Overview of the Project environment and workspace

A Discrete & Batch Troubleshooter project follows 4 easy to use steps for troubleshooting discrete or batch type processes.  These four steps are clearly shown on the Project Bar (displayed to the left of the Troubleshooter project view).  Steps are grayed out if not available yet.  As you progress through the individual steps, new options will become available and the icons on the Project Bar will change accordingly to indicate the availability of new options.

The Discrete & Batch Troubleshooter Environment

Project Workspace

The project workspace provides the main work area for your projects.  All views, graphs and analysis graphs will shown in the project workspace.  Each instance of Troubleshooter can have only one active project at any given time, and therefore the project workspace will only show views for the current open project.

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Working with Projects

Every time the Discrete & Batch Troubleshooter starts up, a new empty project will automatically be created.  From there, start troubleshooting your process by clicking on Step 1: Data Preparation to import data into the new project.  Troubleshooter project files are used to save all data configuration and process models created on the imported data.  

NOTE:  Discrete & Batch Troubleshooter project files typically have a .csd file extension.

Importing data directly from Windows into the Discrete & Batch Troubleshooter project

Data can be imported into a project directly from data files with a .csv file extension.

  1. Using the context menu within Windows

    • Browse to the DataFile.csv.

    • Right click on the file, and select [Open with...] from the context menu.

    • Select Continuous Troubleshooter from the recommended programs.

    • Click [OK] to open the Discrete & Batch Troubleshooter with the data already loaded on the project workspace.

  2. Using the Command prompt

    • Type the directory where application is installed, the name of the application, and the data file name into the command line. For example:C:\Program Files\Proficy\Proficy CSense "Dataset.csv".

Saving the current Project

  1. Click on the File menu and select Save Project or Save Project As. The save button on the toolbar can also be used. Choosing Save Project As will save the Discrete & Batch Troubleshooter Project under a new filename.

  2. Enter the file name in the file name field.

  3. Click Save to save the Discrete & Batch Troubleshooter Project file. The file will have a .csd extension.

Note:  Data imported into your project will not be saved in the project file!

Moving Projects

  1. Projects with text sources

For projects using text files as data sources, the original text file must be available at the target location after moving the project file.  

After moving the project file to a new location, the Troubleshooter will prompt you on loading the project in the Troubleshooter with an error message stating that it could not connect to the text file.  It is necessary to reconfigure the text source and browse for the new location of the text file.  All previously configured data types and field selections will automatically be applied to the new data source where possible and applicable.  

Should the new text source be identical to the original text source, all previously configured properties will automatically be applied to the text source after specifying the new location.  

  1. Projects with other data sources

When moving projects using data sources other than text files (including database and historian sources), an error message will state that it could not connect to the source when attempting to open the project in the Discrete & Batch Troubleshooter. It is necessary to reconfigure the connections, pointing to the correct source. Ensure that all drivers, user names and passwords are still valid on the new system for accessing the database or historian.

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Project Bar

The Project Bar is located to left of the project environment and contains these four options:

  1. Data Preparation

  2. Visualization

  3. Modeling

  4. Action Deployment

The project work flow is designed to allow the user to progress through the four steps provided on the Project Bar, with each step becoming available as the minimum requirements for the current step is met.

Minimum requirements for advancing to the next step
  • Data preparation: a properly configured valid data source. Classification of your dataset into field categories is not a requirement for advancing to the next step.

  • Visualization: no minimum requirements.  Simply open the view once and the modelling step will become available.

  • Modelling: no minimum requirements.  Once Step 2: Visualization is enabled, modelling will automatically become available.

  • Action Deployment: a properly defined valid data source in step 1 Data Preparation.

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Action Bar

The Discrete & Batch Troubleshooter allows for an action called SPC+, for statistical process control.  This option is shown on the Action Bar (displayed to the right of the Troubleshooter project view).  It is grayed out if not available yet.

Menus

NOTE: Menu options are grayed out if not available.

File menu

    • Options to load and save or start a new project.

View menu

    • These options allow you to change the active view displayed in the Troubleshooter project area.  Options will be grayed out if not available.

Windows menu

    • Options for tiling, cascading and showing or hiding active window views in the Troubleshooter project area.

Help menu

    • Shows options for displaying help and information about the product.

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CSense 2023- Last updated: June 24,2025