.. _break_point_series:

Break point series
------------------

A state defined at a timestamp remains in effect until a new value is provided.
After the final value in the dataset, the system remains in a constant state.
Therefore, the only strict requirement is that the first data point occurs at, or before, the start of the data_period.
While data can extend beyond the defined data period, such values are ignored by the model. Example of a break point series
is shown below. Here a synthetic example of a minimum discharge limit for a hydropower station with 6 break points.

+--------------+--------+----------------------+
| Break point  | Week   | Minimum discharge    |
+==============+========+======================+
| 1            | 1      | 40                   |
+--------------+--------+----------------------+
| 2            | 17     | 15                   |
+--------------+--------+----------------------+
| 3            | 40     | 30                   |
+--------------+--------+----------------------+
| 4            | 53     | 40                   |
+--------------+--------+----------------------+
| 5            | 69     | 15                   |
+--------------+--------+----------------------+
| 6            | 92     | 30                   |
+--------------+--------+----------------------+

and visualised in a figure.

.. image:: break-point.PNG
   :alt: Break point series example
   :align: center
   :scale: 70%