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ActiveFactory 9.2 Software
Functional Capabilities
Wonderware’s ActiveFactory™ 9.2 software provides a broad set of data analysis and reporting capabilities that can be easily tailored for virtually any manufacturing or industrial application. Users at all levels of the organization can easily access real-time and historical plant data via their desktops or the Internet. They can then analyze that data to make fast, effective decisions, resulting in operational improvements as well as increased competitiveness and profitability.
Flexible and Powerful Trend Analysis
The software's Trend function accelerates process troubleshooting and plant-improvement activities with a simple but powerful data trending tool. When a critical issue develops, plant workers can quickly access data from numerous databases including the Wonderware® Historian, and build a data-trend display using simple drag-and-drop techniques, to quickly and efficiently illuminate process problems. In essence, the Trend function helps plant personnel focus on solving problems and optimizing plant performance rather than tracking down data.
New X/Y scatter charts now provide even more advanced data analysis by the direct comparison of two plant parameters. This chart allows real-time and historical data to be plotted. A “target” region can also be added to quickly detect excursions from normal behavior.
ActiveFactory 9.2 software also fully integrates the new, advanced data-retrieval modes found in the Wonderware Historian. This results in much more powerful data queries, which can be used in ActiveFactory powering reports — helping you create entirely new types of reports for your plant, or to simply create reports with less effort.
Batch trend analysis has been made more powerful with a new “relative” time mode. Plus, the playback of historical data has been improved by allowing accelerated playback speeds. Now you can zip through hours of process data in a few minutes but still gain the benefit of understanding the relationship of process-parameter levels over a production run or batch.
Lastly, Trend enables plotting of any combination of analog, discrete and event data from any number of Wonderware Historians. Comments and Annotations can also be included on the Trend display to add operational context and improve data analysis. A full range of scaling, zooming and graphical-configuration options can empower users to create highly informative, professional-looking trend displays. Share them with co-workers via email or over the Web, using Wonderware's Information Server (formerly SuiteVoyager™ software).
Quick, Sophisticated Queries for More Powerful Production Reports
The Query function in ActiveFactory 9.2 software enables plant employees to conduct queries in the Wonderware Historian’s databases. They can view the results without receiving special assistance from IT or possessing specialized expertise in Structured Query Language (SQL). Queries are configured, not written, and generate SQL code that can be re-used in future queries.
Query is a versatile tool that provides a wide range of standard query types that can be quickly modified for specific applications. The Query function can also create SQL queries for SQL-compliant databases, making it a valuable tool for anyone who's tasked with solving problems and optimizing plant operations.
Full integration with the Wonderware Historian now facilitates advanced data-retrieval modes supported by the Wonderware Historian to be used in ActiveFactory Query — increasing its power and making query creation significantly easier and faster.
Leverage Existing Microsoft Office Skills to Generate Quick and Powerful Reports
The Workbook function within ActiveFactory 9.2 software provides valuable and time-saving add-ins for Microsoft’s Excel® spreadsheet software (including support for the new Microsoft® Office 2007, Office 2003, XP and 2000) that enable plant personnel to leverage their basic Excel skills when analyzing the historical and real-time plant data within the Wonderware Historian.
Moreover, ActiveFactory Report provides Microsoft Word templates with the ability to embed Wonderware Historian queries within the document, enabling the creation of powerful plant-data reports. These reports can run on a regular schedule or ad hoc. In addition, embedded queries can be created using the ActiveFactory Query tool, eliminating the need for SQL skills. ActiveFactory Report can also be automated, using more advanced techniques such as scripting or OLE automation for more tailored solutions.
Traditionally, plant data reports were created by IT experts. Now plant personnel with Microsoft Office skills can quickly create rich production reports using one of a collection of provided example reports. Now you can get the information you need without assistance from IT. This saves you time and gets the problem solved faster.
Share Vital Plant-Performance Information with the Wonderware Information Server
Plant information can be further enriched when ActiveFactory Trends and Reports are published to the Wonderware Information Server, Wonderware’s production- and performance-management portal. Now, a single Web application enables the delivery of your plant information — from Wonderware software as well as a broad range of other plant-information systems.
