Test Step Details Is Getting A Makeover

As part of the big 24.1 WATS update in Q1 this year, Test Step Details is going to become Test Step Analysis (TSA). It’s a serious revamp, designed to help users more than ever. 

It’s one of our most popular tools. Actually, it’s the most popular tool – everyone uses it – so we thought it was time it got the update treatment. Here’s everything you need to know.

Faster, Better, Stronger

TSA has been completely rewritten so that it can continue to support all WATS users in the work they do. That’s been no small undertaking, but we’re really excited about the impact it’s going to have on everyone using the platform.

Straight off the bat, it loads way quicker than before. As you might know, there’s a lot of metadata to handle with each measurement but now you never have to worry about how much data you have because we’ve made the whole thing more streamlined. That’s going to be a big deal for anyone managing test data in a big organization or for those collecting a lot of information from a variety of sources.

More Thorough Analysis Than Ever Before

There has also been a significant addition of new graphing options that we’re hopeful will make a big impact on users as they track down the root cause of failures during testing. Previously data was logged on a single graph but now it can be plotted in several ways. By aggregating your data we can straight away show you averages, mins, maxes, and CpK plotting a series against a particular index or time.

But, if you’re interested in zooming in on something more specific that’s now available too. For example, you might want to plot the data you have of temperature against measured voltage. This could then be displayed by test station, so you can check for outliers or make sure everything is within tolerance. It’s not just limited to test station though, you could pick test fixture, revision, operator, there’s an almost infinite number of possible combinations of measurement plotting which we’re excited to see users put to work in real testing environments.

Users will also now have access to additional graphing options, including I-MR, CUSUM, and X Bar. On top of that, you can use box plots to show all your data at once or go down a level and separate by test station, revision, operator – just like the other graphing options. It really is the perfect tool for someone interested in improving quality.

Ultimately, this iteration of WATS is the most powerful it’s ever been, offering users more ways to intelligently analyze and examine the data they’re collecting.

Intelligent Integration

If you haven’t already seen our announcement about WATS Alvea, then know that it’s another feature that is a very big deal. With all the buzz around AI, we knew it was time to add a bit of Manufacturing Intelligence to WATS, and so that’s exactly what we’ve done. Alvea will give users suggested root cause analysis, to give them additional insight that might not be aware of or might not know how to surface themselves.

This is going to integrate seamlessly with TSA, so when you’re plotting graphs and zooming into specific test stations, processes, and products, Alvea will be on hand to give you new ideas about what your data means and how you can use it to improve processes, production –and overall quality – throughout your business.