Introduction to PI Interface for OPC DA

PI Interface for OPC DA is an AVEVA client application that communicates between an OPC server and Data Archive. PI Interface for OPC DA collects real-time data from the OPC server and writes values to PI points. Optionally, the interface can write data from PI points in Data Archive to the OPC server.

PI Interface for OPC DA is built on the AVEVA UniInt framework, which includes a standard set of common features. For example, the interface can be configured to run as an automatic service, use disconnected startup, and use buffering to prevent data loss. UniInt framework features are documented in the PI Universal Interface (UniInt) Framework User Guide, which is a companion guide to this manual.

OPC is dependent on Microsoft COM and DCOM services, and the interface must run on Windows platforms. PI Interface for OPC DA supports versions 1.0a, 2.0, and 2.05 of the OPC Data Access standard.

Note: The OPC DA standard is designed for real-time data. For OPC XML-DA specification data, use PI Interface for OPC DA XML. To collect or synchronize historical OPC data using the OPC HDA standard, use PI Interface for OPC HDA. To collect alarm and event OPC data using the OPC AE standard, use PI Interface for OPC Alarms and Events.