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The InfluxDB External TagProvider uses InfluxDB as a Historian Target Database for storing time-series data. Configure this External TagProvider to integrate time-series data into your solution, facilitating data storage, retrieval, and analysis. This setup provides a method for managing historical data within the Unified Namespace.TagProvider allow dynamic retrieval of data from InfluxDB database, as well to save tags values to the InfluxDB databases. It can be used in read-only mode mode, or updating values, using as an Unified Namespace TagProvider, or it can also be used in Historian, Storage Locations, to act as one of locations where the Historian Module can save its data.

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Table of Contents

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Configuration

To set up InfluxDB as

an External Tags source

a TagProvider, navigate to Unified

Namespaces → External TagProviders

Namespace → TagProvider Connections and select the InfluxDB Connector.

Or the same configuration dialog will be presented when selecting InfluxDB from Historian → StorageLocations.

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System Requirements

This TagProvider requires the user to have access to an InfluxDB Server with support for API Version 2.0 or greater.

Connection Parameters

AnchorInfluxDB Tag Provider and Historian IntegrationInfluxDB Tag Provider and Historian IntegrationInfluxDB TagProvider and Historian IntegrationTo configure this Protocol as a ExternalTags, go to Unified Namespace → External TagProviders and create a new provider for InfluxDB Connector

Field	Description
Provider	Specifies the system the TagProvider will interface with. In this case, it interfaces with the InfluxDB Connector.
Access Mode	Determines permissions for interacting with tags. Read allows only data reading. Write permits only data writing. ReadWrite enables both reading and writing.
Name	User-defined name for the TagProvider instance. Identifies the specific configuration in the system.
Description	Defines a short description for the TagProvider's purpose or the systems it interfaces with. Provides context for its usage.
ProtocolOptions	Defines specific communication settings for the connection to the device.
Connection	Defines connection settings for the InfluxDB, including IP address, port, token, bucket, and organization.
IP Address	Specifies the IP address of the InfluxDB server.
Port	Sets the port number used for communication with the InfluxDB server.
Token	Specifies the token for authentication with the InfluxDB server.
Bucket	Defines the bucket within InfluxDB to retrieve or store data.
Organization	Specifies the organization associated with the InfluxDB instance.
Test	Verifies the connection settings to ensure successful communication with the specified server.
ConnectionString	Displays the full connection string used to connect to the InfluxDB server. Provides a summary of all connection parameters

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System Requirements

This TagProvider requires the user to have access to an InfluxDB Server with support for API Version 2.0 or greater.

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The Station syntax is similar to the Device one, with two additional fields:

IP Address: InfluxDB Database Server Default value is localhost.
Port: InfluxDB Database Server Port Default value is 8086.
Token: Token used to verify Read/Write Permission.
Bucket: Bucket in which client will connect If Connection parameters are correctly filled, you should see all buckets available in the ComboBox DropDown.
Organization: Organization defined for user in InfluxDB Database.

Collector: Specifies the type of Collector to be used. Each one have a specific behavior in Runtime. Options are:
- Default: Connects to any InfluxDB Database without any custom TreeView is based only on Filter configuration.

tProj Historian

- SolutionHistorian: Is used to Write ProjectTags Historian data in a custom.
  - Filters field will always be disabled, with measurement and field columns added to.
  - When Provider is used as Historian, Historian TableName will be used as measurement.
  - TreeView structure will behave different than Default and MQTT More details available in following sections.
- MQTT: Is used to Read Data that was stored using Telegraf’s MQTT Plugin pre-defined column structure.
  - The Topic information MUST be stored in a column named topic.
  - Filters field will always be disabled, with measurement, topic and field columns added to
  - TreeView structure will behave different than Default and tProj Historian.More details available in following sections.
Filters: Defines a hierarchical order for columns, separated by comma (","), when assembling the TreeView.

You can browse the columns to be discarded at the "+"
Click on + or - to add / remove And Up/Down arrows to change the filter order.

Info

title	Collector Selection

When using the InfluxDB in conjunction with Unified Namespace TagProvider, the Collector Default and MQTT can be used.

