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How to Automatically Import OPC Tags

Open Automation Software One-Click OPC feature let’s you quickly and easily create tags by browsing an OPC Server 

STEPS

Follow the links to the OAS Help articles:

Make sure Open Automation Software is installed and the OAS Service is running

Tags can be automatically setup by using the One Click OPC feature that browses OPC Servers automatically and creates tags based on the OPC Items defined in the OPC Server. You can then delete tags from the configuration that you do not want.

 

SEE ALSO:

  • Overview – Tags
  • Alarm Logging
  • Alarm Notification
  • Other Data Sources
    • Universal Driver Interface – Use C# or VB.NET to integrate your own data model into OAS for realtime data access.
    • Allen Bradley – Use the Allen Bradley IoT Driver to connect to ControlLogix, CompactLogix, GuardLogix, Micro800, MicroLogix, SLC 500, and PLC-5. Add Allen Bradley Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Siemens – Use the Siemens IoT Driver to connect to S7-200, S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, and S7-1500. Add Siemens Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Modbus – Use the Modbus IoT Driver to connect to Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, and Modbus ASCII all supported on Ethernet, RS-232 Serial, and RS-485 Serial. Add Modbus Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • MQTT – With the MQTT IoT Connector you can subscribe to MQTT Brokers.
    • Amazon Web Services – With the AWS IoT Gateway driver you can subscribe to AWS for live data updates.
    • .NET Applications – The .NET Data Connector provides read and write access to data programmatically via C# or VB code in a .NET application.
    • Excel – Use the Excel Connector to use Microsoft Excel as data source
    • Industry Standard Databases – Use the Recipe Connector to connect to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, mySQL and  SQL Azure databases
    • Industry Standard SCADA Systems – Use the Universal Data Connector to connect to Wonderware, WinCC, RSView and Cimplicty
    • OPC Client – Use the OPC Client Connector to connect to third party OPC Clients
    • OPC Servers – Connect to OPC DA 2.x, 3.0, OPC UA, OPC A&E, and OPC UA Alarm and Conditions. Use the OPC Tunnel Connector to automatically transfer data from any Data Source to third party OPC Servers
    • Javascript – With the HTTP API Connector you can connect to jQuery and JSON data sources
    • REST – With the REST API Connector you can connect to data sources via the REST API
    • iOS and Android Apps – Use PCL for Android and iOS to connect to data on iOS and Android devices.
  • Other Data Destinations
    • .NET Applications – The .NET Data Connector provides read and write access to data programmatically via C# or VB code in a .NET application.
    • .NET WPF HMI Applications – Use WPF HMI .NET to create HMI visualizations for WPF Smart Clients
    • .NET WinForm HMI Applications – Use WinForm HMI .NET to create HMI visualizations for WinForm Smart Clients
    • .NET Trending Application – Use Trend .NET for real-time trending for WinForm and WPF applications and historical trending when combined with OAS Data Historian.
    • .NET Alarming Applications – Use Alarm .NET for real-time alarming for WinForm and WPF applications and historical alarming with alarm notification via email, SMS text, and voicemail.
    • Javascript – With the HTTP API Connector you can connect to jQuery and JSON data sources
    • REST – With the REST API Connector you can connect to data sources via the REST API
    • Web-based HMI Applications – Use Web HMI to create cross-platform HMI apps
    • Web-based Trending Aplicatons – Use Web Trend to create cross-platform trending apps
    • Web-based Alarming Applications – Use Web Alarm to create cross-platform alarm apps
    • iOS and Android HMI Apps – Use PCL for Android and iOS to create iOS and Android applications for live data.
    • Data Historian – With OAS Data HIstorian you can log data to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, mySQL, SQL Azure and CSV files.
    • Reports – With OAS Reports you can create reports from OAS data logging products or other databases. Generate reports as Word, Excel, PDF, HTML or Email.
    • Universal Driver Interface – Use C# or VB.NET to integrate your own data model into OAS for realtime data access.
    • Allen Bradley – Use the Allen Bradley IoT Driver to connect to ControlLogix, CompactLogix, GuardLogix, Micro800, MicroLogix, SLC 500, and PLC-5. Add Allen Bradley Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Siemens – Use the Siemens IoT Driver to connect to S7-200, S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, and S7-1500. Add Siemens Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Modbus – Use the Modbus IoT Driver to connect to Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, and Modbus ASCII all supported on Ethernet, RS-232 Serial, and RS-485 Serial. Add Modbus Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • MQTT – With the MQTT IoT Connector you can subscribe to MQTT Brokers.
    • Amazon Web Services – With the AWS IoT Gateway driver you can subscribe to AWS for live data updates.
    • Excel – Use the Excel Connector to use Microsoft Excel as data source
    • Industry Standard Databases – Use the Recipe Connector to connect to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, and mySQL databases
    • Industry Standard SCADA Systems – Use the Universal Data Connector to connect to Wonderware, WinCC, RSView and Cimplicty
    • OPC Client – Use the OPC Client Connector to connect to third party OPC Clients
    • OPC Servers – Connect to OPC UA and Classic OPC DA 2.0 and 3.0 OPC Servers. Use the OPC Tunnel Connector to automatically transfer data from any Data Source to third party OPC Server or OAS IoT Driver.
    • Microsoft Azure – Use the SQL Azure Data Logging and SQL Azure Alarm Logging products to connect to Microsoft Azure SQL Databases
    • Microsoft Azure IoT Data Hub – Transfer any Data Source to Azure IoT Data Hub using the Data Route
Posted on

