Wonderware, a business unit of Invensys Systems has released Version 9.0 of its ActiveFactory trending and analysis software, which uses the ArchestrA software architecture to integrate with the broadest possible set of existing industrial data sources and applications.
ActiveFactory 9.0 software provides a sophisticated set of realtime and historical plant analysis tools that integrate well with leading Web-based industrial applications as well as Microsoft Office applications. The ArchestrA architecture and ActiveFactory 9.0 software are built on Microsoft .NET technology.
The software has been designed to make plants more competitive and profitable by providing a flexible set of tools for accessing, visualising and analysing plant performance related information. An expansive variety of data sources can be readily integrated and analysed using the open ArchestrA software architecture, which supports hundreds of communications protocols including OPC. The ActiveFactory software also leverages Wonderware's IndustrialSQL Server realtime plant historian, which is built on Microsoft SQL Server technology. The trends and reports that ActiveFactory software provides help plant personnel quickly respond to problems and proactively identify and correct costly process and plant inefficiencies.
Web-based reports empower plant personnel
The ActiveFactory software will provide content from Wonderware's SuiteVoyager production and performance management portal to popular enterprise Web portals, such as Microsoft's SharePoint and SAP's mySAP products. The ActiveFactory software has also been enhanced to easily integrate with these products. Additionally, improved integration with the SuiteVoyager portal enables highly secure, tailored Web-based delivery of ActiveFactory reports and trends, which enables all plant personnel with Internet access to become active participants in achieving the plant's performance management objectives.
"ActiveFactory software has always offered a rich selection of ActiveX controls," says Justin Tweedie, general manager of Futuristix, a member of the EOH group of companies and principal SA distributor for the Wonderware range of industrial automation and MES solutions. "For example, our customers have been using the ActiveX controls in the ActiveFactory software to add sophisticated trend plots of their HMI applications. Now, with Version 9.0, Wonderware continues to offer the same functionality as .NET controls, which integrate even better with Web-based applications. The increased integration capabilities provided by the .NET technology result in lower costs for the application builders."
Trending and analysis
With the new software, Wonderware continues to offer all of the existing ActiveFactory functionality for advanced desktop data trending. With ActiveFactory Query, SQL queries can be generated without the need for SQL skills.
The software also provides Microsoft Office 2003 add-ins to Excel and Word to easily construct plant data reports without the need to learn a complex reporting package. Users can create detailed plant performance reports using Excel and Word and publish these reports to the Web for broad consumption by plant personnel. Report users can then modify Web-based reports in realtime. For instance, they can change the time scale or the range of data tags, enabling rapid ad-hoc reporting without the need for custom report services.
Improved operations and performance
As a key component of Wonderware's modular and sustainable plant performance management offering, ActiveFactory software disseminates information across a network, corporate intranet or the Internet. By supplying realtime plant information to anyone in the enterprise who needs it, ActiveFactory clients, in conjunction with other Wonderware plant performance management software, facilitate improved plant operations and performance.
"Wonderware is committed to providing software solutions that lower the cost of building and maintaining industrial applications," adds Tweedie. "Version 9.0 of the ActiveFactory software has been built from the ground up using the ArchestrA software architecture, which offers advanced, open integration capabilities, enabling Wonderware's ActiveFactory clients to easily andcost-effectively integrate with today's leading industrial applications."
For more information contact Justin Tweedie, Futuristix, 011 723 9900, [email protected], www.futuristix.co.za
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