Symptoms

A detailed look at the fields and dependencies in the Symptoms records, how to create a new Symptom record & editing existing Symptoms.

Symptoms are only available in the Standard and Enterprise versions of Solarvista. If you are using Lite , please skip to Resolutions or return to Setting Up Data.

 

The “Symptom” record is used with the “Break/Fix” form to allow a “repair style” Job/Work Item to record a series of symptoms related to a problem. It is simply a Code and a Description.

Symptoms can be limited to specific Product Categories i.e. where a Job/Work Item applies to a specific Product/Equipment the Symptoms can be restricted. In addition, Manufacturers can filter availability too. It is not essential to setup Symptoms to use Solarvista.

Where Symptom Records are Used

The following files refer to Symptom records so if you plan to use any of these, setting up the records in this file will be important or even critical:

 

Activity/Forms

• Break/Fix Codes
  
  

Pre-requisite Files for Symptom Records

When setting up Cause records, it is recommended to review the other data files that may need to be referred to by each record. These are the files that you may need to setup in advance:

• Categories (Product)
• Categories (Symptom)
• Manufacturers
  
  

Field Descriptions for Symptom Records

The ID section holds the unique ID for the record:

Reference - holds the unique ID for the record (most records in Solarvista have one of these). It cannot contain any spaces or non-standard characters. Once the record is saved, it is not possible to edit it afterwards. In most default situations, the Reference is automatically set using a counter sequence, however, you can setup your own if you prefer.

 

The Details section holds a description:

Description – a text field to describe the cause of the Symptom. This is limited to one line.

 

The Applicability section holds applicability information:

Product Categories – a list of the Product Categories where this Symptom is applicable. This can be left blank and will apply to all Product Categories.

Manufacturers – a list of the Manufacturers where this Symptom is applicable. This can be left blank and will apply to all Manufacturers.

 

The Other section holds miscellaneous additional information:

Memo – a free text field that can be used for any purpose.

Category – a category for the Symptom e.g. ‘Error”, “Performance” etc. These are defined in the Categories file and set with a Type= “Symptom”.

Code – used to hold an optional alternative ID code. This may be applicable in situations where information is being transferred to other systems via Connectors and the code here is used to identify the record to the other system.

Status – defines the status of the Symptom as follows:

• Disabled – is not active. The record will not appear for selection in other parts of the system.
• Enabled – is active. The record will appear for selection in other parts of the system.

Creating a New Symptom Record

To create a new Symptom record:

1. Click on the “Plus” button.
   
   A menu will appear.
2. Within the “Data Sources” section, find “Symptom”.
   
3. Click on “Symptom”.
4. A new “empty” Symptom record will appear.
5. Populate all fields as you require.
6. Click on the “Create” button.
   
7. You may need to refresh the page to see the new record in a view.
   

Editing a Symptom Record

To edit a Symptom record:

1. From the main menu, select Symptoms.
   
   The default view for Symptoms will open.
2. Click on the Quick Filter button.
   
3. Enter criteria for the Symptom record you are looking for and click Apply button.
   
4. The view will update. Find the record you are wanting to edit.
5. Click anywhere on the row that shows the record. The record will open.
6. You can edit any field that allows editing (some could be set to read only).
7. Click on “Save” button to save changes.
   

Deleting a Symptom Record

To delete a Symptom record.

1. From the main menu, select Symptoms. The default view for Symptoms will open.
2. Click on the Quick Filter button.
   
3. Enter criteria for the Symptom record you are looking for and click Apply button.
   
4. The view will update. Find the record you are wanting to delete.
5. On the left side of the view is a column containing checkboxes.
6. Check the box of the record you want to delete.
7. Click the “Delete” button on the top right.
   
   A slide in dialog will appear prompting you to confirm the delete, by typing in the word “DELETE” again.
8. To confirm, click the “Delete” button and the record (or records will be deleted).
   

Note: You cannot delete Symptom records that have already been used upon Jobs/Work Items. You can delete Symptom records referred to only by other Data Sources however this will leave those records without an associated to a valid Symptom record. If this happens by accident, you can manually recreate the record ensuring the Reference is identical. You can also change the status of the record to prevent it appearing on screen in future whilst maintaining historical integrity.

Customising or Adding New Fields

Solarvista™ is built upon a uniquely flexible platform that allows you to edit fields (or remove them in some cases) as well as add your own fields. These new fields (or edited characteristics of existing fields) automatically become available within the web portal and the mobile apps. For more information, refer to the Customising section.

Importing Cause Data in Bulk using Import Tool

If you have a lot of Cause information to enter, you may prefer to upload this using the Import Tool that’s built into Solarvista. The Import Tool enables Cause records to be created from “CSV” text files. CSV files can be created from a wide range of popular applications including Microsoft Excel. For more information on importing data into Solarvista, please refer to the article here.

Continue the Setting Up Data series with Resolutions.