How to Log OPC Server Data to a Database

How to Log OPC Server Data to a Database


Open Automation Software Tags can be defined to connect to Classic OPC Data Access 2.xx and 3.0 Servers with the built in OPC Interface. This tutorial walks you though downloading and installing OAS, configuring tags from your OPC Server and logging them to a database. Supported databases include SQL Server, Oracle, Access, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQLite, InfluxDB, MySQL, SQL Azure, Amazon Aurora, Amazon RDS, Amazon Redshift, Google Firebase, and CSV files.

Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service

If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform.  Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.

On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system.  When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.

For more detailed instructions and video tutorials, visit the installation guide for your system:
Windows Installation | Linux Installation | Raspberry Pi Installation | Dockers Installation

The OAS Service Control application will appear when the installation finishes on Windows.  Use this application to start the 3 Services. Run the Configure OAS application on Windows and select Configure-Tags; if the first time running, the AdminCreate utility will run to create an Administrator login as shown in Step 1 of Getting Started – Security.

Step 2. Configure OPC Server Tags

OAS provides multiple ways to add and define tags:

To add a Tag manually:

  1. In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Tags from the top menu.


  2. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.


  3. Click on the Add Tag button located at the top of the Tag browser on the left portion of the screen.


  4. A dialog box will appear. Enter a name for your new tag and click ok.

  5. A configuration screen will appear for your new tag. Select OPC in the Data Source dropdown box.


  6. Use the Browse button to the right of the OPC Item to browse OPC Servers for the desired OPC Item.


  7. Select Local, the desired OPC Server, branch within the OPC Server, and OPC Item and click OK.


  8. Specify the desired OPC Update Rate for the Tag.

  9. Click Apply Changes at the bottom right of the window.

To add Tags with One Click OPC:

  1. In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Tags from the top menu.


  2. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.


  3. To begin the One Click OPC process select the Group you would like to import to in the Tag configuration. If you want to import to the Root Level, select the Tags Group at the top of the tree. Then select the One Click Import button on the top menu bar.


  4. Click on the Import OPC DA 2.XX or 3.0 Items Button in the pop up window.


  5. Use the One Click OPC Wizard to browse for a branch as a starting position within an OPC Server or just select the OPC Server name itself to add all items from the selected OPC Server. For the best networking design select OPC Servers from Local even if you are configuring a remote OAS Service.


  6. Select to enable the options to Get Data Type from OPC Server and optionally the Descriptions. Additionally if you want to specify to Trend all of the points select Trend Points.

  7. Click Add Tags and it will automatically add all of the OPC Items from the OPC Server Branch you have selected and all of the sub Branches beneath it.

  8. Select the Save button on the toolbar at the top.

For more detailed instructions on Configuring OPC Server Tags, visit our Getting Started OPC tutorial or the One Click OPC tutorial or watch the video tutorial below:

Step 3. Configure Data Logging

  1. In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Data Logging from the top menu.


  2. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to log data from with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.


  3. A Logging Group screen will appear.


  4. In the Common Tab, you will determine your table format and type of logging you wish to implement.

  5. In the Tags Tab, you will select the tags you wish to log.

  6. In the Database Tab, you will select what type of database you will be logging to and enter the connection parameters. OAS can log to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQLite, InfluxDB, and MySQL.

