Inductive Automation News

Converting to Ignition Helps Water District Deal With Blackout

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

When converting over from old SCADA software to new SCADA software, the most important task has nothing to do with software or hardware – it has to do with people. A new SCADA system can’t reach its full potential until the people who use the system are both comfortable and confident in it. In other words, they have to be “converted” to the new SCADA software solution.

Before people can fully embrace Ignition software — because of its innovative approach for HMI, SCADA and MES systems — they usually need to have a “conversion experience”. This moment happens when someone sees the amazing possibilities and benefits that Ignition’s powerful tool set can offer them in their work. It is the moment when the light bulb turns on and they realize that Ignition could change the way they do business. We are delighted to hear these stories on a daily basis from our customers.

Henry Palechek’s Story
Henry Palechek is the Information and Process Control Supervisor for a large water district in California and has been working in the instrumentation field since 1986. Henry’s conversion story started a few years ago when he played a major role in converting the old SCADA system at the water plant where he works to a new Ignition SCADA system.

The old system had been in place for 13 years, so employees had grown accustomed to it. Cost increases and limitations in the old system’s functionality caused them to convert to Ignition. It can take some time to adjust to using a new system, especially when an old system has been in place for a long time. Henry liked the Ignition SCADA system from the beginning, but he had one particular experience that really opened his eyes to the true value Ignition added to the water district. Henry explains:

“Because Ignition is designed to be open and SQL database-centric, I’m no longer limited by my SCADA software in what I can accomplish.

“For example, in the past we wanted to know what the tank demand flow rate was. I have a flow meter at the pump station but under the old system the amount of the water being used by the system as demanded and the amount of water making it into the tank was unknown so there was no way to calculate this information. In the past, I was unable to perform this calculation either with my legacy SCADA software or PLC ladder, but now Ignition makes it possible.

This flow rate is measured by seeing how much water is in the tanks now and in the recent past. By doing this we can compare the difference between the current tank lever and what it was 15 minutes ago to see how the flow rate of the water from that tank is being demanded. This information allows us to project tank levels in the future to see if we can keep up with the current demand of water flowing from our tanks.

“But now with Ignition we can store historical data into SQL databases and I can easily query the database to get this information.

“I can do this by comparing the past and current tanks level readings to create a volume over time signal that defines the flow rate. The result is displayed and stored as a database tag.

“Being able to see our tank demand flow rate information in Ignition was essential to us back in September of 2011 when we experienced the Southwest blackout that covered Arizona, Southern California and Baja California. By using the tank demand signal, we were able to project when our tanks would be empty and we were able to move our emergency backup generator to supply power to our pump stations and meet the water demand.

“When we needed it most,” Henry summarized, “Ignition’s ability to turn historical data and real-time data into usable information was very beneficial in helping us meet the water demands of our district.”

This experience added to Henry’s confidence in Ignition’s ability to help him solve problems today and in the future. Seeing data that was simply not accessible before helped him stay more informed to make sure that the needs of his water district were met.

Converting to a new SCADA system like Ignition is a big step, but it’s one that’s worth taking. Ignition might just make a convert out of you too!

If you’d like to share a story about how converting your SCADA system to Ignition helped you and your business let us know, we would love to hear from you. Email us at: marketing@inductiveautomation.com

New Ignition Module Will Seamlessly Interface with Instruments

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT
Coming in October, Inductive Automation will release a new module specifically to empower Ignition software to better interface with instruments. This module will add seamless interfacing capabilities for instruments to collect data and make that information available to your entire Ignition HMI, SCADA or MES system.

The new module receives raw textual data from instrument type devices via serial, text files, OPC devices and more, then parses out the meaningful values that can be used in Ignition, saved to databases or passed along to other systems.

Historically this has been a difficult task to do because supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and human machine interface (HMI) systems do not support communications to the type of devices that fall into this category.

IMAGE A: Shown above is a sample parse template containing textual data with parsing boxes defining the values to be extracted and converted to numeric values. Each parsing box will find the label configured for it, extract and convert the value associated with the label.

Because of these limitations, past remedies have been complicated and not easily maintainable. Such a solution might involve connecting a device to a basic module with 300 lines of code just to get the meaningful values into the programmable logic controller (PLC), then finally reading the values into the SCADA system. Other solutions could involve custom computer programs written in a language like Visual Basic or C# and then passing the values to the SCADA system. Both of these solutions have multiple layers and are difficult to troubleshoot when the data stops flowing.

Using the Ignition Instrument Interface Module, you can implement a cleaner solution by directly connecting the device to the SCADA system and using the interactive parsing designer to eliminate hundreds of lines of code and extract the meaningful values.

Some of the key features coming in this module are serial communications, file monitoring, parsing and centralized instrument management.

Serial Communications
Ignition clients can accept values from serial devices. This is very common when reading from O2 analyzers, measurement gauges, barcode readers and many other instruments found in the lab or on the plant floor.

The Instrument Interface Module is perfect for devices, such as the GagePort NT, where values are sent when the operator presses the send button or a request is sent to the GagePort NT to read the values.

The serial support built into the Instrument Interface Module includes polling the device for new data, receiving unsolicited data from the device, or based on an event in Ignition requesting the new data from the device. It gracefully handles timeouts and other communication issues that are common with serial communications but also includes the flexibility, if needed, of controlling every byte sent or received using script.

File Monitoring
Some instruments only support passing data through the use of a file; this module makes the process easy. You can also read values from external software programs that only support passing data through the use of files. The format of the data can vary from a reports format, CSV (comma separated values) or even a mixture of the two.

IMAGE B: Shown above is a sample columnar-based CSV parse template. It will extract date, time, sample number, temperature and humidity values and make them available to be accessed in Ignition.

IMAGE C: The project browser in the Ignition Designer manages all instrument configurations in one central location, facilitating easy set up and maintenance.

Parsing
At the core of the Instrument Interface Module is a powerful parsing engine. Beyond processing raw data from serial or text files, any textual data that can be read into either the Ignition client or server can be parsed into meaningful values. This opens up the door to collect data from a variety of sources through the most straightforward manner.

An example is reading temperature and humidity from a device that exposes readings on a simple HTML web page. By using script in Ignition the HTML content can be read and then the temperature and humidity values can be extracted and converted to numeric values using the parsing engine.

Shown above in Image A is a sample parse template containing textual data with parsing boxes defining the values to be extracted and converted to numeric values. Each parsing box will find the label configured for it, extract and convert the value associated with the label. Other types of parsing boxes allow extracting values at fixed locations, processing CSV columnar data and processing CSV row-based data. A parse template can contain a mixture of any number of the different types of parsing boxes.

The textual data shown in the parse template can be read directly from the serial device, read from a file, pasted from the clipboard, or typed in manually. From there, parsing boxes can be drop onto the textual data and the details of how to extract and convert the values are configured.

Centralized Instrument Management
Because companies have many instruments of the same types, a central location to configure them will reduce the effort to reuse and maintain them. Over time you will see configurations for many common devices included with the Instrument Interface Module. A configuration can be copied or modified to reduce the time required to set up communications with your unique device.

Look For It In October
The new Ignition Instrument Interface Module will be available for purchase in October.

See What's New in the Ignition OEE Downtime Module

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT
The Ignition OEE Downtime Module has received much praise since its release in 2011. During the past year, users from a broad range of industries have provided feedback on things they’d like to see added to the module — and many of those ideas we’ve taken and implemented into the software.

To make sure you’re aware of the key enhancements, we’ve included a brief summary below of the key new features that are available in the OEE Downtime Module. We are committed to the constant improvement of our MES modules, and encourage your continued feedback to shape Ignition around your needs.

What's New:

Cell Groups

Downtime Sub Reasons

Support for Post-Production Run Adjustments

Live Analysis Data

Redundancy Support

Remote Operator Reason Code Entry

Downtime Timing Chart

Added Scripting Functions

Cell Groups
Now you can group cells. If a process stream splits into parallel paths or if you just want to track a group of cells separately, the OEE Downtime Module can determine the downtime reason and track OEE for the cell group.

Downtime Sub Reasons
Grouping of downtime reasons into various sub groups is now supported. In addition, you now have complete control of when the operator or supervisor can select each downtime reason. There is also support for selecting a different machine as the cause of the downtime other than what was automatically detected.

  You can now organize your downtime reasons into sub groups, and override automatically-detected reasons by manually selecting a different reason.

An example of this would be a conveyor belt coming apart and jamming the downstream machine, but the downstream machine faults and is automatically detected rather than the true reason. You can now override the automatically-detected reason. Both the original machine and reason – along with the operator machine and reason – are tracked and can be included in reports.

Support for Post-Production Run Adjustments
Downtime reasons can be changed after a production run is complete. This allows operators or supervisors to provide more detail for downtime events. Even the OEE Availability will update when changing an unplanned downtime reason to a planned downtime reason, and vice versa.

Production counts can be entered or updated after a production run is complete. This supports implementations where production counts are not as straightforward as containers. It also supports updating production and waste counts based on warehouse or lab data that trickles in hours or days later.

Live Analysis Data
Results in the OEE Downtime analysis screens, including charts and tabular data, are updated with live, to-the-minute production data. No longer do you have to wait for the next hour or the production run to complete. Of course, if you do not want the live data to appear in the analysis, you can also do that.

Redundancy Support
Using redundant Ignition servers, the OEE Downtime systems will not miss a beat if the primary Ignition server is taken offline in the middle of production runs. This ensures that a production’s run data integrity is not damaged from server issues.

Remote Operator Reason Code Entry
The OEE Downtime Module now supports downtime reasons to be remotely selected on OITs (operator interface terminals). This allows the OEE Downtime module to be used without replacing existing hardware on the plant floor.

Downtime Timing Chart
See detailed scheduled versus actual information of production runs in real time, including changeover, planned, unplanned and other types of downtime. By including machine downtime details, you can see the effects that one machine’s downtime has on the other machines and the production line.

You can see all information for a downtime event including type, duration, machine, automatic-detected reason, operator-selected reason and notes by simply clicking on the event in the chart.

  You can now easily click on any downtime event by simply clicking on the event to display the downtime reason.

Added Scripting Functions
Because not all OEE Downtime implementations are alike, several scripting functions have been added to allow starting, stopping and scheduling of productions runs and much more. Instead of modifying your production procedures to accommodate the OEE Downtime tracking software, the OEE Downtime Module can accommodate your production procedures.

Even the OEE formulas can be changed at a system level that will be reflected in all historical and real-time OEE values.

Miscellaneous Improvements
In addition to the new features listed above, we have added many other smaller features and improvements including more analysis options, current downtime information tags, hide and filter production codes, speed improvements, cell bypass, downtime table client time zone, workday routine reason code, touchscreen support and more.

If you have a requirement that is not currently supported by the OEE Downtime Module, please let us know what it is as we are committed to making our product adaptable to various industries and production environments. Just give us a call at (800) 266-7798 or email us at info@inductiveautomation.com.

Ignition Gets Data Flowing for Water District

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT
Replacing a full supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system is a big undertaking, and for Western Municipal Water District, Ignition proved to be the best tool to get the job done.

The SCADA system at Western Municipal Water District’s southern California wastewater plant was no longer sufficient for their needs, so they asked Trimax Systems Inc. to implement a new solution. As a well-respected systems integration company, California-based Trimax takes pride in offering great integration services coupled with exceptional value to their customers.

Ignition Software Comparison
When Western Municipal approached Trimax Systems Inc. they requested that Trimax look into Ignition as a possible SCADA solution. Chris McLaughlin, director of operations at Trimax, recalls the request: “Western Municipal asked us to do a comparison between Ignition and Wonderware – the SCADA software we normally used. We were not familiar with Ignition at that point so our first thought was that there was no way Ignition was going to be better for the job than what we already had in mind.

“We did a 14-point, side-by-side comparison of the most important features that a good SCADA system needs to have; stuff like cost, capabilities, and com- pliance with modern IT standards. After we finished putting the list together we were surprised to see that Ignition was the clear winner. We realized that we should use Ignition for the Western Municipal project, as well as every other project we do.”

Download the Full Case Study >

Ignition Used in Creating Self-Updating Digital Signage

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT
Dream ideas – those solutions that seem to be pie in the sky; perhaps impossible unless you just had tons of money and endless resources at your disposal. But for once, a product is available on the market that truly does let you dream up an idea, and then do it. If you haven’t guessed it already, it’s called Ignition by Inductive Automation.

This isn’t just some marketing hype. Customers tell us daily how they are using Ignition to create innovative solutions to problems in the automation industry and beyond. Here is one example told to us by Christopher J. Babb, Electrical Engineering Manager for VVF Illinois Services, LLC.

Dream It: Easily Display Safety Information to Plant Employees
“At VVF we needed to find a better method of displaying safety Information to all plant employees. The requirements were that it had to be a digital sign that would display the current safety status and safety information for the plant. Also, the data entry method needed to be performed through spreadsheets, or something similar.

“Our current method of displaying safety information to plant employees was a couple outdated signs. The first sign is old and the light bulbs that highlight the current safety status are expensive and prone to failure. The sign also requires daily intervention to display the correct numbers.

VVF's new self-updated sign is an effective and innovative method that replaced the old signs that had to be manually changed on a daily basis.

“The second sign is a whiteboard that contains department safety information and daily notes. This sign also requires daily intervention to update because the information has to be handwritten on the board.

“We were asked to come up with an alternative to the existing safety information signs and the process of updating them. We went through several different potential solutions for replacing the existing sign system:

1. We considered re-purposing some of our out-of-service computers to run a slide-show application on a large high-definition monitor. This was an unworkable solution because of the old computer’s display limitations and incompatibility issues with the video cards.

2. Another consideration was to purchase a new desktop or laptop computer to run existing slide-show software. This was also not workable due to the capabilities and limitations of the software application.

3. Our final option was to purchase an inexpensive, dedicated media center computer that would run digital signage software with live data update capabilities. We chose this method as it seemed to be the most workable at the time.

“We purchased the recommended media center computer and digital signage software we needed to get started.”

“However, it quickly became apparent that while the media center computer was a good choice, the digital signage software was lacking in the capabilities we required. We talked with the software company several times to work out a solution and in the end; they presented us their own custom solution. They offered to design web pages for us that would display our safety information and a custom program that could be used to update the display – at an additional cost.”

“While this would satisfy the basic requirements of the project, we felt it to be cumbersome and expensive. It would have caused us to rely too much on a third party to make changes that would inevitably lead to additional costs in the future.”

Do It: Create a Self-Updating Digital Display
“We spent several days looking for alternative sign display software and discovered that the entire digital signage industry was absolutely outrageous in terms of its offerings and especially the pricing structure of its products.

Ignition was the perfect solution to make a digital sign that displays safety information as well as date, time and weather.

Ignition makes it easy to update the sign via a smartphone.

“Completely discouraged in looking for a pre-canned solution, we considered using industrial HMI software to provide what we needed. Then, while looking over some plant data in Ignition, we realized that we already had everything we needed sitting right in front of us.”

“Using Ignition we were able to quickly put together an initial solution and presented it to our safety director.

“This sign is running on a 42-inch high-definition commercial grade LED TV and replaces both the existing sign and whiteboard.

Because Ignition is database driven, the information for the day counts is calculated automatically for each department through database queries, eliminating the need for someone to update the sign daily.

Thanks to the wealth of information in the Ignition support forum and the built-in scripting language in Ignition, we added some other great features to the sign to make it even more dynamic. We added live weather data that is pulled in through the Yahoo Weather Site and we added a message box that allows for 4 different messages to smoothly scroll vertically at the bottom of the screen.

The sign is easily set up through a smart phone or desktop computer: The plant safety status is updated through a simple drop-down menu and the incident dates are chosen from calendar pop-ups. The messages are entered from a second setup page that allows for text coloring as well as the speed of the scrolling messages.”

“The project is ongoing so there will certainly be changes and additions over time. Moving forward we are looking at providing this information in personalized formats for each department.”

Thanks!

Christopher J. Babb
Electrical Engineering Manager
VVF Illinois Services, LLC

We love to hear how folks are using Ignition's powerful features to creatively solve problems, both big and small. If you have a story about how Ignition has made your job easier, let us know. If you can dream it, you can do it with Ignition.

The Vegetable Vitamin Foods Company was established in 1939 in India by Godrej Pallonji Joshi. Today VVF is a multinational oleochemical and personal care products company which continually strives to improve and innovate their products, brands and business processes to suit the constantly-changing needs of their customers worldwide. To find out more about VVF LLC go to: www.vvfllc.com

How to Expedite Answers on the Forum

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT
Getting help fast is easy on the Inductive Automation Forum. If you’ve got questions about our software, need help getting through a tricky part of your project, or think you may have found a bug, you’ve come to the right place. Please take a minute to read through this guide to get the most out of our forum.

Who Uses the Forum
Our forum sees a broad mix of users and integrators, ranging from brand-new users evaluating our software for a project, to engineers with many projects under their belt. The forum is also frequented by both support staff and development staff of Inductive Automation. Don’t be surprised if your question gets answered by another user instead of Inductive Automation staff; oftentimes they chime in to lend a hand, and provide a valuable perspective.

Before You Post ...
First off, you’ll need to sign up. Don’t worry, we won’t share your email with anyone. Next you’ll want to do a brief search of the forum for similar questions. If someone has already asked the question, you’ll get your answer instantly!

When you’re ready to post, you need to pick which forum to use. Most likely, your post will fall under Ignition Design Help, Ignition Feature Requests, or Ignition Problems. The purpose of these forums is fairly self-evident; take a moment to consider which forum best fits your question.

Do’s and Don’ts
Sometimes forum topics require a bit of back-and-forth to arrive at a resolution. Each time we have to post back for more clarifying information, the longer it takes to answer the original question. Following these do’s and don’ts will help you get a quicker turnaround.

Do provide version number and operating system.
Including the Ignition version number and your operating system will help us understand your problem in more detail. Especially if you’re posting a problem, including the Ignition version number will let us determine if your problem has already been fixed in a later version.

Do post the full text of the error message.
If you post “I’m getting an error when ...” and you don’t actually post the error message, you can be sure that all you’ll get in response is someone asking you to post the error message. Make sure you copy-and-paste the full text of the error message, and don’t paraphrase. If there is a stack trace, post it too.

Do include screenshots.
Screenshots are often helpful to show an issue you’re having or describe a design you’re attempting to make. If you want you, can go one step beyond and record an error using screencast-o-matic.

Do put your code in a code block.
There isn’t much technical know-how to using the forum, but this one is important. If you’re copying-and-pasting code into a forum post, surround it in [code] [/code] tags. This is applicable for Python scripts, SQL queries, and Expressions. If you don’t do this, the formatting (indentation) of the code will be lost, and it will be very hard to read.

Do include a SSCCE.
This is perhaps one of the most powerful tools to ensure your question gets prompt attention and minimal back-and-forth. A SSCCE is a Short, Self-Contained Correct Example. Basically, give us something like an exported project file that we can load up here and will let us observe the behavior you’re describing.

Now, this is often easier said than done. We don’t have your PLC(s) or database(s), so making a SSCCE is sometimes not feasible. But if you can, then please try to do this. Put yourself in our shoes: if you’re describing an issue with the software, we’re going to need to replicate it in order to fix it. A good SSCCE will help us replicate your issue much faster.

Do provide context and background.
This tip is most applicable for design help. If you’re asking how to do something, take a sentence or two to step back and tell us what you’re trying to accomplish. Often you might be going down a path that isn’t the easiest way to accomplish something. We can only put you on the right path if we understand your end goals. We need to be able to see the forest, not just the trees.

Don't use the forum for an emergency.
If your plant is down and you need urgent help, please use the phone: (916) 456-1045.

Don't resurrect old threads.
If you find an old, resolved topic that is similar to your question, please don’t reply to that topic to ask your question. Start a new topic, and link to the old one. It helps us stay organized if each topic has one issue.

Be a Part of the Ignition Community
Our team is working hard to make sure you have a great experience when using Ignition, and the forums are one more tool we use to help us accomplish this goal.

We encourage you to use the forums to get answers to your Ignition-related questions, as well as help others with theirs. By being an active member of the forums you provide valuable feedback about what you’re doing with Ignition and how to make it better, helping us to align the future of Ignition alongside user needs and requests.

We look forward to seeing you on the forums. Happy posting!

Software Controls Engineer Impressed with Ignition OEE Module

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT
At Inductive Automation we are committed to the success of our clients. We stand behind that commitment by offering expert training and continuing support. As part of that ongoing effort, in addition to our 5-day Ignition core training course and our 3-day advanced course, we recently started offering a new 4-day training course for the OEE Downtime Module.

Garrick Reichert: Senior Controls Engineer, Kasa Industrial Controls
One of the attendees of our most recent OEE Downtime Module training course was Garrick Reichert. Garrick is a Senior Controls Engineer for Kasa Industrial Controls. As a Premier Integrator for Inductive Automation, Kasa Industrial Controls has done some very good work using Ignition. In fact they recently used Ignition to help a major food processor make the move from hand recorded tracking to real-time data acquisition (click here to read the case study).

Ignition's expanded course offerings brought back Garrick Reichert for more training; this time he attended the latest class about the OEE Downtime Module. Reichert is a Senior Controls Engineer for Kasa Industrial Controls,

Garrick was a key member of the team that worked on that project, and his ability to effectively use Ignition was a big reason for its success. So why did he come back for more training at our training facility in beautiful Folsom, California? Garrick explained, "I attended the Ignition core course about a year ago and it was great; I learned a lot and it really helped me in developing new projects in Ignition."

"I've worked quite extensively with Ignition to put in new web-based SCADA systems for our clients, but a lot of them have also asked for the ability to track downtime and measure OEE. When I heard that Inductive Automation was offering a course for the OEE Downtime Module I was very interested in going back to Inductive Automation for more training."

Customize Your OEE Project
As a senior controls engineer, Garrick gets to work on projects for a variety of industries, making software flexibility an important aspect to his work.

"As an integrator I really like the variety of work that I get to do on a daily basis,” he said. “I get to work on projects for various industries and each one has its own set of unique challenges. That's why I was so impressed with the flexibility of the Ignition OEE Downtime Module. It's incredibly easy to customize to whatever industry that you might need.

"In the training class we had guys working on all different types of projects for different industries – plastics, metal extrusion, canning, and several others. By the end of the course, everyone was able to use the module to create a custom project that specifically addressed the needs of that industry."

OEE Made Easy
In the class, trainees are given hands-on training with the OEE Downtime Module by the people who created it. Each trainee works at their personal workstation and can receives one-on-one instruction throughout the course. After working directly with the OEE module, Garrick shared his thoughts about it: "The thing I’m most impressed with is just how easy it is to work with the module. It has the ability to take a large amount of data and filters it down to very easy-to-understand visual measurements of OEE. That kind of ease of use really makes my job easier."

"I definitely recommend the course. Regardless of whether you are an integrator creating new projects or a company that is using Ignition, if you are looking to get an OEE tracking system going, then this is a great course to take."

Come Visit Us
We enjoyed having Garrick come visit us in Folsom, and we invite you to come visit us as well. We are committed to your success using Ignition and we a constantly striving to empower you with the tools necessary to get the job done.

Kasa Industrial Controls is a Kansas-based industrial controls firm. Since 1974 they have implemented control systems around the world. As a result of their outstanding work using Ignition, Kasa Industrial Controls is recognized as a Preferred Integrator for Inductive Automation. www.kasacontrols.com

Did You Know: You Can Use HTML Throughout Ignition

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT
A lot of components in Ignition accept HTML. Using some basic HTML can really step up your project to a new level.

The Label component is one of the components that accepts HTML, making it very versatile. A label can display text, images, or both. The text can be HTML formatted. Here are the steps to add HTML to a label:

Open the Ignition Designer and drag the Label component from the Display tab of the Component Palette.

The Label component has a Text property for what is displayed. By default the text is a single line. We can add HTML to make the label multi-line, bold certain text, underline certain text and more. Set the text property to the following:

<HTML>First Line Second Line

The label now has two lines.

The Button component also accepts HTML:

Open the Ignition Designer and drag the Button component from the Buttons tab of the Component Palette.

The Button component also has a Text property for what is displayed. By default the text is a single line. Set the text property to the following:

<HTML>Export To CSV

One of the most powerful places to use HTML is on the Mouseover Text property that exists on every component. The Mouseover Text is the text that is displayed in the tooltip, which pops up on mouseover of the component. You can display information about the component or the signal it is bound to. Let's add HTML to the mouseover text of the label component we created in the first example above:

Set the Mouseover Text property to the following:

<HTML>Instructions <UL><LI>Step 1</LI><LI>Step 2</LI><LI>Step 3</LI></UL>

Open the client (runtime) and hover your mouse over the component to see the tooltip.

Another place you can add HTML is the Table component. You can add HTML to the header row or to each of the individual cells of the table. Let's add HTML to the header:

Open the Ignition Designer and drag the Table component from the Tables tab of the Component Palette.

In the Property Editor, check the checkbox on the Test Data property to fill in some test data.

To change the table's header we need to use the Table Customizer. Right click on the table and select Customizers > Table Customizer.

In the header row you can add HTML to the display text in each column. Note *: If you are using line breaks, you must put them in the first visible column header to set the height. Set the header value of the first column to the following:

<HTML>Column 1

Now the table's header has multiple lines.

Feel free to experiment with other components to see if they accept HTML. You can combine HTML and the use of icons to really make your project stand out. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to call or email us.

You Won't Get a Script When You Call Inductive Automation Technical Support

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT
At Inductive Automation our customers can't say enough good things about our technical support team. A friendly staff, a responsive development team and an active public forum are some of the reasons our clients rave about us. We get calls from Ignition users all over the country every day.

Here is Dennis Runo’s story. Dennis, a systems integrator with Custom Automation, recently called Inductive Automation's support line and spoke with support specialist, Mike.

"I called up Mike at tech support because we were having an issue with one of our customers' redundant servers. The redundant server was not connecting properly so we were getting connection errors.

"After talking with Mike he was able to walk me through the problem. He didn't read a script to me, or go through some checklist, we just had a simple conversation about the problem and he walked me through a few scenarios that could be causing it.

"After a few minutes we discovered the source of the problem. A setting with one of the network cards was causing the connection error. After we discovered that, it was a simple fix. Mike helped me get up and running while we were still on the phone together; it only took a few minutes.

"I really appreciate the fact that the support team members at Inductive Automation don’t have big egos. They never make me feel like I'm talking to a ‘know-it-all’. They never make me feel dumb for asking a question, even if it is a simple fix. They are also not afraid to admit when they don't have the answer. When they don't know how to fix something they talk to the development team and then quickly call me back with a solution.

"There is also a great forum that I'm active on; I often find the answers to my questions there before I ever need to call. When I do call they are always really friendly, and I never feel like they are trying to rush me off the phone. I know them all on a first-name basis, and they know me. That makes it a lot easier to find solutions to problems because they already have a good idea of what I know and the kind of issues I have to deal with.

"Mike helped me get to the root of the problem I was having, and I'm confident that he will be able to help me again in the future."

– Dennis Runo
   Custom Automation, Inc.

Ignition Wins the Oracle Duke's Choice Award for "Innovative Industrial Software"

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT
At the JavaOne conference this month, Oracle awarded Inductive Automation with the Duke's Choice Award for innovation in the industrial software industry. The award is handed out yearly to companies that make excellent use of the Java programing language to innovate new software solutions in their industry. Past winners of the award include Motorola, Apache and CERN.

Inductive Automation won the award because of their work in creating Ignition, the first Java-based HMI (human machine interface), SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) application in the industrial software industry. In creating Ignition, Inductive Automation was the first private company to implement the OPC-UA standard in Java, effectively extending the use of Java into the manufacturing industry.

Inductive Automation's lead software developers, Carl Gould and Colby Clegg, were on hand at the event to accept the award. "Receiving the award was an honor, I couldn't help but feel a great sense of pride in being a part of the development of Ignition,” said Gould. “It's such a unique product, and so different from any other HMI/SCADA product on the market.” His colleague Clegg elaborated on that point: "Ignition is very different – and this award says to everyone that it’s different in a good way."

Different Is Good
Platform independence, web-based architecture, unlimited clients, and the quickest installation in the industry are some of the aspects that make Ignition so different – and now award-winning. Ignition users have been lauding these differences for years. The receipt of the Duke's Choice Award is a testimony that large companies outside of the industrial industry, such as Oracle, are taking notice. Ignition is special, and having Java at it's core is a big reason for that.

The decision to use Java as the platform for Ignition was not an easy one; and not one that was made lightly. Gould explained: "We knew that we wanted to keep everything unified and simple. To do to this meant that we needed to use one programing language for everything. We considered several, but Java offered the most potential advantages to Ignition users, so that's what we went with."

The Advantages of Using Java
The major advantages Gould alluded to were platform independence, quick deployment, and excellent support.

Java's famous slogan is "Write once, run anywhere." This means that programs written in Java, such as Ignition, run equally well on Linux, OSX or Solaris as they do on Windows. Using Java to write Ignition gave it true platform independence, offering Ignition users the freedom to run it on whatever operating system they want.

Stirling Elmendorf/Orange Photography

  On Oct. 2 Inductive Automation was awarded the Duke's Choice Award at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco, Calif. Colby Clegg (center) and Carl Gould (right) receive the award from Adam Messinger, Vice President of Development for Oracle.

Java's Web Start technology has the ability to launch full-featured applications like Ignition with a single click from any web browser. From the beginning, Ignition was intended to be a server-centric, web-based application. Java's Web Start feature helped give Ignition the power to quickly deploy an unlimited amount of clients to any computer equipped with a web browser.

Another strong benefit is the stability of Java’s long-standing support. The Java programmer community is 9 million strong – it's the most used programming language in the world. Oracle purchased Java from Sun Microsystems and since has worked to continually expand Java's power and reach. All this means that Java is a very well supported and a growing language, making it a solid platform on which to build Ignition.

Java and Ignition Have a Bright Future
While choosing Java as the platform for Ignition gave it several advantages over competing applications, it was not a choice that was free of risk. Colby explains: "Nobody in the industrial software industry was working in Java, we were the first ones, so we were breaking new ground." The risk paid off, and Ignition now has a bright future thanks to the foresight, smart choices and hard work of all those who had a hand in its creation.

One of the underscored messages at the JavaOne conference was "Moving Java Forward." This point was highlighted by some of the exciting announcements made about future features of Java. Two new Java advancements announced at the conference were JavaFX 2.0 and cloud computing.

JavaFX 2.0 promises the be the future of Java on the desktop, giving Java programs the tools to create compelling and dynamic user interfaces that can be viewed on multiple screen types. It will give Java applications the power to be viewed the same way on a smart phone or tablet as it would be on a traditional desktop computer.

Another exciting advancement is Java’s continual push toward cloud computing. Oracle is positioning Java to be "the" programing language for cloud computing. As more and more information is moving to the cloud, Java-based applications will be well positioned to make the transition.

With Java moving forward the possibilities for growth and innovation using the platform continue to grow. "One of the great benefits of going to the JavaOne conference was gaining a better perspective on the future of Java,” Clegg said. “We plan on continuing to take full advantage of the Java platform so it's very likely that new advancements in Java will have a positive impact on future versions of Ignition.”

The Road Less Traveled
Developing a full-featured HMI/SCADA in Java was a road that no one had gone down before. On Oct. 2, 2011 that road lead Carl Gould and Colby Clegg to the JavaOne conference to receive the Duke's Choice Award on behalf of Inductive Automation.

Although both Gould and Clegg attended the conference to receive the award, it was not the only thing they took away from the conference. Gould explained: "Being recognized by Oracle with this award is a great vote of confidence in Ignition. The award says that we have achieved something novel and innovative with Ignition; a product that's unique and ground-breaking in the industry."

With a continued commitment to blaze a trail of innovative software solutions for the industrial industry, the road less traveled promises to lead to some exciting new destinations.

Software Engineer Gains New Confidence Through Ignition Training

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT
At Inductive Automation's training center different people from various industries come from around the world to receive expert training in Ignition. One such individual is Brett Yeomans. He recently made the trip from the United Kingdom to visit the Inductive Automation training facility in Folsom, California.

Brett Yeomans: Software Engineer, Weetabix
Brett works for the Weetabix Food Company, one of the largest producers of breakfast cereals in the world. He has been with the company for 20 years and is currently working there as a software engineer. One of Brett's passions is exploring and experimenting with new technology. "One of the best parts about my job is the chance to find and play with the latest software, so I was excited to work with Ignition," Brett said.

Upgrade Your SCADA, Upgrade Your Knowledge Base
After many years of using an older SCADA package, Weetabix is looking to upgrade to Ignition. Brett explained the need for the switch: "Our current SCADA is so basic, it really just logs tag information to a local machine and someone has to be at that machine to retrieve it." Brett continued, "With Ignition all the information is stored in a central location and it can be accessed through a web browser. This will make it easy for people on the factory floor to access information – everything will be much more connected." In preparation for the transition, Weetabix asked Brett to visit Inductive Automation's training center in order to get more familiar with Ignition.

One-on-one education is one of the benefits of the Ignition training courses. Brett Yeomans (left) receives expert instruction from Inductive Automation’s Director of Training and Support Services, Travis Cox (right).

Inductive Automation offers several different training courses; the most popular are the 5-day Ignition core course and the 3-day advanced course. Brett visited the training center to attend both: "The 5-day training course was very good and easy to follow; I learned a lot but didn't feel overwhelmed. The advanced course was much more in-depth and the pace was much quicker; we covered a lot of ground."

Come With Questions, Leave With Confidence
Like many people new to Ignition, Brett had downloaded and experimented with the trial version of the software. After teaching himself for around a year or so, he attended the training courses. "If anything, I wished I'd come much sooner. The amount of material we covered in a few days would have taken me months to learn on my own." Brett continued, "The quality of instruction, and the ability to get instant answers to my questions, has been great. Now I've learned the best way to do things in Ignition and that will make a big difference moving forward."

Brett learned a lot in his time at the training center, but a few of his bigger takeaways stand out. "We learned about a way of creating paperless forms that I think will come in very handy and save the company a lot of time and money,” Brett said. “But the biggest thing I'm leaving here with is confidence. I came to bolster the company's confidence in rolling out Ignition on a larger scale, and after the training I'm very confident that Ignition will work for us. I feel much more certain in my skill level with it now."

Teaching Brett and people like him about Ignition is what we here at Inductive Automation love to do. One of our greatest joys is to show our customer just how much they can do with Ignition and how much easier it can make their jobs. So come out to the Inductive Automation training center, we are ready to help.

Weetabix is the largest producer of breakfast cereals in the United Kingdom; they export their product to 80 countries around the world. They are headquartered in Burton Latimer, Kettering, Northamptonshire, England and they have factories in Europe, the United States and Canada. www.weetabix.co.uk

Automated Data Tracking Saves Time & Money

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT
In business, time is money. In the case of a certain major food processor, the company determined that they needed to find a more time-efficient way to track information from their plant floor. With eight major processing facilities at different locations, they have a lot of data to track. In order to ensure the quality of their products, thousands of data points must be tracked including cooking temperatures, water levels, and product quotas.

In the past the company spent a lot of valuable time recording information by hand. However, to keep up in the fast-paced food processing industry they needed to find a way to save time and money. They needed information from the plant floor in real-time. They needed the power to use that information to ensure product quality and increased productivity. They needed a full-featured HMI (human machine interface) and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system to connect all their plants together.

Ignition gives plant management the ability to see the whole plant floor at once.

Local HMI screens are easily mirrored using the Ignition Designer.

Kasa Industrial Controls & Ignition
They wanted to find the right HMI/SCADA solution to fit their needs, so they asked Kasa Industrial Controls for help. Kasa is a leader in the industrial controls industry, helping companies worldwide in developing and implementing top-notch control systems. After evaluating their new client's needs, Kasa told them about Ignition.

