An analog signal, current or voltage, is delivered to an ADC (Analog to Digital Converter) in a PLC Card or Module.
The assumption is that the analog signal is proportion to some particular condition (PSI, GPM, FPM,... whatever).
The ADC converts the analog signal to a digital value. This value is dependent upon the range of the ADC. This range does NOT have any obvious, direct relationship to the particular condition being monitored.
The range is dependent upon the type of transmitter (-10V to +10V, or 0-mA 20-mA, or 4-mA to 20-mA,... etc.). This value is NOT Engineering units. Rather, it is proportional to the range of the ADC. This is generally called the "RAW" number.
Typically then, there is a SCALER function, somewhere in the PLC, that takes the "RAW" number and converts it to Engineering units (PSI, GPM, FPM,... etc.).
Typically, the process then depends on the converted Engineering Values to make decisions.
However, if the developer chooses to do so, the process could then use the RAW Numbers to make decisions.
That is, if the developer decides to do so, he can use the RAW Number to make decisions (which are harder to interpret while trouble-shooting... this is how it was done before the SCALAR routines were developed) or he can use the Converted Engineering Numbers (which are much easier to trouble-shoot... because the nature of the particular value is much more obvious).
There ya go... the rock-bottom basics.