Description

In WinCC, non-proprietary communication in the field of automation has always been very important.

WinCC has as standard an integrated OPC DA 3.0 server (Data Access) that gives you access to all the online values in the system and, on the other hand, can as a client read data from another application - across the Web too. The WinCC/ Connectivity Pack offers additional options.

This means that the system can transfer pre-processed process and production data to higher level systems for information conditioning (e.g. Manufacturing Execution Systems, Enterprise Resource Planning systems or office packages, e.g. Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, etc.)

Benefits

Functionality

Access to messages and historical data via OPC / WinCC OLE-DB

The WinCC/Connectivity Pack includes the OPC HDA 1.1 (Historical Data Access) and OPC A&E 1.0 (Alarm & Events) servers for accessing historical data of the WinCC archive system or for transferring/acknowledging messages. As an OPC XML DA 1.0 server, WinCC can even send data on a cross-platform basis across the Web to PPS/MES systems; in the opposite direction, it can take OPC XML DA client order or recipe data. As an HDA server WinCC makes available historical data from the WinCC archive system to other applications. The OPC client (e.g. a reporting tool) can specify the start and end times of a time interval and thus selectively request the data to be transferred. Apart from this, the client can request already conditioned data from the HDA server, i.e. actively trigger data compression before the data is transferred. The OPC HDA server can also be used in redundant configurations.

Fig. WinCC/ConnectivityPack: Access to WinCC via OPC & WinCC OLE-DB

In OPC A&E, the system displays a WinCC message as an alarm and, together with all the ancillary process values, passes it on to any subscribers on the production or company management levels. Due to the filter mechanisms and subscriptions, the system only transfers selected, changed data. It is, of course, also possible to carry out acknowledgement at the MES or ERP level.

The WinCC OLE-DB Provider makes it possible to directly access the archive data that WinCC stored in the Microsoft SQL Server database (alarms, process values, user data). In this connection, you can even use statistic functions. From a WinCC multi-client, a transparent process data access via the OLE DB is now also possible to redundant WinCC systems and distributed configurations with central archive server. For the addressing, only the symbolic computer name is needed.

WinCC/ConnectivityStation

If process visualization is not needed at a station, you can use this WinCC option package to confi gure any Windows computer you like as a connectivity station with access to WinCC via OPC and WinCC OLE-DB without needing a WinCC installation to do so.

Client Access Licenses (CAL)

To directly access current WinCC data via OPC DA, you do not need a separate license. You always need WinCC/CAL whenever you want to access WinCC data across the interfaces of the options WinCC/Connectivity Pack and WinCC/IndustrialDataBridge from any computer which has not installed (and licensed) neither the basic WinCC system nor a WinCC option.

If desired, the WinCC/CAL pro Processor License even provides access for all the computers in your confi guration to the interfaces of the Connectivity Pack or allows them to use the IndustrialDataBridge.

Hint:

Suitable protective measures (among others IT-Security, e.g. network segmentation) have to be taken up to ensure a safe operation of the plant. You find further information about the topic of Industrial Security on the Internet under www.siemens.com/industrialsecurity