Historian, Time Series Data

Introduction to Historian Module

The Historian module enables the storage of tag values and their corresponding timestamps in SQL databases or third-party time-series databases. This module is designed to streamline the collection and storage of data in its time context.

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Purpose and Key Concepts

Configuration of the Historian module is accomplished through the following sections: Target Database, Historian Table, and Historian Tag.

TargetDB

The TargetBD defines the database where variables will be archived or read to be used in charts and calculations. The Target Database can be any SQL Database or, using the TagProvider Extensibility, it can also use third-party products designed to store long-term time-related values, known as time-series databases or Historian tools.

HistorianTable

The HistorianTable is a logical organization that groups Tags for historical archiving. Each Historian Table has a definition of which Target Database the group of Tags will be archived. You can also configure other standard settings that apply to all tags in that group in the Historian Table, such as when to save new data or how long to keep the data.

HistorianTag

The HistorianTag refers to any value contained in a Historian Table to be archived, whether an internal Tag or an external data reference. These variables are typically Tags defined in this platform, but you can also include dynamic references to external data using the TagProvider functionality.

Historian Functionality

The Historian module provides an out-of-the-box solution for archiving historical data without programming requirements. Although it is possible to include custom data logging procedures in your solution using Scripts (.NET programming) and Datasets (SQL storage), the standard configuration tools of the Historian module can fulfill most typical data logging needs.

This historical data can then be used in Alarms and Displays.

Feature Highlights

Embedded Canary Historian, that includes free 500 Canary Historian Tags with any license – Edge to Unlimited.
We work with all of the industries major players (OSISoftPI, InfluxDB, and more)
Store and Forward
Universal Time and Daylight Saving

Archiving Process

The Historian module has a three-step archiving process:

An event triggers the request to archive a group of values. There are two types of events (Trigger or TagChange), which are configured in a Historian Table.
The Historian archives the values in the Target database. The Target Database can be a SQL Database or a TagProvider that is configured to act as a historian.
If Store and Forward is enabled, the data synchronization is executed. This option stores data in a local database if the Target Database is not available, and sends it to the target when it becomes available.

For a more detailed Historian execution explanation, check Archiving process.

Configuring the Historian module

The typical configuration workflow for the Historian Module has the following sequence.

Define the default TagHistorian SQL Database. By default, TagHistorian maps to a SQLite database named and located equal as the Solution itself. Learn more at Archive Locations.
If necessary, add other Target Databases.
Create and Edit HistorianTables. Learn more at Historian Tables.
Add Tags to the HistorianTables. Learn more at Historian Tags.
Monitor your data on Runtime. Learn more at Historian Monitor.

For detailed information, see Configuring The Historian Module.