Historical Data View

Visualize Your Data

The Historical Data View provides a detailed visualization of Tag measurements over time, showcasing all data sent to the Asset Hierarchy's data store. It dynamically displays measurements for all Tags selected in the Tag selection table, located at the bottom of the screen. Each Tag is rendered appropriately based on its specific data type, ensuring accurate and intuitive representation.

The Historical Data View automatically pre-aggregates measurements before visualization to prevent excessive data from being loaded due to the resolution of the time series. For example, in the screenshot above, a 1-day interval has been selected for visualization. As a result, all measurements within that timespan have been aggregated into 15-minute bins, ensuring efficient and clear representation.

• Analog Tags are represented with an average line accompanied by a shaded area that illustrates the minimum and maximum values within each bin.

• Digital Tags Digital Tags are displayed as bar graphs showing the percentage of time the Tag was On or Off in each bin.

• String Tags No actual string values are represented, instead a graph showing the count of values in each bin is shown, as strings cannot be meaningfully aggregated. To get the actual values you can run a query.

Time Range Selection

At the top of the Historical Data View, the time range selector allows you to define the specific timeframe for visualization. This selector also provides an overview of the distribution of measurements stored in the underlying data store for the selected Asset Hierarchy. In the example shown, no measurements are available within the currently selected time range; however, data is available prior to the selected period.

Once a time range has been selected, and time series are rendered in the graph area, the user can use the mouse to select a more fine grained selection by holding down the left mouse button, and dragging a selection directly in the graph. When releasing the mouse button, a small menu appear that lets you zoom to your selection.

By default, the time range is displayed in the user's local time zone, as determined by the browser settings. However, this can be adjusted through the Timeframe dropdown menu, which becomes accessible by clicking on the displayed Timeframe dates.

The time range selection area includes a Resolution slider that allows users to adjust the resolution of the visualized data. The time range selector automatically determines the most optimal resolution based on the selected timespan; a longer timespan results in a higher resolution, while a shorter timespan provides a more detailed view.

Visualization Options

When an analog Tag is selected for visualization, users can fine-tune which part of the time series is displayed. By default, the time series for any analog Tag shows the average value of each bin. However, using the dropdown menu next to the analog Tag, this can be adjusted to display the minimum (min), maximum (max), or standard deviation (stdev) instead.

You can use the icon that looks like an eye, to toggle whether to render the Tag.

Real-time Data view

By default, the Time Series Explorer opens in the Historical Data View. However, users can switch to the Real-time Data View by selecting the Realtime tab at the top of the graph area.

Unlike the Historical Data View, the Real-time Data View streams measurements directly from the device where the Tag is deployed, resulting in a delay of only milliseconds for each datapoint. Since data is streamed in real time as it is generated, there is no time range selection or value aggregation in this view.

Stream playback

To start a real-time stream from a Tag, simply click the Play button next to the Tag in the Tag list table at the bottom of the screen. If the Tag is currently receiving data, measurements should be rendering after a few seconds.

To stop streaming a Tag simple click the Stop button next to the Tag in the Tag list table.

Example Use-cases

The following section will describe 2 common use-cases that the Time Series Explorer can help users solve.

Monitoring Production Line Efficiency

Scenario: A factory manager wants to figure out, why a drop in production quality occurred on the 10th. of December. He suspects that environmental metrics might be causing the issues. So he wants to visualize the Temperature and Humidity of the line.

Steps:

1. He selects the Asset Hierarchy for the production line and navigates to the proper node in the hierarchical view.

2. He adds the Temperature and Humidity tags to the Tag list using either the context menu or by double-clicking the tags.

3. He switches to the Historical Data View to see the temperature and humidity readings in the days leading up to the 10th. of December.

4. Compare the min, max, and average values of the Temperature tag and observe how fluctuations correlate with spikes or drops in Humidity.

5. He notices that there is a correlation between Temperature and Humidity. When the temperature rises the humidity drops and vice versa.

Outcome: The manager identifies that maintaining humidity and temperature within a specific range improves production quality and reduces downtime, enabling proactive adjustments.

