Simple Dynamic type messages

The PI Web API implements special behavior for type messages that have a single value property. A value property is a property that is not marked as isindex, isname, or isquality. Types that have a single value property are considered "simple"; you may see them referred to as "simple types" in PI Web API documentation. Similarly, a "complex type" is a type that has more than one value property. The PI Web API treats simple and complex types slightly differently for some OMF operations.

Note: Simple and complex types are not part of the OMF specification - they are specific to the PI Web API.

When a container is created using a complex type, a PI point is created for each value property; these PI points are named {container.ID}.{property.Index}. For a simple type, only one PI point is created, and it is named {container.ID}.

When a link is created between a static source and a dynamic target, it is called a static-to-dynamic link. Static-to-dynamic links are represented by PI Web API as AF Attributes using the PI Point Data Reference. The AF Attributes are configured to retrieve data from the PI point(s) belonging to the target container. For complex containers, the AF Attributes are named {container.ID}.{property.Name}. For simple containers, the AF Attribute name is {property.Name}.