Ignition is the database-centric, web-based HMI/SCADA software package from Inductive Automation. Kasa's client loved what they heard about it. Garrick Reichert, senior control engineer for Kasa Industrial Controls, explained: "They really liked what Ignition had to offer; the simple pricing, its flexibility and compatibility – these were all major factors. Ignition pretty much sold itself, and they asked us to help them get started."

Large-Scale Data Collection
Each of the client’s food processing plants requires the use of several thousand data points to effectively supervise the facility. These data points come from numerous PLC tags as well as newly installed sensors that monitor everything from freezer temperatures to water pressure. Tracking this information at multiple plants compounds the amount of data that needs to be collected on a constant basis.

With Ignition, collecting this amount of data is no problem. Unlimited data points allow for as many tags as needed. Each plant is set up with a virtual gateway server that launches Ignition clients and collects data. Since Ignition is licensed by the server instead of by the seat, it's possible to launch an unlimited amount of Ignition clients. Reichert explains how this simple pricing model affected the project: "Originally our customer had only planned on getting a couple of plants up and running with SCADA software. With the money they saved going with Ignition, they got most of their plants running it."

Ignition is database centric, making it easy to store all data in a central location. Using a store-and-forward method, all the information from the plant floor is sent to a central database that is easily accessible by each gateway. This means that each plant has access to the real-time data for that facility, and as Reichert says, they can do more than that. "Each plant can instantly switch over to see what's going on in the other plants,” he said. “It's easy to do; the ability is actually built right into Ignition."

Universal Compatibility
One key factor in Kasa's client’s choice of HMI/SCADA software was Ignition's ability to work well with a vertical software package specific to the food processing industry. Heath Roker, project manager for Kasa Industrial Controls, explained why the software was so important: "The vertical software the client employs is used to track quality assurance. It records and analyzes data from the plant floor to ensure that food quality meets FDA regulations."

Ignition gathers all the data that the vertical software needs and writes it to an intermediate database. From there the vertical software grabs the updated data and analyzes it to generate reports and alerts. The setup was straight forward, and the system works seamlessly to deliver exactly what the client wanted.

Ignition uses up-to-date, proven coding languages and programing standards to make it easily compatible with just about any software. Roker reported how this helped in integrating Ignition at each facility. "Each plant was set up differently, but Ignition's flexibility made it easy for us to add the additional equipment and screens the client needed," he said.

Quick Access To Data
There is likely no better measure of time savings and productivity increases than looking at how Ignition has positively affected the work flow of the plant’s employees. Jay Aurand is the project engineer for Kasa Industrial Controls, who was responsible for getting the plant floor PLCs connected up with Ignition. He had to work closely with maintenance managers to ensure that the new Ignition control system met their needs. "The maintenance supervisor wanted to see exactly the same data on his screen that he would see if he walked around the plant floor," Aurand explained.

To make this possible, Aurand worked with Kasa System Developer Garrick Reichert to create the necessary HMI screens in the Ignition designer. "After a little training, the Ignition Designer was easy to use and very powerful." Reichert continued, "We were easily able to mirror the HMI screens that plant employees are familiar with." Hundreds of HMI screens were created to mirror the local HMI of each machine, on each line, and in each plant. Through Ignition the entire plant floor was visible on a single terminal.

This powerful functionality gave personnel total visibility over all the plants. One particular maintenance supervisor expressed his satisfaction to Jay Aurand: "The supervisor loves that now he can check the whole plant without getting up from this desk.” The supervisor went on to explain to Aurand exactly how much time and effort that kind of easy access to data saves him every day. "He told me that Ignition has saved him 30 minutes, five hand washings, and four smock changes, every time he needs to check the floor," Aurand said.

Time Saved, Money Earned
The customer is thrilled with the results of Kasa's work and the amazing power and possibilities that Ignition now gives them. Roker said that the client has greatly benefited by using Ignition because he saw it first-hand. "Before Ignition they had no automatic tracking or connection to the plant floor,” Roker said. “Now Ignition connects all the plants together and tracks everything for them. There is no doubt that Ignition has saved them a significant amount of time and money."

Watch and listen as Heath Roker of Kasa Industrial Controls as he discusses how Ignition can save companies valuable time and resources by switching from hand-recorded data collection to an automated tracking system using Ignition. Watch recorded webinar >

Kasa Industrial Controls is a Kansas-based industrial controls firm. Since 1974 they have implemented control systems around the world. As a result of their outstanding work using Ignition, Kasa Industrial Controls is recognized as a Preferred Integrator for Inductive Automation. www.kasacontrols.com

The Key to Building a Cost-Effective Large-Scale SCADA Project

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT
In these tough economic times everyone has felt a pinch in their pocket book from time to time. Bills for the phone, credit card, cable ... it can all add up quickly to take a big slice out of your monthly income. What if your cable bill suddenly doubled in price; how would that affect you? What if you were dependent upon that service to connect you to the world, and, what if that connection was the key to your livelihood?

Now, what if that increase in your bill was multiplied by hundreds of times; how would that change the picture? Suddenly that simple pinch in your pocket would become a crushing expense, affecting your bottom line in devastating fashion.

Costs Getting Out of Hand
A major oil and gas exploratory and production company faced a similar problem. Over time they’d become accustomed to paying a third-party, hosted, process control and data acquisition service.

Oil and gas companies often must collect a large amount of data from many places. Ignition easily handles a large data load, and makes data monitoring and analysis cost effective because companies don't have to pay by how much data they are processing or how many users have access to the system.

The hosted service reported data about the company’s numerous principle reserves and producing properties. With 1,800 well sites across Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, and Canada the service was essential in monitoring the 120,000 I/O points from the flow computers on each field.

They sought to break away from their dependency on the third-party control service by bringing control and data acquisition capabilities in-house. A web-based solution was desired in order to connect the approximately 300 employees who needed access to the data daily on both the field and corporate level. In order to avoid the downtime a transition to a new control system could bring, the company required a control system solution that was easy to use and customized to what staff were familiar with.

Bringing SCADA In-House
When the company had assessed all their needs, they contacted Louisiana-based process automation and control firm, Failsafe Controls, to find a solution. Failsafe Controls is a leader in managing products and services for the oil and gas industry. They have built a reputation for using state-of-the-art process control and automation technologies to provide excellent service to their customers while saving them money at the same time.

Upon reviewing their clients’ needs, they recommended Ignition, the web-based SCADA system software by Inductive Automation. Albert Lambert, the web automation architect at Failsafe Controls, said it best: “Going with Ignition was a no brainer. Ignition helped us win the bid and get the job done because of its solid web-based architecture, its simple pricing model, and the great technical support of Inductive Automation.”

Getting the Job Done
Large Amounts of Data
Failsafe’s client uses Ignition for real-time data acquisition from thousands of flow computers located at well sites all across North America. The flow computers monitor the gas flow levels at each field. Ignition’s cross-platform, web-based architecture allows for easy collection and storage of historical data to a central server. The data can be securely accessed from the server, using the latest OPC-UA protocols, allowing for easy compatibility and robust security.

Accessing Data Anywhere
As web-based SCADA software, Ignition can be launched from any web browser. This allows for easy access of the data to technicians on the field level. Lambert explained, “Techs use their wireless laptops to log into the system right from their trucks. They can see whatever is going on in the field right at that moment.”

At the corporate level the data is quickly accessed and analyzed in order to run reports, dispatch manpower to appropriate problem areas, and inform production and marketing decisions. Through Ignition’s secure, web-based architecture, everyone can access the information they need to, when they need it. Lambert stated, “The client is very happy with Ignition. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the how well it works for them.”

Pricing that Makes Sense
Since Ignition is web-based SCADA software, it is licensed by the server, not the user. Once Ignition is installed on the server, it can be launched to an unlimited number of clients. It also allows for an unlimited number of connection points. This translates into huge savings, because companies don’t have to worry about buying individual licenses for each user or paying for new connections.

No Future Licensing Price Hikes
In addition to saving money now, companies can rest easy knowing that Ignition’s scalability ensures things will stay that way. Other SCADA software can require individual licenses for each user, which means increased costs as the company grows. With Ignition, the software can grow with the company. As new employees are hired, new clients can be launched at no added cost.

Easily Customizable
A major concern of Failsafe’s client in transitioning to a new control system was the downtime it might take for the staff to learn a new system. After a meeting between the client, Failsafe Controls and an Inductive Automation design specialist, Ignition’s customization and functionally became clear. They mapped out a solution using Ignition’s flexible designer to build the new system to mirror the current hosted service.

Extraordinary Support
Failsafe Controls worked closely with Inductive Automation’s design services to build a customized interface for the system from the ground up. Lambert explained, “Inductive Automation built custom features specifically for this project and they were a great help in clearly answering any questions or concerns that the client had.”

Throughout the development process, the commitment and expertise of the Inductive Automation technical support staff won rave reviews from both Failsafe and their client. Lambert said, “The best thing going for Inductive Automation is the technical support for Ignition. It has been there from the beginning and I know it’s only a phone call away.”

The best testament to the effectiveness of the support is the end result. After five months of using Ignition, the client reports that they have not experienced a single downtime event.

Taking Control
When the economy is uncertain, it can force businesses to reevaluate their expenses and ask tough questions. Such as, are we getting the most for our money? Thanks to Ignition, Failsafe was able to give their client something altogether uncommon in today’s business climate – more than what they paid for! Not only was their client able to break away from their old hosted control service, they were empowered with in-house SCADA functionality. Ignition gave them the solid foundation and powerful tools to control and monitor their system. Inductive Automation’s expert support allows them to move confidently forward into the future.

Failsafe Controls is a process automation and control systems firm specializing in the oil and gas industry. Based in New Iberia, Louisiana, they have serviced the gulf coast and completed work around the globe since 2006. They have recently started offering Ignition to their clients and are happy to add Ignition to their already outstanding list of products and services. Lambert stated, “we hope to do a lot more projects using Ignition.” www.failsafecontrols.com

Senior Engineer Adds Ignition to His Expertise

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT
What would a week at Inductive Automation’s training center mean for you? Whether you have little or much experience using Ignition, you’ll be sure to learn a lot – just like Jerry Buthmann.

Jerry Buthmann: Senior Engineer, Concept Systems
Jerry Buthmann is a hard working guy from Albany, Ore., who we were lucky enough to have in our training course recently. Jerry works for Concept Systems Inc. as a senior engineer.

Concept Systems has had recent success using Ignition to create powerful and dynamic HMI portals for their clients. Their recent growth in that area has caused them to expand their Ignition integration team. Jerry explained that he was asked to bring his engineering expertise to the group. "I agreed to help out, so they asked me to attend the Ignition 5-Day core training course,” Jerry said. “I came to better learn how to use Ignition to help our clients."

Travis Cox, Inductive Automation's director of training and support services, works with Jerry Buthman, senior engineer for Concept Systems, during an Ignition training course.

Jerry is a newcomer to Ignition but is a stalwart in the field of automation, thanks to his 27 years of experience in the industry. "I have had some exposure to other SCADA programs before, but as a control systems engineer my main focus has been working with Rockwell and Controllogix PLC programing." Jerry continued, "I had zero experience with Ignition prior to taking the training course, so I had a lot of ground to cover."

Lots of Ground to Cover
Thanks to Jerry's expertise and the solid instruction of Travis Cox, Inductive Automation's director of training and support services, Jerry was able to catch on quickly. "The course is well organized and the instruction was easy to follow," said Jerry. "Before long I was fairly comfortable working with the software. Ignition has a lot of the coding and implementation functionality built into it, so I was able to build a dynamic SCADA project in the design module pretty quickly."

Throughout the course Jerry learned the core skills needed to effectively use Ignition. "Before attending the course, the idea of using an entirely new SCADA software was a bit overwhelming," Jerry explained. "Now I feel much more confident in using Ignition to create new projects. It's a big, powerful application so I still have a lot to learn, but this course has really helped me out. I also know the folks here are ready to help me if I have more questions."

Connecting One-On-One
Working with Jerry, and the other Ignition training course attendees like him, is a pleasure for us here at Inductive Automation. We are always happy to help our clients everyday, but it's a special privilege to connect with them one-on-one in the training room. If you want to learn more about how to use Ignition, we encourage you to attend one of our training courses offered monthly.

"The facilities are great, the information was well delivered, and the food was good too,” Jerry said. “I would absolutely recommend the training course to any colleague of mine who wanted to become more proficient in Ignition."

Thanks Jerry, it was great to meet you, and we hope to hear from you again soon.

Concept Systems Inc. is recognized as a leader in automation services. The company is headquartered in Albany, Ore., and has been meeting its customers' needs since 1999. Concept systems has built a reputation for applying proven automation technologies like Ignition to optimize the manufacturing processes of their clients.

Why OPC-UA Will Be On Every Automated Control System In the Future

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT
OPC-UA is often seen as an evolutionary upgrade to the previous OPC specification, and one that will take some time to roll out into use. Many companies have been using classic OPC products successfully for years, and envision that the upgrade to OPC-UA will occur as part of a generational upgrade, “down the road”.

However, in the context of today’s modern manufacturing environment, it is evident that OPC-UA is really more revolutionary than evolutionary, and offers a number of very compelling features that are well worth investigating immediately.

If your company is dedicated to being more connected, more informed, and more efficient, OPC-UA will play a critical role in your system’s future. With a wide range of products now on the market, you might consider making the jump sooner rather than later.

Here are a few ways that OPC-UA can already play a critical role in improving your company’s control systems, and why it’s bound to be a major player in the automation scene in the near future.

Companies Want... Accessibility
Everyone knows that good data is at the heart of improving efficiency. Accessing, collecting, and managing data is central to any modern control system, but has traditionally been costly and difficult. Companies are turning away from proprietary systems and are flocking to robust, open solutions like SQL databases in order to manage and analyze data in a way that fits with their existing IT systems.

OPC-UA is a perfect complement to this trend, providing a standard, open mechanism for collecting data. Like databases, it is IT friendly, using technology that is modern and secure. Making it easy to collect data from the plant floor in a way that eliminates IT department headaches is a tremendous step forward.

Companies Want... Security
Control system security is a critical topic, and one that is getting a lot of attention. OPC-UA provides a critical upgrade to security over classic OPC, and enables communication that is not only easier to configure and more flexible, but vastly more secure. OPC-UA supports the latest encryption and validation techniques with minimum configuration, ensuring that data arrives safely and without modification.

Better support for modern operating systems means that IT departments can keep systems properly updated, without fear of breaking the system. Any security conscious company that uses OPC should have OPC-UA in their sights.

Companies Want... Choice
Companies are tired of being restricted to Windows, or to old versions. They want the freedom to choose the operating system that offers the greatest benefit, and fits the best into their corporate strategy. Whereas OPC was previously tied to DCOM and Windows, OPC-UA as a specification is completely platform independent.

Products are already available for all of the major operating system. Ignition by Inductive Automation, for example, offers OPC-UA connectivity that works equally well on Windows (including the latest versions), Linux, HP-Unix and OSX. Companies are no longer forced to spend extra resources supporting out-dated or extraneous operating systems, but instead can extend their standard computing policies all the way to the plant floor.

Making the Transition
There is no need to wait for the future to reap the benefits of OPC-UA. There are already many server and client products on the market, and the barrier to entry has never been lower. Most products support integration with previous standards, allowing you to make a gentle transition. Inductive Automation offers their OPC-UA server at absolutely no cost, with drivers for Modbus, Allen-Bradley, Siemens and more included. The server can be used with any OPC-UA client, including Ignition by Inductive Automation, a powerful HMI/SCADA package offering unlimited web-launched clients, unlimited tags, alarming, reporting, powerful database integration, and platform independence.

Regardless of the primary control system used by your organization, OPC-UA opens the doors to huge range of new possibilities that your company will want to take advantage of in the future. The only question is, why wait for the future?

Why Software Pricing Kills Control System Projects & How To Get More Approved

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:00:00 GMT
Traditional SCADA software pricing models just aren’t practical in today’s fast-paced, competitive industrial-automation environment. If you’ve been in the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) or manufacturing execution system (MES) market for some time, you are probably familiar with purchasing software by-the-client or by-the-tag. And you know the cost of software adds up quickly!

More often than not, any investment into a piece of software will give some return. But it’s the amount of return that users care about.

Think about it. If you look at purchasing a product but don’t see the value, will you buy it even if you have the funds available? That’s how many manufacturers view SCADA and MES software these days. They have the money, but the software just doesn’t give them enough value for the cost. That’s where many projects get killed before they start.

Why Traditional SCADA Software Offers Little Value
Despite the dilemma stated above, companies that rely on automated processes know they need something that will enable them to make their control system more efficient. And SCADA and MES software still seems to be the best bet.

The budget for a control system project usually goes something like this: 80% gets spent on the software licenses, and 20% is left over to pay an integrator or in-house engineer to set the software up on the control system. And most of the 20% spent on the human labor is on just installing the software. The real value comes from customizing the software for the company’s processes. If the entire budget goes toward only the software and installation costs, there is little value left to sway a company to move forward.

Integrator Jack Krohmer of Process Networks Plus in Leander, Texas, recently faced the same scenario with one of his customers, a food manufacturer. When Jack entered the scene, the company had already received quotes between $32,000 and $35,000 for licensing development software and five clients for traditional SCADA software products. The price did not include training and did not include software installation.

Jack said, “They would have been so frustrated with the software because it didn’t include training nor installation costs. It would be a week or two to load the software on to their system – and they don’t have the time to do that – and they would have spent $30,000. They would have either killed the project or not have been happy with what they got for $30,000.”

How Jack Saved the Project
“I told them that they can’t afford to do this project without Ignition, based on their budget,” Jack explained. “They asked me why, and I explained how Ignition’s web-based architecture and unlimited pricing model would not only fit their budget now, but as they expanded in the future. By the time I was done explaining it, their engineer had already downloaded Ignition and loaded some PLCs into the system. He had never had any training or HMI knowledge. But he got Ignition up to where they knew that it worked.

“We were able to supply the software, the hardware, and the actual labor for the same price as what the other software by itself cost – and now they have so much more flexibility to build more into their system. Now that Ignition is in place, they can add on to the system as much as they like and never pay another dime for clients or tags.”

Web-Based SCADA Equals One Flat Price
Web-based software is gaining in popularity because it gets installed once on a central server location, and then can be accessed anywhere via a client machine. Users pay one flat price for the server license, and then launch as many clients as they want or connect as many tags as they need. This dramatically changes how the budget can be distributed across the project.

Process Networks Plus has long been a Wonderware advocate. But recently, the company has switched to Ignition. “This is critical for our customers. We’re considered a Wonderware proponent. Since we’ve changed over to using Ignition, our customers are seeing that we’ve switched because it’s better for them and better for us. They understand nothing has changed on Wonderware, but they’re seeing that Ignition is serving their needs better.”

Not only is the cost for unlimited, web-based software much lower than traditional by-the-client and by-the-tag licensing, but it’s an order of magnitude faster to install. Web-based software need only be installed once on a central server location, and can hook up as many tags as needed to build client applications. Then any client machine on the system can access the server, and launch a client application.

Buyer beware: many companies advertise that they are “web-based”, but if you investigate deeper, you’ll find they are still charging by-the-client and by-the-tag. Make it a point to ask upfront how the licensing works.

Making Your Project Worth the Cost
Projects pass only when the value of your SCADA or MES projects outweigh the costs of the software.

SCADA projects are no longer just about stop-and-start control and tracking statistics – they have to be able to provide “actionable data.” There’s a lot of buzz going around the industry about actionable data, and there’s a good reason for it. Getting to the information fast enough to act on it is becoming increasingly important.

Managers are asking for more information faster. 48 hours is usually too late. On the other side of the equation, plant floor managers want to be able to reduce the time it takes to collect the data and enter it into a report for management.

Jason Russell, who owns Russell Automation in Vancouver, Wash., said his customers value information over the traditional push-and-stop control provided by SCADA software. “Industrial-automation software really needs to cater to upper management,” Jason said. “They want to see real-time reports, graphs, temperatures, and other plant floor information in the manager’s office. And the plant manager wants to be able to deliver his stats more easily and more accurately to his managers and bypass the labor-intensive process to build these reports manually.

“Paperless factories is where everything is going right now. I explain to my customers how we do that and that we can do that, and get it down to the right price point and it sells every time.”

Watch to the recorded webinar, “Why Software Pricing Kills Control System Projects & How To Get More Approved ”. Guest speakers Jack Krohmer of Process Networks Plus and Jason Russell of Russell Automation share how web-based software and unlimited licensing models have transformed manufacturers’ control systems.

How to Get Started Implementing an OEE Solution

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:00:00 GMT
You have probably heard the term OEE, the acronym for “overall equipment effectiveness,” and you may already have a sense about what it is all about, but implementing a successful OEE solution is not done in a heartbeat. So, you may be asking, “where do I start?”

Many organizations run into a lot of the same obstacles when they first start considering an OEE implementation plan. Knowing and understanding how to navigate through these hurdles will facilitate the process.

Understanding OEE
OEE is a tool to monitor the effectiveness of manufacturing facilities. Software commonly is used to implement OEE, but it can also be done manually using plain old pencil, paper, spreadsheets and elbow grease.

At the surface, OEE is just a couple of simple formulas used to monitor three isolated factors of availability, performance and quality. Below is a brief description of each component:

  Availability
OEE Availability is the ratio between the actual run time and the scheduled run time. The scheduled run time does not include breaks, lunches and other pre-arranged time a production line or process may be down.

Performance
OEE Performance is the ratio between the actual number of units produced and the number of units that theoretically can be produced (standard rate). The standard rate is the performance rate for which the equipment is designed.

Quality
OEE Quality is the ratio between good units produced and the total units that were started.

 
As simple as these calculations appear to be on the surface, getting to those numbers and using them within your company to your advantage is the true challenge. There are technical details, capital expense, human factors and more. So where do you start? How do you begin setting up an OEE solution in your company?

Is OEE Right For Your Organization?
First off, you must determine if OEE is truly right for your company. Every company is different, so deciding if OEE is right for your organization will require you to answer a few questions:

Does your company have competitors?

Are the competitors implementing OEE?

Are your competitors more profitable?

Is profit important to your company?

What can be done with the dollars saved by reducing operating cost?

One last deciding factor is whether your company may inherently be very efficient or possibly so profitable, that it really does not matter if you track OEE. If this is the case, then you should be thanking the manufacturing gods. If this is not the case, and your company could really benefit by focusing on increased efficiency, read on.

Does It Have To Be a Perfect Fit?
Sometimes it first appears that your process can’t benefit from OEE. For example, your process does not have straight forward production units. Such as, your production units are not discrete units such as cases, bottles, gallons, liters, widgets and so on. Also, if your process is not conducive to a regular production rate, then OEE Performance may not work.

But even in these situations, keep in mind that you can still benefit from implementing only one or two of the OEE factors. For example, for an irregular production rate, OEE Availability and Quality can still be used very effectively. Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.

Be Prepared For a Variety of Responses
Typically, a key person—maybe you?—or group is trying to start an efficiency improvement initiative by collecting information from various departments. Now it gets interesting because of the variety of directions the information collecting process may go.

It may become overwhelming with all the different opinions, desires and considerations that some feel must be met in order to implement an OEE solution. There may be different groups pitching their solution. In some cases, no one will have ideas or opinions until you present a possible solution. In addition, there will always be the few people that have all the reasons why it will not work. All of these may possibly lead to political tension within your company.

Keep the Solution Focused
The best approach to minimize political tension arising between decision makers is to outline the basic requirements for your company’s OEE solution. Keep it more general with items like whether to use software or do it by hand, the departments that it will use it, the requirement for flexible analysis and reporting, whether or not to have operator terminals on production lines, whether it will or will not integrate into your ERP or other management systems, whether the screens should be configurable, who will be responsible for maintaining the OEE system over time, etc.

Once these key requirements are defined, determine the possible solutions that will accommodate them. This will weed out the solutions that will fall short and should keep you from getting bogged down in what data will appear on what report. It’s best to keep moving forward with a solution that is flexible and is accommodating to changes in requirements over time.

Start Small To Mitigate Risk
Determining the return on investment (ROI) can be difficult when there is no existing efficiency data. Many companies start by implementing OEE on one or two production lines within their facility. After shaking down the OEE system on the lines and gaining some experience on closing the loop to improve efficiencies, ROI will be much easier to estimate for your entire company.

Starting small and growing the OEE implementation helps mitigate the risk that an OEE solution may end up unsuccessful. If proven successful, the decision making of which other areas of your facility, or enterprise, to roll out the OEE system to will be much easier.

Recognize That OEE Is an Evolving Process
The best OEE implementations evolve over time as your companies learn more about the effectiveness of their manufacturing. The OEE implementation details will change as this learning happens. Also, manufacturing processes change over time, and an OEE implementation must be flexible enough to adapt to these changes. The reality is, it doesn’t have to be perfect from day one, and everyone can get what they want out of the system over time. This is true for everyone except for the few people with all the reasons why it will not work.

Put It All Together
Once you decide OEE is right for your company, define basic requirements, select a solution that meets the requirements and begin implementing OEE tracking, you will then need to take the final step. Your people!

OEE in and of itself will not improve the effectiveness of your company. You have to apply human brainpower. By looking at the OEE data, you and your staff have to use that OEE data to find correlations between different influences on your effectiveness.

You will want to look for correlations between operators, vendors, shifts, temperatures, etc., and the impact that they have on your effectiveness. Looking at these correlations can help in making business decisions; for example, seeing the OEE values by raw material vendor will help in determining if the lower cost vendor is worth it when the day is over. Also, feeding specific information back to the vendor may help them to provide a better product to your company.

When you discover these correlations, you are equipped with the knowledge of how to improve your operations. This is the ultimate reward for implementing OEE – knowing how and where to focus efforts to make changes that will really boost overall efficiency.

3 Reasons SCADA Software Is Going Nowhere (And How To Use This To Your Advantage)

Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT
There are three major reasons why traditional SCADA software innovation has stagnated, but at the same time this presents new opportunities and provides competitive advantages to those willing to learn a little bit about IT technology.

While the information technology (IT) world has made huge technological leaps in years past, the same can’t be said about traditional SCADA software. Only marginal technological advances have been made in this arena during the last 15 years.

There are three aspects of traditional SCADA software that particularly impede any technological advance. All three can be remedied by blending SCADA functionality with IT technology and its standard protocols and practices. This article is designed to help companies understand why traditional SCADA software is holding most manufacturers back, and how to use modern technology practices to gain the competitive advantage.

Reason #1: SCADA Software Is Too Purpose Specific
SCADA software was originally designed to control and monitor automated machinery. As such it performs the standard SCADA functionality for stop and start control, numeric entry fields for setpoints, animated graphics and simple trending.

The leap to PCs was a huge advance in its day but nothing much has changed since the 1990s. It’s a little strange that newer IT advances haven’t much made their way into the industrial control realm.

How To Get Ahead: Leverage the Power
of SQL Databases and Web Servers
By blending SCADA functionality with web servers and relational databases it is possible to achieve better analysis, better reporting and better collaboration concerning every aspect of a company’s production.

It is important to remember that software should not dictate a company’s business processes. Rather, software should be flexible enough to mimic a company’s existing best practices. These best practices represent, after all, actions taken by a company to be more efficient than its competitors. But equally important, software flexibility must be coupled with speed of application development to make it cost effective.

IT uses relational databases and embraces a database-centric philosophy because it makes sense. This is how the rest of the world works and it’s time for the controls industry to wake-up and smell the roses.

Reason #2: Tedious Implementation Destroys Viability
Many great ideas come and go because implementing them is not cost effective. You’ve heard of jumping through hoops to bend software into the desired form. You’ve also heard that installing software could alone take days or weeks—software that has to ship on DVDs is probably just bloatware.

Even worse, creating applications is frustrating because dealing with relational data is impossible with most systems without doing some serious hacking.

How To Get Ahead: Eliminate Redundant Tasks
It is imperative that SCADA software in today’s competitive market be designed with a web-based, or central server, architecture—just like IT does it.

IT approaches installations, development and system maintenance via a central server architecture model. This means for any task that IT performs on the system, they do it once and move on to the next project. Software is installed once, projects are developed once, and changes or updates are made once, and every client machine can instantly launch the latest functionality.

Using SCADA software that is designed around the web-based concept borrowed from IT can drastically change the role of the engineer or integrator from “implementation specialist” to “innovation specialist” which can greatly increase a company’s competitive advantage.

Reason #3: Licensing Model Stifles SCADA Projects
There is one other very large roadblock to SCADA advancement: how software is licensed.

Most SCADA software vendors charge users by how many tags or clients they use. The larger the system is, or grows to be in the future, the more money users are forced to spend for software alone. This kills more projects, or forces them into the future, than you could shake a stick at. Systems are never all that they could and should be.

How To Get Ahead: Look For Licensing “By the Server”
Seek out web-based SCADA software that is licensed by the server, not by the tags or clients. Web-based software is installed only once on the server, and unlimited usage is an inherent benefit. You’ve heard the Army slogan “Be all you can be.” Well, let your system be all that it can be by seeking out software that is licensed by the server with no other strings attached.

Not having to buy additional licenses fuels innovation. Just think of it, the more eyes on that data the more creative ideas, and with that the company goes into better collaboration and truly attains the advantage over its competitors. This is not mere speculation; it can be observed as fact.

Position Your Company For Success
Modern IT technology, when utilized by SCADA software, can transform control systems. IT has developed and is using concepts that make data management very fast and efficient: a database-centric, web-based architecture that leverages relational data to its full potential.

Gaining a competitive advantage requires investigating any SCADA software vendor to ensure that they can install the software in one place, manage it in one place, add on to it in one place, and have the freedom to use an unlimited amount of tags and clients.

Where should you start? When choosing a SCADA software vendor, asking key qualifying questions will help you evaluate how well the software integrates IT concepts. Download the free Checklist: IT Advantages For SCADA Software.

Siemens PLC Drivers Available In Beta

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 GMT
SCADA systems can now connect to Siemens PLCs via the Ignition OPC-UA Server. The Ignition Siemens Drivers Module includes three drivers that enable communications with Siemens S7-300, S7-400, and S7-1200 PLCs.

The driver is available now as a beta, and can be downloaded by visiting the Downloads section of Inductive Automation’s website. Users who download now will be notified when the final version of the driver is available.

Installing the new drivers is easy, and requires no system downtime. Users can install the module into the Ignition Gateway interface and immediately begin connecting to Siemens PLCs on their control systems – no restart is required!

The Ignition OPC-UA Server and drivers are free. Users may download the free OPC-UA server and immediately begin using it. Allen Bradley and Modbus drivers are already included in the OPC-UA server, and an open API is available for developers who wish to write their own drivers.

Ignition OPC-UA is offered free as a stand-alone server, and is also included as a free module within the Ignition SCADA software. Ignition is a robust platform for creating web-launched HMI, SCADA and MES systems that can run on Windows, Linux, OS X and more. With full support for OPC-UA, classic OPC, Modbus TCP/IP, and UDP/TCP, Ignition can be adapted to connect to virtually any industrial device.

Learn more about the Ignition OPC-UA server >

New OEE Software Module Reduces Implementation Time & Cost

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT
Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) can require implementation effort that typically costs two to three times that of the software licensing fees. Manufacturers can now get up and running in considerably less time with the Ignition OEE Downtime Module, developed by Inductive Automation.

Fast Implementation
The OEE software is web-based—which means the software is installed in one location, and easily accessed from anywhere on the company’s network via a computer or mobile device. The software’s pre-built screens and standardized efficiency calculations cut down on costs associated with development time. Included screens, reports, and analysis tools can be modified or created from scratch to meet a company’s unique requirements.

Unlimited Licensing Makes It Cost Effective
Inductive Automation’s unlimited licensing model removes the often cost-prohibitive—and usually time consuming—negotiations with software vendors for licensing costs that are usually based on the customer’s usage per line, per cell, per tag, and per client. Ignition’s modules are licensed with unlimited lines, unlimited cells, unlimited data usage, and unlimited clients by the physical production site and server, which means customers will pay one price, use it as much as they like, and get on with business.

OEE Software & Downtime Tracking Combined
Calculating overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) using automated software is most effective when combined with downtime tracking. OEE calculations provide an indication about the current efficiency for a line, a machine, a production run, a facility, or even the entire enterprise. Downtime tracking is one of the keys to unlock information about where to focus efforts to make improvements so operations can raise the efficiency of their facilities.

The new OEE software module performs downtime tracking, asset utilization analysis, production scheduling and work order management. Managers are empowered to reduce operating cost, increase asset utilization and boost operating efficiency that results in improved profitability.

Test a Full Version For Free
A trial version of the OEE Downtime Module, which includes a working demo, can be downloaded for free to evaluate and how it works with existing systems. Ignition and OEE Downtime Module can work as stand-alone systems, or alongside other software already on a user’s systems. The Ignition modules are cross platform and can connect with industry standard SQL databases.

The OEE Downtime Module is the first in a series of manufacturing execution system (MES) software modules developed for Ignition by Inductive Automation. Visit www.inductiveautomation.com/mes-software/oee-software for more information on the OEE Downtime Module.

How To Install a Genuine SSL Certificate

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT
When you turn on SSL in Ignition, the web browser uses what is called a "self-signed" certificate. This gives you the encryption benefits of SSL, but not the identity validation, and it isn't a 'real' certificate. This is why a web browser will display nasty warnings to users that they shouldn't trust the website.

We are not able to ship a real certificate with Ignition because SSL certificates have to be purchased individually from a certificate authority, such as Verisign, GoDaddy, or Comodo.

This guide will show you how to purchase and install a real SSL certificate from a certificate authority and install it in Ignition. You'll need to be comfortable executing command-line programs in order to complete this guide. The examples in this guide assume a Windows environment, but the general procedure would be identical in Linux.

1. Install the JDK
There are some command-line tools you'll need to use to create a certificate request and to install your certificate. These tools come with the Java Development Kit (JDK). It is likely that you only have the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed. Go to http://java.oracle.com and click on Java SE. Download the Java SE 6 JDK and install it.

2. Open a Command Prompt
Open a command prompt (Start > Run > cmd) and change directory into your JDK tools directory.
cd C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_24\bin

3. Create your Keystore
SSL certificates for Ignition are stored in a file called a keystore. You'll need to create your own keystore file with a certificate in it before you can purchase the SSL certificate.

a. Enter the Following Command:
keytool -genkey -alias tomcat -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -keystore C: \ssl.key
(you can put the file wherever you want for now but it should be called "ssl.key")

b. It will prompt you to enter a password. Use the password: ignition

c. You will then be prompted for your "first and last name". Do not actually use your first and last name. This value must be one of these for your Ignition Gateway:

1. Fully Qualified Domain Name (e.g. "secure.yourdomain.com")
2. Public IP address (e.g. "202.144.8.10")
3. Full Server Name of your internal server (e.g. "scadaserver")
4. Private IP address (e.g. "192.168.0.1")

d. It will then prompt you for information about your company. Input all data accurately, as the certificate authority will need to verify this information.

e. Lastly, it will ask you for the password for alias . Press RETURN to use the same password as the keystore file

4. Generate a Certificate Signing Request
At this point, you have a keystore file named "ssl.key" at the root of your C:\ drive (or wherever you specified it to be in step 3a.

In your command prompt window, enter this command:
keytool -certreq -alias tomcat -file C:\csr.txt -keystore C:\ssl.key

It will prompt you for the keystore password (ignition). You now have a certificate request file at C:\csr.txt

5. Buy the SSL Certificate
Now you need to get your SSL certificate signed by a certificate authority. When you go to a certificate authority (Verisign, GoDaddy, Comodo, etc), they'll ask for your CSR, which is the csr. txt file that you created in step 4. Typically they'll ask you to paste your CSR into their web form. Open csr.txt in notepad, and copy-and-paste it into the certificate authority's form.

If prompted what software generated the CSR, choose Tomcat or Java.

After the certificate authority has processed your payment and reviewed your CSR, they will send you your certificate via email.

