Visualize Historical Measurements with EPLOT

3 min

Question: How can I analyze the historical trend of measurements like Body Condition Score (BCS), Weight, or Height for individual animals or groups in DairyComp?

Answer: Use the EPLOT command to display the historical progression of specific numeric measurements that have been recorded in the Remark field of events.

EPLOT provides visual analysis for three types of animal measurements over time:

Body Condition Score

Weights

Heights

The historical data for these plots is typically sourced from the BCS (Body Condition Score) EventBCS (Body Condition Score) Event and the MEASURE eventMEASURE event. The specific event codes used for each measurement are defined in the EPLOT Settings (EPLOT\M).

EPLOT differs from standard graphing commands because it plots the numeric value found in the Remark field of a specified event (for example, the body condition score recorded in the BCS event). Don't confuse EPLOT with the GRAPH or EGRAPH functions:

GRAPHGRAPH plots current numeric item values (for example, MILK).

EGRAPHEGRAPH plots the frequency of events over time (for example, MAST count).

EPLOT plots historical measurements saved in the Remark field over time.

IMPORTANT: Because EPLOT reads from the Remark field, that data must be correct. The numeric value entered into the Remark field for Body Condition Score, Weight, and Height is always processed as two decimal points (for example, 4.20 or 2.40). For Body Condition Score, a value of "1" is processed as 1.00 and a value of "4.2" is processed as 4.20.

Before running the EPLOT command, you must configure DairyComp to link the correct events to the measurements you wish to plot. This configuration setup will then apply to all three measurement types (i.e., body condition score, height, weight).

To open the EPLOT Settings window, enter EPLOT\M in the command line.

NOTE: If you run the simple EPLOT command without first defining these settings, DairyComp may automatically open the EPLOT Settings window, as the source events for the data are required before analysis can proceed. Once settings are saved, this window must be accessed using EPLOT\M.

In the window, enter the settings as instructed below, then click OK to save them:

Event: Defines the specific event codes where the measurements are recorded (for example SCORE for body condition score, MEASURE for height and weight). This is crucial for DairyComp to find the historical data.

Graph Range (Min/Max): Sets the minimum and maximum values for the y-axis. This standardizes the appearance of all future graphs of that type (for example, a BCS range of 0 to 5).

Weight/ADG Specific settings: Defines the item names (BWT, ADG, ADGI) used for Average Daily Gain (ADG) calculations. Applies only to weight analysis.

Birth Weight Item: The DairyComp item name (typically BWT) used to record an animal's actual birth weight. If this item is populated, it's used as the starting point for ADG calculations. Use item type 1 or 17 for Birth Weight Item to record the integer value.

Birth Weight Default: The value DairyComp should assume as a standard birth weight if the animal's Birth Weight Item is empty.

ADG Overall Item: The DairyComp item name (typically ADG) where the calculated overall ADG is stored when using the \S switch. Overall ADG is calculated from the animal's birth weight to its most recent recorded weight. Use item type 22 for ADG Overall Item, which provides a two-decimal place value suitable for growth rate.

ADG Incremental Item: The DairyComp item name (typically ADGI) where the calculated incremental ADG is stored when using the \S switch. Incremental ADG is calculated between the last two recorded weight events. Use item type 22 for ADG Incremental Item, which provides a two-decimal place value suitable for growth rate.

IMPORTANT: You may need to create the specific event or item types in order to record and track the data for EPLOT. For example, if you don't have already have an item for ADG, you'll need to create it before you can select it in the EPLOT Settings window. See ALTER9 : EventsALTER9 : Events and ALTER2 : Item DefinitionsALTER2 : Item Definitions for more information.

You can run the EPLOT function using a selection window to choose your analysis parameters (i.e., the type of graph and the animal ID), or you can add these parameters to the EPLOT command directly in the command line.

NOTE: The selection window method only works for analyzing individual animals. For group EPLOT analysis you'll need to use the command line.

To run EPLOT from the selection window:

In the command line, enter EPLOT. A selection window displays asking you to choose the type of graph to create.

Choose an EPLOT type from the window. A window displays asking you to input the ID for the animal you want to analyze.

Enter the ID for the animal you want to analyze.

Once you've chosen the plot type and animal ID, the individual animal plot displays.

The command line is the fastest way to run and customize an EPLOT analysis. It is also the required method for generating group (i.e., composite) plots. The basic structure for running EPLOT from the command line is: EPLOT MEASUREMENT SWITCH] FOR [CONDITION] \[OTHER SWITCHES]

The group (composite) plot generates a visual representation of the averaged measurement trend for all animals that meet a specified filter condition (for example, a specific lactation or pen). This plot is used primarily for benchmarking and herd-level trend analysis, not for individual animal details.

To run a group plot, run the EPLOT command directly in the command line and specify a population filter using a FOR statement (which tells DairyComp to select multiple animals).

For example, for heifer weight benchmarking, run EPLOT \W FOR LACT=0

\W selects the Weight measurement type.

FOR LACT=0 filters the population to only include heifers (i.e., lactation 0).

Or, to view a first-lactation BCS trend, run EPLOT \C FOR LACT=1

\B selects the Body Condition Score measurement type.

FOR LACT=1 filters the population to include only first-lactation animals.

The resulting plot displays the collective, averaged measurement trend for all animals that meet a specified filter condition. This group plot is used primarily for benchmarking and herd-level trend analysis, not for individual animal detail. The output shows the averaged trend over the fixed x-axis (Age for Weight/Height, DIM for BCS). This trend may be displayed as a smoothed line or as a series of averaged data points, depending on the data density.

Visualize Historical Measurements with EPLOT

Why Track Body Condition Score?

Configure EPLOT Settings

Run EPLOT from the Selection Window

Individual Animal Plot

Run EPLOT from the Command Line

Measurement Selectors

How to Run a Group Plot from the Command Line

Common Command Line Switches