Best Practices

General Concepts

Planning and Design

Before you start developing a project, take a time to plan and design the system. This includes defining the scope of the project, creating a functional specification, and determining the requirements for the user interface, data collection, and alarm management.

Modularization

Modularization is an important best practice in FactoryStudio. It involves breaking down the project into smaller, more manageable modules that can be developed and tested independently. This approach makes it easier to debug and maintain the project, as well as reuse modules across different projects.

Version Control

Using version control software is essential when working on FactoryStudio projects. This allows you to track changes, revert to previous versions, and collaborate with other team members more effectively. Git is a popular version control system that integrates well with FactoryStudio.

Documentation

Creating a documentation for your projects is crucial for ensuring that other team members can understand and maintain the project over time. Make sure to document the project structure, module dependencies, data sources, and other important aspects of the project.

Testing and Debugging

Testing and debugging are essential steps in the development process. Make sure to thoroughly test each module and the system as a whole before deploying it. Debugging tools such as breakpoints, watches, and log files can help you identify and fix issues quickly.

Security

Security is a critical consideration when building automation and SCADA systems. Make sure to follow best practices for network security, password management, user access control, and data encryption. FactoryStudio includes built-in security features such as user authentication and role-based access control.

Troubleshooting

Ideally you can troubleshoot problems even before they happen on the field. Always review the Troubleshooting topics on each Module in order to ensure your solution is not risking to affect by the issue described on that item. 

Performance Optimization

Optimizing the performance of your projects can help ensure that they run smoothly and efficiently. Consider using techniques such as caching, indexing, and data compression to improve performance. Also, make sure to monitor system performance regularly to identify and address any issues.

Best Practices for each Module

Following the links for the Troubleshooting and Best Practices section of each Module documentation section.

Unified Namespace and Tags

Module Devices

Module Alarms

Module Historian

Module Datasets

Module Scripts

Module Reports

Module Security

Displays And Visualization

In this section: