How to store date/time information in a channel?

Question

Hello,
I'm logging manufacturing test data into TDM files from LabWindows CVI 8.0.
So far, I've organzied the data like:
one Channelgroup for each Measurement type
one Channel per DUT into eah Channelgroup
There is a new tdm file creatd each day.
For a later analysis, we want to able to easily search for all DUT's manufactured between Date/Time1  and Date/Time2 within all files.
Question:
What would be the most recommeded way to store the manufacturing date/time of the DUT with the channel?
I have assigned the channel name with a date/time string, - but it is kind of awkward to search for a range with string types.
Is there a better way?
Thanks,
Greg

Answer 1

Hi Greg,
Unfortunately, DIAdem Datafinder doesn't really support much in the way
of Date/Time search outside of the File Level Creation Date property.
In order to make the creation time of the Channels searchable you would
want to create some custom properties (or use the existing RegisterInt1
- RegisterInt6) to define your own searchable properties.
For example, since you know that you have one TDM file per day, you can
start your search by find the desired day on the File Property Level,
searching the "Creation Date" property. When you store your TDM
properties, you could store the hour creation as an integer (and
thereby searchable) in one of the RegisterInt properties of the
channel, or create your own custom "Hour" channel. You could similarly
save the minute and second property in their own custom properties.
Then, since you're saving integer values, you can then search those
values to determine the time that the channel was created.
I realize that this isn't ideal or elegant, as in total it requires 4
searches (date, hour, minute, second). But that is the most
straightforward way of searching your channels by creation date/time.
Hope this helps Greg, let me know if you have any other questions.
Dan Weiland