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About Canary

What is the

Canary Historian?

Canary Historian is a time series database built for industrial automation. It is a high-performance historian . It is designed for real-time data collection, storage, and management. Provides scalability for large databases and supports large volumes of writes and data. It facilitates data analysis and decision-making processes. The system maintains data integrity and prevents loss, making it suitable for applications that require reliable data historicizationlarge-scale applications that handle substantial volumes of data writing. It provides scalability and enables efficient management of high-volume write operations. Its design supports extensive dataset analysis within time contexts for effective trend identification, avoiding the constraints of relational schemas. Canary's architecture balances speed, accuracy, and volume, making it an ideal choice for specialized time series data management needs.

When to use Canary

Use Canary Historian in scenarios requiring scalable and efficient time series data management across site or enterprise applications. It is suitable for managing large data volumes that need real-time analysis and when relational databases' limitations challenge data aggregation and trend analysis. Canary Historian meets the needs for speed, accuracy, volume management, and data schema flexibility, catering to industries that need timely and reliable data historicization for informed decision-making.

How to configure Canary Historian?

To configure the Canary Historian, follow these steps:

Historian or the built-in SQL Historian?

Solutions can use both systems concurrently. Performance on SQL storage has increased over the years, but it cannot reach the speed and storage capabilities that a database specifically designed for time-series data, like Canary, can deliver. Use Canary for the tags that require high speed and/or long time retention. Keep those in SQL where the retrieval and storage requirements can be managed with SQL storage.

Installation

Initial Configuration

The software platform should be installed and, where when necessary, licensed.

Licensing Canary Historian

1. Go to Solution Manager and navigate to 'Your License / License Information / Canary Historian'.
2. Request a license by clicking 'Request License'. Fill in the 'Name', 'Company', and 'Email' fields to generate the Serial Number, then click 'Request'.
3. Open the Canary Admin Tool, proceed to 'Home / Licenses', and select 'Local / Add license through the internet'. Enter the required details ('Name', 'Company', 'Serial Number', 'Email', 'Quantity') and check the 'Canary Historian' option. Click 'GET LICENSE'.
4. Upon receiving the License Key, confirm by clicking 'OK'. To verify the license, navigate to 'Solution Manager / Your License' and refresh the information by clicking the 'Refresh' button. The message should change to "Canary Historian is licensed."

Canary Admin Tool configuration

Set up the Sender's EndPoints and access the Receiver's EndPoints in the Canary Admin Tool.

Creating Solution and Enabling Canary Historian

1. In Solution Manager, create a solution (file .dbsln) and open it in the Solution Designer.
2. Access 'Solution / Settings / Target Platform and License', enable Canary Historian, and select the desired tag range (500, 1500, 5000, 15000, or Unlimited).

Done! The initial configuration is finished!.

Configuration Options

The software platform enables two main options to use a Canary Historian to collect and store data: by using the External TagProviders, which allows external data sources in remote systems direct usage, without needing to define the tags internally in the solution. Or by using a Device where you need to define each ta internally and map them.

• External TagProvider is strongly recommended for large, complex, and dynamic solutions — especially those in environments prone to frequent changes requiring continuous optimization.

• Devices are excellent for solutions with well-defined requirements that are unlikely to change. It is ideal for developing prototypes, PoCs, simulations, and static or low-complexity environments, especially when detailed control is crucial.

Configuring by External TagProvider

1. In Solution Designer, navigate to 'Unified Namespace / External TagProvider'.
2. Use the '+' button on the Data Grid action bar to open the configuration window for a new External TagProvider.

Modules' Connections

Canary Historian can be used in different ways by the various modules.

Historian: Uses Canary as a Storage Location for archiving or retrieving HistorianTags.

Devices: Read and Write to external Canary Historian Server with the Device Module.

TagProvider: Map external Canary Historian Server to dynamic integration of its data and structures. 

Displays and Scripts: No custom configuration is required, TrendCharts will use Canary Historian Data Automatically if available.

