Configuration
The OPC Data Logger makes configuration quick and easy through the use of the Project Wizard to help guide you though the configuration.
Setting up your system to log points to a simple text file or Database can take only minutes.
Powerful Enough for Complex Projects:
The configuration of the Data Logger is made up
of four key parts which are used to create unique Projects
• Collectors - Where the data comes from
• Storage - Where the data gets put
• Presentation - How the data is stored
• Triggers - When the data gets logged
Using these four key components of
the Data Logger you can collect data
from different sources and store the data
in different file or databases locations
depending on different conditions.
• Log process settings to SQL Server when data changes
• Log key readouts to a text file based on alarm conditions only
• Log Shift or Daily production values to Oracle
• The combinations are endless
Wizards greatly simplify the configuration of the OPC Data Logger application. While wizards are very easy to use and walk you through the configuration process, the following wizards currently exist:
Data Collector
The Data Collector will connect to your specified OPC Server to obtain the data that you want to log. This wizard allows you to configure data collection from an OPC Data Access (DA) server or an OPC Unified Architecture (UA) server. This section will help you configure an OPC Data Access (DA) Data Collector. Please refer to the OPC UA Data Collector section if you need to configure a connection to a UA data source.
Data Storage
Data is stored within a Data Storage Component, either a text file or a database. This wizard will help you to specify and configure the Data Storage Components you wish to log data to.
Presentation Formatter
Before data can be logged, you must create a Data Presentation. You may also wish to specify how the data should look. For example, you might want your values to be formatted in hexadecimal format, or format your dates in a specific way. The Presentation Formatter wizards will help you to configure exactly how to present your data
Project
The project ties everything together. It specifies the Data Collector which gathers data from the Data Source, along with the Data Storage components which will ultimately log the data to the data storage location. The project wizard takes you step by step through the process allowing you to associate all of these pieces together quickly and easily.
General Properties
• Project Name: A unique name that identifies the project.
• Description: Optional, but useful to describe the project.
• Data Collector: The Data Collector used for this project.
• Enabled: Enables and Disables the project for logging.
Group Properties
• Name: A unique name that identifies the group.
• Description: Optional, but useful to describe the group.
• Enabled: Enables and Disables the group for logging.
• Scan Rate: How frequently the items within the group should be polled by the data-source (such as an OPC Server).
• Deadband: A percent where we do not want to record value changed events. For example if the deadband is 10 we would not record a change that was less than 10%.
• Item Count: Displays the total number of items within the group.
• Add: Adds an empty group to the project.
• Remove: Remove Selected or Remove All groups from the project.
• Properties: Opens the properties page for the highlighted group.
A Collector is the place you get data from. The OPC Data Logger has been designed to allow any number of Collectors. The current version of the Data Logger supports OPC DA 2.x and OPC UA that supports the OPC DA profile. The design gives it room for future expansion of data sources. The Data Collection Wizard makes connections easy. The OPC Data Logger supports OPC UA servers that implement the OPC DA Profile. Below is an example configuration for an OPC UA Data Source.
Please see the links below with screen shots of how to configure each type of collector.
How to Configure an OPC UA Collector
How to Configure an OPC DA Collector
OPC UA
1.Choose the Data Collector type
2. Name your Data Collector
3. Specify the optional Discovery URL. Then you can choose a Server URL from the dropdown. Or type in the Server URL manually.
4. Choose the security method you will use to connect to the server.
5. You have the option of specifying a user name and password.
NOTE: Like with all OPC UA Clients and Servers, they must trust establish a trust relationship by exchanging security certificates. Please see the online help file for more information.
OPC DA
The Data Collection Wizard makes connections easy. Below is an example configuration for an OPC DA 2.x Data Source.
Choose the Data Collector type (OPC DA for this example)
2. Name your Data Collector
3. Select the PC your OPC Server is on
4. Choose your OPC Server from the drop down list
What is a "Data Storage Component"?
"Data Storage" is a term used within the OPC DataLogger that represents WHERE you log your data to, such as a text files (Excel/CSV, Txt) and databases.
Data Storage Components Features:
Data Storage components vary in what they can do. However, they all have common capabilities such as:
Buffered output - enables the data logger to operate at maximum speed
Trigger capabilities allowing for start/stop operations based on external events.
Easy configuration and flexible logging options
Ability to log data collected from 1..n OPC Servers.
No artificial licensing limits on the amount data you can store
What Data Storage Components are available?
