There are two strategies available for developing displays in Proficy Portal: top-down and bottom-up. Both approaches work equally well and can be used interchangeably. The strategy you select for a display depends on how you prefer to work and what information needs to be conveyed to the end user.
Top-down development is performed by adding objects to a display, then configuring the objects' data sources. This strategy is useful if you are trying to illustrate a process, or visually replicate a shop floor; you can focus on creating a visual representation before dealing with the data connections.
Bottom-up development is performed by adding data sources to a display, then configuring how the data source will be represented. This strategy is useful if you are more concerned about displaying raw information than creating visual metaphors for your process.
If you are planning on using Proficy Portal security, you will want to take a moment to plan out the placement of displays within the system tree to match your security strategy.