  7. If you wish to log to CSV, you would configure that in the CVS Logging tab.

For more detailed instructions on Configuring Data Logging, visit our Getting Started Data Logging tutorial or watch the video tutorial below:

Posted on

How to Write Data to Excel

This guide shows how to write data to Excel in two easy steps. 

 

STEPS

Follow the links to the OAS Help articles:

Make sure Open Automation Software is installed and the OAS Service is running

Configure your Excel data source

 

SEE ALSO:

  • Excel FAQ
  • Alarm Logging
  • Alarm Notification
  • Other Data Sources

    • Universal Driver Interface – Use C# or VB.NET to integrate your own data model into OAS for realtime data access.
    • Allen Bradley – Use the Allen Bradley IoT Driver to connect to ControlLogix, CompactLogix, GuardLogix, Micro800, MicroLogix, SLC 500, and PLC-5. Add Allen Bradley Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Siemens – Use the Siemens IoT Driver to connect to S7-200, S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, and S7-1500. Add Siemens Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Modbus – Use the Modbus IoT Driver to connect to Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, and Modbus ASCII all supported on Ethernet, RS-232 Serial, and RS-485 Serial. Add Modbus Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • MQTT – With the MQTT IoT Connector you can subscribe to MQTT Brokers.
    • Amazon Web Services – With the AWS IoT Gateway driver you can subscribe to AWS for live data updates.
    • .NET Applications – The .NET Data Connector provides read and write access to data programmatically via C# or VB code in a .NET application.
    • Excel – Use the Excel Connector to use Microsoft Excel as data source
    • Industry Standard Databases – Use the Recipe Connector to connect to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, mySQL and  SQL Azure databases
    • Industry Standard SCADA Systems – Use the Universal Data Connector to connect to Wonderware, WinCC, RSView and Cimplicty
    • OPC Client – Use the OPC Client Connector to connect to third party OPC Clients
    • OPC Servers – Connect to OPC DA 2.x, 3.0, OPC UA, OPC A&E, and OPC UA Alarm and Conditions. Use the OPC Tunnel Connector to automatically transfer data from any Data Source to third party OPC Servers
    • Javascript – With the HTTP API Connector you can connect to jQuery and JSON data sources
    • REST – With the REST API Connector you can connect to data sources via the REST API
    • iOS and Android Apps – Use PCL for Android and iOS to connect to data on iOS and Android devices.
  • Other Data Destinations
    • .NET Applications – The .NET Data Connector provides read and write access to data programmatically via C# or VB code in a .NET application.
    • .NET WPF HMI Applications – Use WPF HMI .NET to create HMI visualizations for WPF Smart Clients
    • .NET WinForm HMI Applications – Use WinForm HMI .NET to create HMI visualizations for WinForm Smart Clients
    • .NET Trending Application – Use Trend .NET for real-time trending for WinForm and WPF applications and historical trending when combined with OAS Data Historian.
    • .NET Alarming Applications – Use Alarm .NET for real-time alarming for WinForm and WPF applications and historical alarming with alarm notification via email, SMS text, and voicemail.
    • Javascript – With the HTTP API Connector you can connect to jQuery and JSON data sources
    • REST – With the REST API Connector you can connect to data sources via the REST API
    • Web-based HMI Applications – Use Web HMI to create cross-platform HMI apps
    • Web-based Trending Aplicatons – Use Web Trend to create cross-platform trending apps
    • Web-based Alarming Applications – Use Web Alarm to create cross-platform alarm apps
    • iOS and Android HMI Apps – Use PCL for Android and iOS to create iOS and Android applications for live data.
    • Data Historian – With OAS Data HIstorian you can log data to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, mySQL, SQL Azure and CSV files.
    • Reports – With OAS Reports you can create reports from OAS data logging products or other databases. Generate reports as Word, Excel, PDF, HTML or Email.
    • Universal Driver Interface – Use C# or VB.NET to integrate your own data model into OAS for realtime data access.
    • Allen Bradley – Use the Allen Bradley IoT Driver to connect to ControlLogix, CompactLogix, GuardLogix, Micro800, MicroLogix, SLC 500, and PLC-5. Add Allen Bradley Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Siemens – Use the Siemens IoT Driver to connect to S7-200, S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, and S7-1500. Add Siemens Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Modbus – Use the Modbus IoT Driver to connect to Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, and Modbus ASCII all supported on Ethernet, RS-232 Serial, and RS-485 Serial. Add Modbus Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • MQTT – With the MQTT IoT Connector you can subscribe to MQTT Brokers.
    • Amazon Web Services – With the AWS IoT Gateway driver you can subscribe to AWS for live data updates.
    • Excel – Use the Excel Connector to use Microsoft Excel as data source
    • Industry Standard Databases – Use the Recipe Connector to connect to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, and mySQL databases
    • Industry Standard SCADA Systems – Use the Universal Data Connector to connect to Wonderware, WinCC, RSView and Cimplicty
    • OPC Client – Use the OPC Client Connector to connect to third party OPC Clients
    • OPC Servers – Connect to OPC UA and Classic OPC DA 2.0 and 3.0 OPC Servers. Use the OPC Tunnel Connector to automatically transfer data from any Data Source to third party OPC Server or OAS IoT Driver.
    • Microsoft Azure – Use the SQL Azure Data Logging and SQL Azure Alarm Logging products to connect to Microsoft Azure SQL Databases
    • Microsoft Azure IoT Data Hub – Transfer any Data Source to Azure IoT Data Hub using the OPC Tunnel Connector
Posted on