Currently we support Text Files (Excel/CSV, Txt) and Databases.
How are Data Storage Components licensed?
When you purchase an OPC DataLogger license, it will include the data storage components you need. For example, if you purchased a Text file license then you would have the ability to use it to log data to an unlimited number of text files. Likewise, if you purchased a database storage component then you could use it to connect to an unlimited number of databases.
Databases
The Data Logger currently supports a number of different databases.
Microsoft Access 2000 and Later
SQL-Server 2000, 2005 and 2008 as well as Desktop/MSDE Versions
MySQL 4.1
ORACLE 9i and later
ODBC compliant databases
To configure your Database logging you follow a few easy steps:
Source - what file or database name your logging to
Login - enter the login information for that database
TestConnection - verify that you can connect to the database
Storage - Choose a presentation type or use a Stored Procedure
Items to Field Mappings - Map the logged information to the fields in your database.
Text Logs
Powerful Text Logging Features:
Text logging supports:
Overwriting or Appending data
Choose your Column Separator - Comma, Tab, Semicolon, Vertical Line
Add Headers or Footers
File Spanning
Stop Logging before using up Disk space
Spanning Details:
The Data Logger can be used with Triggers and File spanning to stop and start logging letting you create files for specific conditions, shifts or daily reporting.
File Naming:
Overwrite file name - same file name is always used
Incremental naming - file name gets +1 added each time
Date and Time naming - Date and time used to name file
Specified item Value - Use a value of a specific tag
How the data is formatted when you store it.
Table Mode:
Table mode provides a column for the Time Stamp and for each item that you log as shown above.
Table Mode Example: (shown as raw data)
Timestamp,Tag_1,Tag_2,Tag_3,Bool_15,Short_1,Word_1,Word_2
10:48:00,2829,2829,2829,False,5648,2824,5647
10:48:00,2836,2836,2836,False,5660,2830,5659
10:48:00,2839,2839,2839,False,5668,2834,5667
10:48:01,2843,2843,2843,False,5674,2837,5673
10:48:01,2849,2849,2849,False,5688,2844,5687
10:48:01,2852,2852,2852,False,5694,2847,5693
10:48:02,2856,2856,2856,False,5700,2850,569
Detail Mode:
Detail mode creates a column for each attribute you want logged and then places the information in the Storage as it is logged.
Detail Mode Example: (shown as raw data)
Timestamp(hh:mm:ss),ItemID,Value,Quality
09:23:03,Word_2,3,192
09:23:03,Word_1,2,192
09:23:03,Short_1,4,192
09:23:03,Bool_15,False,192
09:23:03,Tag_3,2,192
09:23:03,Tag_2,2,192
09:23:03,Tag_1,2,192
Overview: See Example Configurations in the on-line help
A trigger is a mechanism that allows you to configure when the OPC Data Logger should begin or end logging or start a file span event. Triggers can be used together to create multiple logging behaviors in one process.
The Data Logger contains several types of triggers. Each trigger is an identifier that signals when or under what condition events occur:
Begin logging,
End logging, or
Launch file spanning event.
Every trigger type is capable of signaling each event type.
The trigger types are Scheduled (at a given time), Recurring (repeating at a given interval), and Monitored Item (based on a value of a monitored tag). You can define one or multiple of any or all types of these in your project. Any or all types of triggers can be enabled for use simultaneously.
Using Writebacks to Monitor a Database Connection
1. Right-click on the Writeback in the Tree-View and Add Writeback
2. Assign the Writeback a User Friendly Name, type an Optional Description and assign your Data Collector
3. Be sure that within your OPC Server you have a OPC Item to receive your Writeback.
4. In the Items Tab of the Writeback Properties press the Add Button and Browse for Items to Add.
5. Find the OPC item that you wish to send the writeback value to and press the Ok Button.
6. Assign the Writeback Value of False. This will send the value of False when the connection is broken.
7. Go to your Database Properties from the Tree-View and click on the Writebacks Tab.
8. Press the Add Button and click on the Writeback you made for the Database Connection
9. Set the Cause of the Writeback to "Send when database connection is closed or lost". This will trigger the Writeback to happen every time your Database Connection is broken.
10. Type an Optional Description and press the Ok Button to enable the Writeback.
NOTE: To change the OPC's Item value back to True when a connection is established, simply create another Writeback sending to the same OPC Item and in the Database Connection Properties change the new Writebacks Cause to "Send after connecting to the database".
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