Micromod Micro-PWC: 53PW6000 MicroPWC Installation and Setup Manual - Manual (Page 73)

Micro-PWC
™ Installation & Setup Guide
@aGlance/IT Server Interface 63
8.0 THE @aGlance/IT SERVER INTERFACE
8.1 Overview
8.1.1 General Information About @aGlance/IT
The @aGlance/IT server interface is an optional utility which provides a live data link between the Micro-
PWC and a variety of software applications resident on other distributed control systems, supervisory con-
trol systems, personal computers, and so on. Easy access to this plant data assists those involved in such
pursuits as problem analysis and resolution, product improvement, process improvement and resource
optimization. Obtaining process data directly from the process control system eliminates the possibility of
error induced by manual data entry. @aGlance/IT provides a clean, standardized interface which allows
data to be transferred between different hardware platforms while retaining its meaning, despite inherent
differences in the way data is formatted on different systems (e.g., byte order, floating point formatting, and
so on).
Tools in which the user may wish to import live process data include a broad range of applications, such as
relational databases, expert systems, spreadsheets, simulation tools, report generators, visualization tools,
statistical analysis packages, planning tools, charting tools and graphic tools. Each class of tools (e.g.,
spreadsheets, statistical packages, and so on) has a different way of interacting with users.
In