Historian Module

Configuring Historian using Canary

1. At Historian / StorageLocations, include Canary as a StorageLocation. 
2. At Historian / HistorianTables, define virtual tables will control writing and retrieving data.
3. Map the tags at Historian / HistorianTags.

→ Read about the Historian Module.

Device Module

Configuring Devices using Canary.

1. Navigate to

Configuring by Devices

1. Choose 'Devices / Channels' and select a protocol (Canary) to create a Channel.
2. Under Navigate to  'Devices / Nodes', create a Node linked to the that Channel.
3. Map the tags under at 'Devices / Points'.

Final Historian Configuration

The final part defines which collected data will be stored in the historian.

Historizing collected data

1. Go to the Historian and select "Tags Historian".
2. Observe the SQLite database and Tag Providers. Default Historian, labeled as "Historian Canary", should be visible.
3. Proceed to "Providers" and ensure the primary station configuration aligns with your computer specifications.
4. Perform a "Test Connection". A success message indicates proper configuration.
5. Add Tags to the Historian by typing the Tag name and selecting the appropriate Historian table.
6. Opt for "Tag Provider Canary" and create a new table, for example, "valve table". Save changes.
7. Ensure that the Tag (e.g., "valve one") utilizes the newly created table. Confirm inputs by pressing enter.
8. Repeat the process for additional Tags as needed, ensuring all are directed to the Canary Historian.
9. Utilize root level Tagging to efficiently historize grouped data (e.g., valve pressures and temperatures) without individual entries.

Additional Historian Configuration

There are some additional procedures such as create a new Historian Table or define a new Storage Location.

Historian Table

Storage Location

Configuration of the Canary Historian involves the selection of data sources, mapping tags, and specifying storage parameters, all within the software platform. In use, the historian supports the creation of dynamic, data-driven user interfaces, including HMI/SCADA dashboards and analytical displays, making it indispensable for monitoring, controlling, and optimizing industrial processes.

Optional Configuration

Canary on Linux

→ Read about the Devices Module, or Read about the specific Canary Labs Communication driver.

TagProvider Module

Configuring TagProvider using Canary.

1. At Unified Namespace / TagProvider Connections, create a connection to a Canary Historian.
2. At Unified Namespace / AssetTree, add Canary data in the AssetTree. 
3. Use Canary data in any module using the syntax Asset("<AssetPath>")

→ Read about Unified Namespaces

→ Read about the specific Canary Labs TagProvider

Displays and Scripts

Displays and Scripts, with no additional configuration, will query Canary Historian when using tags that were previously connected with Canary using the Historian Module.

Examples of the automated usage:

In Displays TendCharts. See TrendChart Control.

In Scripts, using the Historian Tables method to query data. See Historian Runtime Attributes.

CanaryLabs Configuration Procedure

Once you have the CanaryLabs Historiansoftware and the Canary Adminapplication installed, you will need to configure some permissions for the connection to work. 

Admin Configuration

Open the Admin Tab.

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Under Endpoints, select every checkbox, but do not change the port numbers.

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Under Access, add the users that will be allowed to access the CanaryAdmin programs.

• Anonymous
• System
• Administrator
• Interactive
• Everyone
• ?Your User?.

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Under Settings, make sure the checkbox for the Persist Last Connection is selected. 

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Receiver Configuration

Open the Receiver Tab.

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Under Endpoints, select every checkbox, but do not change the port numbers.

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Sender Configuration 

Open the Sender Tab.

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Under Configuration > Endpoints, select every checkbox, but do not change the port numbers.

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Under Configuration > Access, add all the users that will be allowed to write in the Canary Historian. E.g.:

• Anonymous
• System
• Administrator
• Interactive
• Everyone
• ?Your User?.

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Views Configuration

Open the Views Tab.

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Under Configuration > Endpoints, select every checkbox, but do not change the port numbers.

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Under Configuration > Access, add all the users that will be allowed to write in Canary Historian. E.g.:

• Anonymous
• System
• Administrator
• Interactive
• Everyone
• ?Your User?.

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Under Security > Permissions,add the users for the Root path with the ReadWrite AccessType.

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Under Security > Settings,make sure the Security Enabled checkboxis selected.

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