Questions and Answers about FlexPro

1. In which areas is FlexPro being used?
2. Can FlexPro process data which have not been equidistantly sampled?
3. How big can FlexPro databases and datasets get?
4. I work with very large volumes of data. What should I watch out for?
5. When I open a signal in the FlexPro Data Editor I can see the measurement values and their sampling times. Does FlexPro store all the time points for every signal?
6. I often have to apply the same evaluation several times to different sets of data. Can FlexPro automate this process?
7. Is the analysis always repeated completely when a document is updated?
8. I have evaluations and data in Excel format. Will I be able to continue to use these?
9. How can I insert a diagram into a Word document? If I transfer a diagram via the clipboard into Word the message "Not enough memory" appears
10. When I paste a link to a FlexPro diagram into a Word 2000 document, only a blank picture is displayed.
11. I have transfered a waterfall diagram with color shading into Word. Why is the color shading displayed as a black area?
12. There is supposed to be an extension module for my capture software allowing me to write my data directly into a FlexPro database. How do I get hold of this module?
13. If I copy text labels from FlexPro to Office 2000 via the clipboard, these are either not displayed at all or are shown upside down
14. How can I change the formatting of values within cursor markers?
15. I am importing data from an ASCII file without X channel, but I know the sampling rate. How can I get this into my data sets?
16. How can I linearize data sets using a characteristic curve?

1. In which areas is FlexPro being used?
   FlexPro is used in those areas where big volumes of data are being generated or have to be evaluated with specific analytical procedures. Typical areas of use are research, development, test benches and production supervision.
   
2. Can FlexPro process data which have not been equidistantly sampled?
   Yes. FlexPro can display and analyze non-equidistantly sampled data as well as data which are not monotone (ascending or descending).
   
3. How big can FlexPro databases and datasets get?
   The size of a FlexPro database is only limited by the size of the hard disk. Every dataset in this database can have a maximum size of 2 GB. FlexPro processes large records directly on the hard disk, without first loading them into memory. Intermediate results are stored in temporary files. This is why you should make sure that there is always sufficient storage space for temporary files on your drive.
   
4. I work with very large volumes of data. What should I watch out for?
   FlexPro can store complete project databases in one single file or split them across several files and folders on the hard disk. If you are working with very large volumes of data, you should definitely choose the latter option.

   You should not open the databases as backup-copies but directly. Otherwise FlexPro has to copy the database completely before opening it.

   You might have to de-activate the Undo-function. Otherwise FlexPro might have to create big records as backup-copies if you change data. Make sure that there is always enough storage space for temporary files on your drive.

5. When I open a signal in the FlexPro Data Editor I can see the measurement values and their sampling times. Does FlexPro store all the time points for every signal?
   No. As long as the signals are equidistantly sampled, the sampling times are stored as implicit datasets on number, starting value and increment. This means that only very little storage is used. For you as a user this process is completely transparent, meaning that you can process implicitly saved data in just the same way as if all the values had been saved individually. FlexPro converts the data automatically into explicit data if e.g. you modify time values in the Editor.
   
6. I often have to apply the same evaluation several times to different sets of data. Can FlexPro automate this process?
   Yes. You can import the data into a sub-folder of the FlexPro project database. The FlexPro Import command can create such folders directly. You now activate the folder containing the data to be evaluated. The datasets contained in this folder will then be displayed in the root folder where they can be selected for evaluation.

   Having created all evaluations and documents you can apply these to other datasets at the push of a button. Simply activate the folder containing the data to be evaluated and update your documents.

7. Is the analysis always repeated completely when a document is updated?
   No. The "Smart Update" technology of FlexPro makes sure that only those analyses are re-calculated of which the source data have changed.
   
8. I have evaluations and data in Excel format. Will I be able to continue to use these?
   Yes. You can import your Excel workbooks into the FlexPro project database and continue to work with Excel within FlexPro. You can access the data and diagrams in FlexPro.
   
9. How can I insert a diagram into a Word document? If I transfer a diagram via the clipboard into Word the message "Not enough memory" appears
   FlexPro offers diagrams, text and tables which you copy into the clipboard to other applications as the formats "FlexPro Database Object", "Graphics" and "Hardware independent Bitmap".

   The preferred format is "FlexPro Database Object". It can however only be linked and not embedded, the reason being that e.g. a diagram depends on many other objects in the database such as formulae and datasets. Therefore the complete database would have to be integrated into the Word document which makes little sense. FlexPro therefore notifies the other application that inserting is not supported which can lead to incomprehensible error messages with many programs.

