FactoryTalk View SE 7.0 - Recipe with 2000 of REALs

Hi All.
I need to manage (store, restore, download to PLC, upload from PLC) a recipe with big amount of data - 2000 TAGs. Recipe object can provide a management of datas, which are all on the same display, on numered "numeric input" fields. I need more tags, than is possible to place in one display (I have 5 arrays of 400 elements). Does anybody can help, please? I expect there must be some solution, but I am little bit novice, especially on VBA..

I just did one with 100+ recipes with 100 tags each...But in theory, it's the same.

First off, what PLC? Hopefully a ControlLogix that manages datasets (UDTs) and String's (for recipe names) effeciently.

Just do all the recipe management/storage in the PLC. Create one UDT type that is a single element of the recipe with all 2000 Tags as the sub types of that one recipe. Create a large array of type Recipe for the number of recipes you expect.

On a recipe screen, create a pick list either through a combo box or static elements where the operator can select the recipe to manipulate. Also on this screen show the elements of that selected recipe. Obviously you can't show all 2000, so break them up into pages that the operator can move through a couple hundred at a time.

Use some ladder logic to simply detect which recipe is selected (a changing index value from the HMI) to populate one recipe tag with the currently viewed recipe. Create some other logic that copies this tag back into the repository on a 'save' or into an active recipe tag on a 'load'.

The result is pretty straight forward and involves no VBA scripting.

I agree with robertmee, IF the recipes are to be stored in the PLC.

However, IF the recipes are to be stored somewhere else, such as an SQL database, then the challenge becomes more complex and you'll need some way to query the SQL database, bring that data to tags in your SCADA application, then download it to the PLC.

Of course you'll need to be able to show a list of available recipes, a method to edit those and save them back to SQL...etc.

I'm in the middle of doing this for InTouch, it's a chore depending on how many types of recipes you need to manage. Lots of scripting within InTouch to do this, and I imagine a similar amount of VBA work in RSView SE to do the same.

Thank You Guys!
I'll have to negotiate with the Customer - he requires to have a possibility to edit recipe off-line, so storting it on SE server was obviously.
I was hoping, that I can relate a recipe elements with TAGs, not only with a numeric inputs, which I can place maybe 150 on one page (and in fact in one recipe).

edit:
there is no possible to store datas on PLC (customer wishes). Only possiibility is to store rec in database (even not in text file, so recipe alg is not alowed). Does anybody know, what do I need to handle this task? Where to find the knowledge?

thx

If those are your constraints, you'll have to go SQL database route..

You'll need to create the appropriate SQL tables

You'll need to create 2000 memory tags to hold the values of one recipe in SE

You'll need to develop SQL reads/writes to access the database and populate the memory tags with the values when a recipe is selected/saved.

You'll need to create scripting to move the memory tag values to PLC tags on 'load' actions.

I'd suggest you start reading all the Factory Talk SE user guides and the sections that pertain to SQL. Then supplement with information from the Knowledgebase.

Robert,
is it possible to go the Datalog Model with ODBC tables way (is there possible to load data from it), or it is dead end? Shall I use a Transaction Manager?

robertmee said:

If those are your constraints, you'll have to go SQL database route..

Click to expand...

OK, let's go this route!

robertmee said:

You'll need to create the appropriate SQL tables

Click to expand...

Done in SQL server express 2012

robertmee said:

You'll need to create 2000 memory tags to hold the values of one recipe in SE

Click to expand...

Done

robertmee said:

You'll need to develop SQL reads/writes to access the database and populate the memory tags with the values when a recipe is selected/saved.

Click to expand...

So I have two databases on SQL management studio. As I understood I will need to develop a script to store data from one (FTVIEWX64TAGDB) to another (SQLEXPRESS). Is it possible to do it via VBA code in one FTV display? Or Shall I go another way (I red that FTV SE doesnt support SQL server to other tasks than A&E and data logging, and does not support 64-bit sql), like Transaction Manager? Please help!

robertmee said:

You'll need to create scripting to move the memory tag values to PLC tags on 'load' actions.

Click to expand...

If I do a copy between databases on press LOAD, then this step is not needed, isnt it? Otherwise, if I restore datas from sql to f.e. numeric input, then there will be needed to make a script to update a tags, correct?

robertmee said:

I'd suggest you start reading all the Factory Talk SE user guides and the sections that pertain to SQL. Then supplement with information from the Knowledgebase.

Click to expand...

OK. Can You recomend something? I red a FTVSE UM, IM, many Knowledhebase articles, and a few other things provided by uncle google. I have a toolkit contract and talked with ra support on chat, I posted on RA forum, call them, trying to serch materials on closed knowledgebase, and nobody helped.