Data Synchronization Feature Update

Introduction

With the release of Well Seeker Pro Version 2.2.1.3, Innova introduced the Data Synchronization feature, with a further logic enhancement in Version 2.2.1.25.

Designed to supersede the Real Time Data Exchange, this feature automatically synchronizes the field personnel’s local database with their 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.

Basic Rules

Local Push

When a user on a local database saves data in a given dialog, that specific data is pushed to the server database. For example, if the user is in the Drill String Editor accessing BHA 7 and they select save, only the data for BHA 7 will be pushed to the server.

Local Pull

When a user on a local database opens a dialog, all data associated with that dialog will be pulled down from the server, ONLY if the data on local database is older than the data on the server database. E.g., Open Drill String Editor. A save time stamp check is carried out between the local database and server database Drill String Editor data. If the local database data is older than the server database data then all of the Drill String Editor data will be pulled down from the server database for the whole well. If the local data is newer then nothing will happen.

Controls

The above rules only apply when:

1. The organization has opted to have the Data Sync feature turned on.

2. The local PC has an internet connection that can communicate with the Innova infrastructure.

3. The local PC has the relevant organization’s valid Well Seeker license present

4. The local PC has the Data Sync feature in online mode. The Data Sync feature is in online mode by default when Well Seeker is opened, but can be manually toggled to offline mode if required.

5. The relevant well has an allowed Well Status selected.

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, MWD Probe Catalog, 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:

Well status on local	Well status on server	Can pull to local?	Can push to server?
Allowed	Allowed	YES	YES
Allowed	Not Allowed	YES	NO
Not Allowed	Allowed	NO	NO
Not Allowed	Not Allowed	NO	NO

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:

Depth Datums – The depth references set in the Well Properties	Daily Costs
Surveys	Pump Data
Actual Well – Includes the Actual Well Properties, the Status and Coordinator details and also the Casing, Annotation and Lithology tables.	Daily Reports – Includes all data in the Daily Report dialog other than the Daily Activities, Daily Costs and Pump Data.
Geo-Steering Updates	Pipe Tally
External Files – Specifically the external files that can be added at Actual Well level.	Inventory
Activity Codes	Drill String Editor
Phase Codes	Motor Performance Report
Cost Codes	Shipping Tickets
Slide Sheets	Rig Names
Daily Activities	Personnel Names & Details

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:

TABLE NAME	PULLS TO LOCAL WHEN	PUSHES TO SERVER WHEN
Depth Datums	Push only. Changes on server are NOT pulled to local	Select ‘Apply’ in Actual Well Properties
Actual Well	Push only. Changes on server are NOT pulled to local	Select ‘Apply’ in Actual Well Properties.
Surveys	Push only. Changes on server are NOT pulled to local	Pushed on survey entry or when saving survey. Changes to survey program and actual wellbore only push when saving survey. Changes to Survey Properties are pushed on ‘Apply’
Geo-Steering Updates	Open Geo-Steering Updates dialog	Select ‘Apply’ in Geo-Steering dialog
External Files	Open External Files. Files added on the server will be pulled, but files deleted on the server are not deleted on the local.	Pushed when a file is added or deleted
Activity Codes	Open Activity Codes. Can be locked	Select ‘Apply’ in Activity Codes
Phase Codes	Open Activity Codes. Can be locked	Select ‘Apply’ in Phase Codes
Cost Codes	Pull on opening Cost Codes via Daily Reports only. Opening cost codes at well level does not activate the sync. Can be locked	Select ‘Apply’ in Cost Codes in Daily Reports only
Slide Sheets	Open Daily Reports or Slide Sheet	Select ‘Save’ in Slide Sheet Dialog
Daily Activities	Open Daily Reports	Select ‘Save’ in Daily Reports
Daily Costs	Open Daily Reports or Daily Costs dialog	Select ‘Apply’ in Daily Costs
Pump Data	Open Daily Reports or Pump Data dialog	Select ‘Apply’ in Pump Data
Daily Reports	Open Daily Reports	Select ‘Save’ in Daily Reports
Pipe Tally	Open Daily Reports or Pipe Tally dialog	Select ‘Save’ in Pipe Tally
Inventory	Open Daily Reports or Inventory dialog	Select ‘Save’ in Inventory
Drill String Editor	Open Daily Reports or Drill String Editor	Select ‘Save’ in Drill String Editor
Motor Performance Report	Open Daily Reports or Drill String Editor. Does not pull when opening Performance Report dialog	Select ‘Save’ in Performance Report
Shipping Tickets	Open Shipping Tickets	Select ‘Save’ in Shipping Tickets
Rig Names	Open Rig Names. Can be locked	Select ‘Apply’ in Rig Names
Personnel Names & Details	Open Personnel Names & Details. Can be locked	Select ‘Apply’ in Personnel Names & Details
MWD Probe Catalog	Open MWD Probe Catalog. Can be locked	Select 'Apply' in MWD Probe Catalog

Using the Data Sync Feature

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. Small packets of data are updated to the server whenever the user selects saves or apply in a dialog. 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.

Online / Offline Status

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 whenever a save/apply is made. At the bottom right corner of the Well Seeker Pro interface, there is a window indicating if the data sync is active. If the data sync has not been turned on by Innova, or there is no internet connection, then this cell will be greyed out with no text visible.

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.

What to do if local and server databases have not been connected for a long time?

In a scenario where the local and server data have not been in communication for a long time, such as the loss of internet connection at the rig location, then when communication can be reestablished the local user should use the Push to server option. The option is found in the right click context menu of an actual well in the object explorer. This will bulk update the server database with all of the well information from the local database, synchronizing both databases with the latest local database information.

How does the user know if the data sync worked?

The user will not receive any notification of data syncing, as this happens continuously and would become extremely obtrusive. However, if the data sync is online and subsequently fails, then the user is notified by a Windows notification.

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.

Working Example

The below example demonstrates how the DD and MWD Engineer can utilize 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.

Logging Data Sync Events

Database Changes

The mechanism for defining which data is the most recent, and therefore which data updates another database, is determined by entries in the Database Changes log of both the local and server databases. When a save or update event occurs to a table, that event and timestamp is updated in the relevant database.

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

To access the Database Changes page, click on the icon in the top left of any page to open the main menu. Then select Database Admin Tools >> Database Changes.

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.

Click on the beside a well to expand the line. The expanded view breaks the well down into it’s constituent data tables. For each data table, the Updated column displays the last time the data table was updated. The User Name column displays the user or computer who made the update.

Data Sync Log

Well Seeker stores a log of all data sync events that have occurred on a specific PC. To access this select Help > Data sync error log and the log file will open.