Importing cell site data using the Network Explorer

The Network Explorer allows you to import network element data, creating a cell plan file called cellrefs.txt. It also lets you browse and edit this network information once it has been loaded. The Automatic Import feature provides an automated method of updating cell site information as changes are made to the network. This section describes how to import delimited data, and how to configure the Automatic Import tool.

Importing Network Data

The important thing to remember about the network data import process is that the process requires two files: 1 A delimited text file that contains unformatted data arranged in tabular form, with one row for each individual sector in a network. 2 A blank file, containing only Actix header information, to be populated with formatted data.

Obtaining Site Data in tabular format

In order to import cell site data from your own network, you will need to obtain a delimited text file containing the data listed in the table below. To maximize the benefit your Actix Software can bring to UMTS network analysis, the parameters listed in bold in the table on the following page are REQUIRED for cell data to function with logged data in the main workspace. All other parameters are optional. The data may come from a network database or a planning tool configuration file. As long as the data is in a tabular format with one row for each sector, you will be able to import the data.

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UMTS Cell Site Parameters for Import:

Parameter Site Name Site Number Latitude Longitude Sector Number Azimuth Beamwidth

Actix Group WCDMA_Site WCDMA_Site WCDMA_Site WCDMA_Site WCDMA_Cell

Actix Name SiteName SiteID Latitude Longitude Sector ID

Purpose Text description of the site for display on map. Numeric identifier for the site. Locates site icons on map. Locates site icons on map. Sector-specific information useful for display on maps (can be alpha or numeric) Orients the sector icons on the map. Governs the shape of the sector wedge icon to reflect the beamwidth of antenna deployed at the site. Used for cell site identification and to calculate lines to cells. Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power for informational purposes only Mobile Country Code for informational purposes only National Domain Code for informational purposes only Location Area Code for informational purposes only Cell Identity for informational purposes only Legacy parameter unused Used to define a pre-defined neighbor list for each cell. Used during neighbor list recommendations analysis.

WCDMA_Cell WCDMA_Cell

Azimuth Beamwidth

Scrambling Code EIRP

WCDMA_Cell WCDMA_Cell

SC EIRP

Mobile Country Code Mobile Network Code Location Area Code Cell Identity BSIC Neighbor List

WCDMA_Cell

MCC

WCDMA_Cell

MNC

WCDMA_Cell WCDMA_Cell WCDMA_Cell WCDMA_Cell

LAC WCDMA_CI BSIC WCDMANeighborList

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The figure below is an example of a delimited UMTS file that could be used to import a site list. Though the columns can be in any order for import, the figure shows all of the REQUIRED fields. Additionally, the Excel spreadsheet must be saved as a TEXT file for import.

Figure 88 - UMTS Cell Site Data Spreadsheet

Guidelines for formatting tabular data

Although cell-site data fields do not need to be listed in a particular order, following these guidelines will provide the best results: 1 The Site ID field must contain a unique value for each site location. Beware of non-unique Site IDs - that is, entries that have multiple sets of latitudes and longitudes for the same Site ID. Non-unique Site IDs will result in site markers appearing on the map without sector wedges. Site Names need not be unique - they are used for labeling purposes only.

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2 Position information must be accurate to display sites in the correct location on the map. Longitudes that have a 'West' notation should be represented as a negative decimal, as should latitudes with a 'South' notation. Sites will appear skewed on the map if the latitude and longitude fields are transposed.

Obtaining the file to be populated with formatted data

Before importing new cells, ensure that your Actix Software is pointing to a valid cell site database. A valid cell site database is a text file in which the first line contains the text below: ; #NetworkData datafile

Every installation comes with a clean file called cellrefs.txt located in the folder: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Actix\Analyzer\Bin\Cellrefs The file to be populated need not be named cellrefs.txt . We recommend renaming this file with a meaningful name in order to prevent the file from being overwritten during reinstallation. To point your Actix Software to the file that you wish to populate with the new cell site data, use the File Location line in the Tools Preferences dialog. See the section on Loading Cell Site Data for more details.

Importing the data

Once you have obtained your cell site database in delimited format and have referenced a valid cellrefs file, you are ready to open the Network Explorer and import the site information.

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1 To access the Network Explorer, select Tools Explorer.

