Historian Module (How-to Guide)

Historian → Tutorial | Concept | How-to Guide | Reference

Configuration Workflow

1. Configure Storage Location - Define where data is stored
2. Create HistorianTables - Group tags with common settings
3. Add HistorianTags - Select tags to archive
4. Configure Triggers - Define when to store data
5. Test Data Collection - Verify archiving and retrieval

Configure Storage Location

Using Default SQLite Database

The platform includes SQLite by default. No configuration needed unless changing settings.

Changing Default Database

1. Navigate to Historian → Storage Locations
2. Click Settings icon ??
3. Configure:
   • Provider: Database type (SqlClient, PostgreSQL, etc.)
   • Database: Specific database system
   • Server IP: Database server address
4. Click Test to verify connection
5. Click OK

Adding External Historians

1. Go to Historian → Storage Locations
2. Click Plus icon
3. Configure:
   • Name: Storage identifier
   • Storage System: Select "Tag Provider"
   • Protocol: Choose historian (Canary, InfluxDB, PI)
   • StoreAndForward: Enable for buffering
4. Configure connection string
5. Click OK

Create HistorianTables

HistorianTables group tags with shared storage settings.

Creating a Table

1. Navigate to Historian → HistorianTables
2. Click Plus icon
3. Configure properties:

Storage Strategies

Add HistorianTags

Configuring Tags for Archiving

1. Go to Historian → HistorianTags
2. Add tags using one of these methods:
   • Type tag name in first column
   • Browse and select from tag list
   • Copy/paste from UNS Tags
3. Configure for each tag:

Example Configurations

Tank.Level        → Table: ProcessData, Deadband: 0.5
Pump.Status       → Table: EventData, Deadband: 0
Reactor.Temp      → Table: CriticalData, Deadband: 0.1, RateOfChange: 5
Production.Batch  → Table: BatchData, Trigger-based

Configure Advanced Options

Normalized vs Standard Tables

Quality Tracking

Enable SaveQuality in HistorianTable to:

• Store OPC quality with values
• Show gaps in trend charts
• Identify communication issues

Store and Forward

For external historians:

1. Enable StoreAndForward in Storage Location
2. System buffers data during connection loss
3. Automatic forward when connection restored

Test and Monitor

Testing Data Collection

1. Start Runtime:
   • Press F5 or click Run Test
   • Go to Historian → Monitor
2. Verify Archiving:
   • Check RowCount increasing
   • Monitor LastStoredTimeStamp
   • Review ErrorCount
3. Test Retrieval:
   • Add TrendChart to display
   • Select historian tags
   • Verify historical data appears

Using TrendChart

1. In Displays → Draw
2. Add TrendChart control
3. Configure:
   • Tags: Select historian tags
   • Duration: Time span to display
   • Navigate: Pan and zoom tools

Data Retrieval

In Scripts

Query historical data:

csharp

// Get last 24 hours of data
DataTable data = @Historian.Table.ProcessData.QueryData(
    DateTime.Now.AddDays(-1),
    DateTime.Now
);

SQL Queries

For SQL-based storage:

sql

SELECT * FROM ProcessData 
WHERE UTCTimeStamp_Ticks > [timestamp]
AND TagName = 'Tank.Level'

Common Issues

Data Not Archiving

• Verify HistorianTable configured
• Check tag exists and updates
• Confirm trigger conditions met
• Verify storage location connection

Gaps in Data

• Check TimeDeadband settings
• Verify SaveOnChange configuration
• Review deadband values
• Enable SaveQuality for visibility

Storage Full

• Configure LifeTime for auto-deletion
• Archive old data externally
• Increase storage capacity
• Optimize storage settings

Poor Query Performance

• Create appropriate indexes
• Limit query time ranges
• Use aggregation functions
• Enable caching

Best Practices Checklist

• Plan retention strategy - Balance storage vs analysis needs
• Use appropriate deadbands - Reduce storage without losing significant changes
• Group similar tags - Tables by update frequency and retention
• Monitor storage growth - Track database size trends
• Test retrieval performance - Verify query response times
• Document table purposes - Clear naming and descriptions
• Regular maintenance - Archive or purge old data

Next Steps

• [TrendChart Control] - Visualize historical data
• [Reports Module] - Create historical reports
• [Scripts Module] - Query and process historical data

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