Learning Path - System Integrators

Target Audience

System integrators delivering complete solutions from design through deployment, managing projects, implementing standards, and ensuring successful delivery.

Learning Objectives



Learning Paths by Role

Your Role

Primary Focus

Essential Pages

Advanced Topics

System Integrator

Full platform
Implementation

Platform Overview
The Four Pillars

Solution Lifecycle
P1: UNS Foundation

Security & Operations
Key Differentiators

Week 1: Foundation

Day 1-2: Architecture Planning

Exercise: Design Multi-Site Architecture

  1. Define site requirements:
  2. Plan network topology:
  3. Specify hardware per site
  4. Design redundancy strategy
  5. Document architecture diagram

Day 3-4: Template Development

Standard Project Structure

ProjectTemplate/
??? Standards/
?   ??? NamingConvention.docx
?   ??? ColorStandards.xml
?   ??? AlarmPhilosophy.docx
??? UDTs/
?   ??? Motors.xml
?   ??? Valves.xml
?   ??? Instruments.xml
??? Graphics/
?   ??? Symbols.library
?   ??? Templates.displays
?   ??? Navigation.menu
??? Scripts/
?   ??? Calculations.cs
?   ??? Reports.sql
??? Documentation/
    ??? UserManual.docx
    ??? QuickStart.pdf

Lab: Create Reusable Template

  1. Create base project structure
  2. Define naming conventions:
  3. Build standard UDTs for common equipment
  4. Create symbol library
  5. Document standards

Day 5: Project Delivery Methods

Implementation Phases

Phase

Duration

Deliverables

Discovery

1 week

Requirements document, Site survey, Risk assessment

Design

2 weeks

Architecture design, Standards document, Design review

Development

4 weeks

Configuration, Programming, Unit testing

Deployment

1 week

Installation, Commissioning, Training

Week 2: Advanced Topics

Day 1-2: Standards Implementation

ISA Standards Compliance

Standard

Focus Area

Implementation

ISA-88

Batch Control

Recipe management, phase logic

ISA-95

MES Integration

Level models, B2MML interfaces

ISA-18.2

Alarm Management

Philosophy document, rationalization

ISA-101

HMI Design

Display hierarchy, color standards

ISA-99/IEC-62443

Cybersecurity

Zones, conduits, security levels

Exercise: Implement ISA-101 Display Hierarchy

  1. Level 1 - Overview displays (plant-wide)
  2. Level 2 - Area displays (unit operations)
  3. Level 3 - Detail displays (equipment)
  4. Level 4 - Support displays (diagnostics)
  5. Create navigation structure
  6. Apply consistent color scheme
  7. Document display standards

Day 3-4: Performance Optimization

Large System Optimization Strategies

Area

Technique

Implementation

Database

Partitioning by date

Monthly partitions for historical data

Database

Index optimization

Clustered index on timestamp

Communication

Protocol efficiency

Use bulk reads, minimize polling

Communication

Compression

Enable data compression

Processing

Distributed computing

Split processing across servers

Processing

Edge processing

Local data aggregation

Client

Lazy loading

Load displays on demand

Client

View optimization

Limit points per display

Lab: Optimize Large System

  1. Analyze system performance baseline
  2. Identify bottlenecks:
  3. Implement optimizations
  4. Measure improvement
  5. Document settings

Day 5: Solution Validation

Test Categories and Procedures

Test Type

Focus

Method

Functional

I/O verification, Control logic, Alarms

Point-to-point testing

Performance

Load testing, Stress testing, Endurance

Simulate maximum load

Security

Access control, Audit trails

Penetration testing

Acceptance

User requirements, Performance criteria

Witness testing

Project Estimation Guidelines

Task

Hours per Unit

Notes

Tag Configuration

0.1 hour/tag

Including alarming

Display Development

4-8 hours/display

Depends on complexity

Device Integration

2-4 hours/device

Including testing

Alarm Configuration

0.2 hour/alarm

Including documentation

Testing

20% of development

All test categories

Documentation

15% of development

User and technical docs

Training

16 hours minimum

2 days on-site

Quality Assurance Checklist

  1. Requirements traced to implementation
  2. All I/O points verified
  3. Alarms tested and documented
  4. Performance requirements met
  5. Security measures implemented
  6. Backup/recovery tested
  7. Documentation complete
  8. Training delivered
  9. Support handover complete

Project Management Templates

Required Documentation

Document

Purpose

When

Statement of Work

Define scope and deliverables

Pre-project

Functional Specification

Detail requirements

Discovery phase

Design Specification

Technical design

Design phase

Test Procedures

Validation methods

Development phase

Training Materials

User education

Deployment phase

Handover Documentation

Support transition

Project close

Multi-Site Deployment Strategy

Approach

Pros

Cons

Best For

Centralized

Single point of management

WAN dependency

< 5 sites

Distributed

Local autonomy

Complex management

> 10 sites

Hybrid

Balance of both

Higher complexity

5-10 sites

Troubleshooting Guide

Issue

Investigation

Resolution

Performance degradation

System metrics analysis

Apply optimization strategies

Communication failures

Network diagnostics

Verify routing, firewall rules

Synchronization issues

Time server configuration

Configure NTP properly

Template conflicts

Version comparison

Implement version control

Deployment failures

Installation logs

Verify prerequisites

Certification Path

FrameworX Solution Architect

Additional Resources