Schneider Electric’s Fiber Manager™ supports a Flexible Data Model. In short, this flexibility enables the GIS Administrator to create and configure various features and utilize the OOTB functionality to connect and trace to/through it.
By leveraging this flexibility, one is able to construct an Inside Plant Cable. In the real world, an Inside Plant Cable is the same fiber optic cable one would normally digitize as a linear structure between fiber features, except this cable will be modeled within a point (typically the Patch Location) to run between buildings or floors.
To do this, an administrator must add additional tables and at a minimum configure as illustrated:
Assign the Fiber Color domain as applicable to the fiber strand and buffer tube objects. Once these tables are constructed, convert them to ArcFM™ objects.
The administrator must add the following Esri relationships between the parent (listed first) and child (listed second):
- PatchLocation (or name of Feature Class) / F_InsidePlantCable
- F_InsidePlantCable / F_InsidePlantBufferTube
- F_InsidePlantBufferTube / F_InsidePlantFiber
- F_InsidePlantFiber / F_InsidePlantFiberEndA
- F_InsdePlantFiber/F_InsidePlantFiberEndB
- F_InsidePlantFiberEndB / F_InsidePlantFiberEndA
With the exception of last relationship (F_InsidePlantFiberEndB / F_InsidePlantFiberEndA), all relationships are Composite and 1:M. The Primary Key is the GlobalID field, and the Foreign Key is the FiberParent field. The F_InsidePlantFiberEndB / F_InsidePlantFiberEndA relationship is Simple and 1:1. This last relationship’s Primary Key is the GlobalID field and the Foreign Key is the ImpliedConnectionSourceGUID field.
With the exception of the last relationship, assign the ArcFM™ AutoUpdater (On Relationship Create):to ArcFM™ Update Fiber Manager™ Field. There is no AutoUpdater assignment to the F_InsidePlantFiberEndB / F_InsidePlantFiberEndA relationship.
Once the data model is constructed, the construction of an ArcFM™ Favorite (future blog) is highly recommended. The will allow the simple use of Schneider Electric’s Location Editor to add Inside Plant Cables to existing Patch locations.
Once the cable has been inserted into the Patch Location, the user may then make connections utilizing Connection Manager to both ends of the cable. In essence, the cable is acting like Patch Panel Card with a Front Side Port and a Backside Port. It should be noted that currently there is no way to have length reflected in tracing.
As a simplistic example, we digitize a Patch Location (from Favorite containing Inside Plant Cable) separating two cables as shown below:
We connect the Kentucky and Basketball cables to the back side like we normally do. We then connect the InsidePlantCableEndA and InsidePlantCableEndB to the front side.
When saving the connection information and running a trace from the Kentucky cable, it naturally connects to the Basketball cable.
So….What is the difference between an Inside Plant Cable and a Patch Panel Card? In terms of the flexible data model, none.
ToPo says:
It’s so flexible you could even connect the Kentucky cable to the Football cable…oh dig!
Seriously though, nice post.
Brian says:
Thanks, Tom. You do have to love the flexibility of the product. The Kentucky Cable and the Football Cable may be a stretch. It is nice to know that the Kentucky Cable and the Basketball Cable could also connect to the 2015 cable and the National Championship Cable at the same Indianapolis Splice.
ToPo says:
That’s true. Unfortunately the Calapari cable is often bought out by different providers. Might hurt future interconnections with the National Championship cable.
Who is Tom?
Prasad Patil says:
Hi Brian, great post and love your articles, they have been helpful a lot. Keep up the good work.
While trying a hands on for this article I noticed that the field to hold the ImpliedConnectionSourceGUID is not mentioned.
Brian Higgins says:
Prasad, glad the posts are of benefit.
You are absolutely correct. Although the text discusses that field, it was not shown in the F_InsidePlantEndA table which could have been confusing. It has been fixed.
Thank you so much for noticing this omission.
Brian