Database Management
Proficy Historian - The Data Management Foundation
Proficy Historian is the foundation for intelligent production management. As the
leading plant-wide data historian in the market, Proficy Historian is the most versatile,
reliable and scalable method for managing your production data.
Proficy Historian is designed to suit most production needs in a cost-effective
manner. Seamlessly connecting to virtually any HMI/SCADA application, legacy
plant databases or directly to plant floor devices, Proficy Historian can be
easily integrated into your current production environment. And as your business
grows, Historian can be scaled to keep pace - representing the most
economical way to "future-proof" your operations.
Proficy Historian can be purchased in one of three versions - Standard,
Enterprise and Enterprise Distributed Editions. All editions are based on the
same architecture but differ in terms of the features. The Standard Edition
provides all the features required to support standard data management
requirements, while the Enterprise edition includes additional features for
more advanced, enterprise-level data management. And, for users who
standardize on Historian across their multiple facilities, the Enterprise
Distributed License provides an easy way to manage and deploy servers
with maximum flexibility.
All Historian clients and applications can be purchased regardless of the
version installed.
Standard Edition
The Proficy Historian - Standard Edition includes the following
key features and functions:
Versatile and Simple Administration
Proficy Historian provides both a Windows-based and web-based administrator
for optimizing installation and maintenance. Both administrators have
similar interfaces and operate in the same fashion, eliminating the need for
additional training. The Windows-based administrator requires a dedicated
install for each machine, while the web-based administrator requires only
Microsoft Internet Explorer and can operate from any machine that can
access the Proficy Historian server URL. As a result, users can access and configure
Proficy Historian from virtually anywhere...including over the Internet.
Both types of administrator provide the following functions for managing a
Proficy Historian system:
> Set up and configure large numbers of points manually or by browsing data
sources directly from the collectors. Points correspond to data sources.
> Configure and delete tags and calculations individually or in bulk, and
make changes to all with a single mouse click
> Create, Backup and manage archives (including the integrated alarms
& events)
> View messages and alerts
Standard Data Collection
The heart of Proficy Historian's data acquisition capabilities is the collector,
providing automatic data collection of configured points. Collectors feature
store-forward capability and automatic reconnection to the server, ensuring
that data is never lost during a server outage.
There are three basic types of collectors within Proficy Historian
Standard Edition:
> HMI/SCADA Data Collectors - for any networked Proficy HMI/SCADA system
- Proficy HMI/SCADA - iFIX
- FIX
- Proficy HMI/SCADA - CIMPLICITY HMI
- CIMPLICITY Machine Edition ( both CE & PC based)
> OPC Collectors - Any OPC 1.0 or 2.0 data access server
> File Collectors - Load data and tag configurations from XML and CSV files
Archive Data Servers
Proficy Historian archive manager administers multiple archive files and is
completely configurable to meet the specific needs of your application. It
serves as the main data retention and information conduit, providing full
archive management and messaging services.
Proficy Historian also ensures continued access to critical production data
by enabling on-line system backups without the need to disconnect
clients, as is often required by other data historians.
With Microsoft Cluster Server 2003 you can configure two historian servers
in a primary-backup pair so that clients have uninterrupted access to critical
production data. In the event of a system failure, the cluster server
starts the backup server and forwards all data read & write operations to
the backup machine automatically. This happens seamlessly in the background
(most users won't even know) and, of course, with no data loss.
Interfaces
Historian provides two standard interfaces, namely the OLE DB Provider
and a Software Developers Kit (SDK), plus many optional client tools
and applications.
The Proficy Historian OLE DB provider makes it easy to integrate the
Historian with OLE DB-aware applications such as Microsoft® SQL Server,
Seagate® Crystal Reports, Excel XP, Proficy HMI/SCADA - iFIX's VisiconXT
and others. The OLE DB provider was designed to make it quick and
easy to create powerful SQL queries. Using standard SQL commands,
you can easily query the data, alarms & events and system and administrative
information.
A fully functional and documented SDK is provided for users that want
to develop custom programs using the Historian. In addition, a sample
SDK application is now included in the installation program.
Optional Features
Users have the option to purchase any of the features bundled in the
Enterprise Edition with their Standard Edition to enable you to develop
the perfect solution for your production needs.
Enterprise Edition
The Enterprise Edition is based on the same architecture as the Standard Edition, but includes additional features for more
advanced enterprise-level data management. There are four additional capabilities bundled in the Enterprise Edition.