How to Use a Database as a Data Source

This guide shows how to use a database as a data source in two easy steps. 

Transfer data from these
industry standard Databases:

  • SQL Server
  • SQL Server Desktop (MSDE)
  • Oracle
  • Access
  • mySQL
  • SQL ODBC

STEPS

Follow the links to the OAS Help articles:

Make sure Open Automation Software is installed and the OAS Service is running

Configure Database as data source and define target tags (Recipe)

SEE ALSO:

Posted on

How to Log MQTT Data to a Database

How to Log MQTT Data to a Database

Open Automation Software Tags can be defined to connect to MQTT devices and software brokers with the built in MQTT Driver Interface. If you want to interface OAS with another MQTT Client please see the Getting Started MQTT Broker guide. This tutorial walks you though downloading and installing OAS, configuring an MQTT driver, configuring tags and logging them to a database. Supported databases include SQL Server, Oracle, Access, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQLite, InfluxDB, MySQL, SQL Azure, Amazon Aurora, Amazon RDS, Amazon Redshift, Google Firebase, and CSV files.

Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service

If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform.  Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.

On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system.  When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.

For more detailed instructions and video tutorials, visit the installation guide for your system:
Windows Installation | Linux Installation | Raspberry Pi Installation | Dockers Installation

The OAS Service Control application will appear when the installation finishes on Windows.  Use this application to start the 3 Services. Run the Configure OAS application on Windows and select Configure-Tags; if the first time running, the AdminCreate utility will run to create an Administrator login as shown in Step 1 of Getting Started – Security.

Step 2. Configure Your MQTT Data Source

  1. First, you will need to open the Configure OAS application from the program group Open Automation Software.

  2. Select Configure >> License from the top menu and verify that MQTT is one of the available Drivers in the lower left of the form. The demo license will have this by default. If you do not see MQTT available, contact support@openautomationsoftware.com to update your license.

  3. Select Configure >> Drivers from the top menu.

  4. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  5. The Configure Drivers Screen will appear. Select MQTT from the Driver dropdown box.

  6. Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this physical connection when defining Tags with a MQTT Data Source.

  7. Enter the IP Address of the broker. The default port is 1883.

  8. Enter the User Name and Password if required.

  9. Set the Keep Alive Time. The default is 60 Seconds.

  10. Set the Reconnect Time. The default 10 Seconds. If the connection to the broker is lost the Reconnect Time determines how long to wait before attempting to reconnect.

For more detailed instructions on configuring your MQTT data source, click here to see our Getting Started MQTT tutorial or watch the video tutorial below:

Step 3. Configure Your Tags

OAS provides multiple ways to add and define tags:

To add a Tag manually:

  1. In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Tags from the top menu.

  2. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  3. Click on the Add Tag button located at the top of the Tag browser on the left portion of the screen.

  4. A dialog box will appear. Enter a name for your new tag and click ok.

  5. A configuration screen will appear for your new tag. Select your data source type in in the Data Source dropdown box.

  6. Specify the correct data type in the Data Type dropdown box.

  7. Click Apply Changes at the bottom right of the window.

For more detailed instructions on configuring your tags, click here to see our Getting Started Tags tutorial.

Step 4. Configure Data Logging

  1. In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Data Logging from the top menu.

  2. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to log data from with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  3. A Logging Group screen will appear.

