Device integration tools

System Platform can connect to a diverse set of data sources to integrate all plant and industrial data. The System Platform IDE offers I/O auto-assignment and I/O mapping features to streamline device integration and data access.

Data sources include OPC and OPC UA Servers, databases, and any application that exposes data from an API such as XML, SQL, HTTP, or .NET. In addition, a library of device integration tools provide data from the factory floor.

• Communication protocols provide data from PLCs and other factory devices to HMI applications. These protocols can be used with any Microsoft Windows program or supervisory application capable of acting as a DDE, FastDDE, OPC, OPC UA, or SuiteLink™ client.

• A Communication Driver encapsulates the functionality of an I/O server in the System Platform environment. Communication Drivers are models of the network and devices associated with a specific HMI application. The hierarchy of the the Communication Drivers is the same as the hierarchy of the actual devices.