Validating Sensor Configuration in Real-Time

Scenario: An engineer has recently deployed a new sensor to monitor vibration levels on a critical piece of machinery and needs to validate its configuration.

Steps:

1. She navigates to the Asset Hierarchy where the sensor is deployed and locate the Vibration tag in the hierarchical view.

2. She adds the Vibration tag to the Tag list and switch to the Real-time Data View.

3. She starts the real-time data stream by clicking the Play button next to the tag in the Tag list.

4. She observes the live data stream to ensure the sensor is transmitting valid readings without delays or interruptions.

5. Use the timeline to compare the live stream data with historical records to verify that the sensor is configured for the correct resolution and frequency.

Outcome: The engineer confirms that the sensor is properly configured and streaming accurate data, allowing it to be integrated into predictive maintenance workflows.

Troubleshooting

Asset Hierarchy not available for selection

• Cause: The Asset Hierarchy has not yet been deployed to any device. Only Asset Hierarchies that has been deployed will be selectable for visualization in the Time Series Explorer.

• Solution:

  1. Check that the Asset Hierarchy has been deployed in the Device Configuration.

  2. Deploy the Asset Hierarchy to a Device.

No data displayed in Historical Data View

• Cause: The selected tags might not have historical data available for the chosen time range.

• Solution:

  1. Check the time range selection in the timeline at the top of the Historical Data View to see if the selected asset hierarchy contains any data in the data store.

  2. Check the time range selection in the timeline at the top of the Historical Data View and adjust it to a period where data is expected.

  3. Ensure the tags are deployed and have been collecting data.

  4. Confirm the tags have been properly configured to send data to the Asset Hierarchy’s data store.

Real-time data not streaming

• Cause: The tag may not be correctly deployed or configured for live streaming.

• Solution:

  1. Verify that the tag is currently deployed to a device in the Asset Hierarchy.

  2. Ensure the data collector responsible for the tag is active and correctly configured.

  3. Check that the tag’s resolution is set to seconds rather than milliseconds, as finer resolutions may cause performance issues.

  4. Confirm that the Edge device is connected, indicated by the Live Data Stream icon in the toolbar.

Slow or delayed data rendering

• Cause: Excessive data or high-resolution tags may cause rendering delays in the graphs.

• Solution:

  1. Use the resolution slider in the Historical Data View to aggregate data into larger bins for improved performance.

  2. Reduce the number of tags added to the time series graphs simultaneously.

  3. Check network latency if using remote connections to access the Asset Hierarchy.

Tag appears greyed out in Hierarchical- or List View

• Cause: The tag is not currently deployed to a device.

• Solution:

  1. Use the “Hide undeployed nodes” toggle to simplify the view and focus on active tags.

  2. If the tag has historical data, it can still be added to the Historical Data View for analysis.

Measurements appear incorrect or inconsistent

• Cause: Tag configuration errors or device calibration issues may lead to inaccurate data.

• Solution:

  1. Validate the tag’s configuration in the Asset Designer to ensure proper setup.

  2. Check the connected device for any calibration or sensor issues.

  3. Compare measurements with known benchmarks or reference values.

Cannot add more Real-time streams

• Cause: The maximum number of simultaneous real-time streams has been reached.

• Solution:

  1. Stop one of the existing streams by clicking the Stop button in the Tag list table. Then start the Tag you want to stream-

  2. Increase the limit of real-time streams in Platform Settings, if your environment allows for additional capacity (This requires administrator privileges).

Time range selection not showing data

• Cause: The selected time range may not align with the stored measurements in the data store.

• Solution:

  1. Check the time range distribution graph in the timeline to ensure data exists within the selected range.

  2. Use the Timeframe dropdown to refine the time selection.

  3. Expand the time range to ensure coverage of any sparse data periods.

Graphs not updating after adding tags

• Cause: The page may not have refreshed the data correctly.

• Solution:

  1. Use the Refresh button in the toolbar to reload the Asset Hierarchy and tag data or refresh the entire webpage using F5.

  2. Confirm that the tags have been properly added to the Tag list and are active for visualization.

1. No Data Displayed:

   • Ensure the selected tags are active and have associated data.

   • Check the timeline range for availability of historical data.