Equation Targets are advanced targets that let you manipulate other variables to build custom targets and comparisons. Similar to the creation of a virtual variable, an equation target can include multiple other variables, constants, and arithmetic operations.
In the Equation Target settings, you can use the Equation Builder to add new variables and constants to generate a unique target to compare on the chart. Reference the Variable Operations article for further explanation of the different operations in the equation builder.
Example
We have a main natural gas meter that measures all gas entering a facility as well as two gas submeters downstream of the main meter. To track the accuracy of our submeters, we will create an Equation Target to compare the sum of the two submeters to the main meter.
In the equation builder, we select the two variables "Gas Submeter 1" and "Gas Submeter 2" and add them together. We will select the "Show on graph" option to compare the main meter to the sum of the two submeters.
When we view the chart again, we can see the Main Natural Gas Utility Meter variable graphed against the new Equation Target. While the results are close, we may want to investigate the accuracy of these submeters.
Show cumsum can be selected on the target settings to show the cumulative sum of the target over the time period.
The Date offset feature can be used to apply a fixed time offset between the primary variable and the reference variable, delaying the Target data by a certain time frame compared to the primary variable.
For example, if the reference variable has a date offset of 1 Day selected, viewing the primary variable on Wednesday will show the values of the reference variable from Tuesday.
The Date offset feature is useful for quick comparisons of how performance is changing week over week or month over month.