Virtual Training: Flexible Logging of OPC Data to SQL & Azure SQL

With the advent of cloud-based solutions in every industry, it's only natural that you might need to migrate from a traditional locally-hosted SQL database for logging your process data to Azure. Fortunately, logging both to traditional SQL and Azure SQL are similar in many ways and OPC Data Logger makes it possible to log to both for OPC UA and DA data sources.

In this video blog, we'll review the basic setup and architecture for OPC Data Logger and then step through the configuration required for logging to SQL and Azure SQL from an OPC server.

Watch this video to learn how to log process data from any OPC UA or DA data source to SQL and Azure SQL using the OPC Data Logger.  Looking for other how-to videos for OPC Data Logger?  Click here!

Just to summarize, in this video, I've shown you:

1. Where the information you need to log data is coming from:
   1. A review of the OPC server - TOP Server, for this example
   2. A review of the URL and log-in credentials for SQL / Azure SQL
2. Verifying live data access in the OPC server using a test client
3. How to configure the OPC Data Logger:
   1. Defining a logging task using the Logging Task Wizard
      1. Configuring a Data Collector to access the OPC Server (OPC UA or OPC DA)
      2. Configuring a Group and browsing for Items for which you want to log data.
      3. Configuring a Presentation Style, which determines the organization of how your data will be logged to SQL / Azure (such as columns in your database and formatting).
      4. Configuring the Data Storage (i.e. SQL / Azure) including the URL for your Azure instance, the specific database to log to in that instance, your log-in credentials, and the table to log to.
   2. Testing the configuration using the OPC Data Logger Test Run function.
4. How to verify successful logging in your SQL / Azure database.
5. How to use OPC Data Logger triggers for conditions-based logging of OPC data.
   1. Schedule-based triggers
   2. Recurring triggers (based on a set interval)
   3. Monitored Item triggers (based on the value of a specified item)
6. How to use OPC Data Logger writebacks (an OPC value write back to your OPC data source when a certain condition is met - either a trigger or the success of a logging operation)
7. Verifying successful triggered based logging to SQL / Azure and writeback to the OPC server.

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Ready to log your own OPC process data to SQL and Azure SQL using OPC Data Logger?