Alarm and Event Management
Proficy Historian provides an ability to collect and store alarm and events with process data in a single repository. This allows users to collect and store
of process data and alarms and events in a single, secure data repository - providing significant enhancements in cost of ownership, system maintenance,
security and analysis. Users can conduct critical "root-cause" and "sequence-of-event" type analyses in a much easier and sophisticated way.
Alarms and Events can be collected from any OPC Alarm & Event server through a Historian OPC Alarm & Event Collector. Alarms and events are indexed with the
process data tag in a bundled SQL database or MSDE that does not require any additional configuration. Administrator tools provide an ability to manage both
the process data and alarm & event data simultaneously.
In addition, import and migration tools are available for importing alarm and
event data into the Historian.
Advanced Calculations
Proficy Historian includes a collector and powerful rules engine for transforming
raw data into useful business information. The Calculator Collector
has pre-configured but extendable business rules and calculations that allow
users to manipulate the collected data, including alarm and event data, and
store the calculated values in the Historian.
The Calculation Collector has many features that, when combined, offer
users a truly unique and powerful capability:
> Function Wizard & Library - provides quick and easy access to a large array
of pre-built calculations and functions as well as the means to configure
and store user defined functions in a function library.
> Visual Basic Scripting - the calculation engine contains a full-featured
VBS shell, so a "calculation" can be as extensible as you need it to be.
> Time and Event-Based Triggers - calculations can be configured to execute
on time - as fast as every 100 milliseconds - or whenever an assigned trigger
tag receives a new tag value. Unlike other historians, there is no practical
limit to the number of trigger tags that can be assigned to a calculation.
> Automatic Recovery Logic - If the data for any trigger tag changes, or
comes in "late" (e.g., the data collector was buffering data) the recovery
logic will automatically detect the new or changed value and re-execute
the calculation. Users are assured that calculated results are the best
available input data.
> Recalculation Expert - a recalculation engine enables users to re-run a calculation
from any configurable start and end time against the history of values and update the stored results.
> Stand Alone Installation - can be installed on any PC that has network access
to the Proficy Historian server. Users can install as many Calculation Collectors
as needed, so distributing the CPU load across multiple computers is simple.
Distributed Data Management
The Server-to-Server Collector is used to distribute data from one Proficy
Historian to another, enabling robust data distribution. With the Server-to-
Server Collector, you can centralize administration for all remote tags and
standardize on performance metrics and reporting standards across multiple
locations, thereby streamlining your processes and reducing variances.
The Server-to-Server Collector shares all of the features of the Calculation
Collector, such as a function wizard, VBS, time and event triggers, recovery
logic and the recalculation expert.
> Alarm, Event & Audit Message Forwarding - The Server-to-Server can also
forward all alarms & events as well as the Historian audit trail to the destination
Proficy Historian. This is a particularly critical feature for businesses
operating within regulated industries, such as those under the guidance of
the Food and Drug Administration.
> Remote Tag Configuration - The Server-to-Server collector offers the same
tag browse and remote configuration features of any Proficy Historian collectors.
However, this is particularly useful with the Server-to-Server collector,
since regardless of the number of servers, all configuration data can be rapidly
accomplished from a single location.
Enhanced High Availability
In addition to Microsoft Cluster Server support, the Historian Enterprise version
includes redundant data collectors. This combination provides uninterrupted
access and collection of plant data regardless of network, software or hardware
problems. A powerful solution for ensuring mission-critical applications
are always available - 24/7/365.
The redundant data collectors can be installed in redundant "chains" to
automatically switch to a backup collector in the event of a system failure.
Features include:
> n-level redundancy - you can configure as many collectors in a redundant
chain as your application requires. From two collectors in a primary-backup
configuration to several backup collectors, configuration is a snap and
takes seconds to set up.
> Configurable fail-over criteria - collector fail-over is completely code & script
free. Simply select the "trigger tag" and whether the collector should switch
to the backup on a change in value, quality or heartbeat. And with the
Calculation Collector, users can completely customize the trigger logic for
any backup collector enabling an unlimited flexibility.
> No data loss - Most importantly, the system is designed to ensure that
regardless of the system failure there is no data loss.
> Automatic "Store & Forward" - utilizes automatic store and- forward so
that information is never lost if the server should become unavailable for
any reason.
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