DAMAS. Flexible Platform for Energy and Utilities

Transcription

1 DAMAS Flexible Platform for Energy and Utilities > > Construction kit for both trading and technical information systems > > Designed for energy, utilities, and for business with a time dimension in general > > A ready set of out-of-the-box business solutions for various types of customers > > Unique configuration capabilities and flexibility > > Short time-to-market and almost instant change-to-market > > Process automation and visualization > > Powerful computation kernel based on user-defined mathematic formulas > > Close collaboration with Microsoft Office > > Easy integration using standard web services interface and XML format > > Guaranteed reliability and high availability > > State-of-the-art internet technologies > > Continuous development and support

2 The Damas platform represents a robust enterprise solution for the management of trading and technical processes The Damas platform is the flagship product of Unicorn Systems for energy and utilities. It was designed and developed as a robust enterprise solution for the management of both trading and technical processes. It s most important advantage consists of its ability to immediately respond to new requirements and changing market conditions. The Damas platform is our response to the ever-growing demand for highly flexible, vendor independent solutions (see Fig. 1). The design of the Damas platform is based on our in-depth knowledge of energy markets and long-time experience in custom software development. Its revolutionary concept is defined in accordance with the latest information system development trends as a Rule-Based System. Therefore, Damas not only supports a variety of business processes in energy and utilities, but also serves as an environment where these processes can be can modelled and deployed in real time, even directly by the customer s specialists without the vendor s involvement. Damas provides unique modelling and configuration capabilities: in addition to its BPM (Business Process Management), the model includes data structures with arbitrary time granularity (Time Series ), computing expressions (Calculation ), system screen / data view rendering (FlexiGUI) using tables and charts, communication via multiple channels (Events ), and interfaces to other systems (Enterprise ). Naturally, this environment provides close integration with office tools (particularly MS Excel) and in-built reporting capabilities. You need open solution to integrate cheaply and quickly using industry standards. Your business processes flow in time; you work with data in different time resolutions. Enterprise Time Series Visualize business processes to run automatically and to customize them on-line. BPM FlexiGUI Use adaptable forms to view any data you wish in data grids or charts. Your Construction Kit Define your own alerts using various communication channels to be in touch with your business. Events MS Office Calculation Work with figures, define business rules, and change algorithms without programming. Import/Export/Copy/Paste data and create business reports in MS Office formats. Fig. 1 The Damas Platform

3 Users Systems Damas Platform FlexiGUI Enterprise MS Office Time Series Fig. 2 Damas Platform Components and Their Associations Calculation BPM Events integral part of the application. You may also export and import configurations as text files, so they can be backed-up outside the system and transferred to other environments. Time Series The Damas platform kernel uses time series as the primary data storage. The time unit assigned to each time series determines the granularity of its values. The system supports any time units, starting with minutes. Time series are widely configurable in the system by both its administrators and end users, who can use intuitive wizards to create custom time series and define all their properties. The time series are grouped into logical entities, arranged hierarchically, to provide for easy navigation in the system, as there are thousands of times series in typical Damas business solutions. Damas Platform Components The Damas platform is a powerful tool allowing efficient support and control of any trading or technical process with a time dimension. Thanks to its unique features, the platform allows you to build business applications virtually without any programming and therefore much faster and more efficiently than other solutions. Because the business model is interpreted at run time, simple changes in SW applications are a matter of several mouse clicks without any installation. On the Damas platform, unlike traditional information systems, SW applications are built by analysts (whom we call Damas designers) rather than programmers. Therefore, implementation teams are significantly smaller compared with the traditional approach, eliminating risks that typically arise from misunderstandings among the customer, analysts, and developers. The Time Series is a dynamic data repository with data organised in time series with arbitrary granularity. Data can be accessed (read and written) in tables and/ or charts using predefined views (FlexiGUI). External systems may access the data repository using Enterprise components. The data can be fully transformed to MS Office format, using pre-configured templates. Operation management of applications is provided through the integrated BPM (Business Process Management), actively employing the Calculation to perform defined computing operations. The Fig. 3 Data View platform also automatically communicates with external systems. The Events provides a detailed overview of system conditions and behaviour, delivering the information to users via messaging, , or SMS, or passing the information to external systems (see Fig. 2). All system operations are governed by configurations, which can be easily adjusted to meet specific needs. You may modify configurations using the user interface which is an FlexiGUI Any forms, data tables, and charts are defined using View Configurator. When defining a view, you have to select filter components first, allowing you to search for data based on various criteria. Then, you may add a list or matrix of items matching your filtering criteria to select a particular item to view or edit in the detail view. The data view itself is presented to users as a highly configurable data grid or chart.