6. Install the SSL Certificate
After your SSL certificate has been emailed to you, you will want to follow the instructions provided for installing the certificate into a Java keystore. Your certificate authority will provide these instructions. The following is the procedure for installing a Comodo SSL certificate, provided as an example:

a. Extract the certificate files that were emailed to you, in this example they were extracted to C:\cert

b. Install the root certificate with the following command:
keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias root -file C: \cert\AddTrustExternalCARoot.crt -keystore C:\ssl.key

c. Install the COMODO intermediate certificate:
keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias INTER -file C:\cert\COMODOHigh- AssuranceSecureServerCA.crt -keystore C:\ssl.key

d. Install your server's certificate:
keytool -import -trustcacerts -alias tomcat -file C:\cert\192_168_1_7. crt -keystore C:\ssl.key

7. Replace Ignition's Default Keystore
You now have a keystore file at C:\ssl.key that holds your SSL certificate. The certificate alias is "tomcat" and the password is "ignition". You can now replace the keystore file that ships with Ignition with your file. Make a backup of the file at C:\Program Files\Inductive Automation\Ignition\tomcat\ssl.key and replace it with your keystore file. You will need to restart the Ignition service after replacing this file.

Make sure your SSL port is allowed through your server's firewall. The default SSL port is 8043, and can be changed to the standard SSL port (443) through the Gateway Control Utilitiy (GCU).

If you have a redundant installation, you'll need to repeat this procedure on your backup server and buy a second certificate for it.

Free OPC-UA Server Offers More Than a Great Price

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT
Ignition OPC-UA isn’t gaining popularity simply because it’s free. Users are reporting that the OPC-UA server provides a robust set of features that enable secure, stable, fast and easy PLC data collection.

Control systems in more than 50 countries around the world use Ignition OPC-UA to communicate with PLCs – a good indication that companies are putting their trust in the free OPC-UA server.

PLC Data Collection
Jason Russell reported that his company prefers using Ignition OPC-UA, regardless of what PLC or other software exists on the control system. Russell owns Russell Automation, a control system integration company in Vancouver, Wash.

“Ignition OPC-UA is now used as a standard PLC connector in all of our Ignition installs,” Russell said. “Most of our projects use Allen-Bradley PLCs and even if a project or installation requires or has RSLinx, we still use OPC-UA as the preferred PLC connection means.

“We were happy to find the Ignition OPC-UA product more ideally suited for our applications than the traditional OPC software we previously used. The performance is much better and recent stability of OPC-UA has indicated that we made the right move. The fact that it is free is what makes it the simplest choice of all!”

Switching From OPC-DA
The Ignition OPC-UA server is a solution to the device communication difficulties associated with legacy OPC-DA servers. Henry Palechek, the information systems and process control supervisor for a water district in southern California, said he was able to use Ignition OPC-UA when his existing OPC-DA server prevented him from collecting data from a remote building.

“Our first use of the OPC-UA server was to collect data from five Allen Bradley SLC 504s through an Ethernet gateway,” Palechek said. “The timing for the release of the OPC server was perfect because the existing OPC-DA server wasn’t allowing for remote data collection. Anyone who has setup a OPC-DA server using DCOM knows how difficult of a task that can be.”

The Best Part: It’s Free
Inductive Automation offers the Ignition OPC UA server for free, whether users purchase the Ignition software or not. “We want the market to get excited about the potential of OPC-UA,” explains Steve Hechtman, president of Inductive Automation, “and in the freedom of selecting your own platform. Plus, once users get started with Ignition, we’re confident that they’ll be blown away by everything it can do.”

Drivers for Allen-Bradley and Modbus TCP/IP are included, at no cost, with Ignition OPC-UA. A simple UDP/TCP driver is also available for free, and makes it easy to pull data from devices like barcode scanners and scales. Additionally, an API is available for developers who wish to extend the system by writing their own custom drivers.

The Ignition OPC-UA server and drivers can be used with any OPC-UA client: Simply request a free activation key, download the software, and get started using it in your control system.

Making OEE Implementations a Success

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT
What would happen if your operating efficiency improved by just one percent? How much profit would result? How much more competitive advantage would your organization have?

That’s what overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is all about. It’s learning where and how to improve operations so a company’s profits will increase, as well as gain a competitive edge in the market.

OEE is a hierarchy of metrics used to monitor the effectiveness of manufacturing facilities. Software is typically used to simplify the ongoing process of collecting and analyzing the results. If you think about it, running a production facility without tracking efficiencies is a lot like investing in a 401K without tracking your portfolio value.

It takes an investment to make OEE a success. Success is seeing a return on that investment. Keep in mind, the investment is more than just the cost to purchase the software, computers, plant floor integration, etc. It will take an investment of time to train employees, input data, analyze data, etc. It also requires a commitment from management, production, IT and maintenance departments.

If the investment is offset by an increase in manufacturing efficiencies resulting in increased profit, better competitive advantage or a reduction in capital expenditures, then your OEE implementation can be considered a success.

If OEE isn’t done correctly, you may be setting your OEE efforts up for failure. What follows are some of the best practices to make your OEE implementation a success.

Understand and Use OEE Calculations
Efficiency is not simply the ratio of machine run time to scheduled time. Look at the situation of your manufacturing line or process running at half speed with zero downtime. This is truly only 50% efficient. Or, what if 10% of the product being produced does not meet the minimum quality and must be reworked. This equates to 90% efficient which does not even take in account the effort to rework or loss of raw material.

OEE takes into account three isolated factors of availability, performance and quality. Each can stand on their own, but combined they provide an accurate picture of a production line’s effectiveness.

OEE availability represents the uptime, excluding scheduled downtime periods such as breaks. OEE performance is represented by the production rate while the production line is running compared to the designed production rate. OEE quality represents the good units produced compared to the total units that started being produced on the production line.

Track Downtime
Track downtime to see where to focus efforts to improve OEE availability. OEE availability only provides a method to monitor the uptime of your production facility. Think of it this way, if your production line typically runs at 69% OEE availability, what actions do you take to increase it? Tracking downtime is the key to discovering what to fix or change in order to raise the uptime of your equipment.

Include Scheduling
Incorporating scheduling provides the additional benefit of tracking total effective equipment performance (TEEP), or asset utilization. Scheduling can also be used to help improve coordination between departments. If raw materials are not delivered in time to a production line so that it can continue to keep running, it directly affects the efficiency.

Low efficiencies result from ineffective procedures or lack of communications between departments. This is where scheduling helps by providing current schedule information and change notification to all associated departments.

Include Production Staff in the Design
One area that can be a challenge is encouraging production staff to take the extra time to use the system. It helps to include them when designing the screens, since they will be the key people using the screens. This gives them a chance to include features that will help them on a daily basis. They will also want to see the OEE implementation succeed because they had a part in the design.

Close the Loop – It’s a Circular Process
Once you obtain your OEE percentage efficiencies, the next step is obvious, but is often neglected. Take action! Look at the data and make decisions about what to change. Close the loop between the OEE and downtime data and fully resolve machine, and possibly other, problems reducing efficiency. This sends a message to the production staff that their effort to enter information is being used and making their a positive impact on their job.

Keep It Simple
In order to make it easier to “close the loop”, keep the system simple. Don’t overburden staff with too much data to analyze. Only provide the data that employees can take action on.

Initially, it is best to keep it simple and have a smaller set of downtime reasons and determine which cells are the top sources of downtime. Then if needed, add more downtime reasons to only those machines that more specific data is needed to zero in on the inefficiencies.

The more involvement you have from multiple levels and departments, the better your return on investment will be, regardless of how much you paid for the software to get the OEE data collected.

On February 24, Inductive Automation will be conducting a webinar on Best Practices for OEE. Tom Hechtman will be speaking about what methods and tools are available for evaluating and improving your organization's effectiveness. Register now.

About the author: Tom Hechtman has been implementing manufacturing execution system (MES) projects for more than 20 years. He is the lead developer for the OEE Downtime Module, which is part of Ignition by Inductive Automation’s MES software suite.

Non-Traditional HMIs Are On the Rise

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT
More and more users want to move beyond the realm of traditional HMI/SCADA systems, and are discovering how Ignition is perfectly suited to help them. Users want to provide inventory tracking, track and trace, downtime, OEE, merge plant-floor data with the MES layer, and more.

Ignition's support for PLCs through OPC makes it easy to deal with plant-floor data for real-time status and control, historical data trending, etc. Not only does Ignition provide plant-floor support, it can communicate easily with SQL databases, making it a perfect solution to these demands.

SQL Databases Unlock Potential
SQL databases are a core part of any business today. They have reached a high level of maturity, and allow even relatively inexperienced users to get up and running quickly.

IT departments understand this technology well and can work together with plant-floor management to build more powerful systems. Most business-level applications are already based on SQL databases such as Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server, and Ignition comes ready with built-in drivers to communicate to these database systems.

Ignition was designed with to work with SQL databases – Ignition then acts as a hub, tying databases together from various departments and levels of the enterprise.

Moving Beyond The "HMI"
Given the speed and ease with which users can build data-driven screens in Ignition, it is increasingly being used to build systems far away from the traditional view of an "HMI". Customers are replacing systems that were previously built in Microsoft Access, and spread throughout their company, with a centralized system built on Ignition.

One example application is inventory tracking. Many companies have custom inventory applications built on Access, which are difficult to maintain and to make accessible to new users. A user with basic database experience can build a similar system in Ignition in a matter of days, and can make the system accessible to anyone they desire instantly over the network.

By combining your HMI application with your inventory tracking application, you make your system more flexible and easier to manage. Data is stored and backed up in one location, and the IT department can easily monitor and manage that data. Access to the data is simpler since you only have one application to launch. Ignition's cross-platform architecture and web-launched clients allow more users to see the system.

Non-Traditional Examples
There are a lot of examples of non-traditional HMI applications. You can get ideas of these kind of applications by looking at what your company already has in place. Here is a list of examples:

- Inventory Management
- Timesheet Management
- Customer Relationship Management
- Knowledge Base
- Ticketing System
- Machine User Manual (PDF) Management
- and many more….

Ignition can be used with the database alone (no PLC) to create applications like the ones mentioned above. When combined with the plant floor data that Ignition allows you to access, you can bring the data to life and offer an experience that is far beyond that of traditional HMIs.

Mobile HMI / SCADA Clients For Ignition

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT
Mobile smartphones and tablets—such as an iPhone, iPad, Android, and more—may access HMI / SCADA client screens created with Ignition by Inductive Automation via the Ignition Mobile Module. The Mobile Module allows unlimited users, unlimited screens, and unlimited data usage on mobile devices per server license.

Custom human machine interface (HMI) or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) screens can be designed for use on mobile phones and tablets to complement users’ existing method of process control. Making SCADA system information available literally anywhere empowers manufacturers to keep an eye on critical data at all times. Operators and managers can respond in real time to control system alerts, check on system status, make notations, etc.

The Ignition Mobile Module is the latest software product added to the Ignition suite of modules. Ignition is a software platform with a variety of HMI / SCADA and manufacturing execution systems (MES) modules that can be mixed and matched depending on the needs of industrial automation companies. The system is very flexible in creating custom HMI, SCADA and MES applications in industries such as food, beverage, oil, gas, packaging, pharmaceutical, and water / waste water.

Learn more about the Ignition Mobile Module >>

For more information about Ignition by Inductive Automation's SCADA software system,visit www.inductiveautomation.com/scada-software

Design Guide: Building a Mobile Optimized Project

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT
Mobile smartphones and tablets - such as an iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry and more - can now access HMI / SCADA client screens created by Ignition via the Ignition Mobile Module. Ignition 7.2, set to be released January 25, makes mobile clients possible using the Mobile Module.

With the mobile module, you can launch any existing Ignition project on a mobile device. However that project may not be optimized for a mobile project. For example, the aspect ratio, security and more may not be set up appropriately. This design guide will help you create a project that is optimized for mobile devices and keeps the look and feel consistent with those devices.

To create a mobile optimized project, follow the steps below. At the end of the guide you can download a sample project using the downoad link.

Note: To create a mobile project you need Ignition 7.2 or higher

Below is a sample of what we are going to create:

1) First create a new project in Ignition from the Ignition Gateway Configuration page or Ignition Designer.

2) Open the newly created project in the Ignition Designer.

Before we start creating any new windows we need to enable mobile launching on the project and fill in a few parameters such as the project width and height.

3) In the Ignition Designer, click on Project -> Properties from the menu bar.

4) Select Mobile -> General on the left hand side of the window.

5) Here we have some mobile specific settings. First we need to make sure mobile launching is enabled so let's check the Enable Mobile Launch checkbox.

Secondly, we want the size of our project to be the full size of the device. For example, an iPhone will report a different size than an iPad will. We want our project's size to fit to the device so select Fit to Device under the Viewport section. Lastly, when you open a mobile application you want to go straight to the application, so you can enable the auto-login feature. Check the Enable Auto-Login checkbox and fill in a username and password you want to use initially. In this example, we will use admin and password.

6) Now that we have set the project to fit to device, we want the project's minimum size to be extremely small to avoid any pesky scrollbars. Select Client -> User Interface from the Projects Properties window. Set the minimum size width and height to 0. By setting these values to 0 we are simply turning off any scrollbars.

7) Now we can start building some windows. From the file menu select File -> New -> Main Window to create the first window.

The reason to use Main Windows is because the Start Maximized flag is already set. We need this flag set since we have fit our project to the device. That way the windows will be maximized filling in the full space of the device.

8) Next, we need to specify an initial size of the window. We want to design for a specific aspect ratio. For this guide, we will design our windows to model an iPhone application. Select the window in the project browser and change the Size property to Width: 320 and Height: 460.

9) One thing you notice about iPhone applications is the consistent look and feel. Each application has the same header and textured background. We can do the same thing in Ignition. Select the Root Container of the window. You will notice a Texture property of the container in the Property Editor. You can set this property to any image stored in Ignition. You can download an example background below.

 

Next, we need to add a header to the window. The header is also a simple image so you can drag in an image component into the window and set it to the following image:

 

From there you can just add a label with a white foreground as the title.

10) Next, let's look at creating the menu items from the sample above. These are just simple rectangle components with rounded edges with the following foreground color:

168,171,174,255

and the following background colors:

white: 255,255,255,255
blue: 1,95,230,255

The arrows to the right are just simple images as well. You can download both images below.

If you want you can change the background color and arrow using the mousePressed and mouseReleased events of the rectangle component.

That is it! Basically, you can expand the project further by swapping windows in and out for navigation and changing the screens to your liking. To get an example of the project shown simply download it below:

Download Mobile Optimized Project Example (Right click and select 'Save As')

How To Store History On a Condition

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Learn how to store tag history only when a condition is met. Many end-users only want to store history when machines are on. That way they are not logging non-crucial data to a SQL database. By doing so it will cut down on the size of the database and allow the user to see when the machine was on or off. The condition can be more than just a machine state; it can be based on any tag or custom calculation.

1) First, we need to set up a simulator driver so there are values to log. Open the Ignition Gateway and log into the Configure section. The default username is admin and the default password is password.

2) Navigate to the OPC-UA > Devices section and click on the Add a Device link.

3) Expand the Simulators folder and select the Generic driver. Press the Next button.

4) Name the device GenSim and press the Save button. This will take you back to the Devices page and your GenSim device will say "connected."

5) Now open your project in the designer.

6) In the SQLTags Browser pane of the designer, right-click Tags and select New Tag > DB Tag... Name this tag Trigger and press the OK button.

7) Next, we need to create a new scan class. Click on the Edit Scan Classes... icon in the SQLTags Browser pane.

8) Click the green + icon and select the New Scan Class that is created.

9) Change the Scan Class Name to Driven History, change the Mode to Driven, and change the Slow rate (ms) to 0.

10) For the Driving Tag property, click the Insert Tag icon and navigate to Tags > Trigger. Press OK.

11) Set the Operator field to Equal and the Value to 1.0. Press OK.

12) Now click on the Browse OPC Servers icon in the SQLTags Browser pane.

13) Expand the Ignition OPC-UA Server and navigate to Devices > GenSim > Sine. Select the SINE1 tag and drag it into the Tags section of the browser. Close the OPC browser.

14) In the SQLTags Browser, right click on the SINE1 tag and click Edit Tag(s)...

15) Under the History properties section, set Store History to Yes, and select your History provider and the Driven History Scan class. Press the OK button. You can see that the tag is now recording history by the orange scroll icon next to the tag name.

16) To test the driven scan class, create a window and drag an Easy Chart into the rod container. Set the Chart Mode component property to Realtime and drag the SINE1 tag onto the chart.

17) The data will not be logged until the value goes to 1. So, to start logging, turn the gateway traffic to Read/Write, and click the Toggle Value Editability icon in the SQLTags browser. Set the Trigger DB tag to 1.

Ignition 7.2 Will Increase Performance & User Efficiency

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Increased performance and user efficiency is the focus of the next release of Ignition by Inductive Automation. The new release, version 7.2, will offer a variety of incremental improvements to the platform and modules.

Ignition 7.2 will be available in January, 2011. All licensed Ignition customers will be eligible to upgrade their corresponding modules at no cost.

The new release will offer many improvements that span all parts of the system. Some of the highlights include:

New Stage-and-Publish Project Mode
Ignition Vision projects can now be “staged” for testing before publishing to running clients. This allows project designers to edit and save freely, only pushing qualified updates to the production Vision Clients when satisfied.

Easier Editing Workspace
The Ignition Vision module has been given a new editing workspace that dramatically enhances designer productivity. Tabbed window editing and a wide range of new user-interaction tools make the Ignition Vision design process more familiar to new users. Existing users will appreciate the more responsive feel of the editing system and the simplified management of window sizing.

Improved Clustering Framework
Clustering has been reworked and enhanced to provide easier setup, greater reliability and more features focused on the core use cases observed in the field. The new system uses dedicated master and backup nodes, making the cluster easier to understand, more fault-tolerant, and quicker to fail-over.

Enhanced Designer Experience
In addition to the new Vision workspace, many other improvements have been made to the Ignition designer. A new search-and-replace system makes it easier to modify large projects, and increased performance improves response time on many long-running operations, such as importing SQLTags from a device.

Sneak Preview Webinar on December 8
In addition to the major updates listed above, many small improvements have been made to virtually every part of the platform. On Dec. 8, Inductive Automation will discuss Ignition 7.2, along with two new modules scheduled for release in early 2011. Register now for the webinar, “2011 Sneak Preview: Tracking OEE, Downtime & Mobile Access.”

Ignition by Inductive Automation delivers unprecedented value to companies large and small. Many diverse architectures are possible, from a stand-alone HMI to large-scale, geographically distributed installations. Ignition's fully-functional demo HMI / SCADA software download is available for free.

Create a Custom Alert E-mail

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Learn how to create custom automated e-mail alerts to be sent for specified alarms. Messages can then be retrieved via computer or phone, decreasing the response time to system events.

1) Open your project in the Ignition Designer.

2) For this example we need a single tag: alarm. In the SQLTags Browser panel expand the Tags folder. Let’s add the new DB SQLTag that will just be a memory value. In production you would use an OPC SQLTag. Right click on the Tags folder and select New Tag > DB Tag …

3) Name the tag Alarm with a Boolean datatype and false as the default value.

4) Once created right click on the Alarm tag and select Edit Tag(s) …

5) Set up this tag as an alert. Select the Alerting tab on the left hand side.

6) Change the Alert Mode to Digital as this is a digital alarm.

7) Change the Digital Properties to the following:

  Alert Name:   Bad State

  Severity:   High

  Time Deadband:   0 sec

  Alert if the value is:   Equal to - 1 / True

Those settings are saying the value is in alarm if it is equal to 1.

8) Below you will see the alert’s General Settings and Notification Settings. In the Notification Settings you can select the Message Mode: Auto-Generated or Custom. If you choose custom you can set the Subject and Body of the email to your own style using a combination of static text, tag values and alert properties. Change the Message Mode to Custom.

9) For the Subject and Body you can embed any of the alert properties or another tag’s value. To embed another tag’s value use the following syntax:

  {Path/To/Tag}

To embed alert properties use the following syntax:

  {[ALERT_PROPERTY_NAME]}

Here is a list of all of the alert properties you can use:

  {[TIME]}   The active timestamp of the alert

  {[VALUE]}   The active value of the alert

  {[STATE_NAME]}   The current alert state name

  {[ALARM_TYPE]}   User friendly alert state message, either “active”, “clear”, or “acknowledge”

  {[ITEM_PATH]}   The path to the tag in SQLTags

  {[SEVERITY]}   The current alert severity, from 0 - 4 representing Low - High

  {[DISPLAY_PATH]}   The display path (will be item path if not configured)

  {[NOTES]}   The alert notes

  {[SYSTEM]}   The system the tag is executed in (typically Ignition SQLTags)

For example make the Subject the following:

  {[DISPLAY_PATH]}   {[ALARM_TYPE]}   {[VALUE]}

Make the Body the following:

  Time: {[TIME]} State Name: {[STATE_NAME]} Notes: {[NOTES]} SP1 Value: {SP1}

10) That’s it! You can customize the subject and body however you like for each individual tag. Now just set the value of the Alarm tag to true to see your custom email.

Note *: You must have an Alert Notification Profile configured to receive email alerts. These profiles are configured in the Ignition Gateway Configuration website.

How To Get Data Out of a Dataset

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT
You can cut down a lot of database traffic using a single SQL query versus multiple queries to connect every component to a screen. For example, if there are 20 displays on the screen from one table in the database, you can use one query to perform the same job. Network traffic could be decreased to 1/20 of what it was for each open instance of that screen.

In addition, this technique is key in fetching an index when you want to select a record in a table and click a button to open another screen and interact with the selected data.

Open your project in the designer.

Open or create a window to design the objects.

For this we need to create a Dynamic Property on the root container to hold our dataset. Right click on the Root Container and select Customizers > Dynamic Properties.

Press the green + icon to add a new Property. Name the property myData and give it a Dataset data type. Press OK.

Now the myData dynamic property should appear on the root container. Set the initial values in the dataset by clicking on the dataset viewer icon to the right of the Dynamic Property name.

Click the Add Column icon to add a name column. Name it label and select the String data type.

Click the Add Column icon again to add a value column. Name it value and select the Float data type.

Click the Add Row icon three times to add three rows. Fill in the cells by double clicking the field you want to modify. Set up the table to look like the following and then press OK.

label   |    value

-------------------------

Apples   |    13.26

Oranges   |    84.09

Bananas   |    76.45

Drag a Numeric Label component from the Display tab of the Component Palette into the Root Container and position it at the top.

In the Property Editor click on the bind icon to the right of the Value property on the Numeric Label property.

Select the Expression radio button and copy the following expression:
lookup({Root Container.myData}, "Apples", -1.0, "label", "value")
This looks up the word Apples in the dataset and returns the value which is 13.26.

Repeat steps 9-11 using a lookup expression for the Oranges and Bananas. lookup({Root Container.myData}, "Oranges", -1.0, "label", "value")

Using the Lookup() function requires that you know a value in the dataset to get the right row. Conversely, you can access the data directly by using a column and row number. Create another Numeric Label and click on the bind icon to the right of the Value property on the Numeric Label property.

Select the Expression radio button and copy the following expression:
try({Root Container.myData}[2,"value"],-1.0)

This gets the value in the 2nd row under the value column. If it does not exist -1 is returned. You can also reference the column by index like the following:
try({Root Container.myData}[2,1],-1.0)

Strong Showing in Nuremburg Bodes Well for OPC-UA

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT
The proof is in the numbers. There was a substantial increase in the number of OPC Unified Architecture (UA) products tested at the OPC Foundation’s recent Interoperability Workshop in Nuremburg, Germany. With UA products outnumbering classic OPC products for the first time, the focus was clearly on the next-generation specification that promises increased security, platform independence, and easier configuration.

The OPC Foundation hosts three interoperability events (“interops” for short) every year in the United States, Germany and Japan. Inductive Automation recently sent two of its key OPC-UA developers, Colby Clegg and Kevin Herron, to the international event.

“We go every year because it’s very effective,” Clegg said. “In one week we can test with all of the main servers on the market. If something doesn’t work, we have someone right there who can look at it and figure out why.”

The Inductive team was happy to see more companies participate. “We’re getting closer to having more UA products on the market,” said Herron. “There’s a big difference between the number of UA servers and clients coming to the Interop. There were very few UA products last year, and most were in early development. This year, there were about 14 or 15 each. It was pretty encouraging.”

Herron went on to explain that attending the Interop is key to any OPC product’s success in the market: “I tell everyone it’s crucial to go to the Interops, because it’s the best way to get issues resolved. Interoperability between products is the most important concern for OPC-UA and OPC in general. That’s why OPC came about in the first place, to create a compatible standard between all the vendors.”

What is the purpose of the interop?
The Interop helps vendors get on the same page. While there is a standard specification document for OPC-UA, every vendor is liable to interpret and implement the specs differently. Companies that attend the Interop events are striving to ensure the compatibility of their products, so in the end, users can be very confident about using the products.

Compatibility Results

Inductive Automation’s
Ignition OPC-UA server
successfully tested against
the following vendors:

Beckhoff Automation
Certec EDV
Ing.-Buero Allmendinger
MSIndustrie Software
OPC Foundation
Progea Srl
Prosys PMS Ltd.
Siemens AG
Unified Automation

UA servers tested: 9
UA clients that tested: 10

“The Interop is a chance to see how things work in the real world,” Clegg said. “These events are unique in how transparent they are. All of these companies are at the event to work together and make sure that everything works. With key technical members of the OPC Foundation on hand, specification questions and problems can be resolved quickly. We’ve been going for five years, because we know that if we work with the companies at the Interop we can be pretty confident it will work well in the field.”

Passing the Test
Inductive Automation brought their server, Ignition OPC-UA. It tested successfully against nine other OPC-UA servers, and 10 OPC-UA clients.

“We were able to verify that we function well with the products from major vendors that are already in the market or will be coming out in the next few months,” Clegg reported. “Our customers can be more confident that when they pair our product with other products, it’s going to work. That means more options for what customers can tie into.”

In addition to ensuring that the product will work for users, Inductive Automation places a high value on attending the Interops because they were the first independent organization to write their own OPC-UA stack. It’s written completely in Java, making Ignition OPC-UA and the Ignition platform 100% cross platform.

“We’ve gone to multiple events this year because of the rapid rate at which OPC-UA is maturing,” explains Herron. “Maintaining our own implementation is a lot of work, but it’s great to see the promise of industry standard, cross-platform communication take hold.”

Going Strong
Ignition OPC-UA has seen a continued success in 2010. With thousands of downloads since its release early in the year, users around the world have discovered the flexibility and power of the Ignition platform. The Ignition OPC-UA server is available for free: Simply request a free activation key, download the software, and get started using OPC-UA on your control system. It's cross-platform compatible (Windows, Linux, Mac), features an open driver API, and includes free Allen Bradley and Modbus TCP drivers.

The activation key and download page can be accessed here:
https://www.inductiveautomation.com/products/ignitionopc/download

Reduce Enterprise Downtime In Less Time

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Delays. System failure. Maintenance. Miscommunication. What do these all have in common? Downtime and efficiency loss.

Reducing downtime pays big dividends for manufacturing companies. Having part of the operations down for even a few hours can result in thousands of dollars in lost revenue. But the biggest hurdle to solving these issues is knowing when and why certain process components are down—whether mechanical, technical or human—and being able to take proactive steps in lessening or foreseeing a factor before it causes a loss of time.

For example, if a certain product isn’t going to be ready on time, the packaging department needs to know in enough time to be able to rearrange schedules—instead of just sitting there being unproductive because there is no product ready.

OpteBiz's solution gives users quick access to important machinery statistics.

The above screen compares how various machines are operating in terms of efficiency.

Paresh Dalwalla, president of OpteBiz, Inc., said the biggest obstacle companies face with downtime solutions is the time it takes to implement a real-time control and information system that can track all the needed data and coordinate that information between different departments. Dalwalla explained that companies are seeking a faster, easier way to implement such a solution. He outlined that there are five key areas in demand by manufacturers:

• operating efficiency management (OEE)
• tracking and traceability
• maintenance management
• advanced real-time analytics on the financial end
• connecting the enterprise resource planning (ERP) network to the manufacturing execution system (MES) network

A Standard Opportunity
OpteBiz saw the dilemma as an opportunity to create a standardized package of hardware and software components, which are pre-programmed together to fulfill the key areas of demand.

“There is a big opportunity in the industry for a rapidly-deployable, low-cost solution,” said Dalwalla. “Most of these implementations become very large projects. We see that as an opportunity to cut down the lead-time and implementation time by standardizing the solution, and making the implementation cost effective by minimizing on-site engineering time and doing more tasks remotely.”

But first, they needed to find and select the best pieces for the job.

“When we set out to find software, we were looking for something that was more web-based,” Dalwalla explained. “It needed to be cost effective, and offer a lot of flexibility in terms of developing add-on products or solutions. And then of course, it needed to be more universal in terms of operating systems. That’s when we found Inductive Automation.”

Keys To the Solution: Web-Based, Cross Platform, and Unlimited
Ignition by Inductive Automation meets all the requirements OpteBiz was looking for. It is definitely web-based. And it is cross platform. But even more key is the unlimited factor. Since the software is licensed by the server, and not by the tag or client, one installation can allow an unlimited number of tags to be used on the system, or an unlimited number of clients to be launched.

“Ignition is a lot more flexible in terms of what we are able to offer to customers,” Dalwalla said. “Most important is that it is very easy to use in our packages because we don’t have to buy a separate client license or tag license. Licensing simplicity is a very critical factor.”

Dalwalla outlined how OpteBiz’s solution works. First, it’s a standardized, ready-to-implement package of software and hardware. Since everything is already set up to work together, it can all be taken into a company and be set up and running in two weeks.

If the customer already has the hardware pieces, only the software needs to be installed on one server on the network. Then, OpteBiz does the software implementation remotely—because Ignition allows an unlimited number of designer tools that can be web-launched from the customer’s server. All that is needed is a remote desktop access to the system. With that in place, OpteBiz configures the customer’s system. If the customer does not have the required hardware, then OpteBiz will preassemble the hardware and ship it to the customer’s facility for installation either by the customer’s maintenance engineers or by OpteBiz engineers. A third option is to install the hardware and let OpteBiz host the server and collect the data remotely.

Success In A Package
Dalwalla gave an example of a large automotive component manufacturer in India that is successfully running OpteBiz’s packaged solution.

“The customer found it really good from an improvement perspective,” Dalwalla explained. “They were able to analyze their operations. Prior to this, they had no such visibility. They see significant room in improving the efficiency of their process and machines."

The India manufacturer is able to improve efficiency through OpteBiz’s solution because it gets information to the right people in a timely manner. It also improves the accuracy of information and eliminates duplication of data entry via humans—which is another big time-saver since workers don’t have to enter the same data in multiple places.

“The biggest advantage for our customers is that they can get to data that exists in a detailed format,” said Dalwalla. “So now they can see the analytics. Customers can have standard or customized reports based on their needs. Now they can see how to make changes in the machine or maintenance aspects.

“They can do this in real time and from anywhere. Basically anywhere in the world. We’ve even given them the ability to see this on an iPad or iPhone. In the India installation, there are multiple users using this on mobile devices. This is very important from a management perspective and is becoming more critical with the increase in usage of mobile devices in the business arena.”

Dalwalla summarized that the solution benefits the customer as a whole because it provides a base of accountability for the plant, workers, and machines. Ultimately, it is all about the net present value (NPV) that is added to the client’s financials through cost-effective implementation of the solution and increased operational efficiencies.

On Oct. 26, Paresh Dalwalla will join Inductive Automation to discuss how Ignition played a key role in developing OpteBiz’s standardized packaged solution. To register for the upcoming webinar, Reduce Enterprise Downtime in Less Time, click here.

Paresh Dalwalla is president of OpteBiz Inc. located in Toledo, Ohio, with offices in Bangalore and Mumbai, India. OpteBiz is focused on providing real-time operational intelligence solutions that help improve operations. Dalwalla has more than 18 years of experience in MES and has co-authored a book on S95 standards. He is also a board member of the ISA S95 committee for Enterprise to Controls Integration. Contact Paresh Dalwalla for more information at pdalwalla@optebiz.com or visit www.optebiz.com.

How-To: Create Basic Navigation Windows

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Understanding how navigation works in Ignition is very important. There are several different navigation strategies you can create in Ignition. This how-to covers the most basic and widely used navigation strategy where you have a single window visible at a time. The how-to also covers how windows resize with different screen resolutions.

Part 1: Understanding Windows & Navigation

Every Ignition project contains a collection of Windows. Windows are the fundamental building blocks for projects using the Vision module. Windows contain a hierarchy of components. Components are visual elements that range in complexity from a single Button and Label, to the powerful Easy Chart and Table components.

In the client (aka runtime) the only way to see contents of a window is if the window is opened. There are two ways a window can get opened in the client:

Open on Startup - Window is set to open after login screen.

Opened through Scripting - Window is opened from some event: clicking a button, tag change, key press, etc.

The first part to consider when configuring a new project is what windows you want to open on startup (once a user logs into the client). These windows are going to be the first thing that a user will see. In a typical navigation strategy you will have two windows open on startup: one docked and one main window (filling in the rest of the space). From these windows other windows can be opened and closed.

At any given time any number of windows can be opened in the client. You can see how many windows are opened using the Windows menu bar item. Keep in mind, any window that is opened may need resources such as running SQL queries or getting tag values. It is not a good idea to just keep opening windows since each window is running. Whatever windows a user is not using should be closed.

The second way a window can be opened is through scripting. Ignition provides you with a number of built-in system functions to accomplish tasks such as opening, closing, centering, and swapping windows. These functions are found in the user manual under Appendix C. Scripting functions -> system.nav. The functions that open windows are the following:

system.nav.openWindow

system.nav.openWindowInstance

system.nav.swapWindow

system.nav.swapTo

system.nav.goBack

system.nav.goForward

system.nav.goHome

We will cover a few of these functions in this how-to. Next, let's look at the three typical window types in Ignition.

By manipulating a window's properties, you can transform it into various configurations. Typically, you'll alter the window's Dock Position, Border Display Policy, Titlebar Display Policy, and Start Maximized properties to change windows into one of three categories:

Screens

Docked Windows

Popup Windows

A "screen" window is one that is set to start maximized, and has its border and titlebar display policies set to When Not Maximized or Never. This will make the window take up all available space (minus space used by any "docked" windows). This makes the window act much like a typical "HMI screen." You may also see these referred to as "main" windows, typically when referring to the currently visible one.

A "docked window" has the Dock Position set to anything but Floating. This will make the window stick to one side of the screen, and nothing can overlap it. It will also typically have its border and titlebar display policies set to Never. This makes the "docked" window appear to be joined seamlessly with the current "screen" window.

These screens are usually tall and skinny or short and wide, depending on the side they're docked to. The purpose of a docked window is to make some information always available; typically navigation controls and overall status information. Using docked windows can help eliminate repetitive design elements from being copied to each screen, making maintenance easier.

A "popup window" is a window with the Dock Position set to Floating and is not maximized. Its border and titlebar display policies are usually set to When Not Maximized or Always, so that they can be manipulated by the end-user. This is how all windows start out when first created. These windows are often opened by components in the current "screen" window, and are meant to be on top of the screen. To this end, they may have their Layer property set to a number higher than zero so they don't get lost behind the "screen" window.

Popup windows are often parameterized so they can be re-used.

Part 2: Basic Navigation Strategy

The typical navigation strategy for a project is to have a "docked" window or two (usually docked north and/or west) and a single "screen" (main window) visible at a time. For example, you may have a header window docked north with your company logo, navigation buttons and status information. You may also have an overview window opened as the main window. If you want to switch the overview window with a historical trending window then you want to swap the two windows. Swapping ensures that only one window is open at a time. Popup windows do not fall under this category since they are not main windows.

