Configuring: Proficy Historian Source

Requirements

This operation requires the installation of the Proficy Historian Client SDK on the CSense machine. This operation uses the Proficy Historian OLE DB Provider provided by installing the Proficy Historian Client SDK.

Data from the Proficy Historian can be either continuous data or discrete data. You need to configure the data by, for example, by adding a timestamp field for continuous data or selecting an index for discrete data.

NOTE: Proficy Historian has a default limit of returning 5000 tags, so you will need to apply a filter, or import a subset if the tags you are specifically requesting are not shown in the returned tags.

Worked example: Proficy Historian Source

Steps to configure

  1. Connection: Connect to the server, logging in with your username and password. Check the connection.

  2. Tag selection and browsing: Select the fields to import.

  3. Sampling properties: Define the sampling and calculation properties of the data source.

  4. Time windows: Define the time window of data required.

  5. Filter: Define a filter that applies to the data of that chosen field that is retrieved (Optional).

  6. Timestamp: When loading data from an external data source, you need to set the associated timestamp (Optional).

  7. Quality: When loading data from an external data source, you need to set the associated data quality (Optional).

  8. Execution: On execute, the import of the fields will be seen, and the new dataset will populate the workspace.

Step 1: Connection

Connect to the server, in order to receive data from the Proficy Historian. Log in with your username and password.

  • Leaving the server text box empty implies connecting to the default server.

  • Click [Next] to check the connection.

  • If you type in incorrect server and user details, the connection will fail. This will be displayed on the next configuration page. You then have the opportunity to return to this page, and correct the details.

  • Default: All connection detail text boxes are blank.

  • Minimum configuration: None

Checking the connection:

  • This page is automatically skipped if the connection is successful.

  • If the connection failed:

    • An error message is displayed. Click [Details] for more information on the connection error.

    • Check your connection details entered on the connection page.

    • From this page, it is only possible to return to the connection page.

Step 2: Tag selection and browsing

Select the fields to import, filtering the tags if necessary. Use the [>] and [<] to move fields from the available pane to the selected fields pane.

  • Proficy Historian has a default limit of returning 5000 tags, so you will need to apply a filter, or import a subset if the tags you are specifically requesting are not shown in the returned tags.

  • Active filter: Choose which fields are to be made available for selection: All or None.

    • This filter is applied when retrieving the available fields from the historian.

    • Clicking the [Show all] will display all fields in the historian as available fields, and change the active filter to [All].

    • Configure filter: it is possible to configure your own field filter.

      • Default settings: The Value and Name properties are empty, and the Filter is on field name.

      • The current possible filters of [All] and [None] are listed.

      • Value: This is the filtered value, and will therefore determine which fields pass through the filter, and are available for selection.

        • Set a value using any characters you want in the fields.

        • Add * or ? to the values, where

          • * can be replaced by any sequence of one or more characters, and

          • ? can be replaced by any one character

          • The prefix or postfix position of the * or ? will determine whether the field name characters prefix or postfix the defined character.

          • For example: *O* will return fields containing an O anywhere within all the characters of the field name, eg Carbon Dioxide.

          • O? will return fields with an O followed by only one character, such as O2.

          • ?O will return fields with an O preceded by only one character, such as CO.

      • Name: Filter name that will be displayed in the active filter box.

      • Filter on: select whether to filter on the field name or description in the historian.

      • [+] and [-]: Add to or remove the possible filters listed.

      • Import: Import previously created filters, either from other data recipes, or from the Architect block.

      • Export: Export the current list of filters, to be imported into other data recipes, or the Architect block.

      • OK: Closes the dialog, and all the configured filters will be in the Active filter text box, with the filter selected in the dialog as the selected active filter.

      • Cancel: The dialog is closed with no changes to the Active filter text box.

  • Validate: validates the selected fields. If there is an error with the selected fields, a message will show, suggesting the appropriate action required.

  • Import: Import selected fields, either from the Architect block, or exported from another data recipe.

  • Export: Export selected fields for further manipulation and analysis in the Architect or other data recipes.

  • Media and Description buttons: Change the field name to use either the media source name or the description as the field name. Highlight the field, and select to change the field name, if required.

  • Convert: Use these buttons to convert data types between Integer, Double and String data types where applicable. Highlight the field, and click [I], [D] or [S] respectively.  

    • An Integer can be converted to Double, String and back to Integer.

    • A Double can be converted to String and back to Double.

    • A String value can’t be converted.

  • Default: The Active filter is [None], so no fields populate the [Available] pane.

