MSIB allows some customization of import files when using import files created from DDA, Site Explorer, or MSIB discovery. This does not apply to EDE, Modbus, or Insight BACnet Server files.

Customizations are available for three purposes:

  • Provide a list of alternate, custom point names for displaying in MSIB and pushing to Navigator or SQL.
  • Hide points to be eliminated from import and not be included in the poll cycles.
  • Add documentation-only columns.

Alternate Point Names

The column titled Alternate_Point_Name can be used to specify an alternate name for a point. This is useful if a point has a cryptic name. If this column name is not included in your output file from DDA, Site Explorer, or MSIB discovery, you may add it, but must name it as follows: Alternate_Point_Name.

If a name is specified in this column:

  • Both the original point name and this alternate point name will appear in the MSIB UI.
  • The alternate point name alone is pushed to Navigator and SQL.
  • The alternate point name is not pushed to Data Center Hub or Building Twin. The original point name is.

In this example, two points are assigned an alternative point name.

Alternative Point Names

After the file is imported into MSIB, these two alternative point names are shown next to the original point names:

UI Alternative Point Names

Hidden Points

The column titled Point_Disabled can be used to hide a point that you do not wish to include in an MSIB node. This will not affect how the point behaves in the panel, but it will keep MSIB from including it in the MSIB poll sequence. By default, all points in an MSIB discovery will be included in the polling.

If this Point_Disabled column is not included in your output file from DDA, Site Explorer, or MSIB discovery, you may add it, but must name it as follows: Point_Disabled.

The MSIB discovery output will include the Point_Disabled column.

To exclude a point from the polling sequence, enter a numeric one [1] in the Point_Disabled cell for that point.

Point Disabled Column

In this sample, four of the eight points in AHU12-UK012 are disabled in the MSIB discovery file. Several of the columns are hidden for ease of viewing the columns.

Disabled Points

After the file is imported into MSIB, only the four points with the zero value in the Point_Disabled column are polled by and displayed in MSIB.

UI Zero Value Points

Documentation-Only Columns

If you wish to add content to your import files, you can add additional columns to the import file. This content will not be transmitted to MSIB.