This style of project is so common, that the default operation of the Tab Strip component expects it. When it is in its default automatic operation, it expects that each tab represents a "screen" window (main window), and will automatically swap from the current screen to the desired screen. Furthermore, the [System]/Client/User/CurrentWindow tag is calculated based upon this strategy: its value is the name of the current maximized window. If you have more than one main window open a time this navigation strategy will fail since the system expects a single main window. * Note: If your Tab Strip or swapTo function is not working check to see if you have more than ONE main window opened.

The Tab Strip component works off of the current window variable. When a project first loads, the variable will hold the main window set to open on startup. The Tab Strip utilizes the system.nav.swapTo function which swaps from the current window (stored in that variable) to a new window and updates the current window variable. At any time you can perform a system.nav.getCurrentWindow() or check the [System]/Client/User/CurrentWindow tag to see what Ignition thinks the main window is. If you have two main windows opened Ignition will be confused as to which one you want to perform the swap.

If you want to use your own buttons or other component to perform the navigation just make sure to use the system.nav.swapTo instead of the system.nav.swapWindow. The system.nav.swapWindow function takes a window to swap from and a window to swap to. The function does not utilize the current window variable in Ignition. * Note: The system.nav.swapWindow is the default function when swapping is selected on the Event Handler Navigation tab.

As swapping occurs in the client a history of windows is stored internally. You have the ability to go backwards or forwards through this history (array) using the system.nav.goBack and goForward functions. The system.nav.goHome function simply takes you to the first main window that was opened in the client, which typically is the main window set to open on startup.

To open popup windows you just simply need to open the window using the system.nav.openWindow or openWindowInstance.

Part 3: Setup Basic Navigation Windows

1) First, we need to create the "docked" window as our header window to display the logo, tab strip and information. In the designer, click on the New Window icon in the toolbar or use the File > New > Window menu item.
2) Right click on the new window and select Rename or press F2. Rename the window to Navigation.
3) In the Property Editor change the following properties for this window (if you don't see all of these properties make sure the filter is set to All instead of Basic):

There the Dock Position property is set to North making it a docked window.

4) We need this window to open on startup so right click on the window in the Project Browser and check the Open On Startup box if it is not checked.
5) You can add your company logo and navigation buttons to this window. I prefer the Tab Strip component. Drag in the Tab Strip component from the Buttons tab of the Component Palette.
6) Now we need to configure the tabs. Right click on the Tab Strip component and select Customizers > Tab Strip Customizer. There you can alter, add, or delete tabs. In order to make swapping work set the Tab Name to the name of the window to swap to. The Display Name can be whatever you want.

7) Now we just need some main windows. Create another window and rename it to Overview.
8) In the Property Editor change the following properties for this window:

There the Start Maximized flag is checked making it a main window.

9) Go ahead and follow those steps again to make more main windows. Make sure the main window you want to open on startup has the flag checked like we did with the Navigation window above.
10) That's it! You should now have a basic navigation stucture set in place. If you need popup windows make sure those windows have the following properties:

Popup windows are NOT set to start maximized and are resizeable.

Part 4: Client Resizing and Minimum Size

How windows and components resize to different resolutions is always a key topic for Ignition. Windows are the easiest to talk about first. Only two types of windows will resize automatically: ones that are docked and ones that are maximized. Docked windows will only resize in either the height or width, but not both (depends on dock position). Maximized windows will resize in both in width and height. Both of these are governed by the client size. Smaller resolutions will have smaller sizes and larger resolutions can have larger sizes. Users have the ability on popup windows to resize them manually.

Components inside of windows will only resize if the window they are in resizes. How that component resizes is up to the layout of the component. There are two layout modes, and they are set on a per-component basis. Both affect the component's size and position relative to its parent container. The root container's size is dictated by the window size.

Relative layout is the default mode. This is a simple but effective layout mode that simply keeps a component's size and position relative to its parent container constant, even as the parent container grows or shrinks. More precisely, it remembers the component's position and size as a percentage of its parent's bounds at the last time the window was saved. Relative layout also has the option of scaling a component's font appropriately.

Anchored layout lets you specify various "anchors" for the component. The anchors dictate how far each of the four edges of the component stay from their corresponding edges in the parent container. For example, if you anchor top and left, then your component will stay a constant distance from top and left edges of its parent. Since you didn't specify an anchor for the right or bottom sides, they won't be affected by the layout.

Typically components inside of docked windows have an anchored layout. Components inside of main windows and popup windows usually are relative but can be a mixture of the two.

Client Minimum Size

Clients can define a minimum size, because even with dynamic layout, you usually don't want the client to get too small. This is because it would become unusable and unreadable. This is what the Minimum Size property is for. By default it is set to 800x600, but you can adjust it in the designer under Project -> Properties menu item then Client -> User Interface. Simply put, if the size of the client gets smaller than the minimum size the client will get scrollbars instead of resizing the windows inside of it.

The entire example above with this navigation strategy is used in an Example Project available online for you to download here (right click and select 'Save As'). It is a Project file that you can add to your Ignition Gateway in the configuration section under Projects -> Upload from backup.

If you have any questions on any of these topics please feel free to ask a question in the forum or call us at (800) 266-7798.

Customers Weigh In On The Ignition Training Course

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Over the past few months, Inductive Automation has conducted training courses in different cities across the United States—and one in Spain! Customers using Ignition by Inductive Automation have been reporting back how much they have enjoyed these classes. We asked a few training attendees a series of questions, and here’s what they had to say.

What was your biggest take-away from the training?
“(Inductive Automation) training gave me the chance to see many features of the software that I had not noticed or used before. Seeing the tools in action by the engineers, including many of the shortcuts available, will really take a lot of the work and time out of application development.” – Lance Kornoelje, Application Engineer, Control Dynamics, Inc.

“I am amazed at the maturity of this product. I have worked with other HMI software that has been around for over 20 years and this product actually seems more technically advanced.” – William Irish, President, Irish & Associates

“The flexibility, ease of use, compatibility and web (Internet) integration. The software provides an excellent platform for remote hosting compared to other SCADA packages we have been or are using. We look forward to a long partnership with Inductive Automation.” – Troy LaDoux, Product Manager, ICS Healy-Ruff

What was your overall experience with the training?
“The class is flexible enough that you can progress at your own pace using the instruction sheets they have. If you have already mastered the given example, you can move on to other features or areas and still receive the assistance of the engineers as you need it." – Lance Kornoelje

“My overall experience was very good. There was a lot of information in a short period of time and I am encouraged that the trainers welcome questions and want to assist even after training. This was a selling point to me. That assistance is a phone call or email away.” – Troy LaDoux

“This is an accelerated training course that would be hard to get anywhere else. The questions from other participants create a diverse and interesting environment that keeps things moving along and helps to provide context for the software. The training was well paced and the trainers were well versed in the product. The course manuals are well done and provide great "take home" value for refreshing the course materials. This is the first course where every question was answered with a technical answer, not the usual ‘that takes place under the hood and you wouldn't understand’.” – William Irish

How do you feel about using the Ignition software now that you’ve completed training?
“I am more firm in my commitment to use this software than before. It became clear that this is a well designed product and the software engineering is excellent." William Irish, president of Irish & Associates.

“I feel much more confident but I still have a long way to go. I hope we will be able to continue getting support for the product as time goes on.” – Troy LaDoux

“I feel much more comfortable with the software, both in what I can do with the software and the time it takes in which to do it.” – Lance Kornoelje

Upcoming Training Courses
Boston, MA – October 11–15
Click here for registration details.

Dallas, TX – November 15–19
Click here for registration details.

The 5-day training courses cover the core of Ignition by Inductive Automation. The course is designed to meet users at their knowledge level, whether a new user to Ignition or an existing user looking to discover the full breadth of Ignition's capabilities. The course gives an in-depth look at the architecture of Ignition, involving the interactions between PLCs and SQL databases. Attendees will learn how successful projects are planned and executed from start to finish.

How To Use the Software Development Kit For Ignition

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT
The Module SDK is for experienced developers who want to develop modules for Ignition; it is not geared towards beginner users. Proficiency with Java is required and familiarity with Eclipse and Ant are recommended, though you are free to use the IDE and build tools of your choice.

Still on-board? Continue reading...

Downloading the SDK
The Module SDK is available with the rest of the Ignition downloads at http://www.inductiveautomation.com/downloads.

The Ignition Module System
An Ignition module is just a collection of JAR files that can be dynamically loaded and unloaded and an XML descriptor that lets the gateway know how to do so. These files are zipped and given a .modl extension. Vision, SQLBridge and the OPC-UA server that come with Ignition are all simply modules developed using the same APIs that are available in the Module SDK.

There are three different module “scopes”: gateway, client, and designer. These effectively indicate what areas of Ignition your module will be adding to. A module can be more than one scope. The descriptor contains a list of JAR files as well as an indicator into which scope they should be loaded. A JAR file can be loaded into more than one scope as well.

The descriptor also indicates your “hook” classes – the entry point(s) into your module. This is the class that will be loaded by the Ignition module system and will manage the life-cycle of your module.

Modules can and commonly will have dependencies on other modules. For example, if you are writing a module that provides a driver then you must indicate that you depend on the OPC-UA module being present. If you are adding a Vision component then you rely on the Vision module.

An example of the XML descriptor is available in the sample project.

SDK Contents
The contents of the Module SDK are as follows:

Core API and classes exposed by the Ignition platform

client-api.jar Needed for “client” scope

designer-api.jar Needed for “designer” scope

gateway-api.jar Needed for “gateway” scope

Vision API and classes exposed by the Vision module

vis-client-api.jar  

vis-designer-api.jar  

vis-common.jar  

Drivers API and classes exposed by the OPC-UA module

driver-api.jar The API exposed by the OPC-UA module for creating additional drivers.

Setting Up Eclipse
The sample project shows a common way to set up your workspace for module development – a build project, and an additional project for each scope the module will add to, as well as a driver project if the module will add a driver.

To run the sample project you need to:
• Install Eclipse and choose your workspace.
• Unzip the sample projects into your workspace.
• Import the projects via File > Import in Eclipse.

You can open the build.xml file, right-click “BuildAndInstallModule” Ant target, and choose “Run as Ant Build”. This will build the sample module and install it into a running Ignition with a development license installed.

How Licenses Work
Developer licenses can be obtained by filling out the developer license request form at http://www.inductiveautomation.com/developers. Ignition requires that modules be cryptographically signed (by Inductive Automation) before running. During development of a module the presence of a “Developer” license will allow unsigned modules to run.

How To Install And Test Your Module
Developer modules can be installed through the Ignition gateway the same as any other module or they can be be installed using a special developer module-loading servlet that is only running when a developer license is present.

The example project contains a simple AntTask (in ant-post-module.jar) that will let you automate the installation of your module during your build process.

Getting Your Module Signed
Getting your module signed is a manual process. All third-party modules must be reviewed approved prior to being signed by Inductive automation. When your module is ready for distribution you can contact developers@inductiveautomation.com to start the review process.

This part of the program is still under development. We will be working closely with module developers to ensure the the program is mutually beneficial for everyone involved.

Further Information
The Ignition Module SDK is in beta right now. The API may change. Documentation is being worked on constantly. Right now the best way to get help starting development is to join the forums at http://www.inductiveautomation.com/forum.

There is a special module developers sub-forum that you can use to get help. If you provided your forum user name when you signed up for the developer license you should have access, if not email developers@inductiveautomation.com and provided your user name to request access.

Increase Functionality and Lower Costs With Databases and Web-Based SCADA Systems

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Vincent DiGangi, president of Connell Industries, Inc. is on a mission: “To get people off that dedicated locked-in system, and those can’t-do-what-you-want-to-do applications.”

His summary hits the nail on the head. Isn’t that how most control systems seem nowadays? Adding new functionality to a system means the plant needs to buy a new piece of software, or pay for more tags for the existing software. Increasing the number of people who can access data means paying for more clients. Systems become patched up with a host of software pieces that do this and that, but fail to work together well. And don’t even mention operating system updates—those are just nightmares waiting to happen.

The industry has been stuck in this cycle far too long. But if you talk to any of Connell Industries’ clients, they’re happily working without these headaches. Everyone has access to the system. They’re growing their systems. And they have more plans on the horizon. Customers are finding a new way of thinking about their control systems because Connell Industries can deliver what most other integrators are not: web-based freedom, unlimited scalability, and unrivaled technical support.

Web-based Freedom
When presenting a solution to potential customers, DiGangi and his control engineers will conduct a small demonstration in front of the customer. The web-based aspect of the software is usually understood best if demonstrated to a customer right in their office.

Users can access information anywhere by web-launching project screens, such as this screenshot. Clicking on different areas of the plant blueprint will display information for that section of the system. Above, preform and bottle counts are displayed in real-time to the user.

Connell Industries set up the Inductive Automation software to generate reports, which can then be used to document the number of bottles produced and when they were delivered to the customer.

When Connell Industries was proposing a project for an international packaging company, DiGangi retold how they started turning the decision makers’ heads during a demo. “We pulled up the Java application screen and explained that those in the office were looking at the exact same screen as the technician,” DiGangi said. “They can look at what’s going on in this production area from anywhere—home, office or on the road. All that’s needed is a browser, point it to a particular IP address and you’ll see what the operator is seeing. They asked if there was any special equipment or software required—no, just a browser!”

“Then we showed them how easy it is to update the system from one place,” DiGangi continued. “We altered the application, and then an update bar appeared. The update bar was clicked and then they saw the immediate results of that update. There’s no need to go to every computer and update it individually. They said, 'That’s great, when can we start!?'”

Unrivaled Support
The web-based architecture of the Inductive Automation software also ties into how Connell Industries can offer fast, efficient support to customers. “We can support them remotely and easily,” DiGangi stated. “As long as they give us access to their application on their machine, we don’t have to drive three hours to update it.”

“We overwhelm the customers with all good and no bad,” DiGangi continued. “Almost sounds too good to be true. The only problem we face with Inductive Automation is loss of network connections—which happens with any SCADA software. That’s the biggest problem for us and it doesn’t happen very often.”

Unlimited Scalability
One of the top reasons DiGangi gave for choosing Inductive Automation was the fact that licensing is very user friendly. Customers pay once and don’t worry about paying for extra tags and clients down the road when they want to add on to the system. The software is placed on one server—or on any computer, which can act as a server—and is accessible from any other computer connected to it on their network. Once set up, the system is extremely agile and new projects can be built at the server level and web-launched to any network client.

“Licensing issues are non-existent and there is great flexibility to ‘grow’ the application as the customer’s demands evolve and become more elaborate once they see the benefits of the system,” DiGangi said.

One example of how flexible the system is and how licensing opens up new possibilities for DiGangi’s customers, is their recent project with Graham Packaging.

Graham Packaging manufactures bottles for their customers. They were facing a costly issue from a discrepancy between how many bottles were made, and how many the customer said they actually received. The customer reported that they either didn’t receive the correct number of bottles or that they didn’t receive the bottles by a certain deadline. As a result, Graham Packaging was being back-charged for loss of product, sometimes as many as 60,000 bottles. The bill for one month of claims for undelivered product can be very significant.

They asked Connell Industries to engineer a solution for tracking the preforms (the first stage of material for producing beverage bottles) and generating reports to back up the quantity of bottles that they made and when they delivered them. DiGangi explained that while Graham Packaging originally wanted to track just the preforms, it turned out that there was more to it than that. Oftentimes it’s about solving the problem behind the problem. The original requirement was to track the preforms, but it became apparant that it would be more beneficial to also track the equipment downtime—where underlying causes might be caught and easily addressed.

The end result was a production counting and preform / bottle inventory tracking system with built-in production line downtime monitoring.

This type of creative solution was only possible because of the licensing structure for Inductive Automation software, DiGangi noted. The software is licensed by the server and each server license includes unlimited tags and clients. This gave DiGangi’s company the freedom to take the project to a deeper level, and deliver a better solution to Graham Packaging.

“We got compensated for our time, but it didn’t get complicated because of a licensing issue,” DiGangi explained. “The Inductive Automation software is flexible to be able to get creative in solving our customer’s problem. When we are able to come at problems from a different angle, the customer is even more delighted with us and the end result.”

Vincent DiGangi joined us on a webinar to demonstrate his solution on Aug. 19, 2010. Click here to watch the recorded version of the webinar.

Connell Industries, Inc. is a mid-sized control system integration company based in New Jersey. The company has been in business for over 15 years, providing control engineering and manufacturing equipment services to a large number of plastic packaging, power generation utilities, and food and beverage customers.

Integrator Discusses How He Closes Sales and Generates Business

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT
“We had our record year last year in the middle of a recession,” said Jason Russell excitedly. It’s the middle of 2010, and Jason has plans to hire more people soon because of his ever-increasing workload.

Jason is the owner of a control system integration company, Russell Automation, Inc., located in Vancouver, Wash. While Jason said his company is similar to any other integration company out there, one major difference has made his business skyrocket.

His secret? Inductive Automation software. Jason says if other integrators begin laying a foundation with their customers through Inductive Automation, they will be sure to grow and have more work in the future. In the mean time, he’s enjoying growing both his business and his customers’ systems.

All That And More—For Less!
Jason said he has and will continue to sell and install programmable logic controllers (PLCs), panels, screens, etc. This is what his customers usually request. However, he takes it one step further. He’ll sell an entire system that connects all those pieces together into an integrated solution.

In client meetings, Jason shows how his solution will do everything the customer originally asked, and then some. He explains that his system will grow with the customer’s company, and that it can be modified at any time without excessive costs. On top of that, once he mentions that the upfront software cost is 90 percent less than the industry leaders, he closes just about every deal.

“I explain the pricing, one price for all the software you need,” Jason said. “I mention the fact that they don’t have to keep paying for tags and clients. And that gets everybody’s attention.”

Alleviate the Skepticism
Jason proposes an unbelievable offer to his customers—which raises a few eyebrows. He usually faces some upfront skepticism, but after he gives example after example of other companies, prospective customers begin to trust that Jason is able to offer a better deal than any other integrator they’ve met.

“The software is relatively new, but our experience as integration specialists backs up our work,” Jason said. “We put them at ease by explaining that plants across the country that we support are working.”

And it’s important not to skip over the basics; it’s still critical for Jason to explain he has a lot of capability installing PLCs and system hardware. Companies want to know he has this knowledge in order to trust him with their control systems.

Show and Sell
When Jason demonstrates his solutions, he reports that he gets the job every time. He has his HMI Developer Tim McNamara mock up a sample project screen and put the customer’s logo on it. While Jason has tried other methods for explaining and selling his work, he has found that a sample demo project is by far the best way to sell. Although it takes time to create it for each customer, the rewards are well worth it.

“If you have time to show the customer what it would look like or how it would work in another facility similar to theirs, it works every single time,” Jason explained. “When we bring the demo into a conference room, show it to the customer and make it something they can actually see, it puts a reality on the concept of what I’m talking about. It’s not exactly what they wanted, but now it gives them something to visualize and be able to talk about what they DO want. It also shows our dedication and that we are investing our efforts to make the sale.”

Open Up The Possibilities
To open up a prospect’s mind to new possibilities for their system, Jason asks them to describe what some of their dream projects would be. He knows that once he gets them talking about projects that have been canned due to budget restraints or lack of software components, he can show how it’s possible using Inductive Automation.

Jason said that he would not be able to offer what no one else does without the software from Inductive Automation. It gives him the foundation upon which to build systems unlike ever before. Inductive Automation designed its software to be revolutionary to the industrial automation industry. The software is very flexible because it is database-centric—meaning, it was designed to use databases as the core way to gather and analyze data. It’s also cross-platform and based on Java, yielding a high level of connectivity throughout any computer operating system, hardware, and even previously existing software that resides on the system. There’s also no proprietary programming language, and Jason said it can be modified to do practically anything. Anything.

“Obviously with Inductive Automation, the only limitation is your imagination,” Jason said. “So I ask, ‘What is it that you want to do but you haven’t been able to do?’”

Once he has insight into their deepest needs, he diagrams how to accomplish the tasks with Inductive Automation software. “Now they see that I’ve done this before and that I know what I’m doing and I have a plan,” Jason said.

Jason said that if Inductive Automation never came into the picture, his company would still only be doing PLCs, Rockwell HMIs, etc. “There would really not be anything that would set me apart,” he said. Instead, he rejoices over the fact that he has found a product that enables him to offer more than his customers once thought possible.

“It’s not difficult to grow once you have seeds planted in facilities with Inductive Automation software,” Jason explained. “Talk to your customer; listen to them. The only problem I have is to manage the growth of the plants that have Inductive Automation in place. It’s a matter of keeping up with it, and if you can do right by the customer every time. If you’re able to accurately roll out what they need, the sales just roll in. It’s been the easiest sell and the easiest type of work to promote that I’ve had to sell in the past 16 years.”

Founded in 1994 by owner Jason Russell, Russell Automation, Inc. is a full systems integration company in Vancouver, Wash. The company specializes in Allen-Bradley PLC systems and motor control components. They provide services to both large and small companies, ranging all the way from local dairy food processing facilities to clients with facilities nationwide. Customers span geographically down the west coast of Washington to California, as well as New York and Mexico.

Write Your Own Modules, Drivers and More!

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Users of Ignition by Inductive Automation can now write their own modules! The Ignition Module Software Development Kit (SDK) is now available for free via the Inductive Automation website. All you’ll need to do is sign up for a free developer key, and you’ll be on your way.

Possibilities With Java
The SDK is based 100% on Java, so anyone who knows or wants to learn Java can write their own modules. It opens up what can be done with the Ignition platform. Developers can write device drivers for the free Ignition OPC-UA Module, create components for the Vision module, Authentication Profiles for a custom authentication scheme, or even a completely new module.
When developing a new module, developers may use the module for themselves for free. Or, if they wish to resell the module, developers may apply to become a partner with Inductive Automation to become a third-party module author.
How to Get the Development Kit
Here’s the easy part. It’s free! All you need to do is fill out our developer form and get your free developer key emailed to you. Click here to fill out the form.
Once you have your developer key, download the SDK here.
Additional Help
To get started, read How To Use the Software Development Kit For Ignition. Also, don't forget, the forum is a great place to get help and feedback for writing modules. Visit the forum by clicking here.

How to Connect to KEPServerEX 5.2 via OPC-UA

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Our customers have been connecting our software to KEPServerEX for years, but in the past this has always been through an OPC-DA connection. These connections use the famously difficult and unsecure Microsoft DCOM technology. Now with version 5.2, Ignition can connect to KEPServerEX directly via OPC-UA. Removing DCOM from the equation means that you can enjoy the benefits of OPC-UA: specifically security and the ability to easily set up remote connections. Here is a step-by-step guide for connecting Ignition to KEPServerEX v5.2.

Step 1: Configuring Ignition

In the “Configure” section of the Ignition Gateway, navigate to the “Servers” entry on the left-hand side, underneath “OPC Connections”.

Click “Create new OPC Server Connection…”

Choose “OPC-UA Connection” from the list of connection types.

The default KEPServerEX UA port is 49320.

Delete the default Username and Password fields. Kepware authenticates clients by using a certificate you will install in a later step.

Click “Create New OPC Server Connection”

In the “Configure” section of the Ignition Gateway, navigate to the “Settings” entry on the left-hand side, underneath “OPC-UA”.

At the bottom, click “Download Client Certificate” and save it somewhere convenient. You will need it when configuring KEPServerEX to accept connections.

 

Step 2: Configuring KEPwareServerEX 5.2

Right-click on the KEPServerEX toolbar icon and select “OPC UA Configuration”

Navigate to the “Server Endpoints” tab.

If there is already an endpoint present, click “Edit…”, otherwise click “Add…”

Choose the correct network adapter for your system. Leave the port alone.

Check “Basic128Rsa15” and uncheck “None” and “Basic256”.

Press OK.

Navigate to the “Trusted Clients” tab.

Click “Import...” and navigate to the certificate you saved while configuring Ignition.

Click “Close”.

Right-click the toolbar icon and select “Reinitialize”.

Customers in the Spotlight!

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Industry magazines are beginning to publish stories about our customers. In May, WaterWorld magazine included New Control System Simplifies Access to Distribution System Data, which details the system Helix Water District in San Diego, Calif., built using Inductive Automation software. They increased their reporting ability and improved their SCADA system using Inductive Automation software.

This month Packaging World featured a story on Sierra Nevada Brewery in their special supplement, Process2Packaging. The article was featured on the cover! The story One Dairy, One Brewery, and Two P2P Links describes how Sierra Nevada improved communications between the processing and packaging processes.
Does your company have a story to tell about how our software has helped your company perform better? Let us know! Call (800) 266-7798 or email us at info@inductiveautomation.com.

Our Customers Drive Our Software Development

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Our core success lies in our customers. Last month we greatly enjoyed meeting, talking, and hearing from attendees who stopped by our Ignition booth at the OPC Seminar in Portland, Ore.

Carl Gould, one of our lead developers, helped man the booth. Gould related his experience, “It's always fun to show people in person what Ignition can do. In particular, demonstrating web-launching of Ignition Vision clients always gets a great reaction. Web-launching is one of those technologies that is hard to really ‘get’ until you see it live, in front of your eyes. At the roadshow we have one laptop running Windows and another running Linux, both web-launching from the same Ignition Gateway. This always helps people grasp the convenience and cost-savings potential of using Ignition.”

Since listening to customers is a driving force behind software development, Inductive Automation values attending industry events and personal interaction with software users.

Web-launched clients was just one of our product features that was developed because of what we heard from customers. They were looking for a better way to implement and maintain control systems.

One of the driving forces behind what we do day-to-day is listening to our customers, and creating a product that is, simply put, what “they asked for.” It’s probably one of the top benefits our integrators and end-users appreciate about our company. It’s part of our mission statement, and it’s a different experience in this industry.
Kyle Chase, who we featured in a story in May’s newsletter, is just one of our users who values our support and development team. He said, “I have said many times, both in phone conversations with colleagues, and in various forums, that Inductive Automation has the best tech support in the industry. … IA has always found a solution to bugs I find (or make!!) and the developers have bent over backwards to fix bugs and help with complex code. This goes a long way, especially in our industry.”
It’s customers like Kyle Chase who help us know what our users need and want from their software. We encourage you to talk to us about your projects, and what you’re trying to accomplish. The best way is to visit the forum and post the challenge you are trying to overcome, and we’ll see what we can do to help. The developers of Ignition frequently visit and respond to forum posts—so you can be sure you’ll be heard by the creators behind our software. Oftentimes since Ignition is so flexible, we can show you how to solve the issue at hand. If not, we take notice of those unsolved challenges and consider them in the development of future product releases.
We love it when customers interact with us—call us, email us, or visit us in person at industry events. For those of you who were unable to attend the OPC Seminar, there are more coming up! We’ll be at the rest of the OPC Seminar events this year, and encourage you to attend if you can—especially if you’re in the area. These OPC Roadshow events are free to attend and a great way to get up to speed with what OPC-UA technology has to offer.
June 23 - Minneapolis, MN
October 20 – Boston, MA
November 2 – Atlanta, GA

Integrator Finds Ignition Delivers On Linux, Performance and Reliability

Thu, 06 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Integrator Kyle Chase has begun to experience first-hand the benefits of Ignition by Inductive Automation™. He recently performed a system upgrade to Ignition from Inductive Automation’s legacy products, FactorySQL and FactoryPMI.

“I just finished transitioning a smaller facility last week to Ignition,” said Chase, systems integration specialist for Surefire SCADA Inc. “There were a few changes I had to make to historical trending and historical SQL tags, but other than that, everything just dropped into place. It worked really well.”
One of Ignition’s most exciting new features is the free OPC Unified Architecture (UA) server. Designed to allow for cross platform compatibility, OPC UA delivers on the promise of performance and reliability. Chase explained that, although a fan of Linux, until now he could never use it in automation control systems because OPC relied on Microsoft’s Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM).
“To me, the move to a true cross platform environment is important,” stated Chase. “This holds many advantages, especially when it comes to system flexibility and security. It helps keep costs down as well. ”
It was only recently, when Ignition was released, that Chase could take advantage of OPC UA’s capabilities. “Inductive Automation is the first to provide the software required to do this,” Chase said.
Freedom From Windows
One advantage to a cross-platform system is that it saves money for customers who don’t support Windows. Customers would need to pay to license a Windows server.
Chase said, “Having cross-platform software allows us to offer a cheaper solution to a customer, and you can’t compete with that in the Windows’ market.”
The Needed Performance and Reliability
Chase related his experience with one of his customers. Their distillation refinery has a single controller with 14 racks of remote IO. The facility needed both fast update performance, as well as reliability. Previous solutions from industry-leaders couldn’t deliver both. For example, one product gave them the reliability, but it could only give updates once every eight seconds—but the customer needed updates every second. Another product they tried provided the performance needed, but it would shut down every day.
When Ignition came out, it included a free OPC UA server, making the entire software system cross-platform. Having used Inductive Automation software for the past three years with much success, he was confident in trying out the company’s newest release for the distillation refinery project. After going through dry runs, Chase has been very pleased.
“The performance is absolutely crazy!” Chase said. “Ignition is actively subscribed to 30,000 tags with updates every second. We can finally monitor all of our tags, at the speed we want with the reliability we need.”
Product Support is Outstanding
In addition to Inductive Automation’s technological advancements, Chase has also been very satisfied with the product support. He’s been using the software for three years. Sometimes, Chase has an idea to set up a project or function on a system and he calls Inductive Automation to see if they can help him find a way to do it. In some instances, the developers have even modified the software to make it work.
“I’ve called in for certain things, I ask if it’s possible, and they make it happen,” Chase said. “It’s good to see a software company that supports what their customers need.”
Being an integrator means Chase has a lot of customers depending on him to keep their systems operational. Having access to a responsive support team makes his job easier.
“The tech support we get from Inductive Automation is the best in the industry,” Chase said. “I’ve had different issues with different software companies. I usually hear, ‘I’ve never seen this before’. They can’t figure out how to fix it. There is rarely a solution provided, and we are usually told to deal with it. Inductive Automation has always found a solution to bugs I find—or make!—and the developers have bent over backwards to fix bugs and help with complex code. This goes a long way, especially in our industry.
“In a nutshell, the company provides industry-leading features at low prices, with no software limits imposed on the developer. That, packaged with the best tech support in the industry, and I don’t see why I would ever want to recommend another product to any customer, no matter what the job is. Ignition can do it all.”
On June 2, Kyle Chase will join Inductive Automation in a webinar to discuss how automation systems benefit from Ignition and OPC-UA. Click here to register.
Kyle Chase is the systems integration specialist for Surefire SCADA Inc. Backed by 40 years of experience, Surefire creates web-based hosted SCADA systems that encompass all aspects of industrial automation. The company designs and implements industrial control systems and maintains information technology.

A Letter from the President: Connectivity Unlimited

Thu, 06 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT
I write this letter not only as the President of Inductive Automation, but also with the perspective I've gained from working as a control system integrator for 25 years. One of the common frustrations I've observed is the difficulty and expense involved when collecting information from barcode scanners, weigh scales, analytical equipment, and other similar devices. Common techniques such as routing these connections through RS485 or other serial mechanisms often involves awkward PLC-based parsing logic, or worse yet, a BASIC module. I'm writing this letter to announce that with the addition of our free TCP/UDP driver there is now an elegant, cost-effective mechanism to collect data from these sorts of devices.

There is so much to say about the Ignition by Inductive Automation platform at large that this powerful tool could easily go unnoticed. How would you architect a system to collect and handle data from 70 barcode scanners simultaneously, as in a distribution warehouse? How would you manage all the data and deliver it real-time to one or more locations? Any answer that involves a lot of cost, patchworked systems, configuration, programming, or other complexity (with a resultant lack of maintainability) comes straight out of the past.
Barcode scanners, weigh scales, analytical equipment and a host of other devices are now usually available with Ethernet TCP or UDP connectivity options. Today, even serial-only devices can be converted with inexpensive serial-to-Ethernet converters. This is where the Ignition TCP/UDP driver really shines.
Using this free driver you could connect to a barcode scanner in just minutes. From there the data is parsed by the driver and exposed via our free OPC-UA server to the rest of Ignition or 3rd party OPC-UA clients. This means that the data could be handled by the Ignition SQL Bridge module for data-logging or redistribution to one or more PLCs in near real-time. It could be used by the Ignition Vision module to display this information in SCADA clients. This slick operation can be multiplied tens or hundreds of times in a single Ignition server instance. I've seen integrators successfully use this technique to bring the implementation cost down by an order of magnitude for a variety of different projects: traceability using both barcodes and RFID tags, sorting systems, tracking lab test results, etc.
These days I am getting to be known as the “yes guy, the solution guy.” Recently I had the pleasure of participating in a multi-vendor meeting where I was the only guy saying “yes, we can do that; that’s easy!” Why was I the only one saying this? It’s because I understand what Ignition is capable of and I had the Ignition TCP/UDP driver in my back pocket. It’s like I was the glue keeping the pieces together, and I was the only one making the project feasible at all. From an integrator's perspective, this is exactly the position I like to be in.
This free module, released with Ignition 7.1, deserves your time to look at it. You should be the first “yes guy” on your block.

Free Modbus Driver Added to Ignition OPC-UA

Thu, 06 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Inductive Automation is pleased to announce the addition of Modbus TCP/IP to Ignition OPC-UA, the world's first cross-platform, completely free OPC-UA server. The Modbus protocol is used in millions of devices around the world. The new driver allows Ignition OPC-UA to connect to a broad variety of devices, such as solar cells, lights, generators, flow meters, and even bar code scanners and refrigeration skids.

Ignition OPC-UA is offered free as a stand-alone server, and is also included as a free module within the Ignition software. Ignition is a robust platform for creating web-launched HMI, SCADA and MES systems that can run on Windows, Linux, OS X and more. With full support for OPC-UA and classic OPC, and now Modbus, Ignition can be adapted to connect to virtually any industrial device.
With its lightning-fast speed, the Modbus driver allows users to quickly and easily access device data while leveraging the power of OPC-UA and Ignition's 100% cross-platform architecture. With minimal configuration, users can make Modbus data available through Ignition OPC-UA to any third party client and to the rest of Ignition in order to log history, display status, create control screens and more.
The Modbus driver is compatible with native Modbus TCP/IP devices, as well as Modbus RTU devices through the use of a fieldbus gateway. The Modbus driver joins the Allen-Bradley suite along with the new UDP/TCP driver to expand the reach and flexibility of Ignition.
To download Ignition by Inductive Automation and get a free license for the Ignition OPC-UA server with Modbus driver, click here.

Software Helps DBSi Use Less Energy

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Energy consumption is more than just a hot topic these days. It’s a way of life for DBSi. The company provides managed datacenter services for its clients; inside each datacenter are hundreds of cabinets of computers, hundreds and hundreds of TB’s of storage and network equipment. All this equipment consumes large quantities of power and generates a lot of heat. The temperature in each datacenter must be monitored and controlled in near real-time to keep the equipment running.

A portion of the electrical infrastructure, shown here, monitored for availability and capacity.

Ralph Thomas, Client Services Director for DBSi, sums up the issue at hand: "Power for us is everything. If we have a problem with power or cooling, we need a way to quickly locate the issue and develop a work around. In the northeast, we are going through utility deregulation. We are expecting our energy bills to increase potentially 30 percent or more."

