Any Database

The importance of databases for the correct functioning of any installation or process is indisputable, storing information has always been very useful (traceability, aggregate calculations, diagnostics, …).

However, something interesting is happening with databases. Due to the change/evolution that digitalization and automation signify – not only of the process, but also of the systems – they are increasingly used. This is mainly due to two notable changes with respect to their traditional use:

1. They have become gateways between software tools.

The vast majority of new industrial software engineering or process automation projects involve integrating different tools. The problem is that these tools are often programs that have not been designed to exchange information fluidly with other software. Faced with this situation, a database is usually used as an intermediate gateway, a tool inserts/updates certain data in the database and the recipient of this information reads it from there.

It is important to note that inserting/reading/writing in a database for the exchange of individual values/tags is always worse than using a standard communication protocol – real-time communication is lost, bidirectionality is complex, … – , but it is very valid when you need to save information of accumulated values, historical data, entire tables, etc.

2. Emergence of new types of databases

The monopoly of SQLServer databases or SQL-based databases is over. Its use is still essential, but in parallel with the new projects, new databases have emerged that are better suited to the new needs. It is especially important to highlight:

I Databases for time series. This type of database is much faster and more efficient than relational data databases when processing information with time stamping. Among them, the role and relevance that InfluxDB is taking on is especially noteworthy, being the preferred database option for tools such as Grafana or PowerBI

I Vertical vendor databases. There is a set of ERP software manufacturers that, together with the ERP itself, provide their own database. The advantage of its use is not so much in its properties, but in the easy integration it implies with its system. In this section we could name the databases of Oracle or even SAP HANA, the storage and big data tool of SAP

I Distributed architecture databases. In environments where agility, scalability and flexibility of the architecture are preferred, there are open source databases that are much better suited than traditional ones. Although it is true that they are not abundant in productive environments, these databases are very often found in management environments and, especially, in public institutions, where the distributed data storage architecture is prioritized. Among this type of database, MongoDB stands out for its response, its cost and, above all, for the community behind it.

Faced with the challenge of how to integrate this new type of repository with the traditional systems of control and monitoring of an installation – be it a factory or an infrastructure – Logitek provides the OPC Router solution.

OPC Router is an easy to use, scalable and secure tool, with the ability to connect any type of database – SQL-based or not – with the other systems present in the installation. We explain a few examples:

I Integrate Process Data with Historization Systems

Example architecture: OPC plugin + SQL/InfluxDB/MongoDB plugin

At the process control level, OPC is the standard industrial communications protocol. With it and with the use of any OPC Server you will have access to the field data. Through its OPC and database connectivity drivers, you can set up a simple and direct data repository.

I Integrate Historical Data in the Cloud

Example architecture: SQL/InfluxDB/MongoDB plugin + MQTT plugin

One of the objectives pursued in the new projects is to guarantee the persistence of the data in the face of any problem. One of the solutions found for this is to make the data redundant in the cloud. For this there are two ways, either send the data directly from the source or, if not possible, send it from the repository. Almost all clouds – IBM Watson, Azure, AWS, etc – use MQTT as a tool for ingesting information.

I Integrate an ERP with an MES System

Example architecture: SQL/InfluxDB/MongoDB plugin + SAP/Webservices plugin

When an MES system in question does not have the necessary drivers to connect directly with the ERP system – SAP or any other -, a custom development has always been chosen. Obviously, custom developments imply non-scalable systems with difficult and costly maintenance. Faced with this situation and as long as real time is not critical, OPC Router is a facilitator of the fluid exchange of information between both systems. Attacking the databases of the MES system – which are usually SQL -, it is able to send the information using the native connectivity of the ERP in a bidirectional, stable and scalable way. This is the situation and architecture for what OPC Router is currently most used for.

I Integrate Different Databases with each Other

Example architecture: SQL/InfluxDB/MongoDB plugin + SQL/InfluxDB/MongoDB plugin

As has been commented, there are many projects that involve transforming series of data from one place to another, either by interoperability or by resource optimization. Integrating one database with another is not easy, it implies having a client capable of acquiring/reading the information from one and, before a specific event or periodically, inserting/updating the data in the other, taking into account that the fields of the tables do not coincide in both, to give an example. OPC Router, through its triggers, editable fields and scripting, allows you to perform this function easily.

I Integrate Data in CSV or XML in Databases

Example architecture: transfer object CSV/XML + plugin SQL/InfluxDB/MongoDB

The use of CSV and XML files is still very widespread, especially in those systems that are already a few years old. The problem arises in how to integrate these sources of information with the most current data exploitation systems, not all of them have the ability to execute scripts to unparse and parse the information, separate the fields, the columns, etc., and interpret where each of the values should go. Once again, OPC Router is the tool that allows you to integrate these files with the most current systems.

These are just a few examples of the many that we can find. What is indisputable is that the database environment has changed, now they must work taking into account multiple origins and destinations of the information. And to carry out this integration process without falling into errors and custom developments, the use of conventional tools will be essential.

If you have other cases that you would like to raise or want to see how we solve the ones mentioned above, do not hesitate to get in contact with us or take a deeper look at the solution.

You can consult all the posts in this series:

https://www.comunicacionesindustrialeslogitek.com/opc-router-podemos-integrarlo-todo/

https://www.comunicacionesindustrialeslogitek.com/opc-router-podemos-integrarlo-todo-iii/

https://www.comunicacionesindustrialeslogitek.com/opc-router-podemos-integrarlo-todo-iv/

https://www.comunicacionesindustrialeslogitek.com/opc-router-podemos-integrarlo-todo-v/