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Getting Started: Connections

What Does This Article Cover?

  • What is a Connection?
  • New Connection considerations
  • Building Connections
  • Building Inputs
  • Building Outputs
  • Other related Connection settings

What is a Connection?

A Connection represents a path to a data source/target that contains Inputs that can be read and/or Outputs that can be written to. To view all Connections, click Connect in the Configuration's Main Menu. A Connection is where all use cases start.

New Connection considerations:

Before configuring a new Connection, please consider the following:

  • Understand the use case and problem statement. Consider what data needs to be connected to solve the use case's problem statement.
  • Start small, prove success and scale from there - do not connect in the whole factory floor at once.
  • Engage the connected systems SME and/or system administrator.
  • Understand what is required from an integration standpoint (Security policy, authentication requirements, etc.)
  • Understand where the data resides, for example the SQL table and query to connect the data.
  • Understand how the data needs to be structured so the consuming system will accept the data.
  • Engage network and security engineers.
  • Ensure firewall and network rules are in place to establish connectivity from the Intelligence Hub server to connection destination.

Building Connections:

  1. Navigate to Connections and select New Connection in the upper right corner

  2. Within the details screen, specify the following:

    Name (Required): Configuration Object as it will be displayed in the Intelligence Hub (Example OPC_UA_Server)

    Description (Optional): Brief description of the Configuration Object

    Tags (Optional): Use to group like Configuration Objects together

  3. Click next

  4. Within the protocol screen, select the specific protocol you are connecting to - Reference the user guide for protocol specific setting information

  5. Enter the required information and click next

  6. Within the settings screen, specify the protocol specific information (Note some fields are required and others are optional) - Reference the user guide for protocol specific setting information

Building Inputs:

Before building a new Input, please consider the following:

  • Engage with the system SME to understand where the data resides
  • Engage with the system SME to communicate data polling intervals and consider performance of source system

To build a new Input:

  1. Navigate to Connections -> select your connection -> click Inputs -> click new Input

  1. Enter the required information for the input - Reference the user guide for protocol specific setting information -> click create and test Input to confirm connectivity

Building Outputs:

Before building a new Output, please consider the following:

  • Engage with the system SME to understand where the data needs to be outputted to
  • Engage with the system SME to communicate data polling intervals and consider performance of target system

To build a new Output:

  1. Navigate to Connections -> select your connection -> click Outputs -> click new Output

  1. Enter the required information for the output - Reference the user guide for protocol specific setting information -> click create and test Input to confirm connectivity

Other related material: