Set a subnetwork controller

A subnetwork controller defines the origin of a subnetwork. The type of subnetwork controller defines how a resource flows through a network. Subnetwork controllers are set on the terminal of a device or junction object to represent the origin of a subnetwork.

To set a terminal as a subnetwork controller, properties and conditions must be met. To learn more, see Subnetwork controllers.

The Modify Subnetwork Controller pane is used to set terminals as subnetwork controllers. The type of terminal is determined by the tier specified in the pane.

Dive-in:

For partitioned domain networks, the Modify Subnetwork Controllers pane filters the terminals drop-down menu when setting a subnetwork controller based on the subnetwork controller type:

• Source-based domain networks— Only downstream terminals are listed in the terminals drop-down menu for features with a directional terminal configuration.
• Sink-based domain networks— Only upstream terminals are listed in the terminals drop-down menu for features with a directional terminal configuration.

Requirements

The following requirements must be met to set a subnetwork controller:

• The selected feature or object has an available terminal with the correct terminal configuration assigned: directional for partitioned tiers, and either directional or bidirectional for hierarchical tiers.
• The feature or object (with the terminal of interest) has an asset type that has been assigned the Subnetwork Controller network category.
• The asset type for the feature or object is set as Valid Subnetwork Controller in the subnetwork definition.
• The Subnetwork Name parameter must be unique within the utility network.
• The Subnetwork Controller Name parameter must be unique within the tier.
• If a subnetwork controller is set for a subnetwork with other subnetwork controllers present, the Subnetwork Name specified for the new subnetwork controller must match the name of the subnetwork on the existing controller or controllers.

Configuration steps

Before a device or junction object can be set as a subnetwork controller, the asset group and asset type it belongs to must be configured. Review the following steps, which include the operations to configure an asset group and asset type to support subnetwork controllers:

1. Create and assign a terminal configuration to the asset group and asset type that will be set as a subnetwork controller.
   In a domain network with a partitioned tier definition, the terminal configuration must be a directional terminal configuration with a minimum of one upstream and one downstream terminal.

   • Create a terminal configuration
   • Set a terminal configuration

2. Set the subnetwork definition for the tier to include the asset group and asset type as Valid Subnetwork Controller.
3. Set the Subnetwork Controller network category for the asset group and asset type.

After the configuration steps are completed, a feature or object can be set as a subnetwork controller using the Modify Controller pane.

Set a feature as a subnetwork controller

To set a device or junction object's terminal as a subnetwork controller, complete the following steps:

1. On the ribbon, under Utility Network, click the Data tab.
2. In the Subnetwork group, click Modify Controller .
3. In the Modify Subnetwork Controller pane, choose one of the following to add a selected feature to the pane:
   • Click the Select feature tool and then select a feature on the map from the device feature class.
   • Click the Add selected tool to add a selected row from the junction object or device attribute table.

   The Modify Subnetwork Controller pane is populated with the selected feature or object.

4. In the pane, click the Terminal drop-down arrow to select the terminal to be set as the subnetwork controller.
5. For the Tier parameter, click the drop-down arrow to choose the tier for the subnetwork controller.

   The tiers listed are those that allow the asset type of the feature or object selected in step 3 to be a subnetwork controller. To learn more, see Architecture.

6. For the Subnetwork Controller Name and Subnetwork Name parameters, specify a name for the controller and subnetwork.

   The subnetwork controller name must be unique for the tier and the subnetwork name must be unique for the utility network. The names cannot exceed 64 characters, and the following special characters are supported:

   • Hyphen (-)
   • Colon (:)
   • Ampersand (&)
   • Space ( )
   • Number sign (#)
   • Forward slash (/)
   • Opening parenthesis (()
   • Closing parenthesis ())

7. Optionally, for the Description parameter, enter a description for the subnetwork controller.
8. Optionally, for the Notes parameter, enter any notes for the subnetwork controller.
9. Click Apply.

The feature or object now has its terminal set as a subnetwork network controller. Validate the network topology so that analytic operations will treat this terminal as a subnetwork controller. Run the Update Subnetwork tool to update the subnetwork name for features in that subnetwork.