Historical and Database Error Report
Overview
The Historical Database View (HDV) is a table-based viewer used to inspect problems encountered when Apollo or the underlying scenario run reads historical generation or market data.
The viewer answers a practical question:
Did the scenario encounter historical-data errors, and if so, which objects were affected?
The Historical Database View displays the contents of the scenario's HistDBErr.csv file and groups records by error or remark type. This allows you to identify affected units or sites and inspect the recorded values associated with each issue.
Unlike chart-based Dashboard viewers, the Historical Database View contains no chart, time axis, or chart series.
The Summary Viewer can display a yellow warning banner reading "Historical Database errors detected" when the scenario's HistDBErr.csv file contains records.
The banner lists the detected error types and their counts. Selecting View Historical Database takes you directly to the Historical Database View.
What It Is Used For
Use the Historical Database View to:
- identify units or sites affected by historical-data problems;
- determine which types of errors were recorded;
- see how many records exist for each error type;
- inspect the recorded historical values associated with an error;
- review the recorded remarks explaining the detected problem;
- export individual error-type tables as CSV;
- investigate issues reported by the Summary Viewer.
The report is particularly useful after historical-data processing or backcasting when a scenario produces unexpected results and you need to determine whether historical input data contributed to the issue.
Report Structure
The Historical Database View is a table-based report rather than a chart.
Error-Type Tables
Records are grouped by their Remark or error type.
Each error type is represented by a filter chip. The chip name identifies the error category and displays the number of records in parentheses.
For example:
MaxGen Error (5) MREnergy Error (2)
Selecting a chip shows or hides the corresponding table.
Right-clicking a chip scrolls to that table without hiding it. The All and None controls allow all error-type tables to be shown or hidden at once.
Report Columns
Every error-type table uses the following columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Unit ID | Identifier of the affected generating unit |
| Site ID | Identifier of the site to which the unit belongs |
| Region ID | Region containing the site |
| Max Gen (MW) | Maximum generation capacity recorded |
| Max Cap (MW) | Maximum capacity from the historical database |
| MR Energy (MWh) | Must-run energy constraint from the historical database |
| Fuel Type | Fuel type associated with the affected unit |
| Cap Deficit (MW) | Gap between recorded capacity and required capacity |
| Remarks | Free-text explanation or error information |
| Timestamp | When the error was logged |
The Fuel Type column uses a colour-coded badge. If no fuel type is recorded, a dash is displayed instead.
Understanding the Important Fields
Unit ID, Site ID, and Region ID identify where the problem occurred.
Max Gen shows the maximum generation value recorded for the affected unit.
Max Cap shows the maximum capacity recorded in the historical database.
MR Energy shows the must-run energy constraint recorded in the historical database.
Cap Deficit identifies the capacity difference reported for the record.
Remarks contains the recorded explanation or error category.
Timestamp identifies when the issue was logged.
Error Categories
The Remarks field contains the error or remark information recorded in HistDBErr.csv.
The following categories appear in existing or legacy documentation:
| Error Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Missing in DB | Unit expected in the database but no record was found |
| Capacity Upgrade | Unit capacity differs from the database record |
| Out of Merit – No Bid | Unit dispatched out of merit order with no bid submitted |
| Out of Merit – Outage | Unit dispatched out of merit order due to an outage |
| No Bid – Demand Side | Demand-side unit submitted no bid |
These categories should not be treated as an exhaustive list of all possible runtime remarks.
The Historical Database View groups records according to the remark information present in HistDBErr.csv. The current viewer reference also identifies runtime examples such as MaxGen Error and MREnergy Error.
Additional categories may appear depending on the scenario and its generated error records.
For a particular scenario, the Remark Types shown in the report are the authoritative set of categories present in that scenario.
Summary Information
A header bar at the top of the Historical Database View provides three read-only summary figures:
| Statistic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Scenario | Name of the currently loaded scenario |
| Total Records | Total number of rows across all error types |
| Remark Types | Number of distinct error categories present |
These statistics provide a quick indication of the scale and variety of the detected historical database issues.
The statistics are read-only. Clicking them does not open a detail panel.
Accessing the Report
The Historical Database View does not open automatically from a normal object selection.
There are two documented ways to access it.
From the Summary Viewer
When historical database errors are present, the Summary Viewer displays a yellow warning banner:
Historical Database errors detected
The banner lists the error types and their counts.
Select View Historical Database to open the Historical Database View directly.
From the Viewer Bar
The Historical Database View is also available from the viewer-switching tabs above the chart area.
Select Historical Database View to open the report.
Some existing documentation may refer to loading a historical database report from a scenario context menu.
The supplied viewer reference confirms the Summary Viewer warning banner and the viewer switcher as the documented access paths. The exact Load Historical DB Report scenario-tree command is not confirmed by the supplied source and should therefore be verified in the running application before being documented as a standard workflow.
Working With Error Types
Show a Specific Error Type
Select an error-type chip to show or hide that category's table.
The chip displays the error name and the number of records in that category.
For example:
MaxGen Error (5)
indicates that five records are associated with that remark type.
Show Multiple Error Types
Multiple error-type chips can be active at the same time.
This allows you to investigate several categories together while keeping unrelated categories hidden.
Show All Error Types
Click All to enable all available error-type tables.
This is useful when performing a complete review of the scenario.
Hide All Error Types
Click None to hide all error-type tables.
This is useful when you want to start with a clean report and then display only the categories relevant to your investigation.
Navigate to a Table Without Hiding It
Right-click an error-type chip to scroll directly to that table without changing its visibility.
