Set the System Hierarchy

This procedure explains how to set up PCS with the following required system settings: your company's name, the number of levels in the system hierarchy, and a name for inspection points on a pipeline. A Public caption in this Options window indicates the associated property setting applies globally to all users and can only be changed by a SysAdmin.

The required User Location Formatsetting in Edit ROW Details window will not be completed during the initial system set up. After adding pipeline records in the system hierarchy, the User Location Format can be configured for each pipeline record to identify how inspection points are located on a pipeline. For more information, see Understanding Default Location Formats.

Complete the following steps to create the system hierarchy:

  1. Click Tools > Options in the header bar to open the Options window.

    Options Window

  2. Click the General tab on the left side of the window to open the General pane.

    Options - General Pane

  3. In the Company Name field, type the name of your company.

  4. In the User Location Name field, enter an description of how your company refers to inspection points on a pipeline. For example, type Milepost, Station Number, Reference Reading, or other type of descriptor.

  5. Click the Hierarchy tab to open Hierarchy pane.

    Hierarchy Levels

    Hierarchy Levels

  6. Select Hide Parallel Lines check box if you want to hide features in PCS that allow you to create and display parallel lines in the hierarchy.

    When Hide Parallel Lines is enabled, parallel lines are hidden in Select ROWs and in the Add New Node windows. Distribution companies with no parallel lines typically use this setting. PCS identifies parallel lines using the Pipe, Pipeline Code, and Pipeline Name fields. For a description of these fields refer to System Field Descriptions.

  7. In the Levels field, identify how many levels to include in the hierarchy. Click the down arrow and select the number of hierarchy levels in the selection list.  The pane updates to include level fields for the number of levels you selected. The example above shows the additional Level One, Level Two, and Level Three fields below the Levels field because 3 Levels was selected for that field.

  8. For each of the level fields below the Levels field, identify how pipelines are referred to in the system. For example, type ROW or Segment in the Level One field.

  9. (SysAdmin only) For property settings accompanied by a Private check box, check or uncheck the check box based on your company's requirements. When the Private check box is checked, the currently logged in user can change the associated property setting. For more information, see Public and Private Property Settings.

  10. Click Save.

Continue with Set Up PCS to complete the set up process.