  4. In the Common Tab, you will determine your table format and type of logging you wish to implement.

  5. In the Tags Tab, you will select the tags you wish to log.

  6. In the Database Tab, you will select what type of database you will be logging to and enter the connection parameters. OAS can log to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQLite, InfluxDB, and MySQL.

  7. If you wish to log to CSV, you would configure that in the CVS Logging tab.

For more detailed instructions on Configuring Data Logging, visit our Getting Started Data Logging tutorial or watch the video tutorial below:

Posted on

How to Choose the Best IoT Networking Option

This guide outlines the best IoT networking options for your business requirements. 

OPTIONS

Basic Networking can be used directly with any client application without any additional setup.  This configuration can be used when the data server(s) have fixed IP Addresses, registered domain names, or network node names that can be accessed from every remote client.

Learn More about Basic Networking

Live Data Cloud Networking is used when the data source services do not have a fixed IP address.  An example would be a laptop or server PC that has a standard Internet connection and you want to access its data over the Internet.

Learn More about Live Data Cloud Networking

Network Forwarding is used in corporate networks where you need to redirect / bounce network communications through one or more servers to reach the data source from client applications.  Most commonly to connect industrial networks together with business networks.

Learn More about Network Forwarding

One Way Networking is used to transfer data through networks that have communication diodes that only allow one direction of communications.  Most commonly used by our nuclear power customers.

Learn More about One Way Networking

SEE ALSO:

  • Getting Started Networking
  • Change Default Network Port Number
  • Networking FAQ
  • Other Data Sources

    • Universal Driver Interface – Use C# or VB.NET to integrate your own data model into OAS for realtime data access.
    • Allen Bradley – Use the Allen Bradley IoT Driver to connect to ControlLogix, CompactLogix, GuardLogix, Micro800, MicroLogix, SLC 500, and PLC-5. Add Allen Bradley Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Siemens – Use the Siemens IoT Driver to connect to S7-200, S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, and S7-1500. Add Siemens Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Modbus – Use the Modbus IoT Driver to connect to Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, and Modbus ASCII all supported on Ethernet, RS-232 Serial, and RS-485 Serial. Add Modbus Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • MQTT – With the MQTT IoT Connector you can subscribe to MQTT Brokers.
    • Amazon Web Services – With the AWS IoT Gateway driver you can subscribe to AWS for live data updates.
    • .NET Applications – The .NET Data Connector provides read and write access to data programmatically via C# or VB code in a .NET application.
    • Excel – Use the Excel Connector to use Microsoft Excel as data source
    • Industry Standard Databases – Use the Recipe Connector to connect to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, mySQL and  SQL Azure databases
    • Industry Standard SCADA Systems – Use the Universal Data Connector to connect to Wonderware, WinCC, RSView and Cimplicty
    • OPC Client – Use the OPC Client Connector to connect to third party OPC Clients
    • OPC Servers – Connect to OPC DA 2.x, 3.0, OPC UA, OPC A&E, and OPC UA Alarm and Conditions. Use the OPC Tunnel Connector to automatically transfer data from any Data Source to third party OPC Servers
    • Javascript – With the HTTP API Connector you can connect to jQuery and JSON data sources
    • REST – With the REST API Connector you can connect to data sources via the REST API
    • iOS and Android Apps – Use PCL for Android and iOS to connect to data on iOS and Android devices.
  • Other Data Destinations
    • .NET Applications – The .NET Data Connector provides read and write access to data programmatically via C# or VB code in a .NET application.
    • .NET WPF HMI Applications – Use WPF HMI .NET to create HMI visualizations for WPF Smart Clients
    • .NET WinForm HMI Applications – Use WinForm HMI .NET to create HMI visualizations for WinForm Smart Clients
    • .NET Trending Application – Use Trend .NET for real-time trending for WinForm and WPF applications and historical trending when combined with OAS Data Historian.
    • .NET Alarming Applications – Use Alarm .NET for real-time alarming for WinForm and WPF applications and historical alarming with alarm notification via email, SMS text, and voicemail.
    • Javascript – With the HTTP API Connector you can connect to jQuery and JSON data sources
    • REST – With the REST API Connector you can connect to data sources via the REST API
    • Web-based HMI Applications – Use Web HMI to create cross-platform HMI apps
    • Web-based Trending Aplicatons – Use Web Trend to create cross-platform trending apps
    • Web-based Alarming Applications – Use Web Alarm to create cross-platform alarm apps
    • iOS and Android HMI Apps – Use PCL for Android and iOS to create iOS and Android applications for live data.
    • Data Historian – With OAS Data HIstorian you can log data to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, mySQL, SQL Azure and CSV files.
    • Reports – With OAS Reports you can create reports from OAS data logging products or other databases. Generate reports as Word, Excel, PDF, HTML or Email.
    • Universal Driver Interface – Use C# or VB.NET to integrate your own data model into OAS for realtime data access.
    • Allen Bradley – Use the Allen Bradley IoT Driver to connect to ControlLogix, CompactLogix, GuardLogix, Micro800, MicroLogix, SLC 500, and PLC-5. Add Allen Bradley Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Siemens – Use the Siemens IoT Driver to connect to S7-200, S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, and S7-1500. Add Siemens Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • Modbus – Use the Modbus IoT Driver to connect to Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, and Modbus ASCII all supported on Ethernet, RS-232 Serial, and RS-485 Serial. Add Modbus Data Historian to log data to industry standard databases.
    • MQTT – With the MQTT IoT Connector you can subscribe to MQTT Brokers.
    • Amazon Web Services – With the AWS IoT Gateway driver you can subscribe to AWS for live data updates.
    • Excel – Use the Excel Connector to use Microsoft Excel as data source
    • Industry Standard Databases – Use the Recipe Connector to connect to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, and mySQL databases
    • Industry Standard SCADA Systems – Use the Universal Data Connector to connect to Wonderware, WinCC, RSView and Cimplicty
    • OPC Client – Use the OPC Client Connector to connect to third party OPC Clients
    • OPC Servers – Connect to OPC UA and Classic OPC DA 2.0 and 3.0 OPC Servers. Use the OPC Tunnel Connector to automatically transfer data from any Data Source to third party OPC Server or OAS IoT Driver.
    • Microsoft Azure – Use the SQL Azure Data Logging and SQL Azure Alarm Logging products to connect to Microsoft Azure SQL Databases
    • Microsoft Azure IoT Data Hub – Transfer any Data Source to Azure IoT Data Hub using the OPC Tunnel Connector
Posted on

