with another based on the relationship to the parent and the following conditions:

• Matching name, if the name is set.

• If only one object is found using the relationship to the parent, then the object is matched directly.

• If the name is not set and a match cannot be determined just on the relationship to the parent, then the match can be created based on specified property values.

• Auto-correlation rules are applied while correlating objects related to documents published using the Correlate workflow. All published objects with possible correlations are displayed in the To Do List with the Correlate task. From that task, you can manually choose the correlations to create, and those objects will be correlated during consolidation.

• Auto-correlation rules are created for CDW classes. However, if you are using the shared object model and want to use auto-correlation rules, you must first install the CDW schema and create the rules. Then you can use those rules in your shared object model environment.

• Auto-correlation rules are not required to automatically correlate items during publish. If no rule has been configured for a specific class, the system will use the standard auto-correlate functionality to correlate the items, based on matching name and shared object class.

• If you are manually correlating items that belong to a shared object class for which an auto-correlation rule exists, the software applies the rules internally and presents a warning message if the manual correlation does not match the rule. You can dismiss the warning and continue.

For more information about creating auto-correlation rules, see Managing auto-correlation rules.

Delivered rules

Two auto-correlation rules are delivered with CDW schema. They are inactive by default. To activate the rules, view them in the List Edit control and check the Is Active option.