Version: Niagara 4
Type: Programming
Difficulty: Intermediate
Niagara's Provisioning Service allows bulk point creation using Excel spreadsheets, dramatically speeding up project configuration. Instead of adding points one-by-one, you can configure hundreds of points in Excel and import them in seconds.
| Manual Entry | Excel Import |
|---|---|
| 5 min per point | 5 sec per point |
| Typos common | Copy/paste consistency |
| Tedious for large systems | Efficient bulk operations |
| No documentation | Spreadsheet serves as record |
Step 1: Create Example Points
Configure a few representative points manually:
Step 2: Export to Excel
The export creates columns for each slot:
| Name | Type | Out.Value | FacetsText | ProxyExt.DeviceId |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AHU1_SAT | NumericPoint | 55.0 | units=°F | 101 |
| AHU1_DAT | NumericPoint | 62.0 | units=°F | 101 |
Key Columns:
Name - Point name (must be unique in parent)Type - Full Niagara type pathOut.Value - Initial/default valueFacetsText - Units, precision, min/maxProxyExt.* - Protocol-specific propertiesEfficient Techniques:
Fill Series:
Find/Replace:
Formulas:
=CONCATENATE(A2,"_",B2)
=A2+1 (for sequential addresses)
Data Validation:
{Building}_{System}{Number}_{PointType}
Examples:
BLDG1_AHU01_SAT (Supply Air Temp)
BLDG1_AHU01_DAT (Discharge Air Temp)
BLDG1_AHU01_SF_CMD (Supply Fan Command)
BLDG1_AHU01_SF_STS (Supply Fan Status)
Step 1: Prepare Station
Step 2: Import
Step 3: Verify
Analog Points:
Type: control:NumericWritable
FacetsText: units=°F;precision=1;min=32;max=120
Digital Points:
Type: control:BooleanWritable
FacetsText: trueText=On;falseText=Off
Enumerated Points:
Type: control:EnumWritable
FacetsText: range={Off,Low,Medium,High}
For BACnet points, include:
| Column | Example |
|---|---|
| ProxyExt.DeviceId | 101 |
| ProxyExt.ObjectId | analog-input:1 |
| ProxyExt.PropertyId | present-value |
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Import fails | Invalid type path | Verify exact type names |
| Points not communicating | Wrong device address | Check ProxyExt columns |
| Missing properties | Column not mapped | Add column headers exactly |
| Duplicate names | Same name in folder | Ensure unique names |
Create reusable templates: