This document discusses options for connecting OSIsoft PI data to relational database management systems (RDBMS). It outlines presentations on PI-ODBC, a new version with support for additional data types; PI-OLEDB, a prototype connector; and the PI RDBMS Interface for reading, writing, and modifying PI tag data in any RDBMS using ODBC. The interface allows querying PI data, modifying tags via PI-OLEDB, and automatically historizing changes in RDBMS tables. Future developments include improving configuration, supporting additional pointclass attributes, and adding scan-based output.

1. Interaction with Relational Databases
Bodo Bachmann, Gregg Le Blanc

2. PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• Available options to connect to RDBMS’s
5min
• New version of PI-ODBC
5min, detailed list of new features, demo here or below, Gregg
• From PI-ODBC via ADO/RDS to the Web
10min, r/w example showing support of new data types and
UPDATE/INSERT, Gregg
• PI-OLEDB prototype
10min, demo MMC snap-in, PB DataControl/DataGrid, Bodo
• PI RDBMS Interface
10min, demo point configuration log, edit Tags via MS Query, log in
Access, Bodo
• Questions
5min

3. PI-API
PI-ProcessBOOK &
PI-PC DATALINK
(EXCEL, LOTUS 123)
RDBMS ODBC
RDBMS NET
PI-ODBC
PI-OLE DB
OTHER PC TOOLS
(POWER BUILDER, ACCESS,
VISUAL BASIC, Q+E, EXCEL,…)
RDBMS ODBC
RDBMS NET
ActiveX
RDBMS NET
RELATIONAL DATABASE
(RDBMS)
NON REAL-TIME DATA
PRODUCT, EQUIPMENT,
SPECIFICATION, SAFETY, ETC.
PI SERVER
PI SYSTEM
REAL-TIME DATA
MANUAL / PROCESS /
CALCULATED
RDBMS
INTERFACE
ODBC
OLE DB
COM
CONNECTOR
MANUAL / LAB
INPUTS
AUTOMATIC SCANNED DATA
TEXT / DATA / CONFIG
MANY OPTIONS...

4. ProcessBook and RDBMS’s
• Embedded ODBC support (DataSet)
• ActiveX Data Controls
• ADO via VBA
• Other Libraries via VBA (OLE DB, RDS,...)
• Special developped ProcessBook AddIn
• PI-UDA Tags via OLE DB Com Connector
PI-API
PI-ProcessBOOK
RDBMS ODBC
RDBMS NET
ODBC
OLE DB

5. • Present PI Data as it would be a RDBMS
• Link PI tables into MS Access and use
MS Access as Report Writer
• Use OLE DB Gateway and link into
MS SQL Server 7
• Use ODBC Clients for Data Analysis,...
• New Version PI-ODBC 1.1.8:
•Support PI3 data types and milliseconds
•Read/Write access for data archive
PI-ODBC
PI-ODBC
OTHER PC TOOLS
(POWER BUILDER, ACCESS,
VISUAL BASIC, Q+E, EXCEL,…)
RDBMS ODBC
RDBMS NET

6. PI-ODBC and You
Gaining Wealth and Wisdom Through
PI-ODBC and the Web

7. ADO and Recordsets
• ActiveX data objects (ADO)
• Use ADO to:
– Create connections
– Execute queries
– Populate Recordsets
• Use Recordsets to:
– Present data
– Manipulate query results

8. Serving Data Using ASP’s
• Use IIS and Active Server Pages
– Written in HTML and VBScript
– Database access is on server side
• Install PI-ODBC on web server
• Configure and name system DSN

9. Grabbing Data
• Open the connection & recordset:
– Set Conn = Server.CreateObject(“ADODB.Connection”)
– Conn.Open “PI”
– Set Rs = CreateObject(“ADODB.RecordSet”)
– Set Rs = Conn.Execute(strQry)
• Retrieve Values:
SELECT Time, currentstat=DIGSTRING(status), Value, Tag
FROM picomp WHERE Tag = “Sinusoid”
AND Time >= DATE(“17-Mar-00 11:00”);
• Input Values:
INSERT INTO picomp (tag, time, value)
VALUES (“Sinusoid”, “*”, 42);

10. Applications
• Lab data entry.
• Query PI data via a web site.
• An example:
– Uses any web browser.
– Uses standard web building tools.
– Does not compromise security.
– All processing done on server side.
• Display recordset contents: <%=Rs(“value”)%>.

11. Demonstration
• Sample lab data entry page.
– Regular tags.
– String tags.
• Uses standard HTML forms.
• VBScript uses common operations:
– Do… Loop
– If… Then
– ADO etc.

12. Summary
• Use IIS and PI-ODBC to make simple
pages that use PI data.
• Results are browser independent.
• Can be effective as a lab entry terminal.
• PI-ODBC now supports string tags.

13. OLE DB - THE NEXT ODBC GENERATION
• OLE DB is based on COM
• OLE DB defines an open and extensible set of OLE interfaces
• OLE DB provides uniform access to tabular data, not limited to
RDB’s
• Rowset Interface and optional Command Interface
• OLE DB is the native communication technology for
MS SQL Server 7
• Via OLE DB, MS SQL Server 7 can link foreign tables, as MS Access
can do for ODBC data sources
• Less sophisticated data applications (non SQL) can become data
providers
e.g. Spreadsheets. E-Mail, Directory Services..

14. CONNECTIVITY
Spread-
sheet
ODBC
SQL ISAM Spatial File
OLE DB
OLE DB
Cursor
Engine
Dist. Query
Engine
Rel. Query
Engine
Active X Data Objects (ADO)
Application or Tool
Consumer
Services
Data
Providers
COM
/
DCOM
Microsoft
Transaction
Server

15. PI-OLEDB PROTOTYPE
ONE OF MANY POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATIONS
• One can think of many ways to implement a PI- OLEDB driver
• We have chosen to build the prototype on top of PI-SDK
• This complements PI-API and PI-ODBC functionality
• PI-SDK functionality is available for non-programmers
• PI-SDK uses the same technology, COM
PI Server
Real Time Data
NT, UNIX, VMS
PI-SDK
PI-OLEDB
PI-SDK
PI-OLEDB

16. FUNCTIONALITY OF PI-OLEDB PROTOTYPE
• Major PI Configuration Data is made available via catalogs
(databases)
• PIPOINT - all configured pointclasses appear as tables
• PIDS - all digital state tables, that are configured in PI, are tables
• PIUSER - one table that contains PI users defined
• PIGROUP - one table per group
• SQL Language supported via Command Interface
• CREATE and DROP tables
• UPDATE, INSERT, SELECT, DELETE
”SELECT * FROM PIPOINT:CLASSIC”
• Support for WHERE clause
“… WHERE TAG=’x*’ AND ARCHIVING=1 OR SCAN=0”
• Support for ORDER BY
SELECT * FROM CLASSIC ORDER BY CREATIONDATE DESC

17. BIG VARIETY OF ODBC CLIENTS CAN BE USED
• An ODBC Gateway makes OLE DB available for ODBC Clients
• We have successfully tested ISG Navigator
PI Server
Real Time Data
NT, UNIX, VMS
PI-SDK
PI-OLEDB
ODBC Gateway
(ISG Navigator)
ODBC Driver Manager
Client Applications
MS Access, MS Query,
Other ODBC Clients
SQL Calls

18. MS QUERY VIA ISG NAVIGATOR

19. PI-OLEDB and ADO
• ADO (ActiveX Data Objects ) is a programming interface that wraps
the OLE DB API
• ADO is easier to use than OLE DB, since more compact and fewer
objects
• ADO especially made for the VB/VBA environment
• Several Data Binding Controls allow data access without
programming
• Controls that encapsulate database queries and returned rowsets
are for example:
MS ADO DC, Apex True DataControl
• Data aware Grid Controls that bind to data controls are for example:
MS DataGrid Control, Apex True DBGrid Control

