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Creating and Configuring Data Points

Data points are the fundamental building blocks of any Mango installation. Each data point represents a single measurement, status, or control value collected from a device or computed from other points. This guide walks you through the entire process of creating data points, from navigating to the data source editor through to enabling the point for live data collection.

Prerequisites​

Before creating a data point, you need a data source already configured in your system. A data source defines the communication protocol and connection parameters (for example, a Modbus IP data source defines the host, port, and polling interval). Data points are always children of a data source and cannot exist independently.

If you do not yet have a data source, navigate to the Data Sources page from the main menu and create one first. See the Data Sources overview for guidance on selecting and configuring a data source type.

  1. Open the main navigation menu and select Data Sources.
  2. The data sources list displays all configured data sources in the system. You can filter the list by typing a data source name or type in the filter input.
  3. Click on a data source name in the list to open the data source editor panel on the right side of the screen.
  4. The data source editor displays the data source configuration at the top and the list of data points associated with this data source below.

Adding a New Data Point​

  1. In the data source editor, locate the data points section below the data source configuration.
  2. Click the Add button (typically a + icon) to create a new data point.
  3. A new data point entry will appear with default settings. You will need to configure both the point locator (protocol-specific settings) and the point properties (general settings shared by all point types).

Configuring the Point Locator​

The point locator tells the data source exactly where to find the data for this point. Point locator settings are specific to each data source type:

  • Modbus: Specify the device ID, register range (coil status, input status, holding register, or input register), offset, and Modbus data type.
  • BACnet: Specify the device instance, object type, object instance, and property identifier.
  • OPC UA: Specify the node ID from the OPC UA server's address space.
  • SQL: Specify the SQL query, table, and column that provide the value.
  • Virtual: Choose the change type (no change, random, increment, etc.) and configure the simulated behavior.
  • Internal: Select the internal metric to monitor (e.g., JVM memory, active threads, point count).

Consult the help documentation for your specific data source type for detailed point locator configuration. The settings available in the point locator panel will change based on the data source type.

Setting the Data Type​

The data type determines how Mango stores and processes the point's values. The available data type depends on the point locator configuration:

Data TypeDescriptionExample Use
BinaryTwo-state values (true/false, 0/1)Switch status, alarm contacts
MultistateInteger values representing discrete statesOperating mode (Off=0, Heat=1, Cool=2)
NumericDecimal (floating-point) valuesTemperature, pressure, flow rate
AlphanumericText string valuesDevice status messages, serial numbers
ImageBinary image dataCamera snapshots

For some data source types, the data type is determined automatically by the point locator configuration. For example, a Modbus coil status point is always Binary, while a holding register can be Numeric or Binary depending on the selected Modbus data type.

Configuring Point Properties​

After setting the point locator, configure the general point properties that apply to all data point types.

Point Name and Device Name​

  • Point name (required): A descriptive name for the point, such as "Zone 1 Temperature" or "Supply Fan Status". This name is used throughout the system to identify the point in lists, watch lists, charts, and reports.
  • Device name: Defaults to the data source name but can be changed. Together with the point name, the device name forms the "extended point name" that uniquely identifies a point. This is especially useful when multiple points share the same name across different devices.

Export ID (XID)​

The Export ID (XID) is a unique text identifier generated automatically for each data point. You can customize it to be more descriptive (for example, DP_Zone1_Temp instead of the auto-generated ID). XIDs are used in JSON configuration imports/exports, REST API calls, and cross-system references.

Permissions​

  • Read permission: Controls which users can view the point's values on watch lists, charts, the data point details page, and other views.
  • Set permission: Controls which users can write values to a settable point.

Permissions use a role-based model. Assign one or more roles to grant the corresponding access level.

Enabling and Disabling Data Points​

A data point must be enabled for Mango to actively collect data for it. You can toggle a point's enabled state in the data source editor using the enable/disable switch next to each point.

  • Enabled: Mango actively polls or subscribes for values from this point according to the data source schedule. Values are logged, event detectors are evaluated, and the point appears as active throughout the system.
  • Disabled: Mango stops collecting data for this point. No new values are stored, event detectors are not evaluated, and the point's last known value remains unchanged. Historical data is preserved.

You can also enable or disable data points in bulk using the Bulk Data Point Edit page.

tip

When first setting up a new data source, consider creating one or two test points and enabling them before adding all planned points. This allows you to verify that the data source connection and point locator settings are correct before committing to a larger configuration.

Saving the Data Point​

After configuring the point locator and point properties, click the Save button to persist the data point. Edits do not take effect until the data point is saved. If the data source is currently running, saved changes to an enabled data point will take effect on the next poll cycle.

CSV Import and Export​

For large-scale deployments, you can create data points in bulk using CSV import:

  1. Export an existing point from the data source page to get a correctly formatted CSV template.
  2. Modify the CSV file with your new point configurations.
  3. Upload the modified CSV using the Upload button on the data source page.

Important notes for CSV import:

  • Column order matters and header names must not be modified.
  • All points in a single CSV upload must be for the same data source type.
  • New points can be created or existing points updated.

Next Steps​

Once your data point is created and collecting data, you may want to:

  • Configure point properties such as logging, text renderers, chart settings, and purge overrides.
  • Add tags for flexible organization and querying.
  • Set up event detectors to monitor for alarm conditions on the point.
  • Add the point to a watch list for real-time monitoring.