Vantage Data Link Guide
1.0 - Introduction
The Vantage Data Link (VDL) is a standalone application, that provides the user with a simple to use method of sending WITS data from any PC with a WITS connection, back to the server database, without the requirement for Well Seeker X (WSX) at the rig site. This WITS EDR data can then be visualized in Vantage and will be automatically stored by the Vantage Data Acquisition system.
Historically, getting WITS EDR data back to the server database has been reliant upon the WSX PC being connected to a WITS feed. However, in most cases this requires a physical cabled connection, and so WITS data transmission to the server database was being severed if the WSX laptop had to be moved, for example, when taking the laptop to the rig floor.
The VDL solves this problem, by allowing WITS data to be pushed back to an organizations server database by any PC with a WITS connection. The ideal candidates for this would be the MWD PC, or a dedicated WITS transmission PC.
2.0 - Workflow
The following are the recommended steps to follow when setting up a WITS connection using VDL:
Install Vantage Data Link
Ensure an administrator has assigned the intended user the correct role permissions
Open VDL. Log in using Vantage login credentials
Select a well to send WITS data to in the server database
Confirm the correct Unit Set is selected
Select or create a WITS mapping template
Add or select a WITS connection
Start Reading
When the well is complete, open Vantage Data link and Stop Reading
3.0 - Installation
For installation instructions, please refer to Vantage Data Link: Installation Guide
4.0 - Login
To be able to log in, the user must be assigned a role with the Vantage Data Link Base and Data Acq features enabled. These permissions can be configured by an administrator in the User Management > Roles page in Vantage.
Once this has been configured, the user can log in using their Vantage credentials following the next steps.
Click on ‘Log in’
Enter the username email and select ‘Continue’
Enter Password and select ‘Continue’
Authorize access by selecting ‘Accept’
5.0 - Overview
Vantage Data Link consists of three main tabs:
Wells
Rigs
WITS
Before setting up a WITS connection, the user must first select a well. This can be done from either the Wells or Rigs tab.
A status bar is displayed at the bottom of the screen, showing connection information, regardless of the tab the user has selected:
Service
Request
Data
Records
Well Name
Template
Unit Set
Recent Errors
5.1 - Wells
The Wells tab displays all available wells for selection. Only wells with a valid status will be displayed. Any wells with no status or a status of N/A will not be available in this list. If the required well is not visible, this must be corrected in Vantage.
A single well can be selected by checking the row checkbox for the corresponding well name. Only wells with ‘Active’ status can be selected. If the user tries to select a well with another status, a message will be displayed in the bottom of the screen informing ‘Only Active wells can be selected’.
Once the well is selected, the well name will be displayed at the top-left corner and in the status bar.
To assist in locating a specific well in the list, the user can apply filters by selecting the option at the top of the grid. The filters available are: All, 7d, 60d, 1y, Favorites and BHA in Hole.
Favorite wells will have a yellow star in the icon and can be set by clicking in the Account Settings in the top-right corner and selecting Favorites. This will open a dialog where users can set the favorites based on Rigs, Operators or Districts.
Alternatively, users can use the search bar in the top of the screen to search for the desired well.
In the right side of the screen, user can use the ‘Refresh’ button to refresh the wells page, and select to display the grid, the map or both.
5.2 - Rigs
The Rigs tab provides an alternative way to select a well based on rig grouping instead of well listing. This tab is very similar to Wells, but the available filters will be only Favorites and BHA in Hole.
If the most recently updated Active well for a Rig has been selected in the Wells tab, it will also be marked in the Rigs tab, and vice versa.
5.3 - WITS
The WITS tab contains three sections:
Connection: Where the user can add or select a connection for WITS in and WITS out.
Mapping: Where the user defines which WITS channel corresponds to which internal mnemonic used.
Stream: Where the user can see incoming data and any error messages.
5.3.1 - Connection
When adding a new connection, , user can add:
WITS IN: Where the data will be sent from the Rig to Vantage Data Link.
WITS OUT: Where the data will be sent from Vantage Data Link to an external display, third-party software, or the client cloud.
When adding any of these connections, user can opt between 4 types:
TCP Client
TCP Server
UDP Client
Serial
The user can create a new connection by selecting the desired option, filling in the required information and clicking on ‘Create connection’ button’. For TCP Client and UDP Client connections the required inputs are Host and Port. For TCP Server connection, only Port input is required. For a Serial connection the inputs needed are Serial Port and Baud Rate.
