How to... ...transfer data from DASYLab to FlexPro for analysis and presentation
Mike Pisapia
Product Specialist
For an optimal combination of power and intuitive ease-of-use,
there’s
no Windows data acquisition software that can match DASYLab – and
in the area of data analysis, the same can be said for FlexPro. You can
take advantage of their interoperability to automate your whole measurement
application, from collecting data to presenting the results. Here’s
how.
With powerful visualisation and analysis tools and a user friendly interface,
FlexPro has become the software of choice for data analysis. By organising
all your data within a structured project database, FlexPro makes it easy
to manipulate, graph and analyse results and trends, and present them in
a variety of formats.
But did you know that FlexPro has built-in compatibility with
DASYLab? Of course FlexPro can directly import the native DASYLab DDF file
format, but in addition, FlexPro can connect as a client to a running DASYLab
worksheet. This allows live data to be viewed and analysed in FlexPro and
the automatic generation of high quality reports. To set this up, you'll
need FlexPro 7 and DASYLab version 5 or higher.
If DASYLab is found when FlexPro is installed,
a new DASYLab module called 'Write to FlexPro database' will be added.
When the FlexPro installation has finished, launch DASYLab. You will find
the new module in the Modules menu, under the ‘Files’ group.
This module can be connected to any data channels in the DASYLab worksheet
to export the data from these channels to FlexPro.
The configuration of the module
offers three options to save the FlexPro database. Single Measurement mode
simply saves the data as a single column. Signal Series mode saves data
in successive columns - the options allow you to define the length at which
column breaks occur. The Multi- Measurement mode splits the data into separate
Data Sets, which are stored in numerical, sequential folders within the
database. The Multi-Measurement mode is most useful if significant data
analysis needs to be performed without stopping the acquisition, as it
creates complete Data Sets containing historical data.
If the target database is not open in FlexPro
when the DASYLab worksheet starts then the database will be locked by DASYLab.
This mode provides the fastest possible access times. However, to allow
live visualisation and analysis of the data in FlexPro, it is necessary
to open the database in FlexPro (locally or on a remote PC on the network)
before you start the DASYLab worksheet. To do this, start a new database
in FlexPro and save it. Leaving the blank database open, switch back to
DASYLab to choose this database within the module options. To activate
the link, start the DASYLab worksheet and then switch to the open FlexPro
database. You should see that the new dataset(s) have been created, and
are updating. You can now use the features of FlexPro to visualise and
analyse the data, for example you can create a new Formula or Diagram (chart)
which references the live channels.
You can optionally define specific DDE commands in the module
which will trigger FlexPro to perform an action – for
example to create a plot or perform a calculation. A useful application
of this technique is automatic report generation. FlexPro documents allow
charts, statistical and spectral data to be presented in customisable report
format. Documents could also include global string and variable values
passed from DASYLab.
Reports can be triggered after a certain
increment of data has been collected, or on a specific event in DASYLab,
for example on an alarm or a push button activation.
Please use the links on the left to find out more...
Designing digital filters with FlexPro
A new option for FlexPro users provides a comprehensive set of tools for
filter design,
filtering and presentation using a simple, sequential process.
At the core of this new module are the latest IIR and FIR filter design
methods. The latter lets you design any type of multiband filter, setting
the permitted ripple in individual bands.
Sawitzky-Golay, Loess and Lowess
smoothing filters are also included, as well as a crash test analysis tool
to comply with ISO 6487. Once enabled, the new filter design capabilities
are accessed through FlexPro 7’s
Analysis Wizard, which guides the user through all the steps for designing
filters, filtering multiple data sets and presenting results. |
