KPI dashboards in SCADA systems - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - KPI dashboards

Collect Data from Sensors

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Process & Aggregate Data

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Calculate KPIs

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Update Dashboard Visuals

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User Views & Interprets KPIs

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Decide Actions Based on KPIs

Data flows from sensors to processing, KPIs are calculated, dashboard updates, and users make decisions.

Execution Sample

SCADA systems

sensor_data = [80, 85, 90, 95]
kpi_avg = sum(sensor_data) / len(sensor_data)
dashboard['Average Temp'] = kpi_avg
print(dashboard)

Calculate average temperature KPI from sensor data and update dashboard.

Process Table

Step	Action	Data/Variable	Result/Value	Dashboard Update
1	Read sensor data	sensor_data	[80, 85, 90, 95]	No change
2	Calculate average	kpi_avg	87.5	No change
3	Update dashboard	dashboard['Average Temp']	87.5	{'Average Temp': 87.5}
4	Print dashboard	dashboard	{'Average Temp': 87.5}	Dashboard shows Average Temp: 87.5

💡 All sensor data processed and dashboard updated with KPI.

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	Final
sensor_data	[]	[80, 85, 90, 95]	[80, 85, 90, 95]	[80, 85, 90, 95]	[80, 85, 90, 95]
kpi_avg	None	None	87.5	87.5	87.5
dashboard	{}	{}	{}	{'Average Temp': 87.5}	{'Average Temp': 87.5}

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why do we calculate the average after reading all sensor data?

Because the average KPI depends on all sensor values, so calculation happens after collecting all data (see Step 2 in execution_table).

Why does the dashboard update only after KPI calculation?

Dashboard shows KPIs, so it updates only after KPI values are ready (Step 3). Updating before calculation would show wrong or empty data.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what is the value of kpi_avg at Step 2?

A 87.5

B None

C 90

D 95

💡 Hint

Check the 'Result/Value' column at Step 2 in execution_table.

At which step does the dashboard get updated with the KPI?

A Step 1

B Step 2

C Step 3

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Dashboard Update' column to see when the dashboard changes.

If sensor_data had one more value 100, how would kpi_avg change at Step 2?

A It would decrease

B It would stay the same

C It would increase

D It would become zero

💡 Hint

Adding a higher value to sensor_data increases the average (see variable_tracker for kpi_avg).

Concept Snapshot

KPI dashboards collect sensor data,
process it to calculate KPIs,
then update visuals for users.
Data flows: Sensors -> Processing -> KPIs -> Dashboard.
Dashboards help quick decisions by showing key metrics.

Full Transcript

KPI dashboards in SCADA systems start by collecting data from sensors. This data is processed and aggregated to calculate key performance indicators (KPIs). Once KPIs are calculated, the dashboard visuals update to show these values. Users then view the dashboard to interpret the KPIs and decide on actions. For example, sensor data like temperatures are averaged to create an 'Average Temp' KPI, which updates the dashboard display. This flow ensures users see up-to-date, meaningful metrics to monitor system health.