The connections added can be edited by clicking the Edit button. The connection for WITS in can also be deleted by clicking the Delete button.
Once the user has created a valid connection and selected the Start button, the connection will attempt to start. If successful, the status will change to Running. A Stop button will then become available on Connection WITS IN, a Start button will appear in the Connection WITS OUT, and the Stream section will begin populating with data.
If the user wants to send WITS OUT, it is necessary to click in the Start button in the Connection-Out grid. Note: Start and Stop button will only be available in the Connection-Out grid, when WITS IN is running.
Once a connection has started the Auto Start status will change to Auto Start. This means that if the user now closed the VDL application, and has their computer turned on, the VDL data stream will continue to run as a background task. Even if the user restarts their computer, the VDL will reinitiate as background task, without the user having to reopen the VDL application.
Once the well is completed, it is important that the user reopens the VDL application and selects Stop. This will stop the data stream and set the Auto Start status to Manual Start. This will prevent data from pushing to the selected well as a background task, when having the computer turned on.
5.3.2 - Mapping
This section defines which WITS channel corresponds to which internal mnemonic used.
A Template dropdown is available for selecting a mapping template. The system includes three default templates that cannot be edited or deleted: Default, RigSense and SoloBox.When one of these system templates is selected, the only available options in the Mapping menu are New, Duplicate, and Save As.
If the user creates a new template, all Mapping menu options become available. The user can also edit the Record and Field columns in the Mapping grid by double-clicking the desired cell.
Export: Export and save the selected template to the user computer in .json format.
New: Creates a new Mapping template.
Duplicate: Duplicate the selected template.
Rename: Opens a dialog where the user can change the template name.
Discard: Discards any changes done in the mapping grid. Only available when the user has changed a Record or Field in the mapping grid.
Save: Saves all changes done in the mapping grid. Only available when the user has changed a Record or Field in the mapping grid.
Save As: Saves as a new template.
Delete: Deletes the selected template.
5.3.2.1 - Unit Selection
The units that will be assigned to each mnemonic can be seen in the right most Mapping column. It is important that the correct Unit Set is selected before starting a WITS connection, as the WITS data will be permanently stored based upon the unit set designation. The Unit Set can be changed by clicking in the Account Settings at the top-right corner and selecting Change Units.
5.3.3 - Stream
The Stream section displays incoming WITS data once a connection is running. It displays values, timestamps, and error messages where applicable. Before starting a connection, the stream is empty. Once the user starts the stream, incoming records will appear in real time.Clicking on will clear the Stream Buffer,
and
will Pause/Resume stream polling and
will scroll to the top of the page.
6.0 - Troubleshooting
I have set up my connection, but there is no Start button available: This is because you have not selected a well yet. As soon as you have done this the Start button will appear.
I have set up my connection and selected Start, but the Stream section is not updating: This means that data is not being transmitted on the connection that you have set up. Check the connection details and that the WITS data provider has WITS Out turned on.
I have data values appearing in my Mapping Value column, but they don’t look like the correct values: Two potential issues
The Mapping does not match the WITS Out providers Mapping. Check this to ensure that each channel matches the WITS Out providers exactly for any relevant data types. This is normally quite obvious, e.g., you are receiving a value of 15,000 for the rpmAvg data etc.
The mapping is correct, but the unit selection is not correct. WITS data is sent unitless, as a simple number. It is important for the user to assign the correct units for each data type. A typical example of this is this the torqueAvg value seems too large/small, due to the value being transmitted as e.g., 15 or 15,000. In this case the torque units would need to be kftlbs or ftlbs respectively. Ensure that the correct unit set gets selected (see 5.3.2.1 Unit Selection for details), otherwise this data will be saving to the database incorrectly.
When Vantage Data Link is running, it works correctly, but my other WITS software does not work at the same time: Depending on the WITS Out and WITS hardware configuration, sometimes a single WITS Out feed can only be sent to one software at a time. E.g., if you have VDL and MWD WITS software both trying to use the same connection details, then one can effectively steal that port and prevent the other from using it. The solution to this is have the MWD/other WITS software use the main WITS Out feed connection, and then set up another WITS Out feed with different connection details to send data to VDL.
Last updated
Was this helpful?