Overview of Data Management
Data Management refers to the process of collecting and organizing data in a way that makes it useful and easy to retrieve, navigate, and read at a later date. Over the course of a single day, the average facility will generate immense amounts of data. This data includes things such as pressure, flow, and conditions of various pieces of equipment such as pipelines, valves, and pressure vessels.
Data management can be a complex process. This is because data can come from numerous incompatible sources, with different levels of completeness and complexity. Getting these distinct sources of data to all mesh together can be difficult. Although the process can be made a bit easier with the use of a good data management system.
Proper data management is incredibly important for effective Asset Integrity Management programs.
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BlogFebruary 11, 2020 By Abby King at Becht Engineering
When paired with the right software, the RBWS process can lead to significant reductions in turnaround work scopes. However, some software tools have distinct advantages over others.
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November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ryan Myers at PinnacleART, and Sean Rosier at PinnacleART
Today's operators are implementing a myriad of Mechanical Integrity and Reliability programs to realize greater results from their facilities. However, for each of these programs to be effective, they must be fueled by quality and up-to-date data.
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Work Smarter, Not Harder: Cloud-Based Mobile Tablets Streamline Inspection Reporting and Asset Management Enterprise SystemsJuly/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Stephen P. Webb, P.E. at Metegrity
This article demonstrates how substituting inspection reports that originate from pen and paper to reports generated using a stylus and tablet at the time and location of inspection can eliminate data entry errors and other common mistakes.
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BlogMay 14, 2019 By PinnacleART
This blog will walk through practical steps for managing IOWS and will demonstrate what successful IOW management can look like.
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March/April 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy André Viaud at ANVIXED
In order to utilize data most effectively and realize the full power of AE testing, it is necessary to bring the capabilities of laboratory testing tools to industrial sites.
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BlogMarch 12, 2019 By Tim Bisley at Lloyd’s Register
This article outlines current and future challenges for asset owners and operators in the energy and marine industries and how technology will change the way knowledge is captured, stored, and used across organizations for the better.
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January/February 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering Journal
Take advantage of every reasonable opportunity to properly organize your databases. As the information moves toward High Fidelity, you can achieve improved effectiveness and efficiency in your reliability and mechanical integrity programs.
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November/December 2018 Inspectioneering JournalBy Efrain Rios at Fortress Oil & Gas, LLC
This article describes how an international oil and gas company built an inspection data management program for its U.S. operations yielding improved confidence in decision-making information, cost savings through increased efficiency, and an...
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BlogOctober 29, 2018 By Efrain Rios at Fortress Oil & Gas, LLC
In the fifth and final blog of this 5-part series, readers will learn the key obstacles faced in an implementation project and what measures can be taken to help prevent and mitigate their impact.
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BlogSeptember 27, 2018 By Efrain Rios at Fortress Oil & Gas, LLC
In this article, the author discusses how standardizing IDMS usage can help integrity teams perform more efficiently and effectively.
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Understanding Inspection Data Management Systems, Part 3: Filling Functionality Gaps Through DevelopmentBlogAugust 23, 2018 By Efrain Rios at Fortress Oil & Gas, LLC
There are cases where selecting the best IDMS application for the company means that the end users will not immediately obtain all desired functionality. In some instances, users must forgo desirable features to satisfy more valuable requirements of...
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BlogJune 6, 2018 By Efrain Rios at Fortress Oil & Gas, LLC
In the industry today, there are numerous applications being used to manage asset integrity information, i.e. data and records associated with design, construction, corrosion, inspection, process chemistry, and degradation remediation. In the second...
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March/April 2018 Inspectioneering JournalBy Vipin Nair at GE Compliance and Integrity Management, and Sarah Lukens at GE Digital
This article demonstrates how the use of APM software can help prevent unplanned downtime by quickly identifying potential hidden failures.
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BlogApril 16, 2018 By Efrain Rios at Fortress Oil & Gas, LLC
In the industry today, there are numerous applications being used to manage asset integrity information, i.e. data and records associated with design, construction, corrosion, inspection, process chemistry, and degradation remediation. As the first...
