Alastri is pleased to announce the release of v22.1. This is a major release with major improvements made to RR and Spatial Conformetrics. New reporting functionality, similar to excel, has also been introduced, which allows for flexible and detailed reporting.
If you cannot see version 22.1 in the Hub, please contact one of your company’s license administrators and ask them to change the organisation’s permissions via the licensing website.
Due to major changes in RR, names of blasts and digs may change initially when upgrading older projects to 22.1.
Some very minor scripting changes may be required to update to 22.1, depending on the project setup. Please contact the support desk if you encounter any problems with scripts.
Common Improvements
Zip for Support
To simplify the process of sending required data to the Alastri support team, two functions have been created which will automatically zip up the data files necessary to send to support. This functionality exists under the “Help” menu in all products. In APS or ATS, if Rapid Reserver is embedded and there is no need for support to have the Rapid Reserver project, the “Detach Rapid Reserver” option should be used.
Last Save Information
In all Alastri applications, the time since last saved is now shown on the right-hand side of the applications title bar. The applications will no longer interrupt the users' workflow with a MessageBox shown at specified intervals. Instead, a duration can be specified, which will be used to alert users if the time since the last save exceeds this threshold. When the duration is exceeded between saves, the toolbar will flash until the intervenes and either saves the project or rejects the save request. This feature can be disabled by changing the duration to “Off”.
Micromine File Formats
The Alastri file reader/writer has been updated so that now Micromine *.dat and *.str files can be imported and exported from all applications.
The Alastri block model reader (in SC and RR) has been updated so Micromine Block Models can now be read.
Spreadsheet Report
A new report type has been created that essentially creates a basic version of Excel within the software. This report type is available in APS, ATS, and RR.
Pivot reports and Chrono reports can be converted into Spreadsheet reports, or Spreadsheet reports can be created from scratch using special formulas which extract data from the software and place it in the report. These formulas can be found in the Formulas->Alastri Formulas menu.
Click here to learn more about this report.
This report is a basic version of Excel. It performs worse and lacks many features that Excel has. While the spreadsheet report will improve over time, it will never match the capability of Excel. As users of Excel ourselves, we fully understand all of the shortcomings of the spreadsheet report compared with Excel.
The support desk is not available to assist with creating, modifying, or improving spreadsheet reports; however, this service can be provided through the consulting team.
Table Report Filter
It is now possible to apply a filter to a table report in APS and ATS. The filter can be created in the code editor that appears when the “Use Filter” check box is toggled on. Two formula helpers are located down the bottom of the editor, which assists in retrieving values used in the filter logic.
Time-Based On-Bench Drawn Dependencies
In both APS and ATS, it is now possible to apply a time delay on manually drawn dependencies in the On Bench step, i.e., can’t mine a trim shot until a week after finishing the production shot in front. The remaining duration of the delay can be queried by launching the Dependencies dialog of the dependant block in the animation tab.
Tree Expand Button
It is now possible to quickly expand/contract various record trees through ATS, APS, and RR. This can be achieved by launching the context menu by clicking the button directly above the scroll bar. It is also possible to save an expand state to the Clipboard and then restore it on a different tree.
Show Selected Block in Rapid Reserver
In APS and ATS, if Rapid Reserver is embedded, you can right-click on a block in the Animation tab and navigate to the block in Rapid Reserver. The focused block will be shown in the Designer tab of Rapid Reserver and will be selected.
Label & Legend Setting Persistence
The specified options for Labels, Reserve Shadings and Dump Shadings on the Database and Animation are now saved between sessions in both ATS and APS.
Tactical Scheduler
Lowest RL Constraint
It is now possible to constrain mining to a certain RL within the mine, stage or pit. This main purpose of this constraint is to limit mining by the lowering of the water table over time through dewatering activities. This constraint is configured in the setup, and rows are automatically added to the Calendar so the water level can be input per period.
Improved Schedule Run Times - Optional Calendar Display
The default view when running the schedule no longer shows the calendar. This has been removed because a large number of rows in the calendar will cause a delay each time the schedule is run. It is possible to restore the old view by checking the Show Calendar button on the lower right of the scheduling dialog.
Dynamic Dependency and Trace Dialog
When reviewing the Dependency and Trace dialog for a record, the information shown will now update based on the position of the period slider.
Destination/Steps Logic - Search and Replace
It is now possible to perform a ‘Search and Replace’ operation on the text within the Destination and Steps logic rules. When selected, a dialog will be shown where a ‘Target Column’ can be selected, along with the text replacement inputs.
Record Subset Report Filters
It is now to possible use Record Subsets as a source or destination filter in reports. Select the “DestianionRecordSubset.MySubset” to use the set as destination filter and “SourceRecordSubset.MySubset” as a source filter. Both filter values will be “No” or “Yes”.
Production Scheduler
Secondary Periods
Due to APS being based on instantaneous time, it is now possible to define multiple Period Sets, all of which can be reported against. One period set must be enabled as the ‘Primary' set, which will define the intervals for calendar based inputs. Secondary Period Sets can be helpful when finer granularity is required for reporting, but the calendar inputs don’t necessarily change at the same frequency. An example would be a two-week plan where the calendar inputs are provided at weekly intervals, but production requires shiftly reports.
1. Set up a Period Set with weekly intervals and set this as the Primary set.
2. Set up a secondary Period Set with shiftly intervals.
3. The required Period Set can be chosen for the focused report by selecting it from the drop-down menu after pressing the calendar icon in the top toolbar. The data displayed in the report will be updated based on which set is currently active.
Agent Parcels
It is now possible to explicitly define which parcels Agents are allowed to perform activities on in the new ‘Agents Parcels’ step. The mutex group assigned to each activity in the ‘Agent Rates and Precedence' step will dictate what parcel groups are shown for each activity. For each Agent, the applicable parcel groupings can be enabled which will then flow through into the calendar where rates can be specified.
Split Destinations - JiT Destinations
It is now possible to specify multiple destinations using the JiT destinations functionality. Destinations and ratios can be configured by clicking inside the Override Destinations cell of the selected parcel.
Configuration Option | Description |
|---|---|
No Override | Apply no destination override; this is the default option. |
None | If the record has an imported destination, choosing 'None’ will override the imported destination to have no override. |
Destination(s) | Allows override destination(s) to be selected along with the corresponding ratios. |
Timeline Bar Customisation
The Timeline Bar, located in several tabs, can now be customised to show only the selected time components. Customisation options can be found in the ‘Configure Display Options’ dialog, and the ‘Period Name’ can be customized in the ‘Configure Global Options’ dialog.
Gantt Cascade Settings
The cascade settings for the Blast, Source and Destination lanes are now configurable in the “Configure Gantt Display Options” dialog. Each lane has two configurable options, which are detailed below.
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Method | Never - No cascading will be performed. WhenRequired - Cascading will only be performed where required (once there is enough room in a lane above, it will that lane instead of the lane below). Always - Cascading will always be performed (and will wrap around to the top row once the maximum number of lanes has been used). |
Lanes | The maximum number of lanes that can be used for cascading. |
Preschedule Legend
A legend is now shown in the bottom left-hand corner of the Preschedule step, which helps understand the meaning of the text colors.
Sequence Bar Labels
It is now possible to automatically assign a name to a Gantt sequence bar and to change the display names of the blocks displayed in the Blocks List. These names can be configured in the “Configure Gantt Display Options”.
Sequence Bar Customisation | Description |
|---|---|
Default Name | The default name displayed in newly created sequence bars. If multiple blocks are contained within a sequence bar, the label shown will be based on the first block in the list. |
Blocks List | The name that represents the block in the “Blocks List” shown in the Properties tab on the right. |
Task Gantt Chart
This feature will be replaced in the next major release of APS. The “Tasks” tab will be superseded by a brand new report type that will allow for a far more customisable Gantt chart.
Therefore, do not become too attached to this feature in its current form.
A new Gantt chart type has been introduced, located in the Task tab of the main Scheduling tab. This Gantt is more traditional and comprises a table on the left-hand side containing records mined by the Agent and the corresponding Gantt on the right-hand side with bars indicating the duration of the task. Two default Gantt charts are available directly beneath the Tasks Tab in the drop-down menu. As the requirement of Gantt charts varies by client, it is possible to customise the look and information displayed in the Gantt through scripts. Contact Alastri if your site requires a custom Gantt.
Rapid Reserver
Revised Flitch Designer
It is no longer required to enter a blast before slicing the flitch level solids into dig blocks. Construction lines can now be drawn across an entire flitch, cutting multiple dig blocks inside multiple blasts at once.
Due to this massive change in RR, names of blasts and digs may change initially when upgrading older projects to 22.1.
Revised Point Manipulation
In circumstances where construction lines lie on top of one another, points can now be added/deleted/repositioned simultaneously by holding down the “Shift” key and performing the relevant action.
Minimum Volume Threshold
It is now possible to define a minimum volume discard threshold to help remove trivial/remnant solids. Any solid whose volume is less than the defined value will be discarded. The maximum value is capped to 1000.
Auto Unique - Dig Solid
Three different options now exist when specifying the Auto Unique option for the ‘Dig’ level.
Type | Description |
|---|---|
None | Auto Unique will be disabled. A Default Value must be specified. |
By Increment | The name of the Dig solid will be unique across the Bench/Flitch level. |
By Blast | The name of the Dig solid will be unique within its parent Blast. Digs with the same name can coexist in the same increment as long as they belong to separate blasts. |
Reserve Field Value Clamping
Two new columns have now been introduced, which will clamp numbers by block to be >= Minimum and <= Maximum. This functionality can be used to help with data hygiene by ensuring that values are somewhat sensible.
Spatial Conformetrics
Improved Workflow
Spatial Conformetrics has a new and improved workflow. This new workflow is much faster to configure for large, complex projects (though mildly slower for very simple setups). It also enables far more customisation of reports and has more data export options.
Click here for the updated documentation on how to use the new workflow.
Surface Morphing Improvement
Two new additional Surface Morphing methods have now been introduced to allow users to have more control over the resulting surface. A description of each method is detailed below.
Surface Morphing | |
|---|---|
Vertical | Material from the Schedule Solid will be depleted vertically and repositioned in the void that exists between the Production Surface and Schedule Solid. This method honours the volume of the void and the volume filling it. Once the void has been filled, any excess material will occupy the footprint of the original solid but at a reduced height. 
|
Horizontal | Material from the Schedule Solid will be depleted horizontally and repositioned in the void that exists between the Production Surface and Schedule Solid. Material will fill the void in the opposite direction as the solid is being depleted. This method honours the volume of the void and the volume filling into it. Once the void has been filled, any excess material will be left at its original height but occupy a reduced footprint of the original solid. Note the software does its best to guess the direction; the user has no direct control over direction. 
|
Forced | Material from the Schedule Solid will be repositioned in the void that exists between the Production Surface and Schedule Solid. This method does not honour the volume of the void and the volume of material going into it. Once the void has been filled, any excess material will be thrown away.  |