AMI remote interrogation
Use the AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) Remote Interrogation task template to schedule automated interrogation for AMI 
smart meters.
Intelligent metering devices that collect and store energy interval data for their own service type as well as collecting and temporarily storing data from other devices, such as other meters and home gateways. Smart meters can initiate and respond to two-way communications with the utility.
Use the following procedure to configure a task template:
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Go to System Operations > Task Management > Task Templates.
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Use the dropdown menu to select the Task Type and Task Template. (Click Add to create a new task template. For more information, see Adding task templates.)
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Configure the Task specific parameters. These parameters are defined after step 5 of this procedure.
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Configure the Common task template parameters. For more information, see Task template parameters.
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Click Save.
Task Specific Parameters
Entity Type
Base the remote interrogation on one of the following entity types. The valid values are as follows.
- Application Group
- Meter
- Meter Program
The parameters displayed on this task template type depend on the Entity Type selected here.
Entity ID
This field label changes based on the Entity Type specified. The valid values are as follows.
- Application Group ID
Defines the unique identifier of the AMI application group entity. Application groups gather multiple endpoints into a single category so you can perform operations on multiple meters at once. Enter the name of your application group.
- Meter ID
Identifies the meter. Click Search to find the meter ID. After selecting a meter ID, place the cursor over the Gear icon (
) to view the meter's capabilities. If a meter ID is not specified, meter capabilities are not applicable.
- Meter Program ID
Enter the meter program ID.
The following parameters are dependent on the specified capability of the meter, meter program, or capabilities of the external system/AMI Collection system. If a parameter is unavailable, or if it is not displayed on the template, verify that the selected meter has that capability. If you are using Advanced Configuration, all parameters appear available on the user interface regardless of the meter's capabilities.
If Application Group is specified as the Entity Type, External System appears.
Defines any external IEE system to which IEE configuration data can be associated. In many places this parameter provides you with the dropdown menu to select from the external systems configured in the External System table.
This option is applicable for remote interrogation only when the entity type is Application Group.
Select the applicable checkboxes:
Register Data Collection
Retrieve Instantaneous Data
Determines whether to retrieve the meter register reads data.
Retrieve Recent Register Data (Meter entity only)
Determines whether to retrieve recent registers data from the meter.
Retrieve Extended Register Data
Determines whether to retrieve extended current data from the device.
Retrieve Previous Billing Registers
Defines whether IEE retrieves the date and time of the last demand reset. This is the date and time you last set demand values in the metering device to zero.
Perform Demand Reset
Set demand values in the metering device to zero.
Retrieve Self Read Registers
Determines whether to retrieve self reads during an AMI remote interrogation task. Select the checkbox to retrieve one or more self reads. Clear the checkbox to exclude self reads from the interrogation.
The Enable Self Read Options system setting determines which self read options are available in remote interrogation tasks.
Scheduled and Recurring Remote Interrogations
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If the Enable Self Read Options system setting value is True, then scheduled and recurring AMI remote interrogation tasks retrieve the most recent self read that occurred within the reading period.
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If the Enable Self Read Options system setting value is False, then AMI remote interrogation tasks retrieve the most recent self read that was recorded by the device. This is the self read from the most recent midnight and may have occurred after the end of the reading period.
Manual Remote Interrogations
Perform and Retrieve Self Read Data
Determines whether metering devices programmed to read and store their own channel values will perform a self-read and retrieve the values. Select the checkbox to enable this functionality.
Retrieve Extended Self Read Data
Determines whether to retrieve prior extended Self Read data from the device.
Load Profile Data Collection
Retrieve Load Profile Data
Determines whether to retrieve the meter interval reads data.
Retrieve Extended Load Profile Data
Determines whether to retrieve extended load profile data from the device.
Retrieve Meter Events
Defines whether IEE retrieves the meter event log file.
Retrieve Voltage Monitoring Data
Determines whether to retrieve voltage monitor data from the meter.
Retrieve Instrumentation Profiling Data
Determines whether to retrieve instrumentation profile data from the device.
HAN and Diagnostic Data
Retrieve HAN Data
Determines whether to retrieve information about a customer's home network that is compatible with AMI devices, for example a Zigbee network.
Retrieve Network Statistics
Determines whether IEE retrieves network statistic information during a remote interrogation.
Interval End Time Delay (In minutes)
Defines the number of minutes to delay the interval end time. Enter the number of minutes in whole numbers. For example, if you enter a delay time of 15 minutes and a reoccurring offset of 8 hours, then the schedule will kick off, have a delay of 15 minutes after the occurrence time, and then retrieve data 8 hours back from the end of the delay.
Task Window (In minutes)
Defines the number of minutes within which the task service must perform the task. For remote interrogation, the default is 480.
Staleness Minutes (For fixed network systems only)
Determines the staleness threshold in minutes when requesting readings from a fixed network collection system. This setting indicates the number of minutes data can be stored in the database before it is considered stale.
Staleness Minutes is applicable for fixed network collection systems only. These non-mobile systems store collected readings in a collector database. When IEE requests readings from a fixed network collection system, the staleness minutes is the threshold that determines if the readings are current. Specify the number of minutes before a reading is considered stale, to ensure that the data retrieved is of an acceptable age.
If the specified meter is not a part of a fixed network system, this parameter does not appear.