Network

Figure 89- Network Explorer Window

The Network Explorer display consists of two panels. The left panel contains a tree view of the network element data. The right panel shows details about relevant parameters for the current selection. If you have referenced a cellrefs file containing only header information, you will not see any cell site data at this time. 2 From the toolbar, select Import to open the Import dialog. 3 Select the appropriate network data file and click Open to display the Import Settings dialog. Import From New Template

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Figure 90- Import Settings Dialog (Step 1 of 2)

4 Give the Template a meaningful Template Name. 5 Check the appropriate Delimiter. 6 In most cases, the default information under the General Settings and Coordinate Information headers will apply. Adjust these settings if necessary. 7 Click Next.

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Figure 91 - Settings (Step 2 of 2) Assign WCDMA_Site Data

8 Expand the WCDMA_Site data node. Click in the Column field next to the Site_Name parameter. Select the parameter name from your site database that corresponds to the Site_Name parameter. Repeat for each of the required fields in the WCDMA_Site data node, based on the table below:
Field Site_Name SiteID Latitude Longitude Mapping required for proper operation? Optional, but this field is frequently used for the site label. Required, and this field must be unique for each site in the database. Required Required

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Figure 92 - Column Settings (Step 2 of 2) Assign WCDMA_Cell Data

9 Expand the WCDMA_Cell data node. Click in the Column field next to the Sector_ID parameter. Select the parameter name from your site database that corresponds to the Sector_ID parameter. Repeat for each of the required fields in the WCDMA_Cell data node, based on the table below:
Field Sector_ID Azimuth Beamwidth EIRP Required for proper operation? Required Required Required Optional

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Field SC MCC MNC LAC WCDMA_CI BSIC WCDMANeighborList

Required for proper operation? Required Optional Optional Optional Optional Unused Optional

10 Click Finish when all the columns have been assigned. If the current workspace contains existing site data, you will be asked whether you want to remove existing data before importing new data. Select Yes to overwrite existing data. Select No to append to existing data. 11 If any errors occur during the import, a pop-up message will indicate that an error log has been created. The error log specifies the cause of each error encountered and can be found in: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Actix\Analyzer\Bin\Cellrefs\ImportErrors.log 12 Inspect the cell data in the Network Explorer by expanding the All_WCDMA_Site_Elements folder in the left-hand pane of the Network Explorer. 13 Double-click on any site name in the right hand pane. The Name, Location and ID of the site will appear, as well as a folder containing WCDMA Cell Elements. Drill into the WCDMA Cell Elements folder and examine the values corresponding to each sector. 14 To save the formatted site information, select the Save button.

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15 Close the Network Explorer by clicking the X in the top right hand corner. 16 After closing the Network Explorer, view a new map by selecting View Display New Map.

Figure 93 - Use Zoom to Layer to Locate Cells on Map

17 If cell icons do not appear on the map, right click on the WCDMA_Cell layer in the map legend at the left hand side of the map window. Select Zoom to Layer to zoom the map to the appropriate location. Be sure to close the map with the X at the upper right hand corner to save all changes to the map view.

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Updating Cell Site Data

There are two convenient ways to update cell plan information: Minor cell plan changes (a few azimuths, SCs, etc.) can be modified directly from the Network Explorer. Simply browse to find the site and sector of interest and double click on a single parameter to activate the text. Be sure to save the modifications before exiting the Network Explorer! If the cellplan file is updated (multiple sites added, complete frequency retune), use the Automatic Import feature to detect changes to an existing cell plan and import the updated cell site file. Instructions for using the Automatic Import feature follow.

Automatic import of Cell Site Data

The Automatic Import feature detects changes to cell plan data and updates the configured site data every time you open your Actix Software. To use the Automatic Import feature 1 From the main menu, select Tools Preferences.

2 Expand the Automatic Import option under Cellrefs and select the Enable Automatic Import option. 3 Select the Automatic Import Input File. This text file contains your delimited site data. 4 Select the Automatic Import Template. Once a template has been created, a new workspace must be started in order for that template to appear in this list. To use a template created on another computer, copy the template of interest from this folder:

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C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Actix\Analyzer\Bin\Cellrefs\Templates to the same directory on your machine. 5 Click OK to exit the Change Preferences dialog. A message will appear that Automatic Import has been enabled and that your currently loaded cellrefs will be overwritten the next time you restart your Actix Software.

Figure 94 - Automatic Import Setup

Once Automatic Import is configured, any changes to the Automatic Import Input File will be detected, and will be changed accordingly in your cell site file each time you start your Actix Software.

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