20. PI-OLEDB and Data Controls
• ADO DC + DataGrid Control + 3 Lines VBA = PI User Admin
• SnapIn for Microsoft Management Console (MMC)

21. LIMITATIONS OF PI-OLEDB PROTOTYPE
• Only configuration data (PI-SDK)
• Not for PI2 Systems (yet)
• SELECT … WHERE clause limited to specify fields which are
supported by PI-SDK query
• Command interface supports basic SQL, but no JOIN, UNION,...
and no Functions
• Performance slower than PI-ODBC

22. • Rewrite to use PI-SQLSS
Enhancements required for PI-SQLSS and PI-SDK
• Support for PI Module DB and PI Data Archive
• Performance optimisation
• Free-threaded version (linked tables for MS SQL Server 7)
• Next level SQL language
FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF PI-OLEDB

23. PI-API
PI-ProcessBOOK &
PI-PC DATALINK
(EXCEL, LOTUS 123)
RDBMS ODBC
RDBMS NET
PI-ODBC
PI-OLE DB
OTHER PC TOOLS
(POWER BUILDER, ACCESS,
VISUAL BASIC, Q+E, EXCEL,…)
RDBMS ODBC
RDBMS NET
ActiveX
RDBMS NET
RELATIONAL DATABASE
(RDBMS)
NON REAL-TIME DATA
PRODUCT, EQUIPMENT,
SPECIFICATION, SAFETY, ETC.
PI SERVER
PI SYSTEM
REAL-TIME DATA
MANUAL / PROCESS /
CALCULATED
RDBMS
INTERFACE
ODBC
OLE DB
COM
CONNECTOR
MANUAL / LAB
INPUTS
AUTOMATIC SCANNED DATA
TEXT / DATA / CONFIG
PI RDBMS INTERFACE

24. PI RDBMS INTERFACE STRUCTURE
• Interface runs on Windows NT / 2000
• Works for ANY Relational Database
which has an ODBC driver
• Tested by OSI explicitly:
MS SQL Server 6.5/7, Oracle 7.1/8,
Oracle RDB 6.1, MS Access 95/97,
dBase III/IV
PI-API
RDBMS
INTERFACE
RDBMS ODBC
RDBMS NET
RDBMS NET
RELATIONAL DATABASE
(RDBMS)
NON REAL-TIME DATA
PRODUCT, EQUIPMENT,
SPECIFICATION, SAFETY, ETC.
PI SERVER
PI SYSTEM
REAL-TIME DATA
MANUAL / PROCESS /
CALCULATED
ODBC
OLE DB

25. • Query data (read) for single tag, tag groups and distributed tags
• Query one value or time series per scan
• Scan or Event based SELECT queries (PI Input)
• Event based UPDATE, DELETE and INSERT queries (PI Output)
• Support multiple statements per query and Stored Procedures
• Support of ‘runtime’ placeholders
• Support of classic ‘point attribute’ placeholders
• Support of ‘batch’ placeholders to replicate PI batch records
• Historize Tag Database changes in RDBMS tables
• Recovery for Output data after interface down
PI RDBMS INTERFACE FUNCTIONALITY

26. PI RDBMS INTERFACE
• Modify PI Tags via PI-OLEDB
• Historize changes automatically in RDBMS table

27. • Version 2.14 in Beta, bug fixes and DB2 tests
• Optional replacement of archive data
• Timezone handling when interface in different TZ than PI Server
• Version 3 development starts now
• Automate login configuration via connection dialog
• Overcome 80 char limit of Extended Descriptor
• Support all pointclass attributes for placeholder AT.ATTRIBUTE
• Tag configuration and ODBC testtool
• Scan based output
• Output of aggregate data (piar_calculation instead of sourcetag)
PI RDBMS INTERFACE - NEXT DEVELOPMENT

28. PI AND RDBMS’s