Build Analysis and DBDOC

What is build analysis?
Should I worry if DBDOC says there are lots of errors?
What errors does DBDOC look for?
How do I send an error file for analysis?
Why check for errors that are probably harmless?
Can I do my own build analysis?

What is build analysis?

After you've done a new build, you can email us your zipped error file - we'll interpret the errors and let you know if DBDOC has identified any problems in your system. Since we are constantly refining and expanding DBDOC's error checking capabilities, we strongly encourage our clients to send us a zipped error file at least once a year. The lastest DBDOC can detect system issues undetectable with earlier versions, and not checked by ABB tools.

Should I worry if DBDOC says there are lots of errors?

As our Australian friends say, no worries mate.

The INFI-90 system forces you to leave things that are untidy because its redundancy precludes simple changes. This means that DBDOC finds many things that are of no real consequence to your operation. Most of the errors you'll see are untidy, but harmless. But some aren't so harmless, and this is where DBDOC can save you time, money and aggravation.

What errors does DBDOC look for?

DBDOC looks for well over 100 different error types (see also Should I worry if DBDOC says there are lots of errors?).

The beauty of DBDOC is that once the system issues are identified, you can trace and troubleshoot right in DBDOC's Hyperview browser window, then use your ABB Tools to fix the problem.

A list of some of the most useful checks is below, listed alphabetically by our reporting filename. (A complete list is available in our Help section "Build Reports and Error Analysis" under "Filtered Files").

Filename (.ERR)	Description
DBDOC_ADAPT_BLOCKS	Indicates places where two adapt blocks adapt the same specification, specs that cannot be adapted, target blocks that do not exist, or other configuration problems with adapt blocks and their targets.
DBDOC_AMBIGUOUS_WIRING	This message appears when there is wiring that cannot be resolved. The intent of the wiring is not clear and may be in error.
DBDOC_DUPLICATE_OFFMODULE_ REFERENCE	This indicates that the same exception report value is being imported into a module twice. One import does not work! The block that works can change when the module is rerun. This is a serious problem if either or both import values are in use.
DBDOC_DUPLICATE_SOURCE	A block appears with this message if it appears to have more than one source.
DBDOC_ENHANCED_TREND	The indicated enhanced input is not a supported type. ABB documentation indicates that this is a configuration error.
DBDOC_HISTORY_TAG	The history database refers to a tag that does not exist in your tag database.
DBDOC_ILLEGAL_IMPORT	DBDOC has found a block that is being imported illegally. The import function does not work.
DBDOC_ILLEGAL_SPEC_VALUE	The specification shown is not legal according to ABB documentation.
DBDOC_IMPORT_FROM_SAME_PCU	An exception report input is being attempted from the PCU that the module is in. In INFI Loop, this causes an ?NPM Error? when the module is started. In INFI-loop, this does not work! Since this works Plant Loop, this problem can be easily missed.
DBDOC_IREF_DOES_NOT_MATCH_ MODULE	In this case, the input reference refers to a module that is not the one indicated by the module specification (S1) in the AIL/B or DIL/B function.
DBDOC_IREF_HAS_NO_INPUT	This message means that if you compile the modules, you will not find a source for the indicated IREF. The OREF needed to resolve the IREF was not found.
DBDOC_LPM_REFERENCE_PROBLEM	These messages cover situations where IREF text exists on an off-module input, but the reference text is already used as a local OREF reference.
DBDOC_MULTIPLE_INPUT	The signal from the two function codes shown are coming into a connector at the coordinates indicated.
DBDOC_MULTIPLE_TAG_NAMES	A block is defined with different tagnames.
DBDOC_NO_SOURCE_CONFIG	This message means that a block is being imported in the configuration that was not built in the CAD sheets.
DBDOC_NO_SOURCE_GRAPHIC	All the blocks (and tags) listed in this file refer to tags defined with blocks that do not exist; the tags are used on graphics but no such block number exists.
DBDOC_OVERRIDE	Lists where a rung block input has its value set arbitrarily to 0 or 1, so the input value is ignored. Verify that this is intentional.
DBDOC_OVERRIDE_ON_OUTPUT	The indicated rung block has its output forced to 0, 1 or to hold its value. The logic will not respond to any change in the inputs.
DBDOC_PCV_TREND_MISMATCH	In a PCView SODG graphics system, a trend tag was found that was defined with a tag that did not match. In PCView, a trend tag is only meaningful if it is defined with the same block as its source tagname.
DBDOC_RUNG_BLOCK	Wired inputs may have controlling parameter values of 0, so they are unused. Unwired inputs may have non-zero parameter values, as if they were to be used.
DBDOC_SOURCE_IN_SAME_MODULE	An exception report input is being attempted from the local module.
DBDOC_SOURCE_TO_SOURCE	This shows a wiring error where sources were wired together.
DBDOC_SPEC_OUT_OF_RANGE	The value of a parameter was out of legal range, according to ABB documentation. The function does not work.
DBDOC_TAG_INDEX	There are references to tag index values in some graphics that are not found in the tag database. These messages suggest that you have graphics with blank tag names in them, so that the tag index values are being used. In a tagname-keyed SODG system (Conductor VMS, WinTools, or PCView), if you have blank tagnames, you will have found that maintaining the system validly is difficult.
DBDOC_TAG_MISMATCH	While scanning various databases, a tag was found that is defined with different combinations of loop, PCU, module and block.
DBDOC_TAG_NAME_NOT_FOUND	Graphics contain tags that do not exist.
DBDOC_TAG_NOT_EXCEPTION_ REPORTED	A tag name has been defined for a block output that does not generate an exception report.
DBDOC_TOO_FEW_INPUTS	The 8-input OR block (FC36) function block requires more inputs than have been provided and cannot work as is.
DBDOC_TRIP_ON_FAULT	The value of the indicated specification will cause the module to trip if the slave has a fault. In the case of FC 79, value 100 causes a trip if any defined I/O point is bad. Value 101 marks the slave as bad if any defined I/O point is bad, but is not supposed to trip.
DBDOC_UNKNOWN_SHAPE	This report gives you a checklist of shapes that need to be resolved for your CAD sheets to build cleanly.

