Architecture decided now, lived with for a decade.
The screens are the visible part of a SCADA system. The part that determines whether it still works after two expansions is the tag structure, the historian configuration and the gateway architecture underneath them.
Most SCADA problems are architecture problems.
When a SCADA system becomes painful, it is rarely because a screen is ugly. It is because tags were named inconsistently across three phases of a project, the historian is storing everything at one second and has become unmanageable, or alarms were added one at a time until operators stopped reading them.
These are all decisions made early, cheaply, and reversed expensively. We spend disproportionate effort on the structure before building the first screen, because that is where the cost is.
We work primarily in Ignition from Inductive Automation, and also support existing Wonderware and legacy systems where migration is not yet on the table.
What we work with
- Ignition, Perspective, Vision, gateway and historian architecture
- Wonderware, AVEVA InTouch and System Platform
- SQL historians, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL
- OPC UA and OPC DA connectivity to mixed PLC estates
- MQTT and Sparkplug B for distributed and remote sites
The parts of a SCADA project.
A complete system is more than a set of screens, and the invisible parts are usually where the risk sits.
Gateway architecture
How many gateways, where they sit, what talks to what, and what happens when a network segment goes down.
Tag structure & UDTs
A naming convention and user defined types that survive adding another twenty identical machines without a rewrite.
Historian
What to log, at what resolution, for how long. Storage decisions made deliberately rather than by logging everything and hoping.
Alarming
Rationalised alarms with priorities that mean something, so an operator can tell an emergency from an annoyance.
Redundancy
Failover configuration that has actually been tested by pulling a cable, not just configured and assumed.
Security & access
Role based access so operators, maintenance and engineering see appropriate screens, integrated with your directory where you have one.
How we build a SCADA system.
Define the questions
What decisions should this system support? Screens designed to answer specific questions are always better than screens that display everything available.
Structure the tags
Naming convention and UDTs agreed before the first screen exists. This is the decision that is most expensive to change later.
Configure the historian
Retention and resolution set per tag group, sized against real storage rather than a guess.
Build screens and alarms
Operator screens, engineering screens and a rationalised alarm list with priorities and documented responses.
Test failover, then hand over
Redundancy verified by actually breaking something, followed by training and the full project backup.
Answers before you call.
Both. Perspective for anything that needs to work on a phone or tablet, or be reached from outside the plant. Vision where an existing project already runs on it and there is no reason to migrate. We also do Vision to Perspective migrations.
Yes. We will usually start with a review of the tag structure and gateway configuration, because that determines whether the next change is straightforward or a rebuild.
It depends what you will actually go back and look at. Fifteen minute data for a decade costs very little; one second data for the same period is a different proposition. We usually recommend different retention policies for different tag groups rather than one blanket rule.
Yes, and many plants prefer it. An air gapped or tightly firewalled system is a normal requirement and does not limit functionality inside the plant.
Ignition is licensed per gateway rather than per client, which usually works out well for plants with many screens. We will explain the options honestly, including where you do not need what a salesperson suggested.
Let us look at your tag structure.
It is the fastest way to tell whether a SCADA system will age well or become a rebuild.
Or call (801) 946-2710, Monday, Friday, 8:00am, 4:30pm MT