Data Synchronization Feature Update

Introduction

With the release of Well Seeker Pro Version 2.2.1.3, Innova have introduced our new Data Synchronization feature.

Designed to supersede the Real Time Data Exchange, this feature will automatically synchronize the field personnel’s local database with your organization’s remote server database, automatically sending drilling data updates both to and from the server.

This process is automatic and designed for maximum ease of use, with virtually no setup required at the rig site. It allows for multiple personnel, for example the DD and the MWD engineers, to work on the same well from different computers.

This technical note details the setup and use of the feature.

Setup

Innova Administrator

Before it can be used, the Data Synchronization feature must be activated and configured for your organization. This is not an option available to company admins, but is instead setup by Innova on your organization’s behalf.

The following customization options are available:

Locking Dialogs: Any or all of the following dialogs can be locked: Cost Codes, Activity Codes, Phase Codes, Shipping Addresses, Rig Names, Personnel Names & Details, and the Real Time Data Exchange. When a dialog is locked, the local Well Seeker user will not be able to access or edit it. Instead, they will get the below message. Any changes to these dialogs would need to be done on the server database, either via the Web portal or Well Seeker, by someone with the relevant permissions.

Push Principal Plan: If this option is checked, any changes to the existing principal plan made on the local user’s database will be pushed up to the server database. If a different plan is assigned as the principal plan, this will also be updated on the server. If a new plan on the local database is created and designated as the principal plan, this new principal plan will be pushed up to the server. Note that to initiate these pushes, the actual well associated with the principal plan must be pushed by either selecting 'Apply' in the Actual Well Properties or by saving a survey.

Check for New Plans: If this option is checked, the local user’s computer will check the server every five minutes to see if there are any new plans associated with the well. The well status must be set to Active and the user must have the survey or actual wellbore open for that well. If any new plans are detected, the local user will receive a popup notification, giving them the opportunity to Pull Plans. If Pull Plans is selected, the plans will be added to the database tree. If Ok is selected, the dialog will close, but will appear again the next time the check is carried out.

Allowed Well Status: Select the well status, as set in the Daily Reports dialog, that can be pushed/pulled using the data sync. If a well has a status that is not selected here, it will not sync. This can be used to prevent accidental syncing of wells that have been completed and certified. Typically Active, Standby and Upcoming are the well status options assigned here.

Whether data can be pushed or pulled depends on the status of the well in question on both the server and the local user’s database. The table below illustrates how the combination of both statuses effects the rules:

Note: If the local user changes the well status in their Daily Reports dialog, this change will get pushed to the server, so long as the current status of the well on the server is an allowed status. It is possible to change the well on the server to a non-allowed status using this method, meaning that no further pushes from the local will be accepted. The local user can use this rule to ‘close out’ the well at the end of a job.

Tables to Sync: The specific data tables/dialogs that are synced can be customized, based on each companies requirements. The following tables are available to select:

Local Well Seeker User

The advantage of the Data Synchronization feature over the Real Time Data Exchange is that it requires minimal setup by the local user on the rig site. To activate the data sync, the local user needs the following in place:

1. They must be using a license that is registered to your organization. For most users this will already be the case.

2. They must have an active internet connection.

3. The well that they want to sync must have exactly the same database tree naming structure on both the local computer and your organization’s remote server database. This includes Operator, Field, Facility, Well and Actual well name.

The best way to ensure this is, at the start of the job, to use the Remote Data Fetch feature to pull the well down from the server. For information about the Remote Data Fetch, refer to the Well Seeker Pro manual.

Once these three criteria are met, and as long as the data sync feature has been activated by Innova admin, the local database will automatically start to sync with the server database. In v2.2.1.13, a new message bar was added in the bottom right corner of the Well Seeker window indicating if the data sync is active. If the data sync has not been turned on by Innova, then this cell will be greyed out with no text visible. If the data sync has been turned on, but there is no internet connection, then the cell will be red.

The local user can manually pause the data sync by selecting File >> SQL Server Databases >> Data Sync Offline. When the data sync is paused, the message Data Sync Offline will display in the bottom right corner of the Well Seeker window. This allows the user to make adjustments to local databases without these changes being reflected on the server, which can be useful when troubleshooting. Note that the data sync will resume if the user closes and re-opens Well Seeker i.e. the Data Sync Offline option does not save, and is therefore reset every time Well Seeker is closed and reopened.

Note: If any changes are made to the data sync setup on the server side by the Innova Administrator, local users must close and re-open Well Seeker before these changes are applied.

Data Sync Rules

Once the data sync has been set up, any well on the local user’s database will begin syncing with the equivalent well on the organization’s server database, provided the wells have the exact same database tree structure and the relevant Well Status assigned, based on the companies setup. Note, this means that a name change at any level in the database tree will break the link and prevent synchronization. If required, database tree name changes MUST be made both on the local and the server databases.

When the sync downloads data from the server to the local user’s database, this is defined as a ‘pull’. This typically happens when the local user opens the relevant dialog. Note that the sync will never pull data that could effect the well trajectory on the local database. For example, changes made to surveys on the server will NOT be pulled down.

When the sync uploads from the field to the server, this is defined as a ‘push’. Typically the data is pushed as soon as the local user clicks on ‘Apply’ or ‘Save’ in the relevant dialog.

If you have a dialog open and data relevant to that dialog is synced, you will need to close and re-open the dialog to see it. In the Innova Portal, you will need to refresh the page.

The table below defines the specific rules for each dialog/table that can be synced:

Working Example

The below example demonstrates how the DD and MWD Engineer can utilise the Data Synchronization feature, in the field, to work on the same well from two different computers, whilst keeping the well up to date on their organization’s server as well.

1. The DD and MWD Engineer arrive at the rig site. They each use the Remote Data Fetch to download the job from the server to their respective computers. This ensures that the well has the same database tree naming structure on both computers and on the server, enabling synchronization between all three.

1. The MWD Engineer fills in the Inventory, saves and closes the dialog. When they click on the ‘Save’ button, their changes will be pushed up to the server.

Note: It is best practice to ensure that the DD does not have the Inventory open on their computer when this happens, because if the DD clicks ‘Save’ after the MWD, the DD’s Inventory will push to the server and overwrite the MWD’s changes, so a level of communication is required between the DD and MWD engineers.

1. The DD opens the Inventory (or the Daily Report dialog) on their computer. This will cause Well Seeker to pull the updated Inventory down to the DD’s computer.

1. The DD can then use the newly downloaded components to build their BHA in the Drill String Editor. When they save their changes, these will be pushed up to the server. The DD should then close the Drill String Editor.

1. The MWD then opens the Drill String Editor (or the Daily Reports) on their computer, causing the new BHA to pull down from the server. They can then use the Drill String Editor to enter the sensor offsets for the MWD/LWD component, and select all the relevant serial numbers etc. When they click on the ‘Save’ button, their changes will be pushed up to the server.

1. The next time the DD opens the Daily Reports or the Drill String Editor, the MWD’s changes will be pulled down from the server. This process can be repeated for all dialogs during the job, allowing the Field Engineers to seamlessly keep their computers and the server up to date.

Database Changes

The Database Changes page allows an organization's administrator to track the most recent change to each well in their server database.

The table lists wells on the server database that have been edited. For each well, the date of the most recent update is listed in the Last Update column, and the user that made the change is listed in the Last Update By column. If the change was made by a user logged into the server database, via Well Seeker or the Portal, their username will be displayed here. If the change was made by a push from Well Seeker, using the Real Time Data Exchange or the Data Sync, the computer name and MAC address of the user’s computer will be displayed.