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January/February 2018 Inspectioneering JournalBy Jonathan Martinez at PK Technology
Inspection data is vulnerable to flaws in collection and retention. For example, data might be inaccurate, duplicate, or incomplete due to procedural breakdowns. This article introduces Digital Data Management Systems (DDMS) as a response to these...
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September/October 2017 Inspectioneering JournalBy Daniel Cypriano at Petrobras, and Henrique Ventura at Petrobras
Although value-drivers often differ between facilities, all can agree that effective asset management strategies should lead to better decision making. In this case study, the authors detail how process-based risk management strategies can make for...
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July/August 2017 Inspectioneering JournalBy Mark Savage at Sentinel Integrity Solutions, Inc.
3 common repair scenarios include routine maintenance, scope repairs, and major discoveries. An inspector’s ability to properly manage each situation can mean the difference between mechanical integrity success and failure.
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BlogJune 14, 2017 By Ken Latino at GE Digital
Having connected assets that continuously monitor their own health and feed that information back in a way that is timely and actionable will drive business outcomes and help organizations achieve loftier goals.
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March/April 2017 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering Journal
Inspectioneering Founder and Chief Editor, Greg Alvarado, recently had the privilege to sit down with Clay White, Director of Mechanical Integrity for Phillips 66 (Downstream), to discuss the world of fixed equipment reliability in the refining and...
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January/February 2017 Inspectioneering JournalBy David Aldrich at North Highland, and Teri Mendelovitz at North Highland
This article covers where to start, what to look for, and how to execute a data and systems-focused performance improvement project that can drive large overhead savings.
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January/February 2017 Inspectioneering JournalBy Justin Nickel at PK Technologies
Today’s intelligent technology can provide is interoperability, mobile data collection, cascading questions, picture referencing, photo annotation, data funneling and cost savings.
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Online Article
It is a commonly held belief with oil & gas (O&G), oil sands, and pipeline projects that material test reports (MTRs) are always required for turnover to the owner-user, but that is untrue. In this article I will describe what MTRs are, how these...
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May/June 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy Jeffrey Foushee at Pinnacle Advanced Reliability Technologies, and Ryan Myers at PinnacleART
Data, in pure form, consists of raw, unorganized facts that need to be processed. Data can be found in databases, documents, drawings, reports, spreadsheets, and numerous other sources. Having data on hand is useful, however, it’s often...
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March/April 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at Intertek, and Mark Bell at Ethos Mechanical Integrity Solutions
We have seen many different inspection recommendation management systems. Most of them struggle to effectively manage all inspection recommendations. However, a few of them are excellent. What makes an effective system?
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Laying Off “Safety”: Managing Knowledge Transfer Through the Downturn to Maintain Industry Best PracticesMarch/April 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Fletcher at North Highland Worldwide Consulting, and Josh Arceneaux at North Highland Worldwide Consulting
It is estimated that there have been more than 250,000 layoffs in the oil and gas industry since the price of oil began to drop precipitously in late 2014. With oil not expected to rebound significantly for at least the next year or so, we should be...
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January/February 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy Barbara Lasseigne at Envoc
You probably already know that inspection apps for tablets and smart phones exist, and have notions of how these technologies can improve efficiencies in the field and beyond.
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January/February 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy Grady Hatton at Versa Integrity Group, Donald Brou at Capitol Ultrasonics, and Joe Nichols at Valero Energy
When heading down the path of becoming an inspection professional, it’s helpful to understand the characteristics that truly make someone an outstanding inspector.
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January/February 2016 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering Journal
The enormous decline in oil prices over the past 14 months has definitely slowed projects and changed the energy and production landscape. Despite this, refineries, petrochemical plants, and chemical facilities must continue to run safely,...
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November/December 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Mike Brown at Sentinel Integrity Solutions
It is often best to rely on properly trained and experienced inspection service providers to determine the proper method for any inspection project. Thus, inspection companies can suggest utilizing the most effective and efficient inspection...
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September/October 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy A.C. Gysbers at The Equity Engineering Group, Inc.
This article addresses a debate mechanical integrity professionals in the O&G and Chemical Processing industries periodically have about how thickness data gathered during a thickness monitoring inspection (TMI) should be recorded.
