ControlLogix data to SQL

I have found some other threads close to this topic but most were older. And as we all know software is always changing and I wanted to make sure I'm getting the best information for 2013.

We are integrating a system that will have ~30 ControlLogix PLCs that we will need to read and write data(formulas/recipes) to. This is a new plant so we are wanting to get something that will work well and be supported in the future.

Here is a short list of what we have used/what my research has found thus far.

FactoryTalk Transaction Manager
Can be a pain to get all of the tags set up.
Works very well with ControlLogix PLCs
Only supported on server 2003, we don't want to put in a brand new system running 10 year old software.

OLDI
Works very well with ControlLogix PLCs
Not every PLC will have room to add a card in the rack.
Have used before, but on a small scale.

Inductive Automation (Ignition SQL Bridge Module)
Never used before.
According to their sales it supposed to do everything that FT trans. will do.
It will use their own OPC server, no tag limit, no device limit, no user limit, any operating system.
All that for just over 2k.


If anyone has any recommendations for these or any other options it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

I have and are currently using option 1 and 2 but I have no experience with Inductive Automation but what I have known about the product is all good.

I would not go with transaction manager as it has not been kept up to date and is not well polished.

Most people using OLDI don't use one in every PLC chasis. Most people have a central logix chasis and a seperate ENBT in each machine chasis for data collection.

A single OLDI module can pare something like 250 tags per second and is pleanty for most applications.

If you are doing very high speed and time stamped data collection you would want an OLDI module in each chasis but if not 1 OLDI module could server several PLC's depending on the amount of data and same time and accuracy needs.

This is all very application specific. What works well for me may be terrible in your application and it may be great. Only a question you can answer.

Rockwell has a local historian module also that resides in the chasis and IIRC is made by OLDI and private labeled by Rockwell but it links in with FT Historian and is dummed down and can't do all that the OLDI module can.

Last I checked it could only write to FT Historian which is SQL based but you can't make the module write directly to a SQL DB not will FT historian write to a stand alone SQL DB.

If I were you I would likely stick with the OLDI module and maybe ENBT modules in your local chasis. This is what people refer to as a data concentrator setup. OLDI has a stand alone module if there is no room in your chasis and no room for a larger chasis.

If you're also considering Ignition as an HMI system, it's the clear choice.

I just finished up an HMI application with Ignition, and provided SQL data for extraction and reporting by somebody else.

I found the learning curve to be steep, because I'm not a Java or Python programmer. A lot of features in Ignition you need to have a little more Python scripting and SQL experience than I have. Both other solutions are more fill-in-the-blank than programmable or customizable.

But every time I ran into a problem, I solved it with the user manual or Forum or Tech Support. I frequently ran into features that I would have no way of accomplishing in our usual HMI that were simple scripts in Ignition.

RA still has the best integration and comms. RSLinx won't stumble when you add or modify a tag, while Ignition will re-initialize groups of tags when you add or change their members.

I know that IA was having some trouble updating the OPC-UA driver to work with ControlLogix v21 firmware; check with them to be sure they have cleared that hurdle.

Probably the thing that impressed me the most about Ignition was the ease of installation. I have it running on a little low-power server on which I installed a Turnkey Linux MySQL appliance, and I think it took about 3 hours to set up. Compare that to my fastest Windows Server/FactoryTalk installation and we're talking an order of magnitude faster and easier.

You get a resettable trial of the other modules of Ignition (notably Vision, their HMI environment), so you can explore the other stuff even while the licensed SQL Bridge and free OPC-UA Server are ticking away running your application.

I just finished a start-up here where we are doing exactly as PLC Kid describes as a data concentrator set-up.

We have one chassis with an OLDI module pushing to a SQL database for inventory tracking/control, and also an EN2T pulling data via CIP MSG's from about 45 Contrologix PLC's behind ENBT cards.

I thought the OLDI was really easy to set-up, especially for a SQL illiterate guy like myself. The module has performed very well so far for us, although it's not what you would call a high-speed application, probably only about 300 transactions an hour.

Ignition..

I've used Ignition extensively and would highly recommend it. I've yet to find anything it can't do. If you just buy the bridge module for PLC-db connectivity it's priced quite reasonably. You can always add the other features by module later. Although, the Vision portion is so good if you have any plans on doing HMI's you might as well buy that to begin with. You can download the whole thing as a trial ahead of time if you want.

Ignition's installation and updating is so easy it's not funny. I'm saying that after having to deal with both WW and Rockwell.

It comes with thier own OPC which works well with all of Rockwells products plus a Modbus driver which I've used on a number of other devices like Adventech I/O modules and SquareD power monitors. Again, using them is easier than falling off a log.

if you use ignition you may want to look at using kepware's AB suite driver. Its only $900. Not that there is anything wrong with the ignition driver, I just feel more comfortable using kepware since they specialize in writing drivers.

Ive been using ignition for about 3 years now and it is a great product. Very stable and support is great. Like Ken, I had no sql or python experience, but started picking it up and now amaze myself with some of the stuff I can do. full sql support opens up the product so much, you will be able to do things you have never even dreamed of in a scada system.

I'm seeing a pattern here, and that is that everyone is satisfied with Ignition.

The Plc Kid - It looks like the OLDIs my be a better option than I originally thought. I will have to do some more figuring to see how many tags/sec the system will need.

Ken Roach - Is it an issue to add tags to the Ignition system? Or is it just not as easy as it is on RA system? It is great to hear that they have a good tech support system because I know I will have quite a few questions if we go the Ignition route.

bmacattack33 - Its possible we may end up doing something similar, using the OLDIs in a dedicated "data" plc to gather and then push the data to the server.

NetNathan - Short and to the point haha

WildeKurt - It sounds like I will need to give their whole system a try.

diat150 - Thanks for the tip, I will definitely have to look into kepware if and when the time comes.

Thanks everyone

Inductive's OPC driver has worked quite well for me. Adding tags to a project can be as simple as drag and drop. Ignition's OPC-UA driver browses ROckwell PLC's just like Rockwell's stuff. I'm not sure how other drivers would work. If anyone knows, speak up as I'd like to know at least.


Kurt

We use Ignition across our sites worldwide on AB PLC's. It's relatively easy and intuitive to use IMO.

I used the xCoupler and EATM modules from OldI. The new EATM modules are a lot more easier to use than their older XCoupler Modules.

That being said, I do a lot of a VB.Net programming and for me its much easier and cheaper to write my own interface between the plc and our SQL server.

Have a look at SQL4automation. There are libraries for AB. With one license you can connect all your PLCs to a database. Its really fast and no OPC server is needed. www.sql4automation.com

Ignition. Super flexible. Once you go to Ignition, its hard to go back to anything else.

+1 for Ignition in this application.

Transaction Manager would work however it is a pain to use and maintain. The time/cost investment of going with Ignition would be far less than that of TM and provide you with all the functionality you would need.

+1 for Ignition. I have been using it for the past 5 years and I have not found anything it cant handle. You dont need to be a SQL or python expert as you can build a full system without these skills but if you want to add some neat features to your application then learning these skills will be required. The independent platform, unlimited everything and the fully functional 2 hour infinitely resettable trial make it a great choice for any application as it can be fully tested before a commit to purchase

Aidan