Historians

An industrial automation historian is a specialized time-series database designed to collect, store, and retrieve large volumes of process data from industrial equipment such as PLCs, SCADA systems, DCSs, and IoT devices. It is a cornerstone of data-driven operations, helping industries monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot real-time and historical performance.

<ul><li>Continuous data logging of process variables (e.g., pressure, temperature, flow, machine states)</li><li>Efficient time-stamped storage for long-term retention</li><li>High-speed data retrieval for analysis, trends, and reports</li><li>Interface with SCADA, PLCs, MES, ERP, and other enterprise systems</li><li>Support for advanced analytics, machine learning, and predictive maintenance</li></ul>

<table><thead><tr><th>Feature</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>High-Speed Data Capture</td><td>Collects thousands of data points per second</td></tr><tr><td>Compression & Filtering</td><td>Reduces storage while maintaining accuracy (deadbanding, sampling rates)</td></tr><tr><td>Time-Series Indexing</td><td>Optimized for chronological queries</td></tr><tr><td>Redundancy & Archiving</td><td>Ensures data integrity and disaster recovery</td></tr><tr><td>Trending & Visualization</td><td>Provides built-in or external tools for plotting and analysis</td></tr><tr><td>Data Export & APIs</td><td>Supports OPC UA, MQTT, REST, ODBC, SQL, etc. for data sharing</td></tr></tbody></table>

<ul><li>Process optimization (e.g., reducing cycle time or energy use)</li><li>Root cause analysis (e.g., investigating production downtime)</li><li>Regulatory compliance (e.g., FDA 21 CFR Part 11 for data integrity)</li><li>Predictive maintenance (e.g., detecting motor degradation trends)</li><li>OEE & KPI dashboards for operations management</li></ul>

Historian	Vendor	Notes
PI System	AVEVA (formerly OSIsoft)	Industry standard, scalable, strong analytics tools
Proficy Historian	GE Digital	Fast data retrieval, OPC/SCADA integrations
Ignition Tag Historian	Inductive Automation	SQL-based, highly flexible, built into Ignition SCADA
Wonderware Historian	AVEVA	Integrates tightly with System Platform (InTouch)
FactoryTalk Historian	Rockwell Automation	Built on PI System, optimized for Rockwell PLCs
Canary Historian	Canary Labs	Lightweight, fast, OPC UA compatible

<ul><li>User authentication and access control</li><li>Audit trails and electronic signatures (21 CFR Part 11)</li><li>Encrypted storage and data transfer</li></ul>

<ul><li>SCADA Systems: Real-time HMI and alarms</li><li>PLCs/DCS: Raw data sources (via OPC, Modbus, Ethernet/IP)</li><li>MES/ERP: High-level manufacturing and business reporting</li><li>Cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud for advanced analytics or remote access</li></ul>