An Introduction To Advanced Distribution Management Services

Distribution grids need data and systems to drive safe and reliable operations. As SCADA, distribution automation, and outage management systems prove, dramatic improvement in grid efficiency and reliability can be achieved through increased real-time analytics driven by larger data volumes. The Smart Grid increases the volume and variety of grid management data available by hundreds- potentially thousands- of orders of magnitude. Legacy applications for grid operations are generally not equipped to handle even the increase in data from today's smart meters and sensors, much less maximize data use. A new set of functions is emerging to respond to this challenge - Advanced Distribution Management. This Oracle paper reviews how Advanced Distribution Management organizes and analyzes the enormous volumes of new, near real-time data, and why it is so important for today's utilities to leverage this mission-critical capability.