While energy consumption was an important design goal DBSi’s CEO, William Bachenberg, had a much larger vision. He wanted an integrated system which brought together the following;

Real-time monitoring with exception reporting

Control of critical equipment infrastructure

Trend analysis to aid in preventive maintenance

Utilize historical and present trends for capacity planning

Energy consumption with revenue grade consumption reporting and bill back capabilities

Seamlessly integrates with all existing equipment and protocols

Secure remote access and redundant infrastructure

Knowledge is Power
To improve their energy efficiency, Thomas explained that they needed a way to better track, display and manage the temperatures and cooling within the datacenters. DBSi knew that if they could increase the granularity of temperature and electrical power data points in the datacenters and report at near real-time, they would be better equipped to manage energy use without jeopardizing uptime.
To explain why more data points would benefit the company’s control over power usage, Thomas gave the example of a pool of water. If there is hot water coming in on one end, there is no way to detect the rising temperature at the other end of the pool. The air flow through the datacenter is not a clean air flow; it gets often gets disturbed from various points in the room from non-uniform equipment deployments. So, to control cooling energy usage, very granular temperature and power usage data is needed throughout a datacenter or facility.
With all that in mind, Thomas explained that they went looking to find software that could handle a lot of data points, from various sources. "We looked at other main stream solutions, with price tags ten times the cost and lacking key functionality. We felt that the Inductive Automation products gave us development speed and historical data functionality we were looking for at the right cost."
Unlimited Tags Equals Unlimited Data Points
DBSi appreciated the unlimited tags and clients that came with Inductive Automation’s FactorySQL and FactoryPMI. It would allow them to build a system with as many data points and users as needed.
"The unlimited aspect was a big selling point," said Thomas. "It was one of the key drivers in our choice to use Inductive Automation because we didn’t have to start licensing clients and limit people viewing the information. We have sales, facility, and operations staff all looking at different aspects of our infrastructure from multiple locations. It’s nice not to worry about licensing these users because we have about 20 to 30 clients running on any given day."
Thomas said they have recently increased about 10-fold the data points within each facility. They are able to monitor power usage, the cooling infrastructure, temperature going in and out of the cooling infrastructure, the temperature above and below the floor, cold aisles, etc. All in all, Thomas estimates that there are more than 20,000 points of data flowing through the system and that keeps increasing every month as we expand the system and think of new ways of collecting data.
Increasing Access to Information
Another benefit to the unlimited aspects of the software was that DBSi could let as many people as needed view the data via client screens. The system tracks and visually displays environmental and power utilization data within the buildings. This allows DBSi staff to monitor all buildings and data centers within the buildings remotely from the centralized operations center, as well as off site. For example, remote workers can check the status of a generator without having to drive in to the plant to look at it.
"The software allows us to make complex representations of status and history information, quickly and accurately," Thomas described. "This software has been well designed and very flexible, allowing us to deploy our projects quickly and accurately."
DBSi has found that it has increased its decision-making ability for the plant’s energy usage. It results in helping them account where power is being wasted which helps reduce operating costs while maintaining optimal cooling conditions.
"Based on the richness of that data, we now can make business decisions or maybe turn some equipment on or off, depending on what we see in the data," Thomas said. "Now we can measure it and take action where we couldn’t take action before. We are able to react faster. We can see issues before they become problems. Because we now have such granular control, it gives us a competitive advantage."
DBSi provides flexible, cost-effective and innovative IT solutions for companies that require exceptional support for critical business processes and environments. It operates secure, high performance, and highly available data centers in Bethlehem PA, Valley Forge PA and Allentown (Breinigsville), PA. DBSi serves over 300 customers in all industry verticals with a focus on financial services and healthcare.
DBSi’s Hosting services include high speed wide area network connectivity, daily operational and administration management services, managed storage, data backup and restoration, and security management. DBSi’s Disaster Recovery solutions include traditional, dedicated and customized, workspace recovery and secure hosting. In addition to traditional tape based recovery, DBSi offers advanced recovery services including virtualization, real time data replication, remote backup, email failover and redundant data centers. www.dbsintl.com
Ralph Thomas is joining Inductive Automation for a webinar on Thursday, April 22 at 9-10am PDT. The webinar will talk about how Ignition by Inductive Automation provides information that helps companies monitor energy usage. To register, click here.

How To: Install Ignition on Linux

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Ignition is cross-platform and available for multiple operating systems. Installing Ignition on Windows is extremely easy, you just need to run the Windows installer. Installing Ignition on other platforms, such as Linux, requires a few more steps.

The following directions will get Ignition installed and running as a service under Ubuntu 9.04 or Ubuntu 9.10.

Step 1: Download Ignition

To download Ignition for linux go to http://www.inductiveautomation.com/downloads and download the latest:

Ignition-buildXXXX-linux.zip for 32-bit Java Runtime Environment

Ignition-buildXXX-linux-x64.zip for 64-bit Java Runtime Environment

If you are unsure, download Ignition-buildXXXX-linux.zip.

Step 2: Install Java 6 if not already installed

First, check to see if the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 is installed by executing the following command:

java -version

If the result is java version "1.6.X_XX" the correct version of the JRE is installed. If not, install JRE 6 with:

apt-get install sun-java6-jre

* Note: If you are running the 64-bit JRE download the linux-x64.zip mentioned in step 1.

Step 3: Install Ignition

You need to run the following commands as ROOT so either prefix all commands with 'sudo', run 'sudo su', or login as a root user. First, unzip the files to /usr/local/bin/ignition or any directory of your choosing:

unzip Ignition-buildXXXX-linux.zip -d /usr/local/bin/ignition

* Note: you will need to replace 'XXXX' with whatever the acutal build number is from the downloaded file. Also, if you downloaded the 64-bit zip file unzip that one instead.

Change into the directory you unzipped to:

cd /usr/local/bin/ignition

Set executable permissions on ignition.sh and ignition-gateway

chmod +x ignition.sh
chmod +x ignition-gateway

Create a symlink to ignition.sh in /etc/init.d/ in order to install Ignition as a service:

cd /etc/init.d/
ln -s /usr/local/bin/ignition/ignition.sh ignition
chmod +x ignition

Run the update-rc.d utility to install Ignition as a service:

update-rc.d ignition defaults

Now, you can start and stop Ignition with the following commands:

/etc/init.d/ignition start
/etc/init.d/ignition stop

Ignition will start automatically when the computer boots up from here on out. If you wish to stop this behaviour, in order to start and stop manually, then you need to use the update-rc.d tool to remove the service and delete the symlink we created earlier (NOT RECOMMENDED):

/etc/init.d/ignition stop
update-rc.d -f ignition remove
rm /etc/init.d/ignition

The Gateway Control Utility can be launched via the gcu.sh shell script in /usr/local/bin/ignition. It will need to be made executable first:

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/ignition/gcu.sh
/usr/local/bin/ignition/gcu.sh

That's it, you are done! Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8088. Have fun with Ignition and if you have any questions please use the forum or call us at (800) 266-7798.

Did You Know? SQLTags Historian Makes Storing and Charting Historical Data Fast, Efficient, and Easy

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Logging process data for the purposes of charting and reporting has long been, and continues to be, one of the most popular uses of Inductive Automation's software. For our new release, Ignition by Inductive Automation, we've introduced a feature called SQLTags Historian that makes storing and charting history faster, more efficient, and easier than ever before.

SQLTags Historian builds on the success of our SQLTags realtime tag database system. There are only two steps to using the SQLTags Historian. First, you must configure a connection to a supported database, such as MySQL, SQL Server, or Oracle. Second, you simply select the "Store History for this Tag" option on any of your tags. That's it—SQLTags Historian creates and manages the tables needed to efficiently store history automatically. You're now storing tag history to your database.
Not only is SQLTags Historian easy to set up, but it is very efficient as well. It only stores tag values when they change outside of a deadband. Tags that aren't changing don't take up any storage space in the database. You also can control how frequently a tag is sampled when it is changing through the use of a historical scan class. Scan classes let you choose different logging intervals for sets of tags, or even alter the logging rate dynamically, storing high resolution history only when it is needed. The historian system will also automatically partition your data into multiple tables in the database. This partitioning feature accomplishes two important functions: ensuring consistently high-performance over the long term, and providing an extremely convenient mechanism for data archival and pruning.
One of the best parts about data stored using the SQLTags Historian is that using the data requires no knowledge of the SQL language. Querying history is a matter of specifying a list of tags, a range of time, and a resolution. Even easier, just drag and drop a historian-enabled tag onto an Easy Chart, and the chart will be configured with a SQLTags Historian pen for that tag. Using this drag-and-drop configuration is a great way to rapidly create an advanced, web-launched SCADA system with minimal effort. If you haven't already, download Ignition today and give it a try; you'll be glad you did.

Sierra Nevada Brewery Finds Inductive Automation Software Very IT Friendly

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
It’s a strange problem when an IT department can put too many features on the system. Usually, it’s the other way around. More often than not, it is the IT department that is overwhelmed with requests.

“We find that we can overload our users with new features,” said David Lewis, business analyst for Sierra Nevada Brewery. “It’s so easy to build stuff. We’re way ahead of the user-curve. We have found that we have to wait for them to digest what we’ve built, and then wait for them to start asking for more.”

As the sixth largest brewery in the United States, Sierra Nevada Brewery used to have an overwhelming amount of IT requests. However, the tables have turned now that IT employees have begun using Inductive Automation software.

Lewis explains that before implementing Inductive Automation’s FactorySQL and FactoryPMI software, they had a lot of requests – and those requests took a long time to develop. Accessing production system data was the biggest IT development hurdle. There just wasn’t an easy way to get the data. After implementing the new software, they were able to easily obtain data from anywhere in the plant.

“Now, all of a sudden the data is all there,” Lewis said excitedly. “It’s the keys to the kingdom. We’ve now been able to manage some pretty heavy workflow problems.”
Getting Through the Skepticism
But it wasn’t initially easy to find those keys to IT bliss. Anytime IT makes a decision to put new software on a system, they need to proceed with caution to ensure no disruption to the plant’s production.
“We approached the software with skepticism,” Lewis explained. “There was no support among our automation engineers for using it as a control system for both philosophical and practical reasons: Philosophically, because we treat our control system as a stand-alone system—completely unconnected from any other network—and practically, because our corporate Windows-based PC network had such a rotten reliability record. Fermentation is a 24/7 process, so our plant controls staff were in no mood to introduce Windows-style downtime to their lives. The Inductive Automation software was so inexpensive, however, that we decided to try it for data acquisition and production reporting – two areas where there were no good alternatives on the market.”
Jonathan Swisher, system developer for Sierra Nevada Brewery, explained that as a test, they duplicated the addresses of everything they wanted to capture to FactorySQL and FactoryPMI to see how well it worked.
“When we first bought PMI we weren’t sure what it might do to the system,” Swisher said. “We were very cautious about how we configured the network. We wanted to make sure it in no way impacted the operation of the plant.”
Sold on the User Friendly Experience
The first experience with the software proved to be very user friendly.
“It was easy to configure,” Swisher explained. “The reason it’s easy is because I only had to install it on the server—one install. It took me no time, except installing it on the server. Its easiness comes from the client-side because there are no clients to install individually. There’s not a lot of overhead work to get it out to everyone in the plant. As long as each client has Java and can get to the web server address, they’re good to go.”
From a technical knowledge perspective, Swisher said the software had a very easy learning curve. It’s familiar to individuals trained in standard office technology such as web, Java, SQL databases, etc.
“Most of it seemed intuitive,” Swisher explained, referring to Inductive Automation’s “Jython” scripting. “All these functions are well documented. Python is clean and concise; which makes Jython really familiar. Jython is super easy to learn because it was familiar to what we learn in school.”
Access to Data Opened Up Possibilities
Ron Mayfield, system developer for Sierra Nevada Brewery, described how various interactions with the company’s SQL database had always been problematic in the past. When they rewrote all of the data to go through FactorySQL and FactoryPMI, life got easier.
“Once we realized that was possible—to work with the PLCs and other SQL production databases—we found we could bring it all together and put it on one screen,” Mayfield said. “That kind of synergy of info was all off limits until Inductive Automation came around.”

Sierra Nevada Brewery used to write tank status information on whiteboards around the plant. It was a time-consuming task, and often people forgot to write down information. By building a tank status screen (shown above) through FactoryPMI, the brewery was able to coordinate its filtration to packaging workflow. Now each department knows at a glance what the other has done with each tank.

By being able to work with the PLCs and the database, Mayfield said they soon realized that they could help all departments communicate seamlessly. One example he gave was their filtration to packaging workflow. Before a tank of beer is ready to be packaged, it has to be processed by the filtration department and then sampled and tested by the lab. Test information was then hand written on to a series of whiteboards around the plant. Packaging workers would first verify what had been tested according to the whiteboards, then begin their packaging process.

Mayfield said they faced a very simple, but big problem: As the plant grew, people had to remember to write that information down in more and more places—a round trip of nearly half a mile!
Now, with web-launched client screens, tank test data can be accessed by the lab, filtration and packaging workers. Lab test data is collected automatically from lab devices connected to FactorySQL, which are then combined with production line information on tank statuses, levels and other process data. The packaging department can see in an instant if a tank is ready to be packaged or not, and be certain that the screen is displaying realtime data.
“Conceptually we were able to take a live database responsible for recording test info, which is separate from producion,” Mayfield explained. “Then, we added PLC data (full tank / empty tank) and combined communication between departments. Bringing all that together facilitated communication and workflow immensely.”
In Summary
Before they started using Inductive Automation software, Lewis said, “it was ridiculous to get plant floor data without spending a humongous amount of money. Now, with every new project that comes along, it’s the go-to software. It’s great stuff.”
Lewis, Mayfield, and Swisher agreed that changes aren’t always easy. Especially when the IT department can make more features than their users can take in at a time. They’ve actually had to slow down the pace of how many features they add to the system, just so users get a chance to accept the new changes.
“But I think everyone agrees that the changes are good,” Lewis said. “We’re a growing company. Five to ten years ago when we had to make a production decision, we would simply walk over and talk to someone … but now, you can’t always find that person. Using FactoryPMI, we can always find the screen. Operation is much easier than before.”
Sierra Nevada Brewery is the sixth largest brewery in the United States. Their beer is produced exclusively in Chico, Calif., and is distributed in all 50 states and exported to Europe and Asia. Their flagship product is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, complemented by a year-round program of seasonal and specialty beers.
David Lewis is joining Inductive Automation for a webinar on Wednesday, March 17 at 9-10am PDT. The webinar will talk about how Ignition by Inductive Automation works with IT staff, not against them. To register, click here.

Upcoming Webinar: Web-Based, Cross-Platform SCADA Software Works With IT, Not Against Them

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Inductive Automation will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, March 17 from 9-10am PDT. The event is free. Register here.

Ignition is based entirely on modern, cross-platform technology, which means IT personnel are already familiar with the computing languages used in the software. When most SCADA software is frowned upon by IT departments, Ignition gets a thumbs up.
Of course, sometimes it takes some convincing.
Join us as David Lewis tells us his story of discovering how easy Ignition is to use - and why when his IT staff got done testing the software they loved it! In their words, it’s "the go-to software." Lewis is the business analyst for Sierra Nevada Brewery, the sixth largest brewery in the United States.
The brewery used to have a long list of requests waiting to be integrated into the system, until now. Instead, the tables have turned and they’ve had to slow down putting features on the SCADA system, just so plant operators can have time to adjust to the changes.
The webinar will include Ignition’s technical advantages, such as:
- Downloads and installs in minutes
- Easy to maintain with its server-based architecture
- Web based (HTTP+SSL). Client side Java support; clients launch anywhere
- Secure remote access is simple with VPNs or SSL - Instant client updates system-wide
- SQL database support; IT department can backup/maintain/administer just like any other SQL database
- Active Directory or SQL Database Authentication options
- Backs up to one single file
- Cross-platform
- OPC-UA based; free OPC-UA server included
TO REGISTER, click here

How To: Create Generic Components in FactoryPMI

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT
A good percentage of FactoryPMI projects contain duplication, whether it is with tanks, valves, motors or any other piece of equipment. This means that you have two or more components on the screen that are identical except for their tag paths or database column names. For example, let's say you have eight motors and each of these motors have the same two pieces of information that you want to display: status and amps. You don't want to create the same component ten times, but rather create a generic component that you can copy, paste and change a couple of variables to point to the right motor. This article demonstrates how to make generic components out of existing FactoryPMI components. This is a very common pattern in FactoryPMI and mastering this will save you hours of time.

Step 1:

Let's continue with our example of motors. First, open up a project in the FactoryPMI Designer. Next, open an existing window or create a new window that we can put the generic component in.

Containers are really useful for creating groups of components that act as one component. In our example, we have a motor that has two pieces of information to display: status and amps. We can create a Container that has an image of a motor, and two labels: one for the amps and one for the motor number.

So, drag in the Container component from the Misc tab, in the component palette, into the window.

In order to make the container generic we need to add variables to the container that describe the particular motor. So, let's assume, in our example, that each motor is unique based on a single integer value, called motor number. In SQLTags, we have eight folders named:

Motor 1
Motor 2
Motor 3
Motor 4
Motor 5
Motor 6
Motor 7
Motor 8

Inside each of these folders are two tags: Amps and HOA.

The only difference between referencing a tag in one folder versus the next is just the motor number. Next, right click on the container and select Customizers -> Dynamic Properties. Here, add a new property called MotorNumber of data type Integer. Once you add the property it shows up like any other property on the component. Change the value of the property to a valid motor number like 1. Our components inside of the container will indirectly use this property to point to the correct tag in SQLTags.

Next, let's drag in a Label component from the Display tab of the component palette into the container. Click on the bind icon to the right of the Text property and select Expression as the binding type. This label is going to display what motor number the container is pointed to. In the expression box, let's combine the word "Motor " with the motor number dynamic property. The expression will look like this:

"Motor " + {Root Container.Container.MotorNumber}

Next, let's drag in another Label component from the Display tab of the component palette into the container. Click on the bind icon to the right of the Text property and select Indirect Tag as the binding type. This label is going to display the amps value for the motor. The indirect tag binding option allows us to insert variables into a tag path based on properties in the window. For example, here is a tag path for motor 1 amps:

[]Overview/Motor 1/Amps

We can replace the 1 with another number to point to a completely different motor. Paste in the previous path and replace the 1 with {1}. The braces signify that we are inserting a value into the path from another property. As soon as you add the {1} a new row gets inserted into the table right below it. Click on that row and hit the Insert Property Value button to the right of the table. Select the MotorNumber property and pres OK.

That's it, now this label is showing the value of the tag for motor 1. We can do the exact same thing for an image or any other component we want to put into the container. Once we have all of the components inside the container that we want, we can easily copy and paste the container, change the MotorNumber property to another number, like 2, and we are pointing to a completely different motor. This beats having to re-create the entire container again for each motor. Check the FactoryPMI user manual on how to save this component as your own component in the palette to use in other projects.

For any questions on this article please consult the forum, user manual or one of our tech support reps.

Did You Know? You Can Embed Google Maps Into Your FactoryPMI Project

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Leverage the power of Google Maps by bringing it into your SCADA/HMI project. Using the Image Component, you can easily bind the image path to a Google Maps API URL. Then you can bind to other components, using property binding expressions, to dynamically alter the map.
You can display a map and allow users to interact with it by typing in locations, zooming in and out, etc. You might want to put buttons or images on top of the map that users can click on, or mouse over, to display data or perhaps open another screen.
Here's how you do it
We've done most of the hard work for you so you can start off with a pre-developed screen and simply modify it.
Step 1: Go to http://code.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html and sign up for a Google Maps API Key. You'll need this later.
Step 2: Go to http://files.inductiveautomation.com/extras/GoogleMapsStaticAPI.fwin and click on File/Save As. Save as GoogleMapsStaticAPI.fwin
Step 3: Open your FactoryPMI Designer, right click in the "Project Browser" panel and choose "Import Window." Find the GoogleMapsStaticAPI.fwin file you saved in step 2.
Step 4: Open the GoogleMapsStaticAPI window, select preview mode, and type in your Google Maps API Key.
You can type in your search keys (address), change the map type, zoom in and out using the slider, and change the image size. Go ahead and play around with the window and customize it to suit your needs. Below is an example of what you should see when you are finished:

Growing a Small Company: Absorption Corp Increases Productivity on a Lean Budget

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT
It's a catch-22. A small company needs to increase its production capacity, yet it is still on a small company-sized budget. Switching from hand-written logs and stand-alone equipment to a networked, automated controls system can be quite expensive.

This was the dilemma faced by Rollie Raper, process control designer for Absorption Corp. Prior to his position at Absorption Corp, Raper worked for a larger company and was familiar with the technology used to keep a company of that size running efficiently. His experience allowed him to see that Absorption Corp was growing, and the need to expand would soon arrive. He also knew that they were going to need a controls system based on a database to help keep the company running efficiently as its production increased.
Raper was familiar with the high-end data archiving software on the market, but knew those options weren't a good fit for his company. "Those high priced software packages were beyond the budget of our company's original scope," he explained. "On the other hand, many of the low-end or low cost solutions or tools were either restrictive in features or required an IT expert to implement and maintain. Inductive Automation's software seemed to hit good middle ground with a relatively low price, but with a user friendly environment that an engineer without much IT expertise could work with."
Making the Sell to Management
Absorption Corp was not yet convinced of the benefits of automated controls systems. Raper knew that selling his company on the idea of purchasing software would pose a challenge. "It was a matter of looking for a product that was not too expensive," he said. "I had to introduce the idea of a database controls system to them partly because they were a smaller company not used to the idea, and partly because of the concern of spending money on a concept that some thought may not result in any substantial benefits."
A major factor in convincing the company to implement a new system was the ability to use Inductive Automation's software in trial mode. Raper was able to work with the program, and show the company's decision-makers what could be accomplished if the production process was automated. "The final decision to purchase was made easier by the ability to install and work with the software prior to purchasing," he said. "This enabled us to demonstrate its capabilities to our managers before a purchase was authorized."
Multiple Plants Benefit From a Common Database

Above is a screenshot of a bagger machine production run. The fault codes (red dots) show what faults the machine had over the course of time. Most dots are when the machine runs out of bags – this is a normal operating fault. The stray dots are important to watch. If there is a pattern, it means there is a particular problem that needs to be looked into.

With the addition of a database-centric controls system, Absorption Corp consolidated the data together from its two plants – one in the state of Washington and one in Georgia. The database and FactoryPMI are installed in the corporate office in Washington, and the data is served to various clients within the company network.
Now that they can analyze data from both locations, the plants benefit by comparing any similarities or differences in their processes. Since the plants are set up the same, if one has a particularly good production run, the conditions surrounding the run can be captured and reproduced in the sister location. Likewise, any problems that pop up can be compared to the other location to see how it either solved the problem, or is avoiding it altogether.
One example of this benefit developed from kind of a "friendly competition" between plants when the bagging machine operators tried to see which plant could produce the most bags in one shift. At first glance, it appeared as if the plant in Georgia would win, as they had their machines set to the higher speed rates, but the operators in Washington seemed to consistently produce more by the end of the shift.
"Looking at the historical data side by side, we could see that the Georgia machines were having more jam ups and losing time between good runs," Raper commented. "While the Washington machines could run longer and smoother at a lower rate, they produced more over the long run." This correlation of data allowed both plants to increase the overall production throughput in that area.
Speeding the System Up
Using a database created another benefit for the system – data is no longer accessed straight from the PLC. Raper explained that much of the equipment in each plant was running almost entirely on a single PLC and when too many people pulled information from that data point at the same time, the device got bogged down.
"All of the data going across the network was getting bottlenecked at a single data point where it connected to the PLC," he said. "By sampling this data and putting it into the database, there was no longer a burden on the PLC. This was a huge advantage with the IA software. Many people can access the data without connecting to the PLC processor directly."
Raper said that by improving their access to system data, workers are better equipped to make decisions that increase the company's productivity. "Overall, the software has been a great tool for bringing our company into the 'Information Age'," he said. "It has resulted in a change in perception by many as to how good data can be used to improve various areas of our operation and to quickly make a difference in our production rates, product quality, and bottom line profits."
Absorption Corp manufactures small animal bedding, sold mostly through pet specialty stores under the CareFRESH® brand. The company operates two plants located in the states of Washington and Georgia. Each plant's process equipment consists of pulpers, screens, presses, dryers, and packaging equipment, similar to that of a small pulp mill.

How To: Create a Downtime Report

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT
The FactoryPMI Reporting plugin gives you the ability to create dynamic PDF reports in FactoryPMI. This guide steps you through creating a basic PDF report, using the FactoryPMI Reporting plugin, that contains a table and pie chart of downtime information.

Background

The FactoryPMI Reporting plugin makes creating professional reports easy with a rich library including: images, graphs, tables, barcodes, and a variety of basic shape tools. Access to reports is web based via the FactoryPMI runtime, a Java application, providing authenticated users access from anywhere, all based on networking standards that your IT department can support. Reports are printer friendly and can easily be exported to a variety of formats including PDF! Here are some common uses of dynamic reports:

Production Management

Efficiency Monitoring

Downtime Tracking

Statistical Process Control

Quality Assurance

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) Management

Historical Data analysis

To download and install the FactoryPMI Reporting plugin click here.

Introducing the Downtime Data

For this tutorial, all of the downtime information is stored in a single table called downtime.

This table has four columns:

ID - Primary Key

CauseID - Foreign Key to Causes table, represents the reason for downtime

Duration - The number of seconds for the downtime entry

t_stamp - The timestamp of when the downtime started

The second column CauseID links to another table called causes:

This table has four columns:

ID - Primary Key

EquipID - Foreign Key to Equipment table, represents which piece of equipment the cause is from

Name - The name of the cause

Description - The description of the cause

The second column EquipID links to another table called equipment:

This table has three columns:

ID - Primary Key

Name - The name of the equipment

Description - The description of the equipment

All of the downtime information is stored in the downtime table, but we can associate the downtime to any cause from any piece of equipment using the three tables combined. This allows you to easily add/edit/remove equipment and causes and there is no data duplication. The PDF report is going to query these tables and represent the data in a table and pie chart.

Final PDF Report

Here is an example of what the report will look like once you complete this tutorial.

Step 1: Drag Report Viewer Component into Window

First, you need to drag and drop the Report Viewer component, from the Reporting tab in the component palette, into a FactoryPMI window.

Step 2: Retrieve Downtime Data

Next, we need to bring in the downtime data from the three tables mentioned above. To do this we need to bind the Data property to a SQL query.

Note: The Data property comes with the Report Viewer by default and it is a dataset. You can add/edit/remove these dynamic properties in the Report Designer.

Here is an example SQL query that joins the three tables above and groups the data by cause:
SELECT c.Name as Cause, e.Name as Equipment, SUM(d.Duration) as Duration FROM downtime d JOIN causes c ON c.ID = d.CauseID JOIN equipment e ON e.ID = c.EquipID GROUP BY c.ID
The result of this query shows us the sum of the duration for each cause:

Next, click on the bind icon next to the Data property, select the SQL Query binding type, enter in the query above and press OK.

Step 3: Design Report

Now, we need to design the report using the downtime data. To do this, right click on the Report Viewer component and select Component Customizer -> Report Designer or press Control-U.

Here you can add labels, graphs, tables, images and more. Now that the Report Designer is open you will see the Data property in the Keys tab on the top right of the screen. We can easily drag and drop the Data property into the design space. We will get a dialog asking us what we want to make out of this property and we can select a Table or a Graph.

First, let's make the pie chart. Drag the Data key into the window and select Graph. Next, drag the Duration key into the Keys section on the graph. Lastly, keep double-clicking on the graph until you select the text, then type or drag @Cause@.

You have successfully displayed data from a database in a report. Now, we can change the graph to a pie chart and customize it further. When you select the graph component you will see a list of tabs and properties associated with it on the right-hand side of the designer. One such tab for the graph component is the Graph where you can select what type of graph to use, whether or not to show legends and bar/wedge labels, and set colors. Let's change the graph to a pie chart and show the bar/wedge labels by selecting the appropriate options.

Now, let's create a table. Drag the Data key into the window and select Table. Next, select the Header checkbox to have a table header. Lastly, drag the appropriate keys in the different cells of the table to bring in the data.

Again, we can customize the table further by changing any properties on the right-hand side like borders around each row. Double click in the table to select header or data rows. On the right-hand side select the paint bucket button. From there, select the Stroke tab and give the rows a stroke.

We can also give any row a color, for example the header row.

Now, we are showing a pie chart and a table. You can bring in any component into the report and change the properties to hook them up to data in the database or to tags.

That's it! We now have created a dynamic PDF report using our downtime data.

For any questions on the Reporting Plugin consult the forum, user manual or one of our tech support reps.

Did You Know? You Can Avoid Repetitive Design Using Indirect Binding and Window Parameters

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Using parameterization and indirection in your screens is an important way to reduce the amount of repetitive design work required when creating a SCADA system. For example, suppose you have 35 valves that need to be monitored and controlled. By creating one valve control screen and re-using it 35 times, you save time creating your system and you'll save time in the future when you only have to update the single valve control screen. There are two concepts that are required to achieve this in FactoryPMI: indirect data binding and parameter passing.

Indirect Data Binding

Indirect data binding is most important concept to understand in FactoryPMI if you want to avoid a massively repetitive design. The idea here is that your data, whether it is in SQLTags or data in a SQL database, is organized in some predictable pattern. For example, if you had 35 valves's worth of tags in SQLTags, their tag paths would be predictable based upon the valve number, for example:
Facility/Valves/ValveX/HOA Facility/Valves/ValveX/Flow Facility/Valves/ValveX/OpenPct
... where "X" would be replaced with the numbers 1 through 35.

Once your data is organized in a predictable pattern, you can use indirect data binding. Indirect data binding is any data binding where the target of the binding changes based upon some parameter in the window. For example, all of the bindings to display and control the valve would dynamically point to any of the 35 valves based upon a single parameter. If you're unfamiliar with FactoryPMI's data binding, you might want to review the topic in the user manual or the online training videos under "P.B.E." (Properties, Bindings, and Expressions).

The first and easiest way to use indirection is to use the indirect tag binding. The first step is to have some value that you'll use as the indirection parameter. Usually this would be a dynamic property, often placed on the Root Container of a Window. Let's call it "ValveNumber." Then create the display/control screen for the valve, but instead of using standard tag bindings for your components, use the indirect tag binding. Browse for the appropriate tag from any valve, highlight the valve number in the path, and click on the "Insert Property Value" button. Choose your ValveNumber parameter. Now your binding will point to whichever tag is indicated by the value of ValveNumber.

The second kind of indirection is through the expression binding. This is an extremely versatile binding type. In particular, there is the tag() expression, which will return the value of a tag path. The tag path itself can be constructed using other expressions, which can easily be indirect. For example, if we wanted to bind to the valves' "OpenPct" tag and also multiply by 100, we could use an expression like:
tag( "Facility/Valves/Valve" + {Root Container.ValveNumber} + "/OpenPct" ) * 100.0
Lastly it is worth mentioning that the SQL query binding is also a capable of indirection. The query itself can be altered by embedding the value of other properties. For example, suppose we logged all of our valve's flow rates to a table using FactorySQL. We could use a query binding like this to calculate the average flow over the last 15 minutes for our current valve:
SELECT AVG(Valve{Root Container.ValveNumber}Flow) FROM ValveFlowHistory WHERE t_stamp > DATE_SUB(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, INTERVAL 15 MINUTE)

Window Parameters

Putting indirect designs like those described above into popup windows is a great way to maximize the benefit of indirection. By passing the ValveNumber into a popup window, we can re-use the same window across our entire project simply by altering the valve number that we pass to the popup window. Passing parameters to windows is simple. Any dynamic property on the root container of a window can be used as a window parameter. On a button or other control that opens the window, simply check the "Pass Parameters" checkbox of the Open/Swap Navigation action. Type the name of the dynamic property in the window that you're opening (case sensitive!), and enter a value, for our example a valve number between 1 and 35. That's it! When the window is opened, its ValveNumber property will be set to the appropriate value and the bindings will target the correct valve.

Inductive Automation Software Helps Hampton Lumber Mills Improve Business Decisions in a Changing Economy

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Changing how a company does business can be a daunting task—especially when that change includes tracking millions of lumber pieces. The economic climate of the housing construction industry has created a shift in how Hampton Lumber Mills sells to its customer base. In order to forecast sales and fulfill customer orders with precision, Hampton knew it needed to be able to efficiently track what, when, and where lumber pieces were being produced.

Hampton's Electrical and Controls Engineer Jason Conolly explained that the company's production strategy has changed with the marketplace. Instead of selling whatever lumber is produced, the company needed to focus on manufacturing specific lumber products to meet customer demand. The sales group needed accurate predictions of what lumber would be available in the future to maximize sales returns. The manufacturing group also needed similar predictions to adjust process parameters in the mills to get the best possible match between customer demand and the actual lumber produced.

Doing It by Hand Wasn't Cutting It

Hampton Lumber Mills used to do the above analysis by hand using pivot tables in Excel. Similar reports were available from legacy systems, but did not include all of the information in one place. Now, this information is archived in a SQL database which allows previous shifts to be analyzed, without referring to old printouts.

Their existing method for gathering production data was by hand, which wasn't adequate to get the product forecasts the company needed. "We've always used PLCs and operating interfaces," Conolly explained. "But then we had to walk around to gather data. The data we had was only shift summary data. We couldn't get details for each piece, the kind of information we needed to build accurate forecasting models." Hampton knew they needed a way to get detailed information for each piece of lumber that was produced, and was seeking to change how they obtained their data. They also knew they needed the tools to track increasingly large data sets.

The lumber mills' search for a data acquisition solution led them to Inductive Automation software. FactorySQL was the answer to collecting the detailed raw data they needed. SQL tools could then be used to roll that information up to the plant level—where business decisions were made. "SQL tools have been important as we start working at the plant level," Conolly said. "FactorySQL gave us the information needed to improve our forecasting models."

FactorySQL proved very useful in gathering a lot of details, and that detailed information was useful for more than just forecasting models. Hampton saw a need to be able to analyze the data quickly in a variety of new ways. "No one can read through these large data sets by hand," Conolly stated. "Traditional HMI software that we've used in the past worked great, but didn't have the tools to handle large historical data sets. We started trying to build ad hoc queries in Microsoft Excel, but quickly exceeded the row limitations in that software." Hampton returned to Inductive Automation software and integrated FactoryPMI, which was the perfect fit for analyzing the data.

Same-Day Answers to Unexpected Questions
With FactoryPMI in place, Hampton discovered a new ability to answer unanticipated questions. Before, when data was collected by hand, it could take a month or two to start tracking the specific data needed and get an answer. Since FactorySQL is storing the raw information into a historical database, if an unexpected question comes up, FactoryPMI can analyze the existing data, and get the answer immediately.

This FactoryPMI report was used to justify a capital project that would reduce the number of multiple position and cut cycles on a buck saw. It allowed Hampton Lumber Mills to make a business decision based on facts instead of relying on guesswork.

"Now that we have all this data, when a question comes up we don't have to go and start tracking new information," Conolly said. "A lot of times, we already have the detailed raw data. We just need to build a new query. We can answer the question the same day. It's great to go back with an answer to those questions, instead of getting the answer a month later."

Conolly gave an example from a recent question that came up regarding production. Hampton has been using FactorySQL to log data for one of the gang saws in its Randle, Washington mill. The "gang" uses a bank of parallel saws to cut a number of pieces of lumber from the same log segment in one pass. This particular gang has a specific position in the bank of saws that can cut an extra 1-inch thick piece of lumber if the log is big enough, but that saw position was wearing out before the bank of saws could be changed. The saw availability was one factor to consider, the other was the shape of available logs. Not all trees are the right candidates for the extra 1-inch cut. Conolly needed to figure out how many appropriate logs were available, and how much time was available on the saw to cut 1-inch pieces.

He explained, "There used to be no way to go back and see when the saw was available and when the log shape was available to make the 1-inch pieces (referring to when they collected data by hand). Yesterday, in half an hour, I could build a query against existing SQL data and show a trend in PMI of the percentage of time the 1-inch saw pocket was not available but we were processing logs that could have used it. We can now make business decisions on whether it is cost effective to make the product on that saw. Without these tools, we would have had to build counters in the PLC, then capture that data by hand each shift for quite a while to make the same decision."

