The jLogBook is a corporate wide electronic logbook designed for Industrial Operating Conditions. The jLogBook replaces the paper-based logbook that is typically situated in most control rooms or technical and maintenance workshops.
The primary benefit in going to an electronic, networked system is the increase in visibility of the operations to all the users on the network. Instead of the information being hidden in a log on the operator's desk, anyone who has a computer can see exactly what the operations are doing in real time.
Users of these systems report an unprecedented improvement in the coordination between different departments and sections and amongst the personnel because of this increase in visibility.
Additional benefits are also apparent, for example, since these logs are categorized with different key words, it is easy to sort the logs and find the information you are looking for by pointing and clicking. Not only for the last day but say over a three month period.
Finally, anyone who has a standard browser like Internet Explorer® or Firefox can view the logs at any PC either on the site or (if authorized) from a remote site.
Watch an on-line screencast of 
how
to add a log or how to
find a specific log.
Minimal
AdministrationThe LogBook is a true web server based application. There is no requirement to load any software on any of the client machines. This means that the on-line logs can be quickly made available to tens or even hundreds of users without any changes to the user computers whatsoever.
Really IndustrialThe jLogBook package has been designed specifically for use on Industrial sites. It is the evolution of systems that have been tried exhaustively for many years on many sites by hundreds of users.
We have experience with jLogbook in various industries including the Utility Industry, Oil and Petroleum, Chemical Processing, Water/Waste Water, Manufacturing, Mining, Military and other industries.
Easy to start: Easy to changeThe jLogBook package comes with a standard
set up so that you can immediately implement it on your site with a minimum
of effort. However, as you become familiar with the concepts of electronic logs,
you will probably want to customize the application to your specific needs.
This is a simple fill-in-the-blanks process that enables you to customize not
only the look and feel of the Logbook but also the structure.
Change
the Look and Feel of your LogBook Just change any of the presentation parameters and you will see the immediate effect of your changes. There are on-line tool tips for each of the categories to help you make the choices. There are over 50 different parameters that you can choose from to vary the presentation of the layout from window sizes to font sizes to color codes to the order in which the records appear etc. All of these changes can be achieved through a simple fill-in-the-blanks form without having to do any graphical design. Most of the entries are available as options in a pull-down combos.
Add
your own site-specific fieldsYou can add your own fields that are specific to your business. Just go into the configuration, click on the new field button and enter the name and format of the new field. The system will take care of the database transactions for you and add a new column to the table. You can now fine-tune the characteristics of the new field such as the presentation of the field and what valid options are for that field.
You can attach files of virtually any format to the Log Entries. (E.g. graphic files, Word or Excel files, Schedules, PowerPoint files etc.) When the user clicks on the Attachment link, the application (e.g. Word) is started on his or her system and the information is immediately made available. This makes it easy to understand the context in which the log was made.
jLogBook
will automatically fill in the standard fieldsYour users do not have to fill in many of the standard fields like the time
and date, console, shift number, and their user name. All these fields are filled
in automatically by jLogBook. Additionally,
the system will not allow the users to enter data outside of their assigned
areas and will only give them the choice of options that are in fact valid for
their areas.
Choose
the valid options for your fieldsYou can specify the valid options for each of the fields. For example, for the priority field, you may specify the priorities 1 (emergency), 2 (warning) and 3 (standard). When the operator is adding a new log, these options are made available to him or her in a combo box. They are also made available when you want to filter the logs to find some specific information.
Associate
the options of each category with different color and style codesTo help your users easily identify the specific codes, you can assign colors and styles to these codes. For example, you can assign specific colors to the priority of the log, red for emergency, yellow for danger, etc. Likewise, you can assign colors to the different areas of the process, or colors to the different shifts. It then becomes clear for example when there is a shift changeover.
Powerful yet cost effectiveThe pricing is based on the number of user sessions that are simultaneously
active. For a site with say 100 people, you could purchase 5 or 10 concurrent
licenses and make these available to all 100 users.
Add additional Sessions at any stageTo add more concurrent sessions, you simply order and pay for the new session licenses and we send you an updated license key. The software already on your system will recognize the new license and activate the new sessions for you.
You can have as many users as you like on a given seat or viewing station. For example, if you have a system in the control room, you could have 5 different users for that one seat. Each user can have different personalities depending on their position in the organization.
Control
who looks at jLogBook and what they can seeYou can decide who looks at jLogBook and exactly what they see. For example, you may want one user to be able to see everything on one site but only be able to enter information in the utilities area. You can also make users reenter their passwords when they add information. If you like, you can make the system automatically log off a user at the end of a shift or when they have been logged on for a certain length of time.
On-line
HelpA comprehensive easy to use on-line help system is available from the jLogBook.
Browse through the system or go directly to a specific key word. There is also
a tutorial that will help you get started.
