Why analyzing process data is important

Process data is any type of information that is relevant to the execution of a process. The following types of information are considered part of process data:

• Real-time data - What is the current value of this tag?

• Historical data - What was the value of this tag every second last Monday?

• Summary data - What is the average of each of these five tags?

• Business data - How much does this particular material cost?

• Event data - When did that boiler trip?

• Configuration data - How many I/O Servers am I using and what are their types?

To improve performance and quality, while reducing cost, all of this acquired information must be able to be analyzed. Plant data is typically analyzed to determine:

• Process analysis, diagnostics, and optimization.

• Materials management, such as raw materials usage.

• Predictive and preventive maintenance of equipment.

• Product and process quality (SPC/SQC).

• Health and safety; environmental impact (EPA/FDA).

• Production reporting.

• Failure analysis.