Plantmetrics compatibility

Here's one for the AB aces...

I sat through a demo of RSBizware Plantmetrics yesterday and was suitably impressed. Great stuff.

Now, I'm looking into compatibility between Bizware (RSSQL) and our other database-driven system, like SAP (Oracle), WinSPC(MSSQL) and such.

My question is this:

Is it possible to define another database as a data source for RSSQL, then use the same front end (Bizware) for both? I'd like to generate comprehensive reports, complete with time punches, material usage and quality data, all of which reside, well, all over the place.

Thanks!

TM

I did setup for Historian, RSSQL two years ago. If I remember correctly, you can use any database with an odbc driver, cos .. you will be giving the odbc username and password only in the Bizware setups.

In short, Yes.

RSSQL Configurations can include multiple sources and destinations for data through its connector/driver structure. In most applications, one driver talks to an OPC link, one talks to the default database, either directly (uncommon) or through ODBC (common), and if you have RSView, or some flavor of it, one talks directly to View.

You can create others. That's the good news. If you are 'rolling your own' actual communications to SAP or other enterprise level systems, you can do basic to sophisticated transactions just by making a connection to the external database.

That method usually involves some coding on the SAP end to manage data. You can also directly integrate into enterprise systems, though the cost of tight binding to SAP can get expensive. Then again, if you are already running an enterprise system, the cost for the Rockwell enterprise interface software is really not that bad.

If you are getting involved in PlantMetrics, one bit of advice... FULLY DEFINE WHAT DATA YOU WANT TRANSFERRED IN AND OUT BEFORE YOU START THE PM PROGRAMMING! While it isn't hard to add/change things later on, if you don't start with an absolute clearly defined base-line, the system can grow unmanagable very quickly. Bizware is an amazingly powerful and complex suite of software, and as so, lends itself to trying to throw in every feature at once.

I usually advise starting small (as on one line, or machine cell), getting comfortable with it, and then expanding it.

Good luck Timothy!