How to Log Siemens Data to a Database

How to Log Siemens Data to a Database

Open Automation Software can connect directly to Siemens controllers with the built in Siemens Driver Interfaces which support communications over Ethernet to S7-200, S7-300, S7-400, S7-1200, and S7-1500. This tutorial walks you though downloading and installing OAS, configuring a Siemens driver, configuring tags and logging them to a database. Supported databases include SQL Server, Oracle, Access, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQLite, InfluxDB, MySQL, SQL Azure, Amazon Aurora, Amazon RDS, Amazon Redshift, Google Firebase, and CSV files.

Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service

If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform.  Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.

On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system.  When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.

For more detailed instructions and video tutorials, visit the installation guide for your system:
Windows Installation | Linux Installation | Raspberry Pi Installation | Dockers Installation

The OAS Service Control application will appear when the installation finishes on Windows.  Use this application to start the 3 Services. Run the Configure OAS application on Windows and select Configure-Tags; if the first time running, the AdminCreate utility will run to create an Administrator login as shown in Step 1 of Getting Started – Security.

Step 2. Configure Your Siemens Data Source

  1. First, you will need to open the Configure OAS application from the program group Open Automation Software.

  2. Select Configure >> License from the top menu and verify that Siemens is one of the available Drivers in the lower left of the form. The demo license will have this by default. If you do not see Siemens available, contact support@openautomationsoftware.com to update your license.

  3. Select Configure >> Drivers from the top menu.

  4. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  5. The Configure Drivers Screen will appear. Select Siemens from the Driver dropdown box.

  6. Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this physical connection when defining Tags with a Siemens Data Source.

  7. Define the properties for the desired physical connection.

  8. Click the Add Driver button above the Driver list in the left pane to add the Driver Interface as an available selection when defining Tags in the next step.

For more detailed instructions on configuring your Siemens data source, click here to see our Getting Started Siemens tutorial.

Step 3. Configure Your Tags

OAS provides multiple ways to add and define tags:

To add a Tag manually:

  1. In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Tags from the top menu.

  2. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  3. Click on the Add Tag button located at the top of the Tag browser on the left portion of the screen.