This is particularly useful when the report contains several error categories and the tables extend down the page.
Exporting the Report
Each error-type table has its own Export CSV button in the table header.
Selecting Export CSV downloads that error-type table as a CSV file.
The export is performed using a browser-native download and does not require additional login or permission.
Exporting the report is useful when you need to:
- analyze the records in Excel;
- archive the error information;
- share a specific error category with another analyst;
- compare records between scenarios;
- retain an external copy of the report.
Because the Historical Database View is a table rather than a chart, its export mechanism is different from the chart export options used by chart-based viewers.
Loading a Different Scenario
The Historical Database View is tied to the currently loaded scenario.
Loading or switching to a different scenario replaces the report contents with that scenario's HistDBErr.csv.
The following can therefore change:
- Scenario name;
- Total Records;
- Remark Types;
- available error-type chips;
- records displayed in each table.
An error category present in one scenario may not appear in another.
Empty and Missing Reports
If HistDBErr.csv is empty, absent, or contains no valid data, the Historical Database View displays an empty-state message:
HistDBErr.csv is empty or contains no valid data.
This means that there are no valid historical database error records available for the viewer.
When HistDBErr.csv contains records, the Summary Viewer can display the Historical Database errors detected warning.
Table Navigation
The Historical Database View can contain wide tables because several fields are displayed simultaneously.
Horizontal scrolling is supported.
You can:
- scroll horizontally with the mouse wheel while the pointer is over the table;
- use a two-finger horizontal swipe on a trackpad;
- use Ctrl+Shift+Scroll for horizontal scrolling in the Historical Database View.
This is useful when columns on the right side of the report, such as Remarks and Timestamp, are outside the currently visible area.
Toolbar and Chart Controls
The Historical Database View does not use the normal chart controls because it has no chart or time axis.
The following controls are hidden:
| Control | Status | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Date Picker | Hidden | No time axis |
| D / W / M / A | Hidden | No chart period selector |
| Previous / Next | Hidden | No chart period navigation |
| Reset Zoom | Hidden | No chart |
| Start Y at Zero | Hidden | No Y axis |
| Freeze Y Axes | Hidden | No chart axis |
| Axis Labels | Hidden | No chart axes |
| Tooltip Mode | Hidden | No chart tooltip |
| Chart Export | Hidden | No chart export |
| Create / Raw Data | Hidden | Not applicable |
| Object Comparison | Hidden | Not applicable |
Each error-type table instead provides an Export CSV button.
How to Investigate an Error
Use the following workflow when investigating a historical database issue:
- Open the Summary Viewer for the scenario.
- Check whether the yellow Historical Database errors detected warning appears.
- Select View Historical Database.
- Review Total Records and Remark Types.
- Review the available error-type chips.
- Select the error category you want to investigate.
- Identify the affected Unit ID, Site ID, and Region ID.
- Review Max Gen, Max Cap, MR Energy, and Cap Deficit where relevant.
- Read the Remarks field for the recorded explanation.
- Review the Timestamp when timing is relevant.
- Export the table using Export CSV when additional analysis is required.
- Review other error categories as necessary.
Interpreting the Report
The Historical Database View is an error report based on the records produced in HistDBErr.csv.
A reported record should be treated as an item for investigation rather than automatically interpreted as proof that the simulation itself is invalid.
When investigating an issue, consider the relationship between:
Unit → Site → Region → Historical Database Values → Remark
For example, when reviewing a capacity-related issue, examine Max Gen, Max Cap, and Cap Deficit together with the affected unit and site rather than interpreting the error category by itself.
The report is intended to help identify where historical-data inconsistencies exist so that they can be investigated against the underlying historical data and scenario configuration.
Important Notes and Limitations
The Historical Database View is a table-based diagnostic view. Chart controls, chart customization, time navigation, and chart comparison do not apply to this viewer.
Keep the following points in mind:
- The report is based on the currently loaded scenario.
- Different scenarios can contain different error categories.
- Total Records includes all rows across the available error types.
- Remark Types counts the distinct categories present in the loaded report.
- The runtime remark list is not limited to the legacy categories documented above.
- The report uses the contents of
HistDBErr.csv. - The table columns are fixed for the Historical Database View.
- Fuel Type is displayed as a colour-coded badge.
- A missing fuel type is displayed as a dash.
- An empty or missing
HistDBErr.csvproduces an empty state. - Horizontal scrolling is supported for wide tables.
- Each error-type table can be exported separately as CSV.
- The viewer has no chart, time axis, or chart statistics.
- The Summary Viewer can warn you when historical database error records exist.
Quick Reference
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Viewer | Historical Database View (HDV) |
| Data Source | Scenario HistDBErr.csv |
| Display Type | Grouped error tables |
| Chart | None |
| Time Axis | None |
| Error Filtering | Remark-type chips |
| Summary Information | Scenario, Total Records, Remark Types |
| Export | Export CSV per error type |
| Empty State | HistDBErr.csv is empty or contains no valid data. |
| Primary Purpose | Investigate historical generation or market-data errors |
| Documented Entry Points | Summary warning banner and Viewer Bar |
Expected Result
When historical database errors exist, the Historical Database View provides:
- the name of the loaded scenario;
- the total number of error records;
- the number of distinct remark types;
- filter chips for the available error categories;
- tables containing affected units and their recorded values;
- the recorded remarks for each error;
- timestamps associated with the records;
- an Export CSV button for each error-type table.
When no valid records exist in HistDBErr.csv, Apollo displays:
HistDBErr.csv is empty or contains no valid data.