Energy Economics, Inc. has designed MMS™, a multiple user Data Acquisition System, to collect and report the information needed to manage a gas meter shop. While every gas utility has the same responsibility to test and assure the accuracy of its gas meters, each company has slightly different procedures for doing this work. MMS™ has been installed at many gas utilities and each installation implements system features to accommodate the customers’ individual needs, often without custom code. EEI is dedicated to providing a computer system that manages the information needed in the meter shop.
DASY™ was originally designed in 1985 as a way to use a computer to automate the process of printing meter cards. A serial communications port on the prover would transmit test data and a host computer would collect that test data and print it out. Acquisition of data from gas meter provers using a host computer is how DASY™ got its name, but that was more than ten years ago. Today EEI’s MMS has many more capabilities including a relational database, productivity reports, random sampling, meter tracking, inventory reconciliation, repair bench programs, bar-code printers and scanners, the ability to interface with third party test equipment, networked PCs in a client-server environment, and interfaces with customer service and work tracking systems. MMS™ for a meter shop will include some or all of these features, and, of course, our feature list continues to expand as we gain experience with customer needs and as new technology becomes available.
Collecting data from provers and printing the results is as simple as MMS™ gets. Most MMS™ users find it useful to collect meter information throughout the meter shop and produce specific reports on productivity and meter location.
Collecting, storing and reporting information is a task for a database. The heart of MMS™ is the database server. Client workstations have function specific software such as Receive, Test, Repair, and Stock stations. MMS™ can provide tracking information down to the pallet by reporting where a meter was last processed (check-in, intest provers, repair bench, leak test, out-test provers, check-out, etc.) Other reports provide information about shop production by meter type, prover operator, repair operator or any other criteria desired.
The MMS™ database may be started from scratch or it may be loaded with legacy data from existing mainframe files. MMS™ can be used as a stand alone system or communicate with other systems. Our thick pipe interface design allows easy connections with minimal customization.
The basic objective of MMS™ is to automate the collection of information as a meter is processed by the meter shop. Other important benefits include up to the minute information availability, data integrity, productivity reports and meter tracking, random sampling, periodic testing, inventory reconciliation.
Principle Functions
- Collects meter test results from a variety of leading manufacturer’s proving equipment.
- EEI Sonic 9 Prover
- EEI Sonic Nozzle Prover
- EEI PC Prover
- AMCO SNAP Prover
- AVO testboard
- RFL-5800 testboard
- Syslink/UTEC testboard
- Automatically acquires the test results, limit checks these tests, records test times and dates, and stores histories of any special handling or repairs.
- Tracks meter production throughout the meter shop.
- Locates meter by warehouse, production process and pallet.
- LAN architecture transparent.
- Fail-soft support with EEI provers.
- Supported Client OS: Windows 7/10.
- Provides multiple levels of system security password access from read-only operator to system administrator. Key system parameters, system menus, validation limits, etc. may be set by the appropriate level of personnel.
- Designed for Oracle RDMS.
- Provides standard reports for screens or printers on meter production as well as ad hoc reporting and querying capabilities. Various analysis and reporting functions can be initiated by Windows-based point and click report generating software. Typical reports include:
- Meter accuracy by type, manufacturer, in service dates, etc.
- Productivity reports by operator, test device, meter type, day/week/month
- Reports and data files can be printed or exported to other standard software packages for further analysis or integration.
- Interfaces to customer information systems and work tracking systems.
- Bar-code support is available for reading and printing of labels.
For more information, call us today at (800) 733-2557.
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