User's Manual

Testing

Setup vs Test Procedure

5-11

Setup vs Test Procedure

So far, we’ve discussed the Test Scheduler tool, the “Mark for Load” concept, and

the Calibrator Manager screen. We’ve shown how these elements work together

to address your scheduling and calibrator management needs. Before moving on

with the fundamentals of loading and unloading, it is appropriate to discuss the

nuances of setting up your testing information. (Obviously, you must properly

define your test before you can do it.)

Take a moment to review the Setup, Setup Cal., and Test Procedure pages.

The information on the Setup page reflects the device itself. This information

remains the same regardless of the calibrator that is used or how the test itself is

carried out. Test procedure-specific information is recorded on the Test

Procedure page. The information on this page is independent of the information

on the Setup page. The Setup Cal. page contains information relative to the

specific Test Type (the calibrator that is to be used).

Assuming that you have a Procedure defined for a given Tag ID, the Test

Procedure page contains information like Setup Messages, Wrapup

Messages, and Adequacy Delta. This information is certainly related to the

test itself, not the device. The Setup Cal. page includes the types of input, output,

and related settings possible with the currently defined Test Type. To some

degree, these are the settings that differentiate one calibrator from another. Since

these settings are made on a per Test Type and Tag ID record basis, it is possible

to define different Setup Cal. information for each of your Test Type choices

for each Tag ID record! In other words, by maintaining separate Test

Procedure and Setup Cal. information for each of your Test Type values on a

per Tag ID record basis, you may choose the desired Test Type value and

proceed with your loading, testing, and unloading without ever having to touch the

Setup information. Think about it. Does the device care what calibrator you are

using so long as it’s capable of doing the test? Probably not. And shouldn’t you be

free to use whatever calibrator is available and appropriate without having to

change anything with respect to the device itself? Of course. This is why

DPC/TRACK separates the Setup and Test Procedure information. Together,

this information is passed to the calibrator to help you perform the test (as

described on the Test Procedure and Setup Cal. pages) on the device (as

defined on the Setup page).

The

Adequacy Delta and Adequacy Level fields may be used to help

determine if a given combination of test equipment (calibrator) and Tag ID is

adequate. (If the sum of the Adequacy Delta of the Procedure and the

Adequacy Level of the Tag ID exceed the Adequacy of the calibrator, then a

warning will be issued when the testing parameters are loaded to the calibrator.)

Adequacy checking may be bypassed with an Adequacy Delta value of “0”.