Controller Tag Metadata for Automated Historian Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial automation systems require manual and distributed configuration of data historians, which is cumbersome and prone to errors, especially when synchronizing data tag configurations between industrial controllers and historian systems, particularly in large-scale plant environments.
Innovation Solution
An industrial control program development system that allows users to define and set metadata attributes for data tags within the controller environment, enabling automatic configuration of data historians based on controller-side metadata, thereby eliminating the need for separate historian system configuration and simplifying data collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual configuration of data historians is performed, then configuration accuracy can be maintained through human review, but the configuration process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the historian configuration automatically retrieves and applies tag metadata attributes from controller information without requiring manual administrator intervention. The metadata identification component automatically reads controller data, identifies tags with historize attributes set to true, and configures the data collection component accordingly, eliminating the need for separate manual historian configuration steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller pre-configures tag metadata attributes including the historize attribute during the controller configuration phase. This preliminary action stores the necessary historian configuration information in advance within the controller's tag definitions, allowing the historian system to automatically retrieve and apply these pre-prepared configurations without requiring manual setup or synchronization efforts.
2Adaptability or versatility
If distributed configuration is performed across multiple controllers, then system scalability is improved, but synchronization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The metadata identification component implements a universal approach by reading tag metadata attributes from any industrial controller using standardized communication protocols. The system universally applies the same configuration process across multiple controllers, automatically identifying tags with historize attributes and configuring data collection uniformly, thereby simplifying multi-controller synchronization while maintaining scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes feedback loops where the metadata identification component continuously monitors controller tag definitions and automatically updates historian configuration when changes are detected. This feedback mechanism ensures synchronized configurations across distributed controllers by automatically detecting and responding to configuration changes without manual intervention.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate historian system configuration is performed, then configuration flexibility is maintained, but the configuration process becomes more complex and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the controller configuration and historian configuration processes into a single automated workflow. The metadata identification component reads tag metadata attributes directly from controller information, and the data collection component automatically configures data collection based on these attributes, eliminating the need for separate manual historian configuration steps while maintaining configuration flexibility through automated adaptation.
Solution Approach 2:
The tag metadata attributes serve as an intermediary mechanism between controller configuration and historian configuration. The historize attribute and other metadata fields act as a bridge, automatically transmitting configuration intent from the controller side to the historian side, thereby simplifying the overall configuration process while preserving flexibility through the metadata attribute system.
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial control program development system allows a user to set metadata attributes for respective data items in the controller that indicate which of the data tags are to be monitored and collected by a separate industrial data historian system. When the industrial controller is deployed on a plant network, the data historian system reads the metadata attributes for the respective data items (e.g., data tags or data logs) defined in the controller and configures itself to collect and store data associated with the subset of data items that have been flagged for data collection. This system mitigates the need to manually configure the data historian with the identities of the data items that are to be monitored and collected for historical or reporting purposes.