4 Time series data can be displayed using other than basic time units of the time series; the system automatically performs necessary aggregations and disaggregations to build statistical or analytical data views. Views can be used for both viewing and editing data. The view design allows trained users to administrate views without programming. Calculation The Damas platform offers powerful computation capabilities. There can be any number of defined computing operations between computing operations between time series using a wide range of common mathematical operators and functions. The calculations themselves are performed either immediately upon the change of any input value, or are triggered either by the workflow engine or manually. Complex algorithms can be easily programmed specifically and then plugged into the system using its API. The Damas platform provides excellent computation performance it can carry out tens of millions of computing operations within minutes. MS Office Damas MS Office allows the user to export and import data into MS Office applications. The user can easily edit the data offline e. g., in the MS Excel environment and upload them back later. Also, the Damas platform provides integrated reporting, which allows you to build your output reports in various formats based on predefined templates. Fig. 4 Full-screen View with Different Structure Events Most users usually wish to be informed about information system activities. In the Damas platform, event distribution is provided by the Events. For each event (such as data entry, process start, gate closure or report generation), authorized users can define whether and through which communication channel they wish to be informed about the event. Supported channels include internal messages, , SMS, web service, or sound alarm. BPM The Damas Visual Workflow allows the definition of process diagrams using the built-in configuration tools. The process diagram is later linked with a particular business component, ensuring automated operation of the entire business application. Users are informed about the condition of each process Fig. 5 Edit Mode View in detail or can monitor the system state based on high-level process indicators. Process diagrams are used to control all operations which should be executed automatically at specified times, such as data transfers, calculations, etc. Process management is also used to control user access to business data, which may differ depending on the particular business process states.

5 Fig. 6 Sample Supported Charts Enterprise A general web service interface is available in Damas, based on ETSO-E XML standards on the logical level, allowing the easy transfer of any data between Damas applications and external systems at the level of time series. With this interface, it is possible to connect Damas to other SW applications without programming simply by means of configuration. In addition to web services, Damas also supports communication by , FTP, DB connection, or the ECP (Energy Communication Platform). Damas Platform Benefits > > Flexibility Fastest implementation of new features and changes, working in any time resolution > > Growth support Quick introduction of new products and business rules in response to customer needs and changes in the business environment > > Short and efficient implementation cycle Small teams, reduced project risks, immediate user feedback > > Reduced costs Changes and updates without code writing and vendor participation > > Vendor independence Protection of proprietary know-how > > Continuous improvement and upgrades Based on working experience and user requirements Out-of-the-box Business Solutions The Damas platform was originally developed for the purposes of system operators and as such is currently employed in a number of countries in Europe. Gradually, a number of standard out-of-the-box solutions were built on the Damas platform for various areas of the energy market: besides Damas Energy, designed for system and market operators, there is Damas Power for producers, Damas Trade for traders. Damas business solutions bring their customers high added value in the form of ready-to-use standard modules while being cheap and easy to adapt, modify and extend. Also, features from different solutions can be freely combined. Fig. 7 Process Management

6 UNICORN SYSTEMS References > > ČEPS, a.s. > > BritNed Development Ltd. > > EirGrid plc > > EMS Elektromreža Srbije > > National Grid plc > > Réseau de Transport d Electricité (RTE) > > Slovenská elektrizačná prenosová sústava, a.s. > > Terna Rete Italia S.p.A. Unicorn Systems a.s. info@unicornsystems.eu > > Teplárna Strakonice, a.s. > > Transelectrica Romanian National Power Grid Company > > EXEN s.r.o. > > TenneT TSO B.V. > > PTC SEE CAO LLC > > Swissgrid AG > > esett Oy Unicorn Systems is a member of Unicorn Group, a dynamic company providing comprehensive services in the field of information systems and information and communication technologies. All names, companies, company logos etc. are protected symbols or registered trademarks belonging to respective owners. Graphic layout: VIG Design s.r.o. VGD Photo Jiří Matula, Copyright Unicorn Systems a.s., USY2004EN02 About Unicorn Systems Unicorn Systems is a renowned European company providing the largest information systems and solutions in the area of information and communication technologies. We have focused on providing high added value and a competitive edge to our clients for many years. We have been operating on the market since 1990 and since then we have created a series of high-end large-scale solutions that are extended and used among the most important companies in a variety of sectors. We have the best references from companies in banking, insurance, energy and utilities, telecommunications, manufacturing, trade and the government. Our customers are not only the largest companies but also market leaders. We have detailed knowledge of the entire spectrum of all business sectors. We understand the principles of their operation as well as comprehend the specific needs of our customers.