  4. A dialog box will appear. Enter a name for your new tag and click ok.

  5. A configuration screen will appear for your new tag. Select your data source type in in the Data Source dropdown box.

  6. Specify the correct data type in the Data Type dropdown box.

  7. Click Apply Changes at the bottom right of the window.

For more detailed instructions on configuring your tags, click here to see our Getting Started Tags tutorial.

Step 4. Configure Data Logging

  1. In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Data Logging from the top menu.

  2. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to log data from with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  3. A Logging Group screen will appear.

  4. In the Common Tab, you will determine your table format and type of logging you wish to implement.

  5. In the Tags Tab, you will select the tags you wish to log.

  6. In the Database Tab, you will select what type of database you will be logging to and enter the connection parameters. OAS can log to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQLite, InfluxDB, and MySQL.

  7. If you wish to log to CSV, you would configure that in the CVS Logging tab.

For more detailed instructions on Configuring Data Logging, visit our Getting Started Data Logging tutorial or watch the video tutorial below:

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How to Log OPC UA Data to a Database

How to Log OPC UA Data to a Database

Open Automation Software Tags can be defined to connect to OPC UA Servers with the built in OPC UA Driver Interface. This tutorial walks you though downloading and installing OAS, configuring an OPC UA driver, configuring tags and logging them to a database. Supported databases include SQL Server, Oracle, Access, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQLite, InfluxDB, MySQL, SQL Azure, Amazon Aurora, Amazon RDS, Amazon Redshift, Google Firebase, and CSV files.

Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service

If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform.  Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.

On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system.  When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.

For more detailed instructions and video tutorials, visit the installation guide for your system:
Windows Installation | Linux Installation | Raspberry Pi Installation | Dockers Installation

The OAS Service Control application will appear when the installation finishes on Windows.  Use this application to start the 3 Services. Run the Configure OAS application on Windows and select Configure-Tags; if the first time running, the AdminCreate utility will run to create an Administrator login as shown in Step 1 of Getting Started – Security.

Step 2. Configure Your OPC UA Data Source

  1. First, you will need to open the Configure OAS application from the program group Open Automation Software.

  2. Select Configure >> License from the top menu and verify that OPC UA is one of the available Drivers in the lower left of the form. The demo license will have this by default. If you do not see OPC UA available, contact support@openautomationsoftware.com to update your license.

  3. Select Configure >> Drivers from the top menu.

  4. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  5. The Configure Drivers Screen will appear. Select OPC UA from the Driver dropdown box.

  6. Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this physical connection when defining Tags with a OPC UA Data Source.

  7. Define the properties for the desired physical connection.

  8. Click the Add Driver button above the Driver list in the left pane to add the Driver Interface as an available selection when defining Tags in the next step.

For more detailed instructions on configuring your OPC DA data source, click here to see our Getting Started OPC UA tutorial.

Step 3. Configure Your Tags

OAS provides multiple ways to add and define tags:

To add a Tag manually:

  1. In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Tags from the top menu.

  2. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  3. Click on the Add Tag button located at the top of the Tag browser on the left portion of the screen.

  4. A dialog box will appear. Enter a name for your new tag and click ok.

  5. A configuration screen will appear for your new tag. Select your data source type in in the Data Source dropdown box.

  6. Specify the correct data type in the Data Type dropdown box.

  7. Click Apply Changes at the bottom right of the window.

For more detailed instructions on configuring your tags, click here to see our Getting Started Tags tutorial.

Step 4. Configure Data Logging

  1. In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Data Logging from the top menu.

  2. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to log data from with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  3. A Logging Group screen will appear.

  4. In the Common Tab, you will determine your table format and type of logging you wish to implement.

  5. In the Tags Tab, you will select the tags you wish to log.

  6. In the Database Tab, you will select what type of database you will be logging to and enter the connection parameters. OAS can log to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQLite, InfluxDB, and MySQL.

  7. If you wish to log to CSV, you would configure that in the CVS Logging tab.

For more detailed instructions on Configuring Data Logging, visit our Getting Started Data Logging tutorial or watch the video tutorial below:

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How to Log Allen Bradley Data to a Database

How to Log Allen Bradley Data to a Database

Open Automation Software Tags can be defined to connect directly to Allen Bradley controllers with the built in ABLogix and ABClassic Driver Interfaces which support communications over Ethernet to ControlLogix, CompactLogix, GuardLogix, and Micro800 with the ABLogix driver, and MicroLogix, SLC 500, and PLC-5 with the ABClassic driver. This tutorial walks you though downloading and installing OAS, configuring an Allen Bradley driver, configuring tags and logging them to a database. Supported databases include SQL Server, Oracle, Access, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQLite, InfluxDB, MySQL, SQL Azure, Amazon Aurora, Amazon RDS, Amazon Redshift, Google Firebase, and CSV files.