The use of Microsoft SharePoint® services, Reporting Services and Web Part technologies simplifies system configuration and maintenance tasks. As a result, you can reduce your total cost of ownership. You can also easily create personalized Web views tailored to the informational needs of specific plant personnel. Managers and engineers, for example, can view historical and real-time plant data from any Web-accessible PC and remain informed about plant activities from anywhere in the world. This approach drives broad adoption across the manufacturing enterprise, leading to the highest possible returns for your organization.
Extensibility into Third-Party Applications
Furthermore, ActiveFactory 9.2 software leverages an architecture based on ArchestrA® technology. As a result, developers can create customized industrial applications that incorporate powerful data-trending and querying functionality into their applications with minimal effort. ActiveFactory 9.2 software offers both .NET and ActiveX® controls for trending, querying, manual data entry and tag browsing of Wonderware Historian databases. These controls fully integrate with other Wonderware software products, such as the InTouch® HMI, as well as third-party container applications like those based on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer® internet browser, Excel spreadsheet software and Visual Basic® development system. Web-based applications can particularly benefit from data trends and queries.
With Wonderware’s ActiveFactory 9.2 software, Web integration has never been easier!
Product Features
ActiveFactory 9.2 consists of:
ActiveFactory Trend
This powerful desktop tool allows time-series process data found in the Wonderware Historian to be charted either by time or relative to another process parameter (X/Y plot). A wide range of scaling, formatting and cursor options are available — enabling each person to create the data trend that meets his/her specific data-analysis needs.
One or more process tags can be “dragged and dropped” onto the trend plot to display a complete view of a particular process scenario. Trend can display data in “Live” mode, which allows new data to be displayed as soon as it’s available from the Wonderware Historian.
Batch trend analysis can be performed using the ActiveFactory software’s “Relative” time mode, or time-offset functionality. Known “good” batch data can be compared directly with real-time batch data to detect unwanted deviations.
Mobile workers using the Wonderware Tablet PC and a wireless connection can use ActiveFactory Trend to view and analyze process information anywhere on the plant floor. Troubleshooters can view detailed process data at the equipment under study or from the control room or their desktop PCs.
The History Playback feature allows historical data to be played back in a “live” mode for operator training. It also enables in-depth data analysis. Playback speed is now selectable with speeds up to 128 times the recorded speed, allowing for quick scanning of large amounts of process history.
ActiveFactory Query
Finding the right process information to solve a serious process problem is now much easier with ActiveFactory Query. Database mining using precise queries can be configured without the need for SQL expertise. ActiveFactory Query automatically generates the SQL query which can be cut and pasted into any SQL-based tool or used directly or part of ActiveFactory Workbook or Report to generate powerful production reports.
ActiveFactory Workbook
Leverage your Excel skills with ActiveFactory Workbook — an Excel add-in. Create standard or ad hoc plant-performance reports without IT resources. Publish Workbook reports to the Web to have even more positive impact on your plant’s performance using Wonderware’s
Information Server.
Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet software provides powerful customization options that enable non-technical personnel to create rich plant reports,
maximizing your return on investment[MS4] . In addition, ActiveFactory 9.2 software supports the latest versions of Excel software — providing the most up-to-date reporting functionality.
ActiveFactory Report
The ActiveFactory software’s Microsoft Word add-in empowers users to create custom production reports that automatically update when opened — ensuring that only up-to-date information is available to plant personnel. Integrated with ActiveFactory Query, Report provides access to real-time or historical process data from the Wonderware Historian, minimizing the need for specialized IT resources.
ActiveFactory Control Objects
Save time and money when creating custom industrial applications using a powerful library of component-based .NET and ActiveX controls for software developers and systems integrators. These controls integrate with Wonderware's container applications, such as the InTouch HMI software, as well as third-party container applications, such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer internet browser and the Visual Basic development system. Now data trends, queries, tag lists and other controls can be easily added to Web-based industrial applications. So you can more easily access to your process data stored within the Wonderware Historian.
- Web Reporting
Today, delivering real-time plant-performance information to personnel at all levels is essential to keep costs low, production high and your competitors at bay. ActiveFactory content, including trends and reports, can be published to the Wonderware Information Server. Each plant employee can therefore access the exact type of plant-performance information appropriate for their specific role — empowering more plant personnel to become engaged in critical plant-productivity improvement initiatives.