When using the InfluxDB as a Historian Storage Location, the Collection SolutionHistorian shall be used.

The Filters are used to define the Query to be executed when assembling the TreeView. In this example with measurement and field,the structure would be as follows:

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Note
Always use the Test button to verify the connection status.

Collectors

A DataCollector is an application that collects data from the field.

This ExternalTags can act as a Collector for different InfluxDB Schemas. Each one of them will have its own characteristic when assembling the Data in a TreeView Structure.

The Collectors are described in the sections below.

Tip

title	CustomColumns in InfluxDB

TagProvider connections

Info

ExternalTags connection cannot create new CustomColumns in InfluxDB Database, only access existing ones. To create new CustomColumns, use the Device Module Configuration.

Collectors

Default Collector

This collector will access any InfluxDB Database, and create the TreeView Structure based on the Filters.

This Collector can Read/Write data

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tProj Historian Collector
When a new Provider is Created, there is an option at the Dialog Window to Enable it as an Historian Server. When enabled, the provider is Write-Only.
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Storing Data
In this Configuration, Tags added on Historian → Historian Tags, into a Table targeted for InfluxDB Provider, will be automatically logged in your Database.
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In this scenario, the Table Name will act as our _measurement and the Complete TagName will be added to the field column.
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Reading Historical Data
By using the Complete TagName as _field, the TreeView can use that information to transform that name into a multi-level structure as illustrated below.
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, and it is used with the Unified Namespace TagProviders.
MQTT Collector
This Collector is used to Read Data from an InfluxDB Database Structure that was stored using Telegraf’s MQTT Plugin pre-defined schema, with MQTT topic stored in a column called topic.
The filters are, by default, defined as _measurement, topic and _field.
In Runtime, the TreeView Structure will use the MQTT Topic similar to what is done in MQTTspB ExternalTags.
As an example, let us assume we have an MQTT Client publishing to Topics:
Code Blocklanguagetext
Panel/Motor1/RPM

Panel/Motor2/RPM
The _measurement is defined as mqtt_consumer and _field is value.
Our TreeView Structure is illustrated below.
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Aggregation Methods in Charts
SolutionHistorian Collector
This Provider can be used to plot Historized data in the Project’s built-in TrendChart component. To do so, just add the component into a Display (1) and add to the PenList (2) an asset from this Provider (3), as illustrated in the image below.
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Now, using the Trend ControlName (4), we can access its properties in CodeBehind.
There is a property called GetSamplesMode that allows us to use different Aggregation Methods to the data to be displayed. The syntax used will be:
Code Block
language bash
TTrendChart trend = this.CurrentDisplay.GetControl("trend") as TTrendChart; trend.GetSamplesMode = "<AggregationMethod>;<AggregationInterval>"; trend.Refresh();
Where:
AggregationMethod: One of the methods available in the list below:
integral
stddev
experimental.histogramQuantile
mean
sum
experimental.integral
median
timeWeightedAvg
experimental.mean
mode
highestAverage
experimental.mode
oee.APQ
highestCurrent
experimental.quantile
oee.computeAPQ
highestMax
experimental.skew
prometheus.histogramQuantile
lowestAverage
experimental.spread
quantile
lowestCurrent
experimental.stddev
reduce
lowestMin
experimental.sum
skew
count
geo.ST_LineString
spread
experimental.count
histogramQuantile
collector is used with the Historian Storage Location configuration.
In this case, the InfluxDB is used as one of the repositories for the Historian Module of the solution.
In this Configuration, Tags added on Historian / Historian Tags, into a Table targeted for InfluxDB Provider, will be automatically logged in your Database.
The Historian Table Name will act as our _measurement and the Complete TagName will be added to the field column.
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Reading Historical Data
By using the Complete TagName as _field, the TreeView can use that information to transform that name into a multi-level structure as illustrated below.
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For more information, please refer to the InfluxDB documentation.
AggregationInterval: TimeSpan as a String, with syntax: ”hh:mm:ss”. E.g.: ”00:01:00” to represent one minute.
NoteIt is important to always refresh when changing the GetSamplesMode to make sure the correct data is displayed.