Step 1. Download and Install the Open Automation Software and Start the OAS Service

If you have not already done so, you will need to download and install the OAS platform.  Fully functional trial versions of the software are available for Windows, Windows IoT Core, Linux, Raspberry Pi and Docker on our downloads page.

On Windows run the downloaded Setup.exe file to install one or more of the Open Automation Software features. Select the default Typical installation if you are not sure what features to use or the Custom installation if you want to save disk space on the target system.  When prompted agree to the End User License Agreement to continue the installation.

For more detailed instructions and video tutorials, visit the installation guide for your system:
Windows Installation | Linux Installation | Raspberry Pi Installation | Dockers Installation

The OAS Service Control application will appear when the installation finishes on Windows.  Use this application to start the 3 Services. Run the Configure OAS application on Windows and select Configure-Tags; if the first time running, the AdminCreate utility will run to create an Administrator login as shown in Step 1 of Getting Started – Security.

Step 2. Configure Your Allen Bradley Data Source

  1. First, you will need to open the Configure OAS application from the program group Open Automation Software.

  2. Select Configure >> License from the top menu and verify that Allen Bradley is one of the available Drivers in the lower left of the form. The demo license will have this by default. If you do not see Allen Bradley available, contact support@openautomationsoftware.com to update your license.

  3. Select Configure >> Drivers from the top menu.

  4. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  5. The Configure Drivers Screen will appear. Select either AB Classic for MicroLogix, SLC 500, and PLC-5 or AB Logic for ControlLogix, CompactLogix, GuardLogix, and Micro800 from the Driver dropdown box.

  6. Enter a meaningful Driver Interface Name that you will refer to this physical connection when defining Tags with an Allen Bradley Data Source.

  7. Define the properties for the desired physical connection.

  8. Click the Add Driver button above the Driver list in the left pane to add the Driver Interface as an available selection when defining Tags in the next step.

For more detailed instructions on configuring your Allen Bradley data source, click here to see our Getting Started Allen Bradley tutorial.

Step 3. Configure Your Tags

OAS provides multiple ways to add and define tags:

To add a Tag manually:

  1. In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Tags from the top menu.

  2. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to modify with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  3. Click on the Add Tag button located at the top of the Tag browser on the left portion of the screen.

  4. A dialog box will appear. Enter a name for your new tag and click ok.

  5. A configuration screen will appear for your new tag. Select your data source type in in the Data Source dropdown box.

  6. Specify the correct data type in the Data Type dropdown box.

  7. Click Apply Changes at the bottom right of the window.

For more detailed instructions on configuring your tags, click here to see our Getting Started Tags tutorial.

Step 4. Configure Data Logging

  1. In the OAS Configure Application, select Configure >> Data Logging from the top menu.

  2. Select localhost or the remote service you wish to log data from with the Select button to the right of the Network Node list.

  3. A Logging Group screen will appear.

  4. In the Common Tab, you will determine your table format and type of logging you wish to implement.

  5. In the Tags Tab, you will select the tags you wish to log.

  6. In the Database Tab, you will select what type of database you will be logging to and enter the connection parameters. OAS can log to SQL Server, Oracle, Access, PostgreSQL, Cassandra, MongoDB, MariaDB, SQLite, InfluxDB, and MySQL.

  7. If you wish to log to CSV, you would configure that in the CVS Logging tab.

For more detailed instructions on Configuring Data Logging, visit our Getting Started Data Logging tutorial or watch the video tutorial below:

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How To Articles

Below you will find short guides for some of the most common Open Automation Software tasks.

How To Set Up OAS

How to Log Data

How to Log Alarms

How to Send Alarm Notifications

How to Use the OAS Rest API

How to View Tags in a Web Browser

How to View Tags in No-Code User Interface

Working with Data Sources

Working with Data Destinations

Working with Data Communications Features

Working with IoT Visualization Features

Working with JSON

Choosing Networking Features

How to use the MQTT Broker

How to Transfer Data

.NET Real Time Data Access

How To Visualize Data with WPF