Modern Historians

A centralized database located in the control system LAN supporting data archival and data analysis using statistical process control techniques.

Reference 4

New generation of historians and technologies are coming to OT/ICS. Industry 4.0 , iIoT , open source time series database (OSTSDB) are no longer a hype, they are in action. Major ICS vendors such as Siemens, Bosch, Rockwell, Schneider and PTC … etc are cooperating with time-series database vendors. So let’s talk about time-series database , discuss it’s cons and pros . Also, let’s see why legacy data historians are losing the battle against time-series technologies, not yet but maybe in the future.

Data historians on the upside are compatible — not always especially to modern web-based apps (reference 4)- with ICS components such as HMI, PLC, DCS and OPC. Historians offer analysis and visualization of processes. On the downside they have issues with costs, contextualization and scaling.

Time-series databases store and analyze OT process information. They offer some advantages, such as energy and cost value , they are faster to install and to implement, they offer scalability and performance and they are more efficient in storage and monitoring.

Data monitoring in real time with context in ICS/OT is essential, and time-series claims to fulfill this gap that legacy historians lacked. This feature came as result of managed scalability and storage in time-series databases. Will time-series challenge OSIsoft Pi systems, the leading historian provider? who knows . By the way I’m not an advocate of or against time-series or any new iIoT technology. But we must pay attention to what’s trending in technology, because you might find yourself obliged to use it sometime.

References:

1. https://www.influxdata.com/blog/where-will-process-historians-fit-in-the-modern-industrial-technology-stack/
2. https://www.nukon.com/blog/time-series-vs-data-historians-which-is-better-for-big-data-analysis
3. https://thenewstack.io/why-using-a-time-series-database-improves-security-monitoring/
4. https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/Control_System_Historian-Definition.html

https://zerontek.com/zt/2022/05/24/modern-historians/