Connect multiple control rooms across
multiple sitesThere is no limit to the number of control rooms you can have. In fact any
of the users can enter information into the logbook if necessary. For example,
lets say that the maintenance manager who is working in his office wants to
make a log based on the availability of personnel after hours. He can do this
directly into his desktop computer without having to go into the control room
to enter the data.
Your jLogBook will connect to any of the following databases: Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, Postgres or Microsoft Access. Because all your data is stored in a standard database, you can access it with any of your favorite utilities such as Crystal Reports, Microsoft Excel, or the utilities that come with the database itself. Alternatively, you are welcome to download our free jWorkBook utility which gives you direct access to the database and the facility to create our own custom reports in the spreadsheet. For databases other than Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, Postgres or Microsoft Access, please contact us at info@sjsoft.com.
Internet
AccessProvided you have a Network connection (either Internet or Direct Connect or via modem) you can access the information.
The jLogBook package produces a standard
html output which can be viewed using any standard browser like Firefox or Internet
Explorer. The logs are presented in tabular form and are updated as soon as
a log is added anywhere in the system.
In our experience, operators do not have any problem in using the logbook. In fact, they quickly see the benefit of the logbook and are some of our most avid users. Why? Because it makes their lives easier! No longer do they have to receive phone calls from numerous parts of the plant asking for information and they can see the upstream and downstream processes without having to get on the phone themselves.
Operators can check that they have the correct spelling before submitting the
log.
There is no software limit to the number of records that can be stored or the number of days of data that can be stored.
Find the data easily and quicklyFinding information is easy, just click on the Filter Button and type in the word or keyword you are looking for and the grid will show all the logs that match your specification. If you type in two criteria for different columns, then the log will show only those records that match both criteria.
There is also a "Google like" search facility which will search for keywords not only in the database, but in any attachments (Word, pdf and other files)
Set
your time windowYou can configure how far each user can look back when they first log on. For example, an operator will probably only be interested in the last day of information. Of course if they are interested, they can extend this information to view more information or choose a week of information say 3 months ago.
Export
the logs to Excel or any other MS PackageSince the data is in a standard database structure, you can use any of the normal tools to export the data. For example, if you have chosen Access as your database, you can get the information directly into an Excel spreadsheet by simply pointing to the Log table. Alternatively, download our free Excel Add-in jWorkBook. There are already examples in the tutorial that comes with the package to get you started in customizing your queries on the jLogBook database.
You can set up the system so that it will email nominate logs of interest to
specific people as soon as a log is entered or modified. For example, you could
specify that information on any logs that have a high priority in a selected
area should result in an email to the supervisor of that area.
Control
the editing of past logsYour operators may modify the records they have entered provided they make
the changes within a 5-minute window of their data entry. If this five minute
window (which is configurable) is exceeded, then the operators may not change
the records they have entered.
You can try out jLogBook immediately by clicking here. (This is a full LogBook system that has had the Adding and Modification facilities removed for use on the open web.) Alternatively, you can download a version and test it (or tailor it to your requirements) on your own computer.
This option is not currently available, however, we have planned for it in
the next release. jBrowser will have the ability to display Log information
in addition to the alarms and historical data.
jLogBook comes in two versions, an St James Software Web based version and an Apache Server version.
We recommend the St James Software Web Server version for systems requiring less than 20 concurrent users. For more than 20 users, (we have systems with several hundred concurrent users), we recommend the Apache server. Once the system is installed, any user on your network that has a web browser has access to the system.
The server will run on Windows or Linux operating systems.
Since the database is an open database, you can set up your application to add the logs into the jLogBook tables. Of course, you would need to have ensure that the application formats the information correctly so that the data is consistent with the requirements of the columns etc. Once this is done however, the "automatically entered" logs will appear alongside the normal operator logs.
There are various other applications to complement the jLogbook. jOrderbook specifically addresses the orders issued from the control room to field operators. jKnowledgebook provides easy access to the Knowledge on a site, jHandoverBook manages the hand over reports between shifts. Various other applications too address the various common requirements of industrial sites. Shift Reports too can be handled using the special shift report facilities.
We recommend as a starting point, you try out our on-line demo by clicking here. You can also get more information by clicking on the Help Link in the toolbar.
We would recommend you try out our prototyping service. Just send us a rough specification of what you are looking for, and, at no charge, we will set up a logbook to these specifications on the web for you to trial. This white paper provides more information on this facility.
Or watch an on-line screencast of how
to add a log or how to
find a specific log.
If you would like more information about us and all our products, have a look at our home page. There are also various technical papers on electronic Logbooks.
Alternatively, you can register with us and then download the fully functional version which will function for a 30 day trial period. Of course, you can e-mail us or contact us directly or just give us a call on our toll free number 1 877 538 0902.
In any event, Happy jLogging!