  • Minimum configuration: At least one field must be selected.

Step 3: Sampling properties

Define the sampling mode, period and calculation properties of the data source.

  • For details on the Sampling and Calculation mode options, refer to the original documentation of Proficy Historian.

  • Sampling period: only integer values accepted, no decimals indicating milliseconds.

  • Default:

    • Sampling mode: Calculated

    • Calculation mode: Average

    • Sampling period: 60 seconds

  • Minimum configuration: Sampling and calculation mode selected, and a sampling period entered. The calculation mode is only selectable when the sampling mode is set to Calculated.

Step 4: Time windows

Define the time window of data retrieval required.

  • Select the data retrieval window to use either:

    • Execution time: data will be requested over the defined data window at a time relative to execution of the operation

    • Custom data window: define a data window, specifying the start, end and duration of the window for retrieving data

  • Use execution time: (this option is only available for sources that use time windows).

    • Using execution time means data will be requested over a defined duration relative to the execution time.

    • The advantage of using a window relative to the execution time is that you don't need to configure the time window for data retrieval every time you want to execute the operation. The source block will provide data for the defined duration of the scheduled time window on every execute.

    • Execution time: This can be either:

      • the execution of the data recipe on loading the recipe into the Troubleshooters.

      • the deployment time of the data recipe in the CSense Runtime Manager.

      • This execution time is deemed to be time at NOW, and the time window and offset period go back in time from NOW, reading the data from the historian over the defined time window.

    • Offset from execution time: This offset is a "buffer" time period, from the time of execute, back in time to the end of the time window.

    • Time window duration: Specify the duration of the time window required to provide data, in days, hours, minutes and seconds.

  • Custom data window:

    • Define a data window, specifying the start, end and duration of the window.

    • The dates and times need to be valid dates and times. Use either the date/time picker or edit the values manually. The duration must be in the form d h:mm:ss.

    • More than one data window can be defined. Conditions for adding further data windows are:

      • The window must have a positive duration, i.e. >0 seconds.

      • The window cannot overlap with other configured windows.

    • It is possible to execute the operation at this point, after specifying the data windows.

  • Default: Data window selected, with Start + End selected where the start and end date and time is the current time.

  • Minimum configuration: A data window must be defined by one of the two available options.

Step 5: Filter

Define a filter that applies to the data of that chosen field that is retrieved (Optional).

  • If you choose to configure a filter, the filter will be applied to the data retrieved.

  • For example: configuring the filter as follows:

    • Field: Field1

    • Comparison: Equal

    • Value: 2

    • means that only rows where the value of Field1 is 2 will be imported into the new dataset.

    • Mode: The type of time filter: defines how time periods before and after transitions in the filter condition should be handled.

      • ExactTime – Retrieves data for the exact times that the filter condition is True.

      • BeforeTime – Retrieves data from the time of the last False filter condition up until the time of the True condition.

      • AfterTime – Retrieves data from the time of the True filter condition up until the time of next False condition.

      • BeforeAndAfterTime – Retrieves data from the time of the last False filter condition up until the time of next False condition.

  • The value entered in the Value text box must be of the same type as the field you selected. Therefore, if you select a field with type double values, then the value entered should also be a double value.

  • Default: All values are blank.

  • Minimum configuration: No configuration required.

Step 6: Timestamp

When loading data from an external data source, you need to set the associated timestamp - this is an optional step.

  • This step is only available for continuous data.

  • If you select to use a timestamp you need to specify:

    • Master timestamp: create a timestamp column for the dataset.

    • All field timestamps: use the timestamp field of each field. This will list a timestamp field after each field.

  • Selecting timestamp alignment will ensure that each row contains a unique timestamp.

  • Default: All values are blank.

  • Minimum configuration: No configuration required.

Step 7: Quality

Select the way that the quality of each row of the fields will be shown. You can either choose to not show the quality, to set bad quality values to null or to create a quality column.

  • Include a master quality field: create a quality column for the dataset

  • Include data quality per field: use the quality field of each field. This will list a quality field after each field.

  • Set bad quality to null: each row of a specific field that is assigned a bad quality will receive a null value.

  • Default: All values are blank.

  • Minimum configuration: No configuration required.

Step 8: Execute

On execute, the import of the fields will be seen, and the new dataset will populate the workspace. The data will be called from the Proficy Historian source, and the new dataset will show the selected fields with filtered data (if filters were configured.)

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CSense 2023- Last updated: June 24,2025
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