Improve Business Outcomes with Data Analytics

May 17, 2023

By Michael Tay, Analytics Platform Manager, Rockwell Automation

Data analytics is a vital component of today’s manufacturing, offering real-time visibility, process improvements, predictive maintenance, quality improvement, reduced downtime and more. 

Industrial data visualization has evolved significantly in recent years due to advances in new technology and the increasing demand for data-driven decision-making. A modern approach to industrial data visualization involves real-time monitoring, interactive dashboards, data integration, predictive analytics, data security and mobile accessibility.

“47 percent of organizations believe that the decisions they face will be more complex, increasing demand for connected, continuous and contextual data and analytics and explainable decision processes,” reports Gartner in Top Trends in Data and Analytics, 2022 Gartner, March 11, 2022.

But most OT personnel lack the tools to transform operational data into meaningful insights without relying on IT and expensive infrastructures. Access to data is the heart of analytics and deriving information from different types of data. 

FactoryTalk Analytics DataView software was built for simple access to data – connect, build and use. With the software, you can look at information from various devices that you can access wherever you are. It provides a single source of truth and interactive data visualization and offers the ability to look at information that’s new and unexpected, allowing further insight into what’s happening today and in the future. This data visualization is a live perspective of the plant and operation. 

Available via the cloud or on-premises, the design for FactoryTalk Analytics DataView is to simplify the aggregation or the connection to data, bringing it together into dashboards as well as offering the ability to configure useful visualization styles or chart types easily and without coding. Next, users can explore the data online by customizing their own design or dashboard. 

This capability is vital to process improvement and bottom-line company success. And is especially important for those in three key roles: Operations Supervisors, Control Engineers and Maintenance personnel.

 Operations Supervisors look at the metrics of a capital project to determine if they’re not reaping the value of the investment. They identify continuous improvement projects, evaluate the profitability of line and process changes and maximize line efficiency by delivering efficient workflows.

Control Engineers are continuously trying to drive value in the plant. Having data and visual information about current plant operations lets them prioritize appropriately the next best project to initiate at the plant and look at new ways to improve. They confirm that production is running smoothly and with data visualization, determine productivity gains and losses. Managing high priority alarms is also critically important.

Maintenance personnel review equipment failures and downtime data to determine what is the highest value proposition and what is the impact of those failures. Their goals are to maximize machine productivity, perform root cause analysis and avoid unplanned downtime.

When you have the data, there’re many ways you’ll want to view it such as time series data, by shift, by line and so on. With FactoryTalk Analytics DataView, you can build the components that you want in the dashboard simply and easily using a drag-and-drop experience. The software is a server product that connects to a variety of data sources. It allows you to access data whenever and wherever you need to support decision-making.

Along with the new release of FactoryTalk Analytics DataView v4.01 there’s the choice of the Base Edition as well as two, new out-of-the-box products. FactoryTalk Analytics DataView FactoryTalk Metrics Edition and FactoryTalk Analytics DataView FactoryTalk Alarms & Events Edition with pre-built dashboards and connectors. Rockwell Automation is offering these options with an ability to add on capabilities to support any needs your company requires. FactoryTalk Analytics DataView FactoryTalk Metrics Edition offers the ability to track OEE, productivity, availability, quality and tracking plant performance based on those parameters.

The ease of use of these new software products allows you easy decision-making and sharing of information. FactoryTalk Analytics DataView allows you data visualization and the opportunity to drill down for the vital information you need.

With FactoryTalk Analytics DataView V4.01, users will experience a new UI, simplified workflows and improved product installation and performance. Version 4.01 provides the flexibility to connect to a wide variety of both Rockwell Automation and third-party data sources including FactoryTalk Edge Gateway, FactoryTalk Historian, FactoryTalk Live Data, SQL, CSV and more. OT professionals are empowered to create storyboards that include information from multiple sources for a comprehensive view of their data, leading to more efficient ad-hoc troubleshooting and root cause analysis of production issues. 

The software offers a modern approach to industrial data visualization based on its self-service, no-code configuration and data orchestration capabilities. Each user can interact with, explore and drilldown into the data. With the new 4.01 version, users have access to more data sources, which provide a more holistic view of operations. Users can also enjoy the growing chart library with new charts like the time series trending chart as well as our more sophisticated data aggregation capabilities for even better customization and data orchestration.

With its modern user interface and simplified user workflows, FactoryTalk Analytics DataView is a technology that offers a competitive advantage in the business intelligence and analytics space. It offers industrial manufacturing companies and OT personnel an opportunity to improve efficiency and increase productivity, by providing insights into their operations with ease and speed.

To learn about FactoryTalk Analytics DataView and how data analytics can benefit your bottom line, watch the on-demand webinar.

https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/company/news/blogs/access-industrial-data.html