Electrical reliability is crucial for data center operations performance, and effective acceptance testing and proper maintenance testing of the electrical systems can help achieve this goal. This strategy will help avoid unplanned outages to electrical supply and backup systems. To help facilities develop a plan, the InterNational Electrical Testing Association (NETA) has developed consensus standards for testing devices and systems that include suggested planning tables and describe the specific tests needed. These recommended test protocols are published in the ANSI/NETA Standard for Acceptance Testing Specifications (ATS) and Maintenance Testing Specifications (MTS). These offer key insights into the hows and whys of electrical testing. These two testing guides are similar in the scope of preventative and predictive testing protocols used, but differ in focus, analysis, and trending recommendations.
Acceptance testing is performed prior to commissioning to determine that the system is installed per the engineering design and that both the equipment and the overall system are ready for commissioning and energizing. These testing protocols focus on equipment defects, damage from shipping, and proper installation and can provide baseline information for future testing and analysis.