Business Decisions Can Be Based on Concrete Data
Without the easy accessibility of production data, Conolly said that in the past they relied on instinct and experience to make decisions. Now they can improve business decisions with factual statistics. "It used to be you had to make a gut decision," he said. "Now we can back those decisions up with actual statistics. Using FactoryPMI, anyone in the company can look at the projects and pull up that trend and see what that data looks like and make decisions. It also prevents having to answer the same questions repeatedly as conditions change over time."

Conolly summarized the results of using FactorySQL and FactoryPMI: "The data collection and analysis capabilities immediately met a specific need in our quest for world class performance."

Hampton Lumber Mills has been producing a variety of wood products and services for the construction industry for more than 55 years, and is one of the nation's largest privately-held forest products companies. Hampton operates seven sawmills in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

How To: Create an Editable Table in FactoryPMI

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT
As of FactoryPMI 3.3.0, the Table component supports editing in its cells. This feature allows the user to edit cell data by double clicking in the cell. The information can then be sent back to the SQL database without creating a form in FactoryPMI. This article describes how to setup and configure the table to allow editing.

Step 1: Drag a Table Component into the Window

The first step is to drag in a Table component, from the Input tab on the Component Palette, into a Window.

Step 2: Link the Table to a SQL Table

Once the table is in the window, the next step is to bind the Data property to a SQL query pointing to the table you want to edit in the database. To do this click on the Bind icon to the right of the data property and select the DB Browse or SQL Query binding type. Then, either select the table you want to edit or type in a SQL query for that table. Here is a sample query:
SELECT * FROM customers

Once you have the table selected or query entered press OK and your data will come through on the table component.

Step 3: Set Which Columns are Editable

Now that the table component is showing data, you need to set which columns will allow the user to edit in the run-time. This way a user can double-click in any cell in those columns to change the value. To do this, right-click on the table component and select Component Customers -> Table Customizer.

The Table Customizer is where you configure the columns' display properties, as well as any row mapping configuration. When you open the Table Customizer, you will see a table that has all of your data's columns across the top, and all of the column display properties across the left. You can configure each column to have its own display properties. Once such column display property is called Editable. By checking the box you are allowing that column to become editable in the run-time.

Once you have selected all of the columns you are allowing to be editable, press OK.

Step 4: Respond to Cell Edit

Any time a user double-clicks in an editable cell and changes the value, all valid changes will be reflected back in a change to the table's data property. The SQL table does not get updated automatically. At this point, all changes can be mapped back to a database in scripting.

Once a valid change has been made, the table will fire a cellEdited event that contains the row, column, previous value, and new value for the cell. Remember, if the table's data is bound to a polling query binding, the edited dataset will be overwritten with whatever is in the database. You can use the cellEdited event to issue a SQL UPDATE query that will make the edit in the database as well.

To create a script that will issue the SQL UPDATE query, right-click on the table component and select Configure Actions. Here you can respond to events that get fired, such as a mouse-click or cell edited event. On the left-hand side, you will see a cellEdited event under the cell folder. Select the cellEdited event and then select the Script Editor tab on the right-hand side. Here you can create a small script that will issue the UPDATE query. Here is an example script:

# The row index of the edited row row = event.row # The column index of the edited column col = event.column # The column's name colName = event.source.data.getColumnName(col) # The new value value = event.newValue # The primary key's value (first column), so that the appropriate row can be updated in the db id = event.source.data.getValueAt(row, 0) # Run an update query to the table that is being edited to reflect any changes fpmi.db.runPrepStmt("UPDATE customers SET %s = ? WHERE ID = ?" % colName, [value, id])

Copy the script into your project and change the table name to reflect the SQL table you are editing.

Summary

Save your project and open up a FactoryPMI client to give your new editable table a try. If you would like a pre-made editable table to learn from, download it here. For information on how to install the pre-made editable table click here for instructions.

As always, if you have any questions about this article please visit our forum at http://forum.inductiveautomation.com or call us at (800) 266-7798 for support.

Did you know? FactoryPMI Can Be Used as an Integrated Dashboard

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT
FactoryPMI allows the creation of any number of projects, which can run as applications or applets. Combining applets with the auto-login feature allows you to embed FactoryPMI projects in existing web pages (for example, on your intranet). In this way you can create robust, useful dashboards for nearly any purpose. Here's how you do it.

*for this example, our FactoryPMI Gateway is located at http://localhost:8080

Create your dashboard as a FactoryPMI Project (for this example, we'll name the FactoryPMI Project "Dashboard")

In the FactoryPMI Gateway, go to Configuration > Projects > Manage
This is where you can edit your project to use an auto-login username and password. Click Update Project after editing.

Open your browser and, in the address bar, type the following:
http://localhost:8080/gateway/applet/Dashboard

Go to View > Page Source. Within the source code, you should see something that looks like this:

document.write("<APPLET width='800' height='600' align='baseline' code='com.inductiveautomation.factorypmi.application.runtime.RuntimeApplet.class' codebase='/gateway/lib/' archive='FPMIRuntime.jar,chart-min.jar,plugins/ACTX.activex_rt.jar,plugins/ACTX.activex_rt_native.jar,plugins/ACTX.comfyj_rt.jar,plugins/ACTX.jniwrap_rt.jar,plugins/ACTX.winpack_rt.jar,plugins/REPT.reporting_rt.jar' fpmi.touchscreen='false' fpmi.login.loginbtn='TG9naW4=' fpmi.autologin.username='' fpmi.login.password='UGFzc3dvcmQ6' fpmi.welcome='PEhUTUw+CjxQPldlbGNvbWU8L1A+ClBsZWFzZSBsb2cgaW46PC9IVE1MPg==' fpmi.login.imgpath='' fpmi.ssl='false' fpmi.login.username='VXNlcm5hbWU6' fpmi.project.name='Dashboard' fpmi.gateway='localhost:8080' fpmi.autologin.password='' fpmi.launch.ts='1254787077931'> No Java Platform 5.0 support for applets!!</APPLET>")

Copy everything within the parenthesis, excluding the double quotation marks

Paste this code into the HTML for your web page (wherever you'd like the applet to show up)

Within the code above, find the following:
codebase='/gateway/lib/'

You'll need to add the location of your FactoryPMI gateway. In our example, this code will be changed to the following:
codebase=' http://localhost:8080/gateway/lib/'

The code that you have pasted into your HTML should look something like this:

<APPLET width='800' height='600' align='baseline' code='com.inductiveautomation.factorypmi.application.runtime.RuntimeApplet.class' codebase=' http://localhost:8080/gateway/lib/'archive='FPMIRuntime.jar,chart-min.jar,plugins/ACTX.activex_rt.jar,plugins/ACTX.activex_rt_native.jar,plugins/ACTX.comfyj_rt.jar,plugins/ACTX.jniwrap_rt.jar,plugins/ACTX.winpack_rt.jar,plugins/REPT.reporting_rt.jar' fpmi.touchscreen='false' fpmi.login.loginbtn='TG9naW4=' fpmi.autologin.username='' fpmi.login.password='UGFzc3dvcmQ6' fpmi.welcome='PEhUTUw+CjxQPldlbGNvbWU8L1A+ClBsZWFzZSBsb2cgaW46PC9IVE1MPg==' fpmi.login.imgpath='' fpmi.ssl='false' fpmi.login.username='VXNlcm5hbWU6' fpmi.project.name='Dashboard' fpmi.gateway='localhost:8080' fpmi.autologin.password='' fpmi.launch.ts='1254787077931'> No Java Platform 5.0 support for applets!!</APPLET>

No-Limits SCADA: A Case for Unlimited Tags and Clients

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Strange and wonderful things can happen when resources are wasted. Blasphemous as this may sound in an age of waning fossil fuel reserves and when much of humanity goes hungry, not all resources are inherently scarce like food and fuel. In particular, many technological resources are abundant, and can yield exciting and unexpected results when wasted. This is the argument laid out by Chris Anderson in his article Tech Is Too Cheap to Meter: It's Time to Manage for Abundance, Not Scarcity. In the world of industrial software, resources are scarce. Tags, Clients, and Windows are precious currency of a control systems integrator. Were these resources to become abundant, HMI, SCADA and MES software systems would see a renaissance in innovation like so many industries before them.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Alan Kay for famously wasting computing resources to draw icons and windows on a monitor, inventing the modern graphical user interface in the process. Before this, computers were exclusively the domain of large corporations and universities, their precious cycles metered out. In a very similar sense, we are currently in the midst of an explosion of innovation driven by wasting bandwidth. Now that unmetered broadband has been rolled out en masse, bandwidth is abundant. Sites like YouTube waste tremendous amounts of bandwidth with their free-for-all video sharing model. The result is an explosion of new ideas about what makes for good video. These ideas would never have happened on television: the resource of schedule time is too scarce for that kind of risky innovation.

Sometimes the difference between scarcity and abundance is not so clear. People naturally view resources as scarce, so when something that was once scarce becomes abundant, it may not be immediately apparent. This is amplified by the fact that sometimes a resource is treated as scarce simply because it is measurable. Often this is done to maximize profits, at the expense of innovation. Phone companies are notorious for doing this. Cell phone minutes and SMS messages are abundant resources, just a different form of bandwidth, after all. But because they travel over proprietary private networks and can be measured, they are made artificially scarce. The writing is on the wall for these phone companies as the phone networks merge with the internet, and measurement ceases to be practical.

SCADA software vendors can be guilty of creating scarcity through measurement as well. Tags and clients are easy things to measure, and so they are made scarce in the pursuit of profits. An argument could be made that this is an efficient way for these software vendors to measure the value of the systems that they sell, and to the extent that it is an efficient system, this is true. However, any systems integrator or facility manager will tell you that the value of a system is not in the sum of its tags, nor in the number of clients. The true value of an industrial software project is much more difficult to measure, and is individual to every facility. The result is that only those projects whose true value is greater than or equal to the cost of the required tags and clients get implemented.

Two decades ago, when SCADA was coming of age, there were physical limitations that created a scarcity of tags and clients. Clients were heavyweight pieces of software or hardware that needed to be installed and maintained separately. Tag counts corresponded to physical limitations of serial connections, fieldbus converters, processing power and memory. Today, however, we have reliable industrial ethernet, quad-core processors and web-based client distribution; tags and clients are now by all rights abundant. It is only licensing, a form of measurement, that makes them scarce.

What would happen if tags and clients were suddenly made abundant? We can only guess. History has shown that the innovation spurred by wasting abundant resources often leads in unexpected directions. At the very least, an entire classification of projects that require a large number of tags or clients or both but are currently cost prohibitive would suddenly become viable. Areas of plants that are still monitored via clipboards and circle charts would certainly be brought online. Efficiency, statistical analysis, and real-time visibility would permeate all corners of every facility. Plants would have unified systems because they could grow their existing system rather than commission new ones when new assets are brought online. The most exciting innovations will be made by engineers as they are creating SCADA systems without any limitations.

SCADA vendors, of course, need to stay in business and software is expensive to develop, maintain, and support. We can't fault the SCADA vendors for making money, and their business model of measured scarcity has served them well thus far. But it is time for new business models to be explored. Technology has changed, and industrial software must change with it. Clients are now web deployed. Tags are accessible from anywhere on the network. The time for unmetered industrial software systems is now.

Carl Gould is a software developer at Inductive Automation. Inductive Automation produces software that reduces frustration and increases efficiency in the industrial automation market. Their software facilitates the instant accessibility of meaningful information throughout the enterprise.

Long-term Growth and Functionality are Key in Building a Controls System

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Looking at long-term needs, and the functionality required to grow with those needs, is the most cost effective way to plan a controls system, according to integrator Ken Bannard. The importance of long-term needs is often overlooked when a short-term need requires immediate attention. Bannard, owner of a controls system integration business, KSB Industrial Services in Drayton Valley, Canada, finds that his customers often call him in for the short-term quick fix solution, rather than long-term planning.

Bannard says he will often educate his customers on not just the best way to fix their immediate challenge, but how to fix it with an eye on the future. Since controls systems depend much on software to automate their processes, looking for software that has flexibility in functionality is really the key in saving money in the long run. Bannard recommends using Inductive Automation software to his customers because of its database-centric architecture.

Database-centric Software Offers More Functionality
Bannard explains that because Inductive Automation has built their software around using a SQL database, there is more room for future growth of a controls system. "I educate my clients that a database solution will add more functionality and allow long-term growth in their system," Bannard says. "Customers need to understand what their long-term needs are, and plan for that now."

One project Bannard has developed would not have been possible without a database-centric solution. A recent law was passed in Canada that requires an employer to provide a backup form of communication 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to their employees who work alone in industries such as health care and oil. Bannard set up a system using a GPS device that workers carry with them, and then used FactorySQL to take data from the GPS to place it into a database. This data is then accessible via FactoryPMI where supervisors can monitor real-time information regarding where workers are, and when they enter or exit specific work zones. If a worker does not move for a certain amount of time, it sends an alarm to the supervisor that the employee may be in danger so the supervisor can take the appropriate action to contact the worker or deploy rescue personnel to check on the individual.

Cost Can Make or Break a Project
Another aspect in making the most of the functionality offered by software is the bottom-dollar cost. Even if a particular software company offers a wide array of functionality, the cost to obtain that functionality can place a project out of budget range for a customer. Each time a customer wants to add more functionality, it usually requires more tags or clients. Often, software companies charge by the seat, clients and tags, and even by separate components for downtime tracking, alerting, history storage functions, etc. This creates a huge software expense for the project, and often results in projects being canned due to cost.

Bannard has found those cost limitations go away when he implements Inductive Automation software because the company sells licenses by the server. This means his customers don't have to spend extra money on software licensing and special components every time they need a new function added to their system. Since Inductive Automation has a flexible database architecture and there are unlimited tags and clients included with the server license, Bannard can continuously go back to his customers and implement new functions without a need to spend more money on the software end.

"Our attraction to the (Inductive Automation) software bundle is based on its superior functionality at a very attractive price, enabling us to provide a very high-end solution to all clients regardless of budget constraints," Bannard says.

Win-Win for Customer and Integrator
Bannard has found that he can offer his customers more functionality for their money, which in turn is helping him grow his controls engineering business. It's a win-win situation for both customer and integrator. Because Inductive Automation doesn't charge by the client, tag, screen, etc., Bannard's customers can afford to have more capabilities integrated into their systems, while KSB has more opportunities to perform work.

Bannard started using Inductive Automation four years ago, and has been using it with great success for his customers. KSB Industrial Services provides services for the automation, instrumentation, and electrical needs of their clients for oil and gas, petrochemical, pulp and paper, wood products, and research and development industries.

Did You Know? You Can Use Other Drawing Libraries with FactoryPMI

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT
You can expand the FactoryPMI image library by importing images from other libraries. Use either your own images that you currently have on your computer (such as .jpg or .gif) or obtain a pre-made image library, such as Symbol Factory, to get additional pre-designed graphics. Put these files in a directory on your hard drive, which will make them accessible to import into FactoryPMI.

Importing Images to Use in FactoryPMI

Begin by opening the FactoryPMI Gateway, and launch the Designer.

In the main menu, go to Tools > Image Management.

In the Image Management window, click on the Upload button (it looks like a page with a green up arrow).

Navigate to a folder on your hard drive that contains the images you wish to import. You may select one or multiple images.

Click Open. Now your image(s) are added to your FactoryPMI library!

Using Your Newly Imported Images

Once you import the images into FactoryPMI, you can use them for static or dynamic displays in your windows.

Create a new window or open an existing one that you wish to modify

In the component palette, select the Image component (under the Display category)

Place a new Image component on your window.

In the Property Editor, find the image's Image Path property and press the browse icon to its right.

Choose your newly uploaded image. Now you can use the Property Editor window to scale, rotate, and tint the image by changing the image component properties.

For a description of image component properties, see the user manual.

MS SQL Server Guide for FactorySQL and FactoryPMI

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT
This article describes how to connect to Microsoft SQL Server natively in both FactorySQL and FactoryPMI.

Background

Microsoft SQL Server is a popular robust relational database produced by Microsoft. FactorySQL and FactoryPMI can both connect to Microsoft SQL Server, however many users find difficulty in getting all of the settings and parameters correct. There are several different ways you can connect to Microsoft SQL Server (all using TCP/IP communication):

Specifying a Port using Windows Authentication

Specifying an Instance Name using Windows Authentication

Specifying a Port using SQL Authentication

Specifying an Instance Name using SQL Authentication

The most common method, the one out of the box, is to connect using an Instance Name and Windows Authentication.

Before we begin, let's talk a little about how instances work. Microsoft SQL Server supports multiple instances of the database running concurrently on the same computer. Each instance has its own name and set of system and user databases that are not shared between instances. Applications, such as FactorySQL and FactoryPMI, can connect to each instance on a computer in much the same way they connect to databases running on different computers. Each instance gets assigned a dynamic TCP/IP port on startup that it will listen on for any incoming requests. Since the port is dynamic and the application will not know what the new port is, it must connect using the instance name.

If the communication is over TCP/IP and the application knows the instance name, how will the application find which port to communicate over?

The answer is the Microsoft SQL Server Browser Service. The Microsoft SQL Server Browser program runs as a Windows service and listens for all incoming requests for resources and provides information, such as the TCP/IP port, about each instance installed on the computer. Microsoft SQL Server Browser also contributes to the following actions:

Browsing a list of available servers

Connecting to the correct server instance

If the Microsoft SQL Server Browser service is not running, you are still able to connect to SQL Server if you provide the correct port number. For instance, you can connect to the default instance of SQL Server with TCP/IP if it is running on port 1433.

Step 1: Make Sure the Database has TCP/IP Enabled

FactorySQL and FactoryPMI both connect using TCP/IP, so the first step is to make sure your database has TCP/IP enabled. To check, open up the SQL Server Configuration Manager from Start -> All Programs -> Microsoft SQL Server Version -> Configuration Tools -> SQL Server Configuration Manager. Once it is open, you will see all of the instances setup on that machine by expanding SQL Server Version Network Configuration. Find the database (or instance) you plan on using and click on it. To the right you will see all of the protocols the database supports. One of the protocols is TCP/IP. Make sure the status next to TCP/IP is set to Enabled. If not, double click on TCP/IP and choose Yes from the drop-down next to Enabled and press OK.

Step 2: Make Sure Microsoft SQL Server Browser is Running

If you ARE connecting to your database using a NAMED INSTANCE you must make sure that the Microsoft SQL Server Browser is running. As mentioned earlier, the Microsoft SQL Server Browser translates the instance name to a TCP/IP port in order for your application (FactorySQL or FactoryPMI) to connect to it. To check open up the SQL Server Configuration Manager from Start -> All Programs -> Microsoft SQL Server Version -> Configuration Tools -> SQL Server Configuration Manager. Once it is open, select the SQL Server Version Services section. To the right you will see all of the services installed. One of the services is SQL Server Browser. Make sure this service is in fact running. If the service is not running, right click and select Start.

Step 3: Make Sure Microsoft SQL Server Allows SQL Authentication

If you ARE using SQL authentication to connect to your database make sure the database allows for this type of connection. To check open the SQL Server Management Studio from Start -> All Programs -> Microsoft SQL Server Version -> SQL Server Management Studio. Once open and connected to your database, right click on the top level database in the Object Explorer and select Properties. Once the Server properties window is open, select Security on the left hand side. Once open verify that SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode is selected. If not, select it and press OK. You will have to restart the SQL Server Windows service for this setting to take effect.

FactorySQL: How to Connect to Microsoft SQL Server

To connect to a Microsoft SQL Server database, open up the FactorySQL Frontend from Start -> All Programs -> Inductive Automation -> FactorySQL -> FactorySQL Frontend. Once open, select Settings from the file menu and click on Data Connection Settings. In this section we can create stored connections to any SQL database natively or using a DSN connection. If you are connecting to a database natively, each driver type (MySQL, SQL Server, etc) uses an XML file located in C:\Program Files\Inductive Automation\FactorySQL\database that describes how FactorySQL will connect. By looking in that directory you may find multiple SQL Server XML files, which are separate Translators for that specific driver type. These translators differ in the Connection String that FactorySQL will use to connect to your database. For example, the SQL Server Windows Auth translator allows you to connect using Windows authentication, which is one of the ways you can connect to Microsoft SQL Server. As we mentioned earlier, there are several ways to connect to Microsoft SQL Server and here are the basic XML files for each method:

Specifying a Port using Windows Authentication

Specifying an Instance Name using Windows Authentication

Automatic translator - Specifying a Port using SQL Authentication

Specifying an Instance Name using SQL Authentication

Only for SQL Server 2000 - For SQL Server 2000

If you drop each of these files into the directory mentioned above and restart FactorySQL, they will show up as different translators. Now that we have this, we can use one of these to connect.

Let's take the most common, specifying an Instance Name using Windows Authentication. Now, create a new connection and give it a name, such as SQL Server. Select Native Connection as the connection type. Select SQL Server as the Driver type to use the Microsoft SQL Server driver that comes with FactorySQL. With this driver we have multiple translators to use, shown above, so select the SQL Server Windows Auth or SQL Server Windows Auth Instance (from this example) as the Translator (advanced). For the host, type in the host name and the instance name, for example localhost\SQLEXPRESS. The port will remain blank since we are not using the port. Type in the database name in the Database field. This is the name of the database you want to connect to in the specified instance. Type in Integrated Security=true; into the Extra Connection Parameters if it is not already there. Leave the username and password field blank and that is it. Press the Test Connection to verify communication.

Let's take the second most common, specifying a Port using SQL Authentication. Now, create a new connection and give it a name, such as SQL Server. Select Native Connection as the connection type. Select SQL Server as the Driver type to use the Microsoft SQL Server driver that comes with FactorySQL. With this driver we have multiple translators to use, shown above, so select the SQL Server or Automatic as the Translator (advanced). For the host, type in the host name, for example localhost. Specify the port which is 1433 by default. Type in the database name in the Database field. This is the name of the database you want to connect to. Type in Integrated Security=false; into the Extra Connection Parameters if it is not already there. Type in your username and password and that is it. Press the Test Connection to verify communication.

FactoryPMI: How to Connect to Microsoft SQL Server

To connect to a Microsoft SQL Server database, open up the FactoryPMI Configuration Page from Start -> All Programs -> Inductive Automation -> FactoryPMI -> Configuration Page. Once open, log in and select Drivers under Datasources. There are two drivers that can connect to Microsoft SQL Server, jTDS and Microsoft's SQL Server JDBC. Due to licensing restrictions we used to ship FactoryPMI with the jTDS driver. However, one can download and use the most current Microsoft SQL Server JDBC driver. We recommend you use Microsoft's JDBC driver instead of the jTDS and this article will show you how to connect using Microsoft's driver.If you do not already have Microsoft's JDBC driver please follow the instructions below.

First download the newest Microsoft SQL Server JDBC driver from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=99b21b65-e98f-4a61-b811-19912601fdc9&displaylang=en. Once you extract it you will find 2 jar files sqljdbc.jar and sqljdbc4.jar that we will use later. First, copy the appropriate sqljdbc_auth.dll from the auth/architecture directory into C:\Program Files\Inductive Automation\FactoryPMI\lib and restart your FactoryPMI Gateway. Once restarted, open the Gateway configuration page once more and go back to Datasources -> Drivers section. Press the add icon to add a new driver. Use the following diagram as your parameters and press Add Driver:

Name: SQL Server JDBC
Description:
Driver Type: MS SQL Server
Classname: com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver
Jar File: If your FactoryPMI Gateway is running on Java 5, find sqljdbc.jar. If your FactoryPMI Gateway is running Java 6, find sqljdbc4.jar.
URL Format: jdbc:sqlserver://serverName\instanceName:portNumber
URL Instructions:
Default Connection Properties: databaseName=name;
Connection Properties Instructions:
Default Validation Query: SELECT 1
Column Quote Character: "
Supports Returning Auto-Generated Keys?: Check
Fetch Key Query:

Once the JDBC driver is added we can create a new connection. Let's take the most common way to create a connection, specifying an Instance Name using Windows Authentication. Select Datasources -> Connections and press the add icon to create a new connection. Select SQL Server JDBC as the JDBC driver from the drop-down and press Next. Give it a name, such as SQL Server. Edit the Connect URL to specify your database host and instance name, for example jdbc:sqlserver://localhost\SQLEXPRESS. Leave the username and password fields blank. In the Extra Connection Properties specify the database name you want to connect to and use integrated security, for example databaseName=TestDB; integratedSecurity=true;. Press Create Datasource and the background of the connection will let you know if it is connected.

Let's take the second most common way to create a connection, specifying a Port using SQL Authentication. Select Datasources -> Connections and press the add icon to create a new connection. Select SQL Server JDBC as the JDBC driver from the drop-down and press Next. Give it a name, such as SQL Server. Edit the Connect URL to specify your database host and port, for example jdbc:sqlserver://localhost:1433. Enter in your username and password. In the Extra Connection Properties specify the database name you want to connect to, for example databaseName=TestDB;. Press Create Datasource and the background of the connection will let you know if it is connected.

Summary

The settings for both FactoryPMI and FactorySQL can be combined to connect using Windows Auth and Port and SQL Auth and Instance. The two examples above show how to use the two most common methods. As always, if you have any questions or are still having problems getting connected to SQL Server call us at (800) 266-7798.

How To: Setup an OPC to OPC Group in FactorySQL

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT
This article demonstrates how to setup an OPC to OPC group in FactorySQL. This will allow you to synchronize two different PLC values, increment a value by one, and more.

Background

FactorySQL is necessary for long-running tasks that must execute even when there is not a client watching. These tasks in FactorySQL are called Groups and they define an execution scenario for a set of Items. One such group is called the Standard group. The standard group was the first type of group in FactorySQL and it's flexible, highly configurable, and accomplishes much of what users want FactorySQL to do. Here are a few of its uses:

Log values to a SQL database

Update one row of values in the SQL database (first, last or custom row)

Bi-directionally synchronize a SQL database with a PLC

Synchronize two PLC values (same PLC, different PLCs)

Store downtime

Load recipes to the PLC

Etc.

The standard group can contain OPC Items and Action Items. OPC items represent an address in the PLC. They pull in OPC data and can be mapped to a database field, or used internally for trigger, expressions, where clause lookup, etc. Action items can be a custom expression or SQL query. Action items can reference other OPC items or action items and their results can be stored in the PLC or SQL database.

Synchronize Two PLC Values

To synchronize two PLC values you must first create a standard group in your project. Once you have created the group, browse for the two tags you want to synchronize and drag them into the group.

Once you have the two tags, select the Action Items tab, right click in the white space and select New Item.

Name the action item Synchronize and select Expression as the item mode. For this action item, we want to select the first OPC item as the result which will be written to the second OPC item. In the Command box, right click and select Items and double click on the OPC item to get the value from. Once you have that, select the data type of the OPC item. Lastly, check the box to Store result to DB field or OPC item, right click in the text box and select the OPC item to write to.

That's it! You can now start the group to see it work.

Did You Know!

The standard group can be setup so that it does not interface to the SQL database at all. All you have to do is uncheck the Automatically create table, Store time/date stamp, Store OPC quality code and set all of your OPC items and action items to read only. This way the group will only execute any action items and does not have to talk to the SQL database.

End-User Highlight: Bloomer Plastics

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT
This month we interviewed Tim Englund, Plant Engineer of Bloomer Plastics, who was in charge of implementing Inductive Automation's Works Bundle in their facility located in Bloomer, Wisconsin.

IA: Tell me about your company - what do you produce and where are your markets?

Tim: We produce cast embossed film and sheet from polyethylene, polypropylene and nylon. We sell to many markets including composite & rubber manufacturing, automotive, medical and packaging. We have customers across the USA as well as in Europe. For a complete overview see Bloomerplastics.com.

IA: What do you use Inductive Automation software for in your company or facility?

Tim: We use FactorySQL for logging production data, comparing real time machine settings to process requirements and email notifications when discrepancies exist. We use FactoryPMI for analyzing process data and reports.

IA: Why did you choose Inductive Automation software?

Tim: We were looking to upgrade an existing software package and found out there was a hefty price tag to do so. When I came across IA software I was hesitant because of the size of IA compared to the other company. Upon putting IA through a trial and utilizing the available technical support it was clear that IA was the company to go with. The purchase of the IA bundle was cheaper than an upgrade of the other software and the support was better.

IA: What features have you found most useful to your specific processes?

Tim: Being a Java based client, it has had a huge impact on application deployment. No more individual application installs. As long as Java is installed I don't care what version of Windows you are using. I don't even care if you are using Windows! The scripting language allows complete customization to meet the needs of our company. No longer are we tied to software features someone else decided we should have. Now if we need a feature, I can provide it.

IA: How has the introduction of SQL affected your development and implementation?

Tim: Although SQL as a storage house was available before, IA's implementation within FactoryPMI has been unique. The binding feature has greatly reduced the amount of time necessary to create screens.

IA: What have you found to be the main benefits of the software?

Tim: I have written many programs in Visual Basic. The fact that I have been re-writing these programs to run within FactoryPMI is a testament to the abilities of the software. Previously I had to use competitor's software and the applications that I wrote. Now it can be done on one platform.

IA: How do you plan on using IA software in the future?

Tim: These are some of the areas that are either in use, in process or proposed.
Data collection
Real time process monitoring
Raw material usage predictions
Inventory management
Purchasing
Project management
Maintenance management

IA: Is there anything else you can say regarding your experience with Inductive Automation?

Tim: Since IA's software approach is different from what I was used to there has been a learning curve. This is where my concerns about going with a smaller company have been alleviated. The technical support staff at IA is responsive and extremely knowledgeable of not only their software but of the whole picture. There are several pieces to the puzzle when integrating a system. Having a support staff that understands all the pieces is critical when finding a timely solution.

Screenshots:

Did you know? FactorySQL can be used as a device aggregator

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Did you know?

Factory SQL can be used as a device aggregator. An Inductive Automation System Integrator is using FactorySQL to collect real-time data from multiple scales and hundreds of barcode scanners without a PLC, using the free UDP Plug-in. Using a PLC to do this would require string manipulation. While some scanners are serial, most are now Ethernet-ready, and plugging in hundreds of them is an easy task. Scales are usually so far away from the PLC that they cannot be plugged in easily. To collect this data, you can use a Serial to Ethernet convertor box (we like the B&B ES1A Ethernet to RS-232 Convertor, available at bb-elec.com) and the UDP Plug-In for FactorySQL.

To find out how click on the link below...

Using the UDP plugin

Complimentary Webinar - Using Open Standards, web-based modern SCADA technology to manage your water operations

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Complimentary Webinar

Using Open Standards, web-based modern SCADA technology to manage your water operations

It has been said: "An economic crisis is a terrible thing to waste!" Water management professionals are facing pressure to expand their service capabilities and meet increasing regulatory requirements, while under extreme budget constraints.

Traditional proprietary software licensing and implementation models are ineffective at meeting today's SCADA and enterprise needs. Upgrades and system expansion are expensive to license, not scalable, require too much code customization and suffer from system obsolescence far too soon. Extremely tight budgets require new solutions to address these problems and still move your operations forward. The technology has finally caught up with the demands facing you as integrators and end users.

In this webinar you will learn, from a seasoned information and process control systems supervisor and an experienced systems integrator, how to:

Easily meet regulatory and reporting requirements with a database centric approach

Expand to unlimited tags and screens/clients as you need, without custom code writing or long development time.

Avoid system obsolescence and costly upgrade cycles

Do it all within your Operations and Maintenance (O & M) budget. Yes, this is possible!

Easily transform your systems from old proprietary technology to an open standards, cross-platform, scalable, web-launched, secure, reliable, SCADA application server which supports any SQL database and is easy to use.

Register Now
View upcoming webinars  

Date

April 28, 2009
10:00 am PDT / 1:00 pm EDT
Webinar Duration: 1 hour

Register Now

Featured Speakers

Henry Palechek
Information and Process Control Systems Supervisor
Helix Water District
San Diego County

Patrick Callaghan
MCS Integrations
Systems Integrator for the City of Lago Vista, Texas, Water and Waste Water Facilities

Don Pearson
Moderator
Chief Strategy Officer
Inductive Automation

Support

For questions or more information, please contact:

Jim Meisler
Senior Account Executive
(800) 266-7798 x227
jmeisler@inductiveautomation.com

Vannessa Garcia
Senior Account Executive
(800) 266-7798 x231
vannessa@inductiveautomation.com

Sponsored by

Top 10 Database Performance Tips

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Is your database performing poorly? Are you losing data due to slow performance? Many people design their database without thinking about any long-term performance issues. For that reason this article provides 10 tips that can help speed up the performance of your SQL database.

Properly index columns - Creating an index on a column tells the database that you're going to reference it often in order to locate data. A well placed index can dramatically affect query speed, sometimes taking queries down from minutes to sub-second. Be careful though, creating too many indexes can have a negative result. Also, creating multi-column indexes can be effective, but more often than not is less helpful than expected. Any column that is often used to look up or narrow down data is a good candidate for an index. For example, almost every query on a historical table would reference the timestamp column, so indexing that column would be a wise idea.

Give your machine plenty of RAM, and use it - having a good amount of RAM on your database machine lets it hold more information in memory, reducing slow disk access. Given the low cost, it can be one of the most economical hardware based improvements, as well. Be aware, however, that you may need to configure the database to take advantage of it- many databases have settings that limit the amount of memory the system can use.

Select your "engine" wisely - Some database systems, such as MySQL, support multiple "data engines", or methods of storing data. The different engines each have their strengths and weaknesses, and by being informed and choosing wisely you can significantly improve system performance. For example, the InnoDB engine has good transactional support. However, in many cases this is not crucial, and the performance boost offered by the MyISAM engine is more important. For historical data, the Archive engine can drastically reduce the required disk space; at the trade off of some query speed (indexes aren't supported, though querying an archive table still tends to be faster than a non-index InnoDB or MyISAM table).

Exclude data directory from virus scanner - Many virus scanners include "realtime" components that constantly check changing files for viruses. Since the database interacts frequently with the disk, it can trigger the scanner to execute frequently, killing performance. It is highly advisable to exclude the database's data directory from the list of folders to monitor.

Check your data types - Having columns set to use data type that are larger than the actual data being stored can result in wasted disk space. By selecting the correct data types, you can save space and improve read/write performance.

Avoid sub-queries when JOINs will do - Utilizing JOINs in your SQL Queries allows the database to optimize much more than with sub queries. This results in quicker queries with less memory usage.

Check your SQL Server "auto grow" and "auto shrink" settings - Some database systems, such as Microsoft SQL Server, allow the database to dynamically grow and shrink as data is inserted and deleted. By default, the "auto grow" setting for Microsoft SQL Server is set to grow by 1MB at a time. When data is inserted at a fast rate, the database constantly has to increase the size, leading to disk fragmentation. A general rule of thumb to you can use for testing is to set your "auto grow" setting to about one-eight of the size the table will get. Also, turn off any "auto shrink" settings to prevent that database from constantly growing and shrinking, again leading to disk fragmentation.

Periodically defragment your hard drive - Over time as data is inserted and deleted from the database the disk can get fragmented causing your queries to take longer. Periodically check and defragment your hard disk to avoid this issue.

Check for periodically executing tasks - Some database systems, such as Microsoft SQL Server, can execute tasks, such as stored procedures and back ups, on a schedule. These tasks will run automatically and can affect the performance of the database if executed at the wrong times or if the tasks are not optimized. Periodically check these tasks to find out when they are running and how long they take to execute.

Use database profilers and query analyzers - Many database systems come with profilers or query analyzers that help you see how the database is performing. Profilers are graphical user interfaces that monitor all database events in what's known as a trace file. You can then analyze or use the trace file to troubleshoot logic or performance problems. You can also use the utility to do a stress analysis, fine tune indexes, auditing and reviewing security activity, etc. Query analyzers can be used to recommend indexes for specific tables, find out exactly how the database system will execute a given query, and statistics after the query is executed. This tool can help better optimize slower performing queries.