   There are several ways of avoiding this problem. One is to transfer the object using drag and drop. For this you need to keep the CTRL- and the SHIFT-key pressed so that the link symbol appears on your cursor. Another way is to copy the object into the clipboard and to use the command "Paste special" from the "Edit" menu in the other application. Choose "FlexPro Database Object" as the format and select "Link".

   If you want to embed an object you should use the format "Graphics" or "Device independent Bitmap".

10. When I paste a link to a FlexPro diagram into a Word 2000 document, only a blank picture is displayed.
    This is a bug in Microsoft Office 2000. Microsoft already recognized this bug and corrected it in the service release 1a (SR-1a) of Office 2000. Please download the update from the Microsoft web site or ask Microsoft for an update CD.
    
11. I have transfered a waterfall diagram with color shading into Word. Why is the color shading displayed as a black area?
    The Windows graphics format is subject to certain restrictions which prevent the correct transfer of the color shading under the curves. With FlexPro however you can transfer the diagram using the format "Device independent Bitmap" (Pixel graphics). Copy the object into the clipboard and use the command "Paste special" from the "Edit" menu of the other application. Choose the format "Device independent Bitmap" and select "Link" or "Embed".
    
12. There is supposed to be an extension module for my capture software allowing me to write my data directly into a FlexPro database. How do I get hold of this module?
    These modules exist for the capture software LabView 5.0, TestPoint 3.x, FlexPro-Control 4.0, DasyLab 4.0, Visual Designer 4.0 and HP VEE 5.0. They are supplied with FlexPro 5.0. During the installation of FlexPro you can specify that these modules are to be installed as well. To do this, select the setup type "custom" and activate the ActiveX component. Select your software from the list. The corresponding module will then be installed.
    
13. If I copy text labels from FlexPro to Office 2000 via the clipboard, these are either not displayed at all or are shown upside down
    This problem is due to an error in Microsoft Office 2000. Although Microsoft have documented this error it has still not been corrected, not even with the Office Service Pack 2. The applications affected by this are Word 2000, Excel 2000 and PowerPoint 2000.

    The error seems to occur if the text label (e.g. an axis label on a diagram) contains special characters (äöüß). Until Microsoft fixes the problem, you have to either replace the special characters (e.g. ae for ä) or you have to export the diagrams as pictures and import these into Office.

14. How can I change the formatting of values within cursor markers?
    For the formatting of digits and strings FlexPro uses so-called formatters. E.g. the formatter "%.3f" represents numbers without exponents and three fractional digits. Wherever Flexpro has to display data, you can control the output via such formatters.

    FlexPro formats the Y- and X-values displayed in cursor markers according to the following pattern: First of all, the program checks whether a formatter has been specified for the division labeling of the X or Y axis above which the relevant curve will be displayed. If so, this is used not just for the axis divisions but also for the cursor markers. If no formatter has been specified here, FlexPro checks whether a formatter has been specified for the data set represented as a curve. If this is the case, this formatter will be used. Should this formatter not exist either FlexPro will use a default format.

    If you want to change the formatting for the markers of a specific diagram only, you should double-click on the division labeling of the axes concerned and edit the formatting for the division labeling in the “Format” field. This will also change the formatting of the cursor markers.
    If the formatting is to apply to all diagrams and tables in which a particular data set is displayed, you should open the Properties dialog box of this data set and adjust the formatter on the Formatting property page accordingly.

15. I am importing data from an ASCII file without X channel, but I know the sampling rate. How can I get this into my data sets?
    You should create a formula named "_Sig" with the following content:
    Arguments y, samplingrate
    Signal(y, 1. / samplingrate)

    You can now convert your data sets into signals by selecting them in the FlexPro Explorer and simply dragging and dropping them onto the name of the above formula. FlexPro then asks for a value for the sampling rate.

16. How can I linearize data sets using a characteristic curve?
    Using the FPScript function Sample(), you can linearize signals with a characteristic curve. The characteristic curve or calibration table has to be specified as a signal which contains the actual values in the X-component and the set values in the Y-component.

    Create a formula named "_Lin" with the following content:

    Arguments s
    Dim table
    table = Signal({0., 1.1, 1.9, 2.99, 3.98, 5.0}, 1.)
    If DataStructure(s) == STRUCT_DATASERIES Then
        s = Signal(s, 1.)
    End
    Sample(table, s)

    You can now linearize your data sets by selecting them in the FlexPro Explorer and dragging and dropping them onto the name of the above formula.
    In the example, the variable table contains the calibration table with the set values for the actual values 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. You will have to amend this table for your purposes. Alternatively, you can refer to an external data set which contains the table.

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