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A New Trend for Pipeline Integrity Management: How GIS and Risk-Based Asset Management (RBA) Integration Can Improve Pipeline ManagementMay/June 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Dylan Schrader at PinnacleART, Tom Pickthall at EnhanceCo Inc., and Carlos A. Palacios at CiMA-TQ
Pipeline integrity is critical to ensure maintenance and operational efficiency; however it is becoming an increasingly challenging task for the energy industry. Maintenance managers and inspectors must make sure their pipeline(s) and its associated...
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May/June 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Mauricio Palomino at GE Oil & Gas, Measurement & Control Business
Machine-to-Machine connectivity combined with advanced computing capabilities and industry-focused software enable a wide range of new capabilities. From smart homes controlled over the internet, to smart electric grids with smart meters, sensors...
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May/June 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Barbara Lasseigne at Envoc
While performing visual inspections with a pen and notepad is the traditional way to record data, there are now more efficient ways to complete inspections out in the field. Investing in a mobile inspection application can be a great way to save...
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BlogJune 8, 2015 By John Reynolds at Intertek
There should be a policy in place and enforced by management at each operating site of not allowing equipment and repair recommendations to become overdue for inspection and handling. Such a practice goes a long way toward increasing the credibility...
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January/February 2015 Inspectioneering JournalBy Pamela Hamblin at Thielsch Engineering, Inc.
Avoiding cracking under pressure when managing high-energy piping systems is common subject matter in the power industry. Just as high-energy piping can give way to pressure, stress and fatigue, so can the people in charge of operating them when...
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November/December 2014 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at Intertek
Based on my 45+ years of experience working with fixed equipment mechanical integrity (FEMI) issues in the refining and petrochemical processing industry, this article summarizes what I believe are the top 10 reasons why pressure vessels and piping...
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November/December 2014 Inspectioneering JournalBy Scott Corey at Sentinel Integrity Solutions Inc.
One of the major challenges inspectors and plant operators face after each turnaround is to ensure that all repair and scope work is and was completed in accordance with the client’s requirements. Sometimes that verification will be to ensure work...
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September/October 2014 Inspectioneering JournalBy Layne Tucker at EchoRFID, and Peter Forster at ProStar
Recently developed RFID best practices provide an opportunity for pipeline businesses to transform their asset management and pipeline integrity management processes away from traditional paper-based systems to more efficient, highly-integrated...
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BlogOctober 28, 2013 By John Reynolds at Intertek
Today’s blog post is a continuation on the 10 essential Management Systems needed for an effective PEI program that can achieve excellence. My previous posts covered the first six of these, including LCM, Risk Assessment and Inspection, and...
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May/June 2013 Inspectioneering JournalBy A.C. Gysbers at The Equity Engineering Group, Inc.
Piping failures still represent a frustrating and ongoing problem for processing plants. Failures are still commonly reported and contribute to large losses. In the author’s experience, piping represents the highest percentage of fixed equipment...
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The Role of Record-keeping and Data Management in Achieving Excellence in Pressure Equipment Integrity and ReliabilityJanuary/February 2012 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at Intertek
Clearly, record-keeping and data management have a major role in achieving excellence in pressure equipment integrity and reliability (PEI&R). Everything else we do to achieve excellence in PEI&R stems from keeping high quality and complete PEI&R...
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July/August 2010 Inspectioneering JournalBy Craig Emslie BSc at Sonomatic Ltd., and Karen Gibson at Sonomatic Ltd.
Inspection intervals for equipment have in the past been defined in a prescriptive manner. However, industry is now embracing the Risk Based Inspection (RBI) approach which in contrast prioritises inspections based on an assessment of the risk to...
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November/December 2007 Inspectioneering JournalBy Mark Vining at Sunoco Inc.
Facilities are often content in compiling event data, entering thickness measurements, assigning a system description, tracking work requests and recommendations in their databases. These are certainly valuable data points but using your database...
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July/August 2006 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering Journal
The Shell Martinez Refinery has been in operation since 1915, and is located 30 miles northeast of San Francisco on about 1,000 acres of land. The refinery combines state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to convert approximately 165,000 barrels...
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January/February 2006 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering Journal
This survey did not make metrics the primary focus. More importantly, our focus was on practices that lead to better performance. You still have to link these practices to performance.