Interview: Henry Palechek from Helix Water District

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT
For this month's interview, Don Pearson of Inductive Automation caught up with Henry Palechek, the Information and Process Control Supervisor for the Helix Water District in San Diego, California. Henry is currently in the process of piloting Inductive Automation's Web-Based SCADA to replace his legacy system which has become obsolete. The following is a transcript of the interview, which you can listen to below:

Don (I.A.): Henry, can you give me some sense of what's the biggest challenge that you face with your job right now?

Henry (Helix): There are a couple of challenges that we face. One is the end of the life on Windows XP which has created a significant problem for water utilities that have legacy SCADA systems. A lot of the older SCADA systems simply can't be made to run on Vista. That then forces you into an upgrade or looking at what you're going to do for your future SCADA solutions.

Don: When you look at that, what challenge does that offer to somebody, I think offer is the wrong word, what does it present somebody with in terms of the economics they should be looking at?

Henry: I think water utilities can no longer look at economic issues the way they have in the past. There are definite pressures, economically, on the districts to do a better job in a more cost effective fashion so water utilities will no longer be able to drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on replacement SCADA systems every 10 years just because a system has been in service for while.

Don: When you look at that, obviously one of the goals regarding Inductive Automation's software was to create an end-user friendly licensing model with a server based licensing model consisting of unlimited tags and unlimited clients. Do you find that valuable in the short term economics and for expanding as you develop your own 3 and 5 year plans?

Henry: The number of tags licensing issue did come into play for our district. We have an ozone system that was a stand alone product and when we went to merge that ozone system with our main plant SCADA system, our existing licensing did not have a high enough IO count and the vendor no longer offered a higher IO count -- that was the next step up and so we had to purchase a significantly more expensive license addressing that feature. In our treatment plant as a whole we have 16 SCADA terminals where operators can enter new set points and acknowledge alarms as they move through the facility and when you're looking at a classical SCADA system you're looking at $4 or 5,000 per computer to license it so to eliminate the licensing requirements on the client is very attractive. Another way that it's attractive is in using Internet Explorer as your client software. This makes the system easier to administer since I don't have to install various versions of the SCADA software and patches to try to make the system work. I simply use Internet Explorer that comes with the PC.

Don: What does that mean in terms of time? How long does it take if you to launch a new client? Compare maybe system A and system B to launch your new client.

Henry: Previously, it typically took me half a day to set up my classic SCADA system because I'd have to get the disks and then the update patch on the disks and then I would have several disks that I'd have to load and install the operating systems. I was able to shorten that by moving some of the CD copies to a network storage drive and run them through the network storage drive. But it still took a few hours to set up a brand new PC where it could run the SCADA system. Now, since Internet Explorer and Java are pre-installed once the computer is bootable then you're pretty much set.

Don: So it's minutes not hours?

Henry: Right. In addition it adds a level of higher availability and if I have a computer system crash, I no longer have to spend 4 hours re-building a SCADA box. I can grab an office machine and with a couple of configuration changes on its IP address move it to my SCADA network and I'm good to go.

Don: How has Inductive Automation software assisted you with California's reporting requirements?

Henry: Our water district takes and logs the requirements for the Surface Water Treatment Rule. Things like the chlorine and turbidity go into the database and then that helps generate our monthly report. In addition we have a large distribution area. We cover a 50 square mile area, 50 sites and from our tank and pump stations we load tank level suction pressure and flow rates. That is also logged in the SQL database and our distribution manager is able to use Excel to pull up a very nice summary of reports because the ability to run a report in Excel against an SQL database is very easy.

Don: What's the learning curve to get to the point where there's some benefit to be had from Inductive Automation in terms of ease of use. Maybe we'll break that into two pieces basically saying the learning curve for Factory SQL versus Factory PMI.

Henry: Mostly, it was really was double click drag and drop for the historical data logging. Boom done. FactoryPMI being object driven is different.

Don: How did you make the decision to go with Inductive Automation software because you're running a good size district, you've got a plan to go forward, what lead into the decision and how to evaluate it?

Henry: Well we needed to store the data reliably in our SQL database. Our SCADA package did not originally have an embedded database when we purchased it back in the mid-nineties. So we were setting up a Microsoft SQL database and had the SCADA software do a SQL DB insert. Over the course of time that proved to be a little less reliable than we wanted. So we went to a new solution of using an OPC-to-SQL logging software similar to Factory SQL. The OPC to SQL logging software we purchased was stable but somewhat cumbersome to use in that it could take dozens of mouse strokes to add even one signal. And if you made a typo or tried to correct or change a signal name it would often crash the system when you were doing the change. That is when we looked for a system that would be a little bit easier to administer. I downloaded evaluation copies of all of the popular OPC-to-SQL logging software and found that the Factory SQL product installed fairly easily and I was able to set the logging up in another 15 or 20 minutes. It's really plug and play.

Don: You previously mentioned how the Helix Water District has gone through various technology changes and that there are different price points of those technology changes. How would you compare that evolution in terms of price points for functionality?

Henry: Our first SCADA system was a VAX EMS system which used proprietary software. It was hard to use and cost somewhere around $1.2 million. In the mid-nineties we changed that over to a Windows based SCADA system where we replaced the central software and the hardware in the distribution system and that cost somewhere around $350,000. Now we are at with the end of life on XP Service Pack 2. If we do a classical SCADA system I will need to budget somewhere between $75 - 100,000 just to replace the software. So the Inductive Automation product looks fairly attractive from that stand point. I think most of the SCADA providers that have development software for building the screens charge somewhere around $11 or 12,000 for that and I can purchase a redundant product from Inductive Automation for less money than that. So I think it's something that a lot of utilities should look into.

Don: Can you maybe make a short comment on regulations, economics, and new ways of doing business?

Henry: In the water treatment arena the laws are getting more stringent as time goes by and so we need better reporting tools and better ways of looking at our processes and how they are performed. Unfortunately classic SCADA systems tend to be weak in their reporting capabilities so the ability to have plant process data and distribution data stored in a SQL database where a manager can query it and generate a report is very useful.

Don: There are a lot of pressures on municipal governments and water districts as revenues to run government are going down. What do you see on the horizon in terms of the water districts options?

Henry: There are a variety of challenges that the water districts are facing from an economic standpoint. We're seeing the cost of raw water and treatment costs beginning to rise and increases in chemical costs, increase in the cost of energy to run our distribution systems and a lot of water utilities have older distribution systems that have cast iron pipe which is fairly expensive to replace. This has affected what we do at the treatment plant in that some of our longer term capitol projects have had to be scaled back so that there was funding available to do the cast iron replacement. And that's why looking at a SCADA package that has some price and some technological benefits is something that I think is prudent for a lot of utilities.

Don: Final question. Managers need better ways of doing business now. Can you comment on the challenge of doing business in better ways and how a product like Inductive Automation software could be of value to a water district?

Henry: Our department head likes end of month reports on how various parts of the treatment plant distribution system are working. One of the duties of logging data to the SQL database and using the reporting tool is that they allow us to create end of month reports and to get a summary. So at our treatment plant we summarize the cost of chemicals for the month, the cost of energy in terms of dollars per acre foot to treat it and dollars per acre foot to pump it. Giving our managers this type of information helps them execute their long term strategic plan.

Don: Thank you very much.

Article Featured on Control Engineering

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Steve Hechtman's latest opinion article on Process Historians vs. SQL Databases was featured this month on Control Engineering's website. Check it out and feel free to add your response to the talk back section. Here is the link to the article:

http://www.controleng.com/article/CA6646884.html?

Integrator Highlight: Custom Automation

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT
This month we interviewed Dennis Runo from Custom Automation about his experience with Inductive Automation software. Dennis Runo is the owner of Custom Automation and has been delivering systems since 1983.

IA: Tell us a bit about your company - do you have a focus on any particular industry?

Dennis: As a former aerospace engineer, I started Custom Automation 26 years ago to pursue my true passion - industrial control systems. Carrying forward the aerospace principles of tight specifications, hardened equipment, and an unwavering insistence for quality has differentiated Custom Automation from many other integrators.

We have designed and implemented many water/wastewater SCADA systems because there is such a demand for them in the southwest. We have enjoyed taking on challenging industrial control and monitoring projects in a wide range of industries - like radioactive waste for instance. That's why I named the company Custom Automation!

IA: Why did you choose Inductive Automation software over competitive products?

Dennis: I've been around long enough to see the rise, and in my opinion - fall of major SCADA software purveyors. Custom Automation has used them all with success, but we wanted a fresh approach. I call the major SCADA market share holders the "Old Guard".

The Old Guard (OG) designed their products back in the 1980's, and they were fresh and very capable for that timeframe. Then as new technology emerged, they had to adapt their software while maintaining backward compatibility for their customers. I visualize a bicycle tire - patching and patching until your can't see the tube anymore - just patches! Experience has shown me that OG software updates can be an exercise in frustration stemming from backward compatibility compromises, bugs, and complacency.

On the other hand, Inductive Automation products were designed breathing in the rich resources of the WEB, SQL databases, Java, Python, Linux, and other open source inventiveness. IA doesn't carry the baggage of the Old Guard, so it is much freer to excel.

IA: What FactorySQL features do your customers need that you can provide using Inductive Automation products?

Dennis: Nearly effortless connectivity to OPC data sources and SQL databases makes my job a pleasure rather than drudge work when client asks for new capabilities. Straightforward and reliable historical logging , alarming, and redundancy are all important to our 24/7 mission-critical sites.

IA: What FactoryPMI features do your customers need that you can provide using Inductive Automation products?

Dennis: Unlimited FactoryPMI client licenses puts a smile on clients faces and opens the site to unprecedented system visibility. Before, information was limited to the "select few" because of licensing costs. No more!

The pictures above shows petroleum products being transferred from a ship to storage tanks, while FactoryPMI screens monitor progress. Anyone on the company intranet can view it if they want. It keeps the "When's this ship transfer gonna be done?" phone calls to a minimum.

The FactoryPMI design tools are well thought out and make me more productive, so I can offer more features with less funding.

IA: What have you and your customers found to be the main benefits of the software?

Dennis: Connectivity is by far the leading feature. Being able to hook into real-time data as well as interact with SQL databases opens the possibility of enterprise-level visibility and control that used to be the sole domain of high dollar Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and other software vendors.

IA: How do you plan on using IA software in the future?

Dennis: As our clients embrace the abilities of our initial IA SCADA implementations, we fully expect to expand the reach of IA-based software into more operational and management aspects of their businesses.

We also have budgetary planning going on with our many long-term clients that have been with Custom Automation for decades, using Old Guard software that we installed way back when, to install IA at their next major update cycle.

IA: Is there anything else you can say regarding your experience with Inductive Automation?

Dennis: Something the Old Guard competitors have long abandoned is great technical support. IA has been extremely generous with their time getting Custom Automation up to speed. Since IA software is such a departure from the systems we have supported for decades, it took a little getting used to, especially general "what would be the best architectural approach to ..." questions. Kudos to Travis and Carl, and all the contributors on the IA forum willing to share information and tips.

I sense a feeling of community that, if maintained, will give IA and their integrators a huge advantage over the competition.

Inductive Automation tests cross-platform OPC UA connectivity at 2009 North American Interop

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Inductive Automation is pleased to announce that its next generation pure-Java^TM OPC UA software stack recently made its debut at the 2009 OPC Interop, with great results. OPC-UA, the next generation of the popular industrial specification, promises robust cross-platform communication in addition to a variety of benefits over the current platform. Inductive Automation is committed to leveraging all of the benefits promised by OPC-UA in the next generation of its software, and has taken the initiative of being the first company to independently implement the OPC-UA specification.

"Inductive Automation is seen as a leader in open, cross-platform SCADA systems," comments Steve Hechtman, President of Inductive Automation, "and we see OPC-UA as an integral part of our vision for the future."

The recent finalization of the specification means that the market should start to see the first wave of compatible products within the year. Inductive Automation intends to be at the forefront of these products with a variety of exciting offerings.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Process Historians vs. SQL Relational Databases

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT
I wish to register a complaint. There is a rumor that has been circulating for years that relational databases are too slow for fast process data and that only process historians are up to the job. Vendors of process historians will cite sluggish performance and the lack of data compression as the reasons standard off-the-shelf relational databases won't work. Apparently the last time they used a SQL relational database was a few decades ago. While there may be some specialized domains where process historians have a niche, they are not a practical choice for most industrial applications. In effect, historian vendors are saying your Toyota Camry is inappropriate transportation because it is incapable of going 180mph or finishing the quarter mile in under ten seconds.

The rumor denigrating relational databases for poor throughput is baseless. A standard, off- the-shelf Microsoft SQL Server coupled with FactorySQL can log in excess of 100,000 tags per second using a desktop machine. In all likelihood, other factors such as your industrial network would become bottlenecks before the database does. Furthermore, today's generation of SQL relational databases are designed to scale gracefully to power high-volume website traffic, whose load peaks dwarf those of industrial controls applications.

Data compression is an area where process historians do score a point. However, even this consideration can be handled with standard off-the-shelf SQL relational databases. Take a look at the MySQL 5.0 Archive Storage Engine which achieves on average a four to one compression ratio. Proprietary process historians may beat that, but let's get back to the point of practicality. Hard disk space is so cheap these days that even considering this point is becoming an anachronism. For the rare application that demands it, table compression coupled with intelligent data logging allow databases to compete even in this regard.

One crucial question that process historian vendors omit is: what are IT departments willing to support? When I make initial contact with IT folks, I always ask which relational database they use. Then I assure them we'll work with that. This generally makes them very happy. Believe me, you want IT on your side or your project will end up on a data island which is useless in an enterprise system. Think of it from their point view; they have the training and tools, generally, to support just one type of database. With these tools and training they can support the database with scheduled backups, tuning and other maintenance.

Okay, we've heard process historian rants about relational databases; let's talk about the downside of process historians. Let's start with support. Just check the Amazon bookstore for any one of the proprietary process historians and you're likely to come up empty handed. On the other hand, check for 'SQL configuration' and you'll come up with hundreds of books. How about finding people to support these proprietary systems? Good luck.

Then there is the concern about supporting relational data with a process historian. Frankly, the middleware layer is all about relational data. Time-series data, which is what process historians deal with, is just a fraction of what is needed in the middleware layer. Correlating batches, shifts, inventory, orders, downtime, quality, etc., is purely relational in nature, and these are the features that today's enterprise integration projects demand.

What about a cost comparison? The process historian is going to be ten to thirty times the cost of a relational database using a driver like FactorySQL depending on the number of tags required. The controls industry is still backwards on this point and prefers to price its software per tag as though the extra tags cost money to manufacture.

In summary, we're talking about practical choices. The Ferrari may be great fun, but do you need a $500,000 vehicle to drive the kids to school or would the Camry suffice? Likewise, do you need a $60,000 process historian to log data? A relational database makes a great historian, but the reverse isn't true. A process historian cannot process relational data. For the vast majority of systems, a relational database has more than enough power to service the historical and relational data requirements, making it not just the practical, but the wise choice.

End-User Highlight: Diamond Foods

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT
This month we interviewed Bill Clark from Diamond Foods, the premier processor and marketer of culinary, inshell snack and ingredient nuts, about his experience with Inductive Automation software.

IA: Tell me about your company - what do you produce and where are your markets?

Bill: Diamond Foods, Inc. began as a walnut grower's cooperative in 1912 and became a publicly traded company just a few years ago. Although we produce a variety of snack nut products under our "Emerald" label, we still receive and process nearly 200,000,000 pounds of in-shell walnuts each year at our Stockton plant. Other production facilities produce our "Harmony" brand snack foods and our "Pop-Secret" popcorn brand products.

IA: What do you use Inductive Automation software for in your company or facility?

Bill: The Inductive Automation software products provide us with a variety of uses. We use FactorySQL to record historical data for analysis, process reporting and critical alarm e-mail notifications. The FactoryPMI displays and reporting add-on tools provide us with a plant-wide supervisory SCADA interface that is currently being monitored by a variety of supervisors, managers and executives.

IA: Why did you choose Inductive Automation software?

Bill: Compared to other similar products, Inductive Automation was able to offer us a truly easy to use thin client product that allows for simple setup and connection of client computers from the plant floor to the front office. Some of us even have the ability to connect from off-site. The cost was also a significant factor when we took into account license requirements for our architecture and functional requirements.

IA: What features have you found most useful to your specific processes?

Bill: We use the software as primarily a supervisory and reporting tool, so the ability to set up a manager's or supervisor's PC as a client terminal in as little as 5 minutes is greatly appreciated.

IA: How has the introduction of SQL affected your development and implementation?

Bill: We are using the SQL logging and reporting tools to generate our waste water reports for the City of Stockton, almond sterilization reports for our California Almond Board certification requirements, plant power reports, and the list continues to grow. Our historical trends have aided us in identifying small problems before they became big ones, and has helped us to improve efficiency.

IA: What have you found to be the main benefits of the software?

Bill: Ease of use, flexibility, and cost.

IA: How do you plan on using IA software in the future?

Bill: We are currently looking at expanding its use to log and display packaging line efficiencies for our 11 packaging lines.

IA: Is there anything else you can say regarding your experience with Inductive Automation?

Bill: Inductive Automation's technical support has been second to none, and I have worked with all of the major players in HMI and SCADA software. The way IA Tech Support uses GotoMeeting to assist customers is ingenious. They can demonstrate on my computer how a certain task can be performed in just a few minutes, or troubleshoot a problem without my having to try to describe the situation to someone in Australia over the phone! The IA Techs actually KNOW the product instead of just relying on looking up tech-notes in a database hoping to find the problem. And the best part is that I have never been told by IA Techs to "just reformat your hard drive and reload the software". They have been prompt, courteous, and knowledgeable.

Screenshots:

Inductive Automation Releases FactoryPMI^TM 3.3

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Inductive Automation is proud to release FactoryPMI^TM Version 3.3. This release adds a number of new components to FactoryPMI, including the long-awaited table editing feature. Other components include a tab strip that makes window navigation a breeze, and an innovative new chart that displays an intuitive history of discrete data.

FactoryPMI^TM 3.3

FactoryPMI's popular Table component now supports in-cell editing. This feature emboldens what is already one of FactoryPMI's strongest suits: the management and manipulation of enterprise data. Edited values are stored in the Table's underlying DataSet, and new scripting events are fired. This flexible implementation will allow the editable Table to be used in many data manipulation scenarios. For the common case of editable a SQL database table, we have released a new goodie that binds the editable Table bi-directionally to a database table automatically that you can download here: http://www.inductiveautomation.com/downloads/extras. In a related vein, the Dropdown component now supports editing as well.

Two other new components in FactoryPMI 3.3 are the new Tab Strip and the Status Chart components. The Tab Strip component is a strip of tabs that lends itself especially well to window navigation. See the updated Skeleton Project goodie for an example of how to use the tab strip component. The innovative Status Chart component lets you chart the history of discrete data over time using colors. This component lets operators and managers see at a quick glance the recent or historical status of their whole process and its individual parts.

Rounding out the release are a number of minor features and improvements, such as improved scripting facilities to deal with DataSets, new diagnostic and log viewing tools in both the Gateway and the Client, and a number of bug fixes.

As a minor release, FactoryPMI 3.3 is a free upgrade to all users of FactoryPMI 3.x. It is fully backwards compatible from all previous 1.x and 2.x releases. As always, the full changelog can be found under the Support section of our website.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Using FactoryPMI to Replace Microsoft Access

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Most of our customers purchase FactoryPMI to be a high performance, web-launched HMI/SCADA system. However, a growing number of customers are discovering that their existing FactoryPMI system is a very capable platform for replacing existing networked Microsoft Access applications, and with better licensing, deployment, and security to boot! Exploring this idea further, this article aims to inspire new and existing users alike to think creatively when designing their FactoryPMI projects.

Certain aspects of FactoryPMI, such as its lenient licensing (no client, window, or data limits) and its deployment model (web-launched, accessible from anywhere within the corporate network) seem to lend it especially well to experimentation. We have been getting numerous reports from users and integrators sharing their success in replacing existing Access-based applications with FactoryPMI. Microsoft Access and FactoryPMI are, after all, similar products in that they both are WYSIWYG interface designers focused on dealing with data in an underlying database. There are important differences, of course, with regards to real-time status and control data and historical trending. But as far as data manipulation and reporting, they have comparable features.

Many corporations have various day-to-day business operations implemented in home-grown Access programs that live on a corporate file server. This technology is a bit long in the tooth, however, as Microsoft Access was never designed to be a multi-user database server in the first place. FactoryPMI, on the other hand, will connect to a 'true' multi-user database such as MS SQL Server, Oracle, or MySQL, and is web-launched, meaning its projects are accessible from anywhere on the network. This combined with its data-centric component set and reporting capability makes it a great replacement technology. Best of all, customers get to retain the best feature of an Access-based application, which is that it is user-customizable. Rather than be locked-in to the features of a shrink-wrapped solution, Access lets you design the application that best suits your business. FactoryPMI carries on this feature as its drag-and-drop Designer is included with every server.

As icing on the cake, this idea lets you have better data integration between process control and business data. When all of your data is in a robust SQL database server, your reporting capabilities are fantastic. Rather than have data in separate silos which hamper reporting and analysis, all of your data can live in one database, and all of your applications can work together.

Thanks to all of our users who shared their success stories with us. Are you using FactoryPMI in an interesting and innovative way? Let us know, we love the feedback!

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

How To: Choose the right type of group in FactorySQL

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Most users are very familiar with FactorySQL's Standard Group. It is by far the most common type of group used in FactorySQL projects. However, they may not be aware of the other types of groups available, or the purposes that they serve. This quick overview of the groups will help arm the user with a better understanding of when to use each type of group.

Standard Group

The standard group is called such because it was the first type of group in FactorySQL. It's flexible, highly configurable, and accomplishes much of what users want FactorySQL to do.

Data format: Data is stored and read from the database on a row basis. Each item in the group maps to a different column in the same row of the database table.

Special characteristics: Individual items can have their own mode, meaning they can be db-to-opc, bi-directional, etc.. Additionally, Action Items can write their values to OPC items, allowing you to perform calculations, database lookups, etc. and write the results back to the PLC.

When to use: When you want to map values to columns, and need fine grain control over item mode, row selection, and triggering.

Historical Group

The historical group is a simplified, history only version of the standard group. It is straight forward and easier for new users to configure. It always uses buffered data writing to the database.

Data Format: Like the standard group, each item is mapped to a column in the table. A new row is inserted for each execution.

Special characteristics: Buffered data writing is always used. This feature is available on standard groups, but must be turned on from the Advanced tab (advanced settings must be turned on in "frontend settings"). Buffered writing has several benefits, first and foremost that no data is lost when switching over to the data cache if the data connection goes down. Also, when using a trigger to log "burst data", the information can be recorded at a much quicker rate than would be possible without buffered writing.

When to use: When storing historical data either on a timer or a trigger.

Block Group

The block group is similar to the standard group in terms of features available, but is completely different in terms of data format. Instead of mapping each item to column, many items can be placed under a single column, and will be written as different rows in the table.

Data format: The block group defines one or more columns. Each column can have any number of items under it, which will be written as rows in the table. Collectively, the rows and columns are known as a "data block". Additional information, such as the block id and row id may be stored as well.

In terms of configuring the block group, a column is defined as a "block item". Each block item has one or more "segments"- a unit that defines which items it contains. There are "explicit segments", in which each OPC address is listed explicitly, and "range segments", which define OPC addresses by way of a template and a range. The latter segment type allows the user to very quickly define arrays or a group of tags that use a similar naming structure in the plc. A column can have any number of segments- ultimately they will be put together to form one list of addresses. This allows the user to mix and match segment types to get all of they data they want under one column.

Special Characteristics: All data is written to the database inside of an efficient transaction. The cost of additional columns is minimal, therefore by creating block groups with a number of columns you can achieve very high throughput to the database. It is usually advisable to arrange data in a way that makes sense according to how it will be used, but if the data lends itself to this layout, block groups can be extremely efficient.

When to use: Block groups are great for storing array data vertically in the database. They can also be used very effectively when there are many identical objects in the PLC, for example tanks in a tank farm.

Stored Procedure Group

The stored procedure group operates much like the standard group type, however instead of mapping values to and from a database column, they are mapped to parameters of a stored procedure.

Data Format: OPC and Action Items can be mapped to input parameters of a stored procedure. Furthermore, OPC items can be mapped to output parameters and the return value. Additional data, such as the timestamp and overall quality code, can also be mapped. The actual stored procedure will be responsible for handling the data and returning values.

Special characteristics: Stored procedures can sometimes be called from Action Items inside of the other groups, depending on the nature of the procedure. However, only the Stored Procedure group can accommodate output parameters.

When to use: Anytime you need to map OPC and Action Item values to and from stored procedures.

End-User Highlight: Sierra Nevada Brewery

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT
This month we interviewed Ron Mayfield and David Lewis from Sierra Nevada Brewery, the 7th largest brewery in the U.S, about his experience with Inductive Automation software.

IA: Tell me about your company - what do you produce and where are your markets?

Sierra Nevada: We are the 7th largest brewery in the U.S. Our beer is produced exclusively in Chico, CA, and we distribute in all 50 states as well as export to Europe and Asia. Our flagship product is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and we also have a year-round program of seasonal and specialty beers.

IA: What do you use Inductive Automation software for in your company or facility?

Sierra Nevada: We started using it for data acquisition not long after it was first introduced to market - I think we were one of FactorySQL's first customers. Data acquisition continues to be our principal use of it, but we have also found quite a few other areas where FactorySQL and FactoryPMI have been very powerful. A few examples include: capturing data from laboratory instruments (thereby eliminating data entry), and replacing many of our legacy GUI's for manual data entry with screens built in FactoryPMI. The latter project has allowed us to finally move to web-based clients for GUI's, which has been a great savings in terms both cost and maintenance. We have also built custom FactoryPMI screens that allow non-technical personnel to find and correct data errors in the DB tables. FactoryPMI allows us to control the type of corrections and provides a safe method for users to interact with the database, eliminating the need for them to open a request and wait for the IT department's assistance.

IA: Why did you choose Inductive Automation software?

Sierra Nevada: Tremendously flexible, very quick to develop and modify applications, and very cost-effective.

IA: What features have you found most useful to your specific processes?

Sierra Nevada: The ability to easily switch between development and production environments. Deployment of new applications, functionality and updates from one place, to all clients. Even if a client is in production, they can instantly see that a new version is ready and can update to that new application in just seconds without having to close the application or interrupt production.

IA: What have you found to be the main benefits of the software?

Sierra Nevada: Easily integrates with data sources from multiple vendors, databases and work stations. Automated data collection in FactorySQL is simple using drag and drop methods. Easy to learn FactoryPMI expression language and built in routines make putting together an attractive application quick and simple. The underlying Jython script and Java language allow for a very flexible and robust working environment. Support for the entire product line is by far the best I have ever seen.

IA: How do you plan on using IA software in the future?

Sierra Nevada: We plan to continue to automate our data collection process from the lab and production systems. Another project we are working on is for our packaging department, where the environment is spread out and noisy, which makes coordination difficult and when delays occur they cost a lot in production downtime. We are using FactoryPMI and FactorySQL to create a visual communications system -- we want to make it easier for key people to get access to real time information when they need it, which will help eliminate the need to print a "snapshot" report and will conserve resources.

IA: Is there anything else you can say regarding your experience with Inductive Automation?

Sierra Nevada: Excellent support. Feature requests are so quick to be released that it feels sometimes like we have our own personal software development house.

Screenshots:

Recession? We see opportunity. A letter from the President.

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Dear End-user / System integrator / OEM,

In my humble opinion, recession is just another word for opportunity. We have recently seen financial events on a global scale which were a short time ago, unthinkable. Multi-billion dollar deals, mergers and collapses overnight are the norm. Many assumptions of the past no longer hold true. In my opinion, the next twenty-four months, while being devastating for some, will present unprecedented opportunities for those astute enough and bold enough to seize upon them.

Based on observation of the past, companies don't cease spending during a recession, but they do become very value conscious. They actually start doing what they should have been doing all along. During good times they make the popular choices, but during tight times they make practical, value conscious choices.

We are already seeing this happen here at Inductive Automation. We now have 220 integrators on-board worldwide and have recently experienced a new wave of Fortune 500 companies turning toward us. Those integrators, end-users and OEMs already familiar with our software know it can deliver 10-50x times the value over traditional SCADA software (the word SCADA is used loosely because Inductive software is really more of an IT product with capabilities far beyond traditional SCADA software).

I can't claim to have foreseen the recent economic events coming, but designing SCADA software based on an architecture that leverages low cost IT technologies to the manufacturing environment only made sense. It now turns out to have been a very fortuitous decision.

Check out our website, download the software for free and decide for yourself.

Best regards,

Steven A. Hechtman, President

Backup, Transfer and Restore Guide

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

 Download the Backup/Transfer/Restore guide in PDF here

Introduction

Comprehensive backups and the ability to effectively restore them are crucial to minimizing downtime when a computer disaster occurs. Additionally, when developing a new project in FactoryPMI/SQL, it is common for users to perform the bulk of the work on a development computer, and then transfer the project to the production machine at startup or when the project is nearly complete. The process of backing up, transferring, and restoring a FactorySQL/PMI system can seem complex given the number of elements involved (usually 4: FactoryPMI, FactorySQL, the OPC server, and the database). Therefore we have written this document as a guide to the overall procedure. Due to variances in the third party software used by customers (the OPC server and database), we cannot provide specific instructions for those products, though we have attempted to provide as detailed an overview as possible.

Overview

A standard project consists of the 4 components outlined above: FactoryPMI, FactorySQL, the OPC Server, and the Database. Which components are critical to backup/transfer will depend on the project configuration and the third-party software used, but it is almost always necessary to transfer data from all 4 components.

Roughly the procedure is as simple as backing up each component's configuration, installing the software on the new machine, and restoring from the backup. Finally, you'll have to ensure that each component is licensed and activated. With Inductive Automation's software, and virtually all third party components, there is no difference in the project files between activated and unactivated software. Therefore, a system backup made with an unactivated FactorySQL may be restored to an activated copy, and vice-versa.

FactoryPMI

Backup
In FactoryPMI, a system backup is created from the gateway configuration portal. From the gateway homepage, click on "Configuration". After logging in, select "Backup/Restore" from the side menu under "System".

After selecting "Download Server Backup", you'll end up with a *.fpgb file that contains the following data:

Defined Projects, including all windows

All gateway settings

All images added through the designer

All plugins and custom palettes

The backup file will not contain the following:

Defined SQLTags - these are in the database

FactorySQL groups - these are only in FactorySQL

Restore
Restoring is essentially the opposite of backing up, under the same "Backup/Restore" section of the gateway configuration portal, simply select the "restore" tab. Select the correct file, and click "Restore".

Notes
After restoring, especially to a different machine, it is important to check that datasource configurations are still valid and can connect to the databases, and that the authentication systems are also working (particularly if using datasource or active desktop authentication).

FactorySQL

Backup
FactorySQL provides 2 different backup options under its Backup/Restore menu (found in the Frontend under File): Project backup and System backup. The difference is that Project backup includes only the group files, whereas the system backup includes all settings, data connections, etc. In general, it is advisable to always perform system backups.

To perform a system backup, simply select the option from the menu, and choose the location at which to store the backup file (*.fdb).

Restore
To restore, simply choose the "Restore System" option from the File>Backup/Restore menu. Then, select the correct file, and hit OK. The frontend should be connected to the service before performing this step.

Notes
1) To perform a backup and restore, the frontend should be connected to the service. When you are connected to a service, the frontend will say so in the upper right corner of the application:

2) The system backup is actually simply copying the system_database.fdb file located in the program's install directory. It is perfectly OK to copy this file manually in Windows in order to backup the system. It is not OK, however, to simply copy the file back into the folder in order to restore. To restore in this manner, you must first stop the FactorySQL service. Then, after copying the file into the directory and renaming it "system_database" (replacing the old one), you may restart the service.

Activation and Transferring FactorySQL/PMI Licenses

As mentioned previously, it is the applications themselves, not the project files, that are activated. Therefore, transferring licenses is only necessary when you want to move from a previously activated system.

Both products have the ability to Unactivate, either over the internet or by telephone. After unactivating, you will now have another activation available to use. To transfer a license, you simply need to unactivate on the first machine, and activate on the second.

If you're using a hardware based license key this does not apply, and you only need to move the key from the first to second machine.

OPC Server

The procedure for backing up and restoring the OPC server will vary significantly based on which server you are using. Consult your OPC server's documentation for more information. As long as the server is restored with the same device names, topics, etc. FactorySQL should not have problems connecting to the tags. Remember, however, that often times transferring between machines will result in different network configurations, which in turn could cause a simple restore to fail, as the configured IP addresses would no longer be valid. Therefore, you'll want to verify that the target PC is able to communicate with all configured devices.

Database

Inductive Automation software can work with a wide variety of database servers. Therefore, as with the OPC server, the procedures for backing up and restoring can vary greatly. The documentation for your database system should be very clear on how to backup and restore. Here are some general tips that apply for most databases:

Schema vs. Data: It's not always necessary to store all of the data in a table, when all you need to get back up and running is the table structure. For example, the data contained in most history tables isn't crucial for the operation of the system. Therefore, it can be more efficient to backup only the "table schemas" (structure) in these cases, and leave the data out. Of course, it would be wise to periodically back up the data as well, as part of a separate backup scheme, because while not crucial, it is usually important data. Most database backup routines will allow you to choose which tables include data, and which include only the schema.

Database Name: Most of the time database backups do not include the actual name of the database, or if they do, allow it to be changed on restore. This can cause problems with FactorySQL & FactoryPMI data connections, which store the name. It is therefore important to make note of the name (perhaps naming the backup file according to it) and to then be careful to restore it to the same name. When restoring, you may have to manually create a database with that name, and then specify it as the target of the restore.

Permissions: User names and passwords are often stored in an different schema in the database. Care should be taken in how these are backed up and restored. If not restored properly, configured data connections in FactorySQL and FactoryPMI will not be able to connect.

DSN connections: If FactorySQL or FactoryPMI use data connections based on ODBC DSNs, you will need to backup the DSNs separately, as they will not be included in any of the backup files.

Example with MySQL
MySQL has various facilities for backing up and restoring. The easiest option is to use the MySQL Administrator tool.

On the left hand side of the tool, there are tabs for Backup and Restore.

The following image illustrates the procedure for a quick backup:

Click the Backup tab

Create a "New Project"

Select which databases you'd like to backup

Add the selected databases to the "Backup Content" pane

Execute the backup

From here you can go on to schedule the backup, or play around with the more advanced options available.

Restoring is similar:

Select "Restore"

Open the appropriate backup file

Make sure it's writing to the original schema- unless you know for a fact that it should go to a different one.

Start Restore

After following these procedures and verifying that the necessary user names are present and have the correct permissions, everything should be back up and running correctly.

Conclusion

The process of transferring a system or backing up/recovering for disaster purposes is not necessarily difficult, but can be complicated by the number of components involved. An organized game plan including this document and any other relevant information (name and locations of backups, etc.) can make recovery much easier. It is also a good idea to perform a "dry run" from time to time in order to stay familiar with the procedures and to verify that all required components are accounted for.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Integrator Highlight: Stock America Inc

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT
This month we interviewed Julio Delgado from Stock America about his experience with Inductive Automation software. Julio Delgado is the Senior Automation Solutions Engineer for Stock America, a full service provider of state-of-the-art sterilization systems used in the food manufacturing industry. In searching for an alternative solution for moving data between OPC servers and SQL databases, a representative from Kepware Technologies introduced him to Inductive Automation and FactorySQL. Soon afterwards, he began evaluating FactorySQL. He was quickly impressed with the features and capabilities of the program and joined the Inductive Automation free integrator program. Since joining the program earlier this year, he has successfully deployed FactorySQL in several projects for his customers. This month's interview with Julio focuses on FactorySQL, and the differences and advantages he found it has over similar products on the market.