How do I send an error file for analysis?

After a build, launch BuildPlus, and follow the following steps:

Open Windows Explorer, using (BuildPlus / Tools / Launch Windows Explorer).

In the current folder, browse to find "error.tgz".

Attach the file to an email and send it to support@gmcl.com.

Why check for errors that are probably harmless?

Many of the errors we look for are not likely to be a direct functional error, but sometimes untidiness can lead to an error. Many of our users like to get an overall sense of how tidy their systems are. For example, DBDOC looks for adapt blocks that do not appear on the same page as the blocks they adapt. This is not a functional error, but most of our users want to correct that situation.

DBDOC gives you the information, you decide what to do with it.

Can I do my own build analysis?

Yes! We have lots more information in the Help pages Build Reports and Error Analysis. Browse through and don't hesitate to contact us with any questions!

DBDOC copyright ©1996 - 2008 G. Michaels Consulting Ltd., all rights reserved. Unless noted otherwise the following are products, trademarks, service marks and/or registered trademarks of their owners and/or holders in the U.S. and/or other countries. MediaView, Microsoft, Visual Studio and Windows are owned and/or held by Microsoft Corporation. AutoCAD is a registered trademark of AutoDesk, Inc. MicroStation is a product of Bentley Systems, Inc. ABB, Batch B90, CAD, CADEWS, Composer, Tenore NT, Conductor NT Graphics, versions, INFI 90, PCView, SODG, Symphony, WinCAD and WinTools are owned and/or held by ABB Group. EMCON-D is owned and/or held by GSE Process Solutions Inc. Rovisys OPC90 Lite Server is owned and/or held by The Rovisys Company.