MESA LABORATORIES, INC. DataTrace Division
Standard
Operating
Procedure
Release Date: August 27, 2010
Page: 18 of 32
Revision B
A permanent record of the Tracer program can be printed indicating the specific program installed
and a listing of the Tracers it was loaded into. This listing can be printed when the program
session is completed or later from the Reports|Programming Report function.
8.5.
Reading Collected Data
To read the process data collected by a Tracer, insert the Tracer in the PC Interface Module, and
then click the Read Tracer button to activate the data retrieval process.
All Tracer profiles are saved automatically when a Tracer is read. This ensures data security and
integrity. In addition, each profile is saved with a security code that alerts the user if the file is
different than when it was originally collected. This “Data Validation” status appears whenever the
profile is retrieved or printed.
After the data transfer is complete, the Profile Analysis window appears showing the profile
retrieved from the current Tracer in one of three formats: Summary Data, Profile Data, or Graph.
These options can be selected at any time, however the selection made during the last Read
session will be the default.
1. A summary of the data collected can be viewed by clicking on the Summary Data tab. A
summary table for the Tracer appears along with the program used to collect the data.
Below the summary table information is a “Comments” text box where up to 80
characters of notes can be entered which are saved with the profile. The comments are
displayed whenever the file is retrieved.
2. A complete data list can be displayed by clicking the Profile Data tab. The first column (#)
shows the sequence number of the reading, while the second (Sample Time) shows the
date and time the samples were taken. The third and subsequent columns show the
recorded value and any calculated values that were specified. The units are defined in
the column heading above the data and correspond to the engineering units selected in
SETUP. The number of decimal places displayed for the collected data are also based on
selections made in SETUP. To scroll through the subsequent readings, use the scroll bar.
3. A graph of the collected Tracer data is displayed by clicking on the Graph tab.
A Tracer can be read as many times as desired until it is reprogrammed. However, the data will
not be saved again unless the original profile was removed. Also, no additional data is collected
by a Tracer after it has been read unless it is reprogrammed.
8.6.
Analyzing Data and Generating Reports
VIEWING A DATA REPORT
Reports can be created in both tabular and graphical formats under the Reports tab by clicking on
the Graph and Data Reports button. The Data Set tab allows the selection of the profiles to be
included in the report.