IA: What are the key features you like the most about FactorySQL in comparison to other so-called data bridges on the market?

Julio: There's quite a few, but if I had to name the top few I would put its user interface and Project Organization at the top of the list. Another great feature is that you can start and stop groups while the system is running without affecting any other group. This cannot be done with many of the other popular products on the market.

IA: Are there any other particular features that come to mind?

Julio: Yes. FactorySQL has excellent Import/Export tools that allow me to send data to an Excel spreadsheet, for example. It is also very strong in performing Actions through the use of expressions and SQL expressions. I also like that you can Copy/Paste Groups and that OPC doesn't get wrapped under another product to provide the online editing. Finally, I really like how you can set and manage Alarms.

IA: What about the performance and throughput of FactorySQL? Does it meet your requirements?

Julio: FactorySQL performance and throughput meet and exceed our application requirements. Our application runs in a FDA/USDA regulated environment so we need to guarantee the collection of the information and FactorySQL allows us to meet that requirement. We are executing around 120,000 transactions in a 24 hours per day 7 days per week environment without any issues. We take advantage of one of the features or options from FactorySQL which is the handshake on execution and an output from a stored procedure that is written back to the PLC every time a group is executed to validate the insertion of the data.

IA: Was there anything during your evaluation of FactorySQL that particularly surprised you. For example, something you wanted to do and weren't sure about, but found out that you could?

Julio: The one thing that surprised me the most was the support from Inductive Automation. They are very quick to respond to your questions, allow you to share ideas and are very open to suggestions and then implementing them.

IA: What about the licensing model - how does that work out for you and your customers?

Julio: The licensing model of FactorySQL is excellent in that you don't have to worry about counting tag counts; you don't have to worry about how many you have in your application.

IA: Do you any final words for readers considering whether they should use FactorySQL or other products claiming to perform the tasks?

Julio: I would recommend the product to anyone with a data collection application; whether you need basic data collection or a very flexible and powerful transaction based data collection system. FactorySQL covers a broad range of data collection very well. Previously I was responsible for development and support using a competitive product in the market for 8 years. After finding FactorySQL I prefer not to go back and have to support or implement that product again. FactorySQL provides developers with a lot of flexibility at any stage of the project from design and development to deployment and execution. As I have mentioned before, the following features are a big advantage when using FactorySQL:

Project Organization

Start or Stop groups while the system is running

Import / Export of groups

Support of Stored Procedure

Actions via Expression and SQL Expression

Alarms Configuration

Remotely control the services

Inductive Automation has also been a big factor in our decision; their technical support has been excellent.

New updates released for FactorySQL, FactoryPMI

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT
New maintenance updates are now available for both FactorySQL and FactoryPMI. Versions 4.2.6 and 3.2.4 respectively offer a variety of fixes and enhancements, along with a few new features.

On the FactorySQL side, in addition to fixes, this version offers the ability to configure system wide audio alerts based on severity, and the ability to delay alert emails. The audio alerts provide a quick and easy way to effectively broadcast the fact that an alert is active, and the severity-based settings make it easy to indicate the current severity level. Alerts can be looped, and can be set to stop either when the alert clears, or is acknowledged. Delayed alert emails are automatically canceled if the alarm is cleared, thus preventing unnecessary frequent emails for alerts that often fluctuate.

Most users are encouraged to update as part of their normal maintenance procedure. Only users utilizing Aggregate Data Connections are requested to upgrade immediately, as we have fixed a problem that could significently affect their execution. More information about the changes made in this release can be found in the change log included with the update.

FactoryPMI includes a number of minor, but often-requested new features. Most notable is the new "Push Publish" project update mode, which allows completely hands-off client updates. Customers who have FactoryPMI clients running on large ceiling or wall-mounted displays will appreciate this feature so that their updates get pushed to the client automatically. Authentication profiles can now be chained together using "Soft Failover", which effectively lets a project use multiple authentication profiles at once. A host of other minor features have been added, mostly improvements to existing components. See the changelog for full details.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Using the UDP Plugin to Track Barcodes in FactorySQL

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT
The free FactorySQL UDP plugin was released last year and has been used with great success in a variety of ways. It has been particularly popular when used in conjunction with Serial to Ethernet devices to track barcodes. Many of our customers who do this, however, weren't aware that it was possible until we happened to mention it. For this reason we decided to put together a quick 'How-To' to illustrate how easy it is to accomplish.

About the Plugin
The UDP plugin is a very simple plugin to FactorySQL that opens one or more ports and listens for data to arrive on them. The last received value is stored for each port, and can be retrieved by FactorySQL groups through the GetLastValueForPort function. In other words, the plugin waits for unsolicited information to arrive, and then makes that information available.

The plugin is free, and can be downloaded from http://www.inductiveautomation.com/products/plugins The included readme file has further useful information, such as how to install and configure the plugin.

About UDP
UDP is a networking protocol, on the same level as TCP. Unlike TCP, UDP is connectionless, meaning that data can be sent without first creating a connection between the two devices. This makes it ideal for quickly sending short bursts of unsolicited information.

The Hardware
Most barcode scanners are simple serial devices that publish the recorded barcode to the wire. In order to use them with the UDP plugin, it is necessary to first convert the serial signal into a packet to be sent over across the network. Conveniently, there are many affordable Serial to Ethernet convertors. Special care must be taken when choosing one, however, because not all devices are capable of sending raw udp packets. Some adapters (often called "remote serial port" adapters) require drivers to be installed on the target machine and emulate a serial port. This mode is not compatible with the FactorySQL plugin. Ultimately you simply want to make sure the device supports "UDP", in addition to any other features it might have.

One device that has been used by several customers with great results is the B&B ES1A Ethernet to RS-232 Convertor, available at bb-elec.com.

The plugin may also be used with scanners that have native support for ethernet and UDP.

Setup
Most of the configuration will be dependant on the convertor or scanner used. There will be a variety of options concerning how and when to send data: after a certain delay, after a certain character, with all data or only a subset,etc. Ultimately these settings will need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The primary setting that will need to be set for communication is the target IP address and port. This is where the convertor or scanner will send the information. The IP address of the FactorySQL machine will be well known (or easily found), but the port will need to be decided. It can be any number less than 65535, though it must not already be in use on the system. Most people choose to use something like 5507 (note: FactorySQL already uses 5504 and 5505, and 5507 is the default for the plugin, so no further configuration will be needed).

Once the port has been chosen and set in the device, you'll need to instruct the plugin to watch it. As mentioned above, the default is 5507, and if that was chosen in the device there is no other setup to be done. If you wish to use a different port, or set up multiple, the readme file included with the plugin has instructions on how to do so.

Usage
Once everything is set up and the FactorySQL service has been restarted (after installing the plugin or changing the ports), you are now ready to configure groups to use it. Basically, you can use the values anywhere that allows expression language functions, such as in action items and expression based SQLTags. To get the last value for a specific port, simply pass it in to the "getLastValueForPort" function (note: you can also find the function by right clicking or hitting ctrl-space, and selecting "Functions->Network Data"). For example, getLastValueForPort(5507). Once you start the group, the function will be executed, and the value returned.

From there, the sky's the limit. You can choose to record the value to the database, perform a calculation, trigger the group on a change, etc. Often times users will utilize FactorySQL's string manipulation function to clean/parse the data before storing it to the database.

If you have any questions feel free to post to the support forum at support.inductiveautomation.com, or call us at 1-800-266-7798.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Inductive Automation Adds 12 New Online Videos

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Inductive Automation is pleased to announce the addition of 12 new videos to their online video library:

KepServerEX - Learn how to get started with Kepware's OPC server

FactoryPMI Charting 2 Part Series - Learn how to use the Easy Chart

FactoryPMI Containers & Layout 2 Part Series - Learn all about the container component and layouts

FactoryPMI Navigation - Learn all about window navigation

FactorySQL Alerts & Alarms 2 Part Series - Learn how alerting works in FactorySQL

FactoryPMI Scripting 2 Part Series - Learn all about the scripting language built-in to FactoryPMI called Jython (Python for Java).

FactoryPMI Datasources - Get an introduction to FactoryPMI's data sources

Access to the library is free and available at http://www.inductiveautomation.com/support/videos/.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Success Story: Water / Waste Water July 2008

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Water and waste water plants transform using web-launched, Java based SCADA software.

Click here to read the entire success story

End-User Highlight: Goosetown Communications

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT
This month we interviewed Joey Gottlieb from Goosetown Communications, a leading service provider for communications equipment used by public safety agencies.

IA: What do you use Inductive Automation software for in your company or facility?

Joey: It is used to monitor a 14-site radio network. We monitor AC and DC voltages, Security, Equipment Alarms, Tower Lights (for FAA and FCC compliance), temperatures and generators.

IA: Why did you choose Inductive Automation software?

Joey: The clientless architecture and the ability to bring cameras and other imagery in to the system.

IA: What features have you found most useful to your specific process?

Joey: SQLTags and the graphing objects.

IA: How has the introduction of SQL affected your development and implementation?

Joey: It has made it much simpler.

IA: What have you found to be the main benefits of the software?

Joey: Ease of use and the total integration of the package.

IA: How do you plan on using IA software in the future?

Joey: We are planning a similar installation for a mission-critical communications system. This system will also have and SNMP to OPC bridge integrated into the system for total network monitoring through the IA software.

IA: Is there anything else you can say regarding your experience with Inductive Automation?

Joey: We have only needed to call support once and they answered the questions immediately. The forums are a wealth of information.

Screenshots:

Top 5 Unconventional Uses of FactoryPMI

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT
FactoryPMI is a full featured and flexible SCADA platform. While most customers use FactoryPMI for traditional SCADA tasks such as status and control, trending, alarm management, and downtime tracking, its flexibility has spawned some more creative uses. Much of its flexibility stems from its database-centric architecture and the ability to use the powerful, industry-standard python language for scripting. These features make it possible to accomplish some very useful and advanced tasks that are often very difficult or impossible in traditional SCADA systems.

The following examples are meant to illustrate the breadth of capability that FactoryPMI offers. Some are very non-traditional tasks for industrial software, but when integrated into a larger product can make a great impact towards the goal of "enterprise-wide integration". All of the following have been successfully implemented by existing customers.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System - Databases are first-class components to FactoryPMI. It is very easy to build screens which display and interact with data in any relational database system, and often quicker than in software dedicated to that task. With the ability to connect to an unlimited number of data sources, why stop with industrial process information? Many customers have added CRM/ERP type functionality to their projects, enabling efficient and cohesive management of information, from invoice to production.

Equipment & Inventory Tracking - Many companies have difficulty tracking inventory or equipment that gets shared among many employees. It's easy to track this information with FactoryPMI, utilizing bar codes, RFID, or other means. Simple, user-friendly screens can be created that allow users to check out and return equipment, and for managers to quickly see usage, inventory levels, and current status.

Overhead Display - Create a separate project with large-format components and launch it on a big display screen to instantly convey information to many people at once. Many customers have found that displaying current production statistics boost efficiency dramatically.

Public Gateway - Given that any number of projects can be created, each with their own security and database settings, its very easy to use FactoryPMI to create bridges between your process and the public. Create limited read-only projects to share information with interested parties, or create a special data-entry project to allow third-party partners to interact with your system. All of this can be done in a safe, secure fashion without providing access to your primary SCADA projects.

Integrated Dashboards - FactoryPMI allows the creation of any number of projects, which can run as applications or applets. Combining applets with the auto-login feature allows you to embed FactoryPMI projects in existing web pages (for example, on your intranet). In this way you can create robust, useful dashboards for nearly any purpose.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Customer Diagrams Illustrate Architectural Simplicity

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT
At Inductive Automation, we enjoy hearing about what our customers have accomplished with our software. We believe our architecture and feature set enable clean and robust solutions that cut through traditional difficulties to make true enterprise integration a reality, and this is often reflected in comments we receive from customers.

Recently a prospective customer was working on a proposal to replace their current data acquisition system with our software. After creating before-and-after diagrams, they were so struck by the disparity in complexity and the simplicity of the Inductive Automation solution that they felt compelled to pass the diagrams along. We, in turn, felt it would make an interesting newsletter piece.

For more information about how our software might be able to help simplify your system architecture, feel free to give us a call at 800-266-7798, or go to our website to sign up for a informative (and no-pressure!) web demo.

Network Traffic Before

Network Traffic After

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Integrator Highlight: Bow Networks

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT
This month we interviewed Deryk Yuill, Vice President Business Development, from Bow Networks, a leader in communications and automation solutions for the electric utility industry, about his experience with Inductive Automation software.

IA: Tell us a bit about your company - do you have a focus on any particular industry?

Deryk: Bow Networks is a leader in communications and automation solutions for the electric utility industry. We deliver solutions based on our own products and technologies, supplemented with select 3rd party products.

IA: Why did you choose Inductive Automation software?

Deryk: Factory PMI was appealing for several reasons. The SQL interface allowed it to work directly with our (linux based) eLAN front-end processor, which handles the data collection tasks. The web interface allows for the system to be easily used by both the primary users, and numerous occasional casual users, without needing to distribute and maintain client applications.

IA: What system features do your customers need that you can provide using Inductive Automation products?

Deryk: The delivered system is essentially a small SCADA system, for a municipal electric distribution utility. They don't have a real control center, so their operators access the system from their trucks, over CDMA modems. The FEP sends out emails to their blackberries when alarm conditions arise, signaling the operator to log into the FactoryPMI system.

IA: What have you and your customers found to be the main benefits of the software?

Deryk: The ease of integration with our existing SQL database, and the thin client.

IA: How do you plan on using IA software in the future?

Deryk: We expect to deliver more projects similar to this one, where the system provides a small distribution automation master station. In addition, we want to pursue running the FactoryPMI Gateway on our Linux based eLAN Substation Communications Server, to deliver a substation level HMI.

IA: Is there anything else you can say regarding your experience with Inductive Automation?

Deryk: Positive experience so far, particularly with the technical support team.

New software updates available, improved performance and new features

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT
FactoryPMI 3.2 offers dramatically improved window load times, improved clustered networking, and several very useful new components. The new sound component makes it extremely easy to embed sound files into screens, while the Paintable Canvas component offers savvy users unprecedented control in creating custom displays.

On the FactorySQL side, version 4.2 introduces a variety of robustness-enhancing features such as buffered data logging, which allows short bursts of rapid logging and prevents data loss when switching over to the data cache, a group failure handshake option, and the ability to request values only when the group is triggered. Additionally, new expression functions have been added that enable a range of database operations, making it easier than ever to accomplish complex operations quickly.

Additionally, FactorySQL is now compatible with the CSV ODBC driver that comes installed with nearly every copy of Windows. This means that FactorySQL can now log historical data directly to CSV. For more information, please see the HOWTO article in our Support Forum.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Two new components were added in FactoryPMI 3.2.0

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Two new components were added in FactoryPMI 3.2.0: The Sound Player component and the Scriptable Canvas component. The Sound Player component brings first-class audio support to FactoryPMI, enabling auditory alerts with no scripting required. The Scriptable Canvas component is an advanced component that allows a designer to programmatically control how the component is drawn on the screen using vector graphics. This short guide will bring existing users up to speed on the use of these two new components.

Sound Player Component
The Sound Player component is a simple invisible component that can be found on the Misc palette. During design time, the component looks like a small speaker icon on your window, but at runtime the component will not be visible. To use the sound player component, first you need a sound clip to play. The sound player component will play any *.wav file. To add your wav file to the Sound Player component, simply browse for the file by setting the component's Sound Data property. The wav file will then be embedded into the component itself, meaning that any launched clients do not need file access to the original sound file.

Once your wav file is embedded in the Sound Player component, the only thing left to do is to configure the component by telling it when to play the sound! The Sound Player component has two modes:

On Trigger  Sound will be played when the component's Trigger property is true.

Manual  Sound will be played when its play() function is invoked via a script.

When the sound is prompted to play, either manually or by trigger, it can play in one of three loop modes:

Play Once  The sound clip will be played once when prompted.

Loop Forever  The sound clip will loop forever when triggered, or until the stop() function is called via a script.

Loop N Times  The sound clip will loop for N iterations when prompted, where N is the value of the component's Loop Count property.

In most cases, it will be easiest to use the component in On Trigger mode. Suppose you have a SQLTag that represents an alarm condition. Simply drag that tag onto the Sound Player's Trigger property, and then choose if you want the alert to play once or loop. That's all there is to adding audio alerts to a FactoryPMI screen!

Paintable Canvas Component
The Paintable Panvas component was introduced by popular demand from some of our more advanced users. The component is intended for use by users who are very comfortable with FactoryPMI's embedded Python scripting engine. The component allows a designer to write programmatic commands that control with exacting detail how the Paintable Canvas appears, functions, and responds to user input during runtime. In theory, any kind of desired component could be created from this component

The component works by responding to a special scripting event called the repaint event. This repaint event will be invoked every time that the component needs to paint itself onto the screen. The event object for this event contains some special properties only found on this event type: graphics, width, and height. The event.graphics object is an instance of a Java 2D graphics context, or more precisely, a java.awt.Graphics2D. (we warned you that this was for advanced users, didn't we?) This graphics object, can then be drawn on from the (0,0) coordinate to the (event.width, event.height) coordinate using any Java2D drawing mechanism. When you first drop a Paintable Canvas component onto a window, you'll notice that there is a bunch of code already in the repaint event. This is example code that should help users get a feel for how Java2D works. Happy scripting!
Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Inductive Automation Installation Checklist

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT
The installation and maintenance of FactorySQL/FactoryPMI based systems involves a wide range of technologies. Each normal installation consists of at least 4 components: FactorySQL, FactoryPMI, an OPC server and a database. Given that each component has its own set of requirements and caveats, it is important to have an organized game plan when implementing and installing a project.

For that reason, Inductive Automation has put together an installation checklist that will help you with both the installation and the startup of a project.

Click here to download the checklist

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Integrator Highlight: PACsys, LLC

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT
This month we interviewed Brian Romano of PACsys, LLC about his experience with Inductive Automation software.

IA: Tell us a bit about your company - do you have a focus on any particular industry?

Brian: PACsys is a 10 year old company made up of engineers and technicians with diverse backgrounds coupled with pointed knowledge in industrial processes and automation. PACsys, an acronym for Process and Automation Control Systems, strives to provide the customer with what they want and need, nothing more nothing less. PACsys customers comprise a broad spectrum of industries.

IA: Why did you choose Inductive Automation software?

Brian: We were actually following a very, very similar path to Inductive Automation, but writing an all encompassing, configurable was not really in our business model, but the end result of the software was absolutely necessary. There were packages of software and/or software components that could do what we needed for our customer base, but at a much greater cost and very time consuming deployment. As soon as we were introduced to the packages produced by Inductive Automation, we immediately abandoned our internal efforts of development of our own package and began purchasing, learning and implementing a package that was so much more feature filled and configurable than ours might have been and for that matter, anyone else?s with similar functionality.

IA: What system features do your customers need that you can provide using FactorySQL and FactoryPMI?

Brian: FactorySQL - Acquisition of data from various sources anywhere in the plant that sits on the plant network with placement of the data into an industry standard, stable database.

FactoryPMI - the ability to view production data, downtime and efficiencies by anyone authorized with a simple web browser. No extra client software! With a thought out network WAN and LAN structure, multi-plant data is available to people from anywhere in the world via the Internet.

IA: What have you and your customers found to be the main benefits of the software?

Brian:
Relative fast implementation and deployment.

Configurable

Low up front software costs as well as quick, lower cost development
IA: How do you plan on using IA software in the future?

Brian: We will continue to use it as we have in the past and use it directly for our end customers. We also will be utilizing both packages of software in an OEM product that we are producing.

IA: Is there anything else you can say regarding your experience with Inductive Automation?

Brian: We have had nothing but extremely supportive and helpful people willing to listen to our wants and needs, with a strong emphasis in product demonstration and training. It starts at the top and that helpful spirit emanates to all levels of employees in the company. We have been involved with many hardware and software manufacturers and can honestly admit that Inductive Automation is very unique in their outstanding, outgoing customer support.

Inductive Automation Adds 8 New Online Videos

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Inductive Automation is pleased to announce the addition of 8 new videos to their online video library:

FactorySQL Triggers - Learn how to use triggers

FactorySQL Action Items - Learn how to use action items in FactorySQL groups

FactoryPMI Colors - Learn all about colors in FactoryPMI

FactoryPMI Properties, Binding & Expressions 5 Part Series - Learn all about FactoryPMI component properties and binding

Access to the library is free and available at http://www.inductiveautomation.com/support/videos/.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Inductive Automation attends 2008 North American Interop Conference; Receives 'Self-Tested' certification.

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Inductive Automation is pleased to announce that for the third year in a row FactorySQL was successfully tested at the OPC Foundation's North American Interoperability Conference. FactorySQL was successfully tested with a large range of industry leading OPC servers, and once again received the OPC Foundation's "Self-Tested" certification.

This year's server field included over 40 products from MatrikonOPC, Kepware, Cogent Realtime Systems, Siemens, Software Toolbox, Wonderware and more. Each server was tested for compatibility with the OPC specification, and operation with FactorySQL. Additionally, FactorySQL once again passed the OPC "Self-Tested" certification test, which is conducted by OPC officials and tests for compliance with the specification and best-practice guidelines.

FactorySQL is a full featured, bi-directional OPC to SQL databridge, providing historical logging, realtime status and control, and more. The OPC foundation is a collective of over 300 top-name companies dedicated to ensuring interoperability in automation by creating and maintaining open specifications for communication. Since the first specification was published in 1996, OPC has become the de-facto standard in the field. Through OPC, FactorySQL is able to effortlessly link nearly all industrial devices with any standard database system.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Inductive Automation Introduces Online Video Library

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Inductive Automation is pleased to announce the introduction of a new online video library, available starting April 10, 2008. The library features sets of training videos geared to a specific part of Inductive Automation's software. Access to the library is free and available at http://www.inductiveautomation.com/support/videos/.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

Success Story: Bronco Wine Company

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Bronco Wine Company, Ceres, CA (the producer of "Two-buck Chuck") uses FactoryPMI for enterprise-wide process monitoring, control, and troubleshooting. It was a business decision to use this technology, and is paying off handsomely for the Franzia family-owned business.

Click here to read the entire success story

End-User Highlight: Metaldyne

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT
This month we interviewed Michael Young, the Lead Process Engineering Technician for Metaldyne, a leading global designer and supplier of powertrain and chassis products for the automotive industry.

IA: What do you use Inductive Automation software for in your company or facility?

Michael: We are monitoring our process for machine status, alarm history, downtime and OEE calculations. We can now view this anytime and in real time from unlimited clients through intranet or VPN.

IA: Why did you choose Inductive Automation software?

Michael: It is the most versatile I have seen yet, and if you are imaginative, the Inductive Automation technical support staff can help you figure out how to turn those dreams into reality.

IA: What features have you found most useful to your specific process?

Michael: I have found out, while learning to use them, that all of the tools such as SQL syntax, scripting, Jython and expression language give you tremendous options and flexibility.

IA: How has the introduction of SQL affected your development and implementation?

Michael: I am still learning it, but without it some things just are not possible without a lot of extra work.

IA: What have you found to be the main benefits of the software?

Michael: The flexibility of it and after getting better at it, the freedom of it.

IA: How do you plan on using IA software in the future?

Michael: All that I can, because there is no limit to the type of information that I can save and store in the database. This makes it a great tool for all of us involved in the project.

IA: Is there anything else you can say regarding your experience with Inductive Automation?

Michael: They are in California, but we won?t hold it against them.

Screenshots:

MatrikonOPC Tunneller Now Bundled with FactorySQL

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Inductive Automation is pleased to announce that MatrikonOPC's popular OPC Tunneller is now included as an optional installation in their unified installer system. The OPC Tunneller is the perfect companion to FactorySQL, and allows users to easily overcome DCOM headaches to create efficient, seamlessly networked OPC solutions.

Security and configuration problems associated with DCOM have long made even the simplest remote OPC configurations a hassle. MatrikonOPC Tunneller provides the perfect answer, translating local COM based OPC calls into standard network traffic. Furthermore, it provides a range of additional features such data encryption, compression, and aggregation making it the perfect choice for someone looking to collect data from one or more remote sources. Configuration is minimal, allowing users to get up and running extremely quickly.

FactorySQL is an industry leading OPC to SQL databridge. It provides bi-directional synchronization, historical logging, e-mail alert notifications, and much more. When paired with the MatrikonOPC Tunneler, within minutes users could have data being retrieved from any number of remote sources and available in their corporate database. There truly isn't a more cost effective, powerful way to retrieve and monitor remote data.

For more information on FactorySQL or the MatrikonOPC Tunneller, contact Inductive Automation at (800) 266-7798.

FactoryPMI and FactorySQL Benchmark Whitepaper

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ever wondered how many clients you could really run with FactoryPMI's unlimited client licensing? How about the maximum tag throughput of SQLTags on a MySQL database? Inductive Automation has published a whitepaper detailing the results of rigorous performance tests on its products, FactoryPMI^TM and FactorySQL^TM. These benchmarks will answer these questions and more.

You can download the benchmarks here http://files.inductiveautomation.com/whitepapers/IABenchmarkWhitepaper2008.pdf.

For those of you who do not have the time to wade through 14 pages of technical benchmark methodology and results, here is the executive summary. The benchmarks are divided up into two major tests. The first test monitored the FactoryPMI Gateway under high concurrent load count to determine how many clients FactoryPMI can support at a time. The test was run on large and small servers, and with large and small projects. With a small server, you can expect to run between 70-100 clients at a time, depending on the size of your project. With a large server, those clients counts go up to 150+. Within these ranges, you can expect tags to update at their proper rates, and expect sub-second write-to-readback round-trip times. Note that these projects were using pure-SQLTags for data display.

The second test involved the SQLTags throughput between FactorySQL and various databases. We found that MySQL with the MyISAM data engine and Microsoft SQL Server gave the best performance. We frequently hear the question: "How many tags can I have". It turns out, the real question should be: "How many tags can I have changing per second". This is because a tag's presence in the system doesn't dramatically affect performance unless it is changing. So, systems with upwards of 250,000 tags are feasible, as long as only a small percentage of them are actively changing every second. This benchmark found that the tag throughput for a low-end server or high-end desktop computer, ranges between 2,500, and 13,000 tag changes per second. The factors that contribute to this are wide spread are explained in detail in the whitepaper.

Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation pioneered the first full-featured web-launched HMI/SCADA system in the world. Its standards based, database-centric architecture receives accolades from plant managers, IT managers, and system integrators worldwide. With a commitment to software quality and technical support second to none, Inductive Automation is at the forefront of industrial software.

How To: Install and Use Click to Graph

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT
This article demonstrates how to install and use Click to Graph, a powerful way to add and remove pens from FactoryPMI's Easy Chart Component in runtime. Click to Graph allows you to add a right click menu to components, such as led displays, labels, numeric labels, etc, to add or remove that item from an Easy Chart graph dynamically. You can even save graphs and come back to them at later times. This way you choose what you want to see in a graph. Please read the instructions carefully and perform them in order.

Installing Click to Graph

Step 1: Download Click to Graph File

1) Click on the following link to download the zip file:
Click to Graph Goodie

2) Extract the contents of the ctg.zip to a folder. This file contains 5 files:

ctg.sql - a MySQL backup file containing all the necessary tables
ctg.py - a python script that contains all the necessary functions
ctg.fpal - a custom palette that contains a few sample components
ctg.fwin - a file that contains all the necessary FactoryPMI windows
ctg_shutdown_script.txt - a file that contains the shutdown script needed

Step 2: Import MySQL Dump File

1) Open up Command Prompt by going to Start->Program Files->Accessories->Command Prompt

2) Change directory to MySQL bin by entering in (afterwards press enter):
cd "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin"

3) Now import ctg.sql by entering in (afterwards press enter):
mysql -u root -p YourDBName < "C:\Location to\ctg.sql"

4) Enter in your MySQL root password (afterwards press enter)

5) Done. The Click to Graph tables are now successfully imported.

Step 3: Import FactoryPMI Script Module

1) Open up the FactoryPMI Gateway Configuration page from: Start->Program Files->Inductive Automation->FactoryPMI->Configuration Page

2) Open up the FactoryPMI Designer by clicking on the Launch Designer link. Login with your username and password (default is admin and password). Select the project you want to use Click to Graph in.

3) Once open, go to Project->Script Modules from the menu bar.

4) Click on the Import a package or script button.

5) Select the ctg.py file.

6) Name the module ctg.

7) Done, you now have some global functions that we are going to use later. Press Ok to close.

Step 4: Import FactoryPMI Palette

1) With the designer still open, right click on the Component Palette and select Import Palette(s).

2) Select the ctg.fpal file.

7) Done, you now have some pre-configured components for Click to Graph that we can use.

Step 5: Import FactoryPMI Windows

1) With the designer still open, right click inside the Project Browser and select Import Window(s).

2) Select the ctg.fwin file.

7) Done, you now have some pre-configured windows for Click to Graph that we can use.

8) Lastly, you need to add the global shutdown script. Go to Project->Global Event Scripts. Next select the Shutdown tab and enter in the contents of the ctg_shutdown_script.txt. The script clears out the current graph when the user logs out or closes the client.

All done! Now let's go over how Click to Graph works.

How Click to Graph Works

The first part to understand is that Click to Graph stores pen configurations in the database. During the runtime each user picks and chooses from these pens. Picking and choosing these pens manipulates the ctg_active_client table. This table then drives the Easy Chart's pens/axes datasets dynamically. The ctg_active_client table is based on a unique Client ID created by FactoryPMI when you login to a client. This ID uniquely identifies one client from another. This way each client can have its own set of pens the user can configure. If that ID is somehow lost (possible via redirection), the user must log in again to access the graph.

Let's take a look at the databases tables needed for Click to Graph to work (there are 4 of them):

ctg_pens - table stores all possible pens for the graph.
ctg_axes - table stores all the available axes for the pens.
ctg_saved_pens - table stores the saved graphs.
ctg_active_client - table stores all the pens the clients have selected.

The ctg_pens table can be manipulated using the CTG_Pen_Edit window that we imported into our FactoryPMI project earlier. Here you can add/edit/remove pens. These pens correspond to tag or item that FactorySQL (or another historian) is already trending. Attached to a pen is a Point ID, which uniquely identifies one pen from another. Every FactoryPMI component that we want to use as a Click to Graph item must also contain the Point ID, so that it knows how to add or remove that specific pen. Let's go over a small example to get started.

Next, the actual Easy Chart, located on the CTG_Graph window, has two expert properties called pens and axes which are both bound to a SQL query. The pens dataset is bound to a join of the ctg_active_client table and the ctg_pens table. The axes dataset is bound to the ctg_axes table.

Let's go over a small example to understand how everything relates.

Example 1: Using a Click to Graph Component

1) Open up the FactoryPMI Designer.

2) Open up or create a window.

3) From the Component Palette under CTG Palette, drag and drop the Multi-State Indicator pre-configured component into the window.

4) You will notice there is a Dynamic Property called PointID attached to the component with a value of HOA. This Point ID must match the Point ID of a pen in the ctg_pens table.

5) Now, let's take a look at the Mouse Pressed and Released actions on this component. This is where the right click menu is called. So, right click on the component and select Configure Actions...

6) You will notice the script is the same for the mousePressed and mouseReleased. They both call a global script function that we imported earlier into the Script Modules. We pass the event object into the showPopup function and it knows how to retrieve the Point ID from the component. The function also takes care of creating the popup menu.

7) Now, cancel out of the action configuration and go into Preview mode in the designer by selecting Project->Preview mode from the menu. Now we can interact with the components. Right click on the indicator and you will get the following menu:

8) That's it! You can click (+) Add to Graph to add that pen to the current working graph. If the pen does not exist in the ctg_pens table the script will create one automatically with the default settings. After that, you can remove the pen and event clear out the current graph.

9) To see the current graph open up the CTG_Graph window.

How to add Click to Graph to already existing components

So, if you would like to add Click to Graph to already existing components do the following:

1) Right click on the component and select Component Customizers->Dynamic Properties and add a new property named PointID of type String.

2) Lastly, add the following script in the mousePressed and mouseReleased actions by right clicking on the component and selecting Configure Actions..:

if event.button != event.BUTTON1:
      app.ctg.showPopup(event)

Have fun with this goodie and as always if you have any questions please call us at 800.266.7798.

Integrator Highlight: eGenietech Software Services

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT
This month we interviewed Vipul Shah, MES Division Head, of eGenietech Software Services about his experience with Inductive Automation software.

IA: Tell us a bit about your company - do you have a focus on any particular industry?

Vipul: eGenietech is a software solutions provider in the area of IT for manufacturing. Since we have a good domain experience in the Process Automation Domain, our focus area has been providing solutions in the area of MES and Plant to Enterprise Integration.

IA: Why did you choose Inductive Automation software?

Vipul: For quite a long time we have been using custom software development for providing solutions to our client. But as the scope and complexity of the projects started increasing we started thinking of a product based approach to reduce the implementation time and maintenance cost. We evaluated a number of products for process data logging and finally chose FactorySQL because of its flexibility, configuration capabilities and its cost advantage due to support for unlimited tags. Another factor was we got very fast response during product evaluation which increased our confidence in Inductive Automation.

IA: What system features do your customers need that you can provide using FactorySQL and FactoryPMI?

Vipul: Most of the customers and our projects demand flexibility in configuration, openness to third party integration and extensibility. I feel both FactorySQL and FactoryPMI meet these requirements.

IA: What have you and your customers found to be the main benefits of the software?

Vipul: Our project involved providing a solution for metals industry, where we needed to seamlessly integrate an Oracle Based Production Management and Scheduling System and RSView Scada and provide a bidirectional transfer of process data among these two systems. Additionally the customer needed extensive data reporting and analysis.

The most important benefit we found was that we could deploy the project in a relatively short time with all the IT friendly features of FactorySQL and also could easily incorporate new requirements given by the customer during actual implementation at the customer site.

IA: How do you plan on using IA software in the future?

Vipul: Though we were initially a bit wary of using third party products in our projects, and of a vendor who is separated from us by a 12 hour time zone, based on our initial success of using IA products we have decided to aggressively propose solutions to our clients around their products.

IA: Is there anything else you can say regarding your experience with Inductive Automation?

Vipul: The best experience was the fast turn around time both from the sales and support side. The most important thing was we didn't actually require much support during actual implementation and that is very credible. Other good thing is the continuous information on new ways to exploit the products that we get through the newsletters. In view of all this we foresee a long term relationship with IA and wish them luck to create new innovations in their products.

	`Alert Name:`		`Bad State`
	`Severity:`		`High`
	`Time Deadband:`		`0 sec`
	`Alert if the value is:`		`Equal to - 1 / True`

	`{[TIME]}`		`The active timestamp of the alert`
	`{[VALUE]}`		`The active value of the alert`
	`{[STATE_NAME]}`		`The current alert state name`
	`{[ALARM_TYPE]}`		`User friendly alert state message, either “active”, “clear”, or “acknowledge”`
	`{[ITEM_PATH]}`		`The path to the tag in SQLTags`
	`{[SEVERITY]}`		`The current alert severity, from 0 - 4 representing Low - High`
	`{[DISPLAY_PATH]}`		`The display path (will be item path if not configured)`
	`{[NOTES]}`		`The alert notes`
	`{[SYSTEM]}`		`The system the tag is executed in (typically Ignition SQLTags)`

label	\|	value
-------------------------
Apples	\|	13.26
Oranges	\|	84.09
Bananas	\|	76.45

Core	API and classes exposed by the Ignition platform
client-api.jar	Needed for “client” scope
designer-api.jar	Needed for “designer” scope
gateway-api.jar	Needed for “gateway” scope
Vision	API and classes exposed by the Vision module
vis-client-api.jar
vis-designer-api.jar
vis-common.jar
Drivers	API and classes exposed by the OPC-UA module
driver-api.jar	The API exposed by the OPC-UA module for creating additional drivers.

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