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March/April 2004 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering Journal
Data management is an important issue in today's world. We have data all over the place. Every manager is looking for ways to migrate data from platform to platform to save on the cost of re-gathering data and ways to share output from various...
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September/October 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy T.C. Ridgeway & Staff at TCRI
In part 1 of this article we covered the importance of quality assurance of UT data, that is, understanding for each particular application, the accuracy required of the UT data, and new ways/graphical program to analyze and show the...
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September/October 1998 Inspectioneering JournalBy Bernie Weber at Det Norske Veritas
Quality failure rate data have long been needed by the Chemical Process Industry. Unfortunately, the emphasis too often has been on the collection of data rather than on its uses . One must answer the question of what to do with the data once it has...
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March/April 1998 Inspectioneering JournalBy Mark Bell at Ethos Mechanical Integrity Solutions
In Part 1 of my article that appeared in the previous edition of the IJ, I focused on several issues that are vital to the successful application of any inspection information management system. In Part 2 of my article, I will concentrate on several...
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January/February 1998 Inspectioneering JournalBy Mark Bell at Ethos Mechanical Integrity Solutions
Inspection record systems, used to be just that, a place to "record" data. Our industry has spent many millions of dollars collection data to put into our "record" systems. The problem was trying to manage and utilize the millions of pieces of...
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September/October 1997 Inspectioneering JournalBy Michael Twomey at CONAM Inspection Inc., and Jay N. Rothbart at Conam Inspection Inc.
This task though tedious and exasperating is a key part of the operation. Plant personnel often find ingenious uses and filing systems for key data such as UW 1 forms. The more remote the plant site is, the more extraordinary the hiding places. In...
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July/August 1997 Inspectioneering JournalBy Michael Twomey at CONAM Inspection Inc., and Jay N. Rothbart at Conam Inspection Inc.
Regulatory requirements such as OSHA 1910, industry codes and practices coupled with an international drive for more cost-effective preventative maintenance are leading the industry toward data information management systems to assist in organizing...
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March/April 1997 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at Intertek
This is the second in a series of articles on piping inspection. In the last article, I enumerated four inspection issues that I believe contribute to inadequate piping mechanical integrity in the hydrocarbon process industry.
PK Technology is a full-service inspection contractor, as well as, an in-house software development company specializing in the Oil and Gas industry. PK Technology is the creator of intelliSPEC, the worlds first Digital Data Management System (DDMS) which is a robust and intelligent solution designed to digitize, analyze and realize all vital data.
PK Technology is a full-service inspection contractor, as well as, an in-house software development company specializing in the Oil and Gas industry. PK Technology is the creator of intelliSPEC, the worlds first Digital Data Management System (DDMS) which is a robust and intelligent solution designed to digitize, analyze and realize all vital data.
Committed to serving global societal needs, ASTM International positively impacts public health and safety, consumer confidence, and overall quality of life. We integrate consensus standards — developed with our international membership of volunteer technical experts — and innovative services to improve lives… Helping our world work better.
Committed to serving global societal needs, ASTM International positively impacts public health and safety, consumer confidence, and overall quality of life. We integrate consensus standards — developed with our international membership of volunteer technical experts — and innovative services to improve lives… Helping our world work better.
Pinnacle Advanced Reliability Technologies (PinnacleART) is a leader in building, implementing and maintaining comprehensive reliability programs for facilities in the oil and gas, chemical, mining, pharmaceutical, wastewater and electric power industries, to name a few. Our team consists of talented experts and engineers, who offer the highest degree of service and uncompromised reliability for every one of our projects. PinnacleART’s specialists are dedicated to delivering optimal outcomes for our clients, which results in reducing risk, ensuring compliance, optimizing costs and improving safety.
Pinnacle Advanced Reliability Technologies (PinnacleART) is a leader in building, implementing and maintaining comprehensive reliability programs for facilities in the oil and gas, chemical, mining, pharmaceutical, wastewater and electric power industries, to name a few. Our team consists of talented experts and engineers, who offer the highest degree of service and uncompromised reliability for every one of our projects. PinnacleART’s specialists are dedicated to delivering optimal outcomes for our clients, which results in reducing risk, ensuring compliance, optimizing costs and improving safety.
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