Accessing external data via Template or Planned Session

From the SPC Charts and Reports module, you can use a template or a planned session to access external data for GainSeeker analysis.  

You can use a template or planned session that already exists on your system to enter and store data in GainSeeker, or you can use the SPC Designer module to create a new template or the SPC Planner module to create a new planned session.

If using a template that already exists on your system, be aware that several template commands function differently when accessing external data for the SPC Charts and Reports module than they do for the SPC Data Entry module. See the documentation for each template command for a complete description of these differences. These commands are:

 

 

Also, be aware that the data entered in each row of the template will be displayed in a separate chart window - even if the same standard is used in multiple rows.  This can be useful when accessing external data for different filters or date ranges on one standard – apply the same standard to all rows, but use each row to access data for a unique traceability value or date range.

Additionally, if the template or planned session encounters data for a standard that does not yet exist, it will prompt you to create the standard.  This creates only a temporary standard that remains available until the SPC Charts and Reports module is closed but is not stored in the GainSeeker database.

By default, data and statistics will be refreshed after each new data subgroup is entered, and there is no upper limit on the number of data subgroups that can be displayed on the chart and used to calculate statistics. If you want to change this refresh rate or limit the number of points displayed or used to calculate statistics, use the DE_OPT 10, DE_OPT 11 or DE_OPT 12 commands.

To use a template or planned session to access external data, follow these steps:

  1. Log in to the SPC Charts and Reports module.

  2. Click the File menu and point to External Data.

  3. To access data via a template, click Template.

    To access data via a planned session, click Planned Session.

  4. Select the template or planned session to run, and then click OK.

    When the External data entry window is the active window, you can use the available features from the toolbar and the modified menu bar.  This allows you to tile and cascade all of the windows on your screen (including the External data entry window), launch a new chart, open a desktop, close the External data entry window, and perform other basic functions.  For more information on the menu bar in SPC Data Entry, see Using the Menu Options in Data Entry.

    After the template or planned session has finished, a chart window of the data just entered for each standard will be displayed for analysis.  

    If you want for a template to draw the initial chart and then continue adding new external data, you can include the BEGIN_CHART and DOZE commands in the template formulas.  If you duplicate additional chart windows from the initial chart while the template is running, those chart windows will also be updated when new external data is added.

    For more information, see Analyzing external data.

You can also automate steps 1-3 (above) by setting up an icon to automatically launch a template or planned session to access external data.