Create a digital twin of your building by linking devices according to their physical and functional relationships.
Device Referencing in Cloud BMS enables the creation of a digital twin for a building’s systems by linking devices according to their physical and functional relationships. This interconnected digital model mirrors real-world interactions, such as how one device supplies air, water, or power to another, or how meters monitor specific equipment.
Device referencing maps physical and functional relationships between building systems and equipment
Device referencing transforms raw device data into a structured, relational framework that enhances building management:
Diagnostics and troubleshooting — By mapping device connections, operators can swiftly trace issues. For instance, if a VAV unit malfunctions, its relationship to an AHU via a feeds reference can pinpoint the source of the problem.
Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) — The system leverages these references to generate contextual alarms, considering not just individual devices but their interconnected dependencies, offering a holistic view of system health.
Energy analysis — Linking meters to the devices they measure enables detailed energy consumption insights, empowering operators to optimize efficiency and reduce costs.
Reference types define the specific nature of relationships between devices. Each reference type has a corresponding reverse reference, automatically establishing a two-way connection. For example, if you connect an AHU to a VAV using the feeds reference, the VAV will automatically show an isFedBy reference back to the AHU.
feeds indicates that a device supplies an output (air, water, power) to another device or system.Reverse reference:isFedByisFedBy indicates that a device receives an input from another device or system.Reverse reference:feedsExamples:
An AHU feeds a VAV — the AHU provides air to the VAV
A VAV isFedBy an AHU — the AHU supplies air to the VAV
An AHU isFedBy a Chilled Water System — the chilled water system supplies water to the AHU for cooling
hasPart denotes that a device or system includes another device as a component or subsystem.Reverse reference:isPartOfisPartOf indicates that a device is a component or subsystem within a larger device or system.Reverse reference:hasPartExamples:
A chilledWaterSystem hasPart a chiller — the chiller is a component of the system
A chiller isPartOf a chilledWaterSystem — the chiller belongs to that system
measures indicates that a meter monitors the performance or consumption of a device or system.Reverse reference:isMeasuredByisMeasuredBy specifies that a device’s performance or consumption is monitored by a meter.Reverse reference:measuresExamples:
An electricMeter measures an AHU — it tracks the AHU’s electrical consumption
An AHU isMeasuredBy an electricMeter — the meter tracks the AHU’s electrical usage
hasSubmeter indicates that a meter has another meter as its submeter.Reverse reference:isSubmeterOfisSubmeterOf specifies that a meter is a submeter of another meter, often in hierarchical metering setups.Reverse reference:hasSubmeterExamples:
A main electricMeter hasSubmeter a submeter — it oversees the submeter
A submeter isSubmeterOf a main electricMeter — it reports to the main meter
mirrors indicates that a device mirrors another device via an API connection.Reverse reference:isMirrorOfisMirrorOf indicates that a device is a mirrored or API-referenced version of another device, typically for integration with external systems.Reverse reference:mirrorsExamples:
A device mirrors an external device — it reflects its data in Cloud BMS
A device isMirrorOf another device in an external system — it replicates its data
A condenser water system feeds a chilled water system, which in turn feeds downstream equipment like AHUs, FCUs, and water systems. Components like cooling towers, heat exchangers, and pumps are parts of each system.
Condenser and chilled water systems connected by feeds references, with components linked by isPartOf
Navigate to Devices > Device Referencing from the building left sidebar. The page lists devices so you can add device references (device-to-device) and space references (device-to-space).
Device Referencing page with filters and reference status
Use search for devices by name and the filter dropdowns to narrow the list:
Filter
Purpose
Ontology type
Limit to a canonical device type
Level
Filter by floor or level
Located in
Filter by physical space assignment
Data sources
Filter by connector or source
Origin type
Filter by discovery origin
Status indicators at the top summarize reference health, including devices without references and partially referenced. Apply tags such as with points when you only want devices that have point data.The table shows name, ontology type, and device reference count. Click show references on a row to open that device’s reference detail view.
Check the boxes next to the devices you want to add references to. Click Add Device References at the bottom of the page.
Select devices and click Add Device References to begin adding references in bulk
2
Choose the reference type
In the Add References to Multiple Devices dialog, select a reference type from the dropdown. References are grouped into Inputs (isMeasuredBy, isFedBy, isMirrorOf, isMonitoredBy) and Outputs (mirrors).
The reference type dropdown groups available references into Inputs and Outputs
3
Select the target device
After choosing a reference type, the dialog shows a list of compatible devices. Filter by name, ontology type, or area to find the target device, then select it and click Add.
Select a target device from the filtered list of compatible devices
Click Show References on any device to see its current references. The detail view shows each reference grouped by type (for example, isFedBy) with the referenced device’s name, ontology type, and reference counts.
The reference detail view for a device shows its references grouped by type
A Missing references count can still appear after you add expected relationships. Cloud BMS compares against the full expected reference set for the device type. The count does not always mean your referencing work is incomplete.
Click Show References on a referenced device to drill deeper into the reference chain. For example, clicking into AHU_3 shows all the devices it feeds.
Drilling into AHU_3 shows all devices it feeds, including FCUs and VAVs
From the reference detail view you can:
Click Add references to add more references to the device
Click Remove references to delete existing references
Click the external link icon next to the device name to navigate directly to that device
References are also available on a device’s Device Details tab. The Referenced Devices section lists all references with their name, reference type, and device type. From here you can add new references with the + Add button or delete existing ones with the delete icon.
The Device Details tab shows referenced devices with options to add or delete references
You can overlay referenced device points directly on a device’s Trends tab. Click Referenced Devices in the device header to open the referenced devices panel on the right. The panel lists all references grouped by type (for example, isFedBy), along with the referenced device’s points.Select a referenced device’s points to overlay them on the trend charts. Referenced point data appears as dashed lines on the chart, making it easy to distinguish from the device’s own point data.
Referenced device points appear as dashed lines on the trend chart, with the Referenced Devices panel on the right
The table below lists each canonical device type, its supported input references (relationships where the device is the target), and output references (relationships where the device is the source).
