Search for PI points

Use the Tag Search window to retrieve PI points that match your search query criteria. In PI AF and PI Builder 2017 or later versions, you can create a search query based on both PI point attributes and PI point values.

Note: To create PI point data references directly from PI points retrieved from a PI point search, select View > Palette > Tag Search. For more information, see Create direct PI point data references from Tag Search results.

1. In the navigator pane, click Elements.

2. Select Search > Tag Search.

3. In the Tag Search window, select the Data Archive computers on which you want to search.

   To add or change Data Archive computers, choose from the following actions:

   • Click next to the Server(s) field and click a Data Archive on the list.

   • Click and double-click on the Data Archive you wish to add from the list in the PI Data Archives window.

   • To remove a selected Data Archive, select the server name in the Server(s) field, right-click and click Delete.

   Servers are added in alphabetical order to the existing selection. You can add multiple selections from either list.

4. You create a PI point search query in the text box next to the Search button. A search query comprises a filter name, which can be a text string, a PI point attribute (defaults to tag) or a PI point value (for example, Value), an operator (defaults to :=), and a query filter (defaults to *, or all PI points). For a full description of the syntax of a PI point query, see Syntax for PI point searches.

   Examples of attribute queries are:

   • sin*

   • tag:=sin*

   • tag:<>sin* datatype:float

   • step:0 AND pointsource:L

   • tag:<>sin* AND PointType:Float64

     Examples of value queries (which you can combine with attribute queries) are:

   • Value:>1000

   • tag:<>sin* AND Value:>10

   • PointType:Int32 AND Value:>10

   • PointSource:L AND Annotated:1 AND TimeStamp:t

   • creationdate:>y-1d AND future:true AND timestamp:<*

     By default, PI AF searches for point names that start with the query string (meaning that the Starts With filter is already selected).

     Note: Queries that contain a query filter name (such as name:*sine*), search tag attributes only. In previous versions of PI AF, queries that contained a query filter name would search the descriptor attribute as well as the specified query filter, unless the descriptor attribute was actually specified as part of the query filter.

     To build a search query, choose from the following actions.

     To ...	Do this ...
     Clear previously selected criteria	Click Reset. All queries are cleared, as well as the Include Description in Search filter.
     Include point descriptions in a query	Click . Click Add Criteria or press ALT+C. Select Include Description in Search and set the value to True.
     Type a query directly in the search text box	Type the first character of the query. Select from the list of matching point attributes and values, or continue typing a point attribute or value manually. Enter the criteria to be matched.
     Include common PI point attributes in a query	Click . Enter criteria in any of the following fields: Name (alias for tag attribute) Point Source Data Type (alias for pointtype attribute) Point Class (alias for ptclassname attribute) To enter criteria for engineering units and description, click Add Criteria or press ALT+C. Then click Engineering Units and/or Description. Criteria are appended to the string in the search text box, separated by a space. Note: The search query returns only PI points that match all criteria.
     Include PI point values in a query	Click . Click Add Criteria or press ALT+C. Click any of the following criteria: Value TimeStamp IsGood Annotated Substituted Questionable Enter criteria in the fields you have selected, as required. Note that you can select a comparison operator for Value and TimeStamp criteria. Criteria are appended to the string in the search query text box, separated by a space. Note: The search query returns only PI points that match all criteria.
     Clear an existing query, or remove a criterion from the expanded search area	Click x.
     Use a previous query	Click . Click Recent Searches. Select the existing query from the list.
     Filter point names by contents, exact match, or ending	Click . Click the appropriate filter: Contains Exact Match Ends With

5. Click Search to retrieve the points that match into the results table.

6. Choose from the following actions.

   To ...	Do this ...
   Review time series data	Right-click a PI point and click Time Series Data. For more information, see View time series data.
   Create a trend	Right-click a PI point and click Trend. For more information, see Create trends.
   Add a PI point to an existing trend	Right-click a PI point and click Add to Trend.
   Review current PI point values, time stamps, and attributes	Right-click a PI point and click Properties.
   Create a PI point data reference	For search results displayed in the palette only. Drag a PI point onto the Attributes grid. For more information, see Create direct PI point data references from Tag Search results.
   Change the columns in the results table	Click and clear the columns that you want to remove.
   Add attribute columns to the results table	Right-click a column heading and click Add Column. In the Select Point Attributes window, select the point attributes to be added. Click OK.
   Restore original columns in the results table	Right-click a column heading and click Restore Original Columns.

7. Click OK.

   The results are displayed in the viewer. Each search is temporarily listed in the browser with a Tag Search Results label. To differentiate between searches, you can change a label by right-clicking and clicking Rename.