Automatic Data Validation and Testing for Enterprise Asset Management in the Power and Utilities industry

Enterprise asset management (EAM) in the Power and Utilities (P&U) industry is a structured process that includes the collection of people, processes, and tools established to optimize the lifecycle value of the physical assets. EAM requires a suite of tools to meet the needs of a modern grid for increased reliability, service quality, improved resiliency, security, reduced costs, and enhanced customer experience. A major challenge that P&U organizations face with their EAM programs is the quality of data that is required to maintain and track the life cycle of the physical assets used in the generation, transmission, and distribution of power. EAM systems typically fetch data from heterogeneous source systems. The data are then extracted, transformed, and loaded (ETL) so as to standardize them. The ETL process is therefore critical since it directly affects the quality of data. Failures in the ETL process often leads to loading incorrect data into the EAM system which ultimately contributes to asset management practitioners making inaccurate decisions affecting the asset life cycle. This research was conducted at a major P&U organization experiencing asset data quality issues with their physical assets deployed in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The research proposed Automatic Data Validation and Testing Framework for Enterprise Asset Management (ADVTFEAM). The proposed framework adds additional data quality checks to the existing ETL process and generates use cases to test the validity of the data. Narrative analysis will describe the overview of the ADVTFEAM framework focusing on data quality dimensions of completeness, consistency, and uniqueness. The research leveraged a data validation program, business rules, templates, and other external systems with a study of 2,000 electric recloser assets each with twenty (20) critical asset specification attributes totaling 40,000 datasets. Reclosers are used throughout the power distribution system, from the substation to residential utility poles. They range in size from small reclosers for use on single-phase power lines, to larger three-phase reclosers used in substations and on high-voltage power lines up to 38,000 volts. The outcome of this research will contribute to the current enterprise asset management best practices from a data quality standpoint. It will also pave the way for future research purposes.