Definition
A data historian is a specialized database optimized to store time-stamped process and equipment values (often at high frequency, from control systems like a DCS or SCADA) efficiently over long periods, so they can later be retrieved and analyzed for trends. It is a specific storage system, distinct from time-series data, which is the type of data it is built to hold.
Key facts
- A specific storage system optimized for time-stamped process data, distinct from time-series data, the data type it holds.
- Typically ingests data continuously from control systems such as a DCS or SCADA at high frequency.
- Optimized for efficient long-term storage and fast retrieval of large time-stamped datasets, unlike general-purpose databases.
- A common source feeding condition-monitoring trend analysis and predictive-analytics models.
How does Data historian work in maintenance?
A data historian continuously ingests time-stamped process and equipment values from connected control systems, storing them efficiently even at very high frequency and over long periods, so that specific historical trends can be retrieved and analyzed later without needing to query the original control system directly.
What does Data historian require?
Time-series data is the type of data (values ordered by timestamp) that a data historian is specifically built to store and retrieve efficiently. A data historian is the storage system; time-series data is the content it holds, which could in principle be stored in other types of systems, just less efficiently at high volume.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How are time-related industrial process data stored?
Through a data historian: a specialized database optimized to store time-stamped process and equipment data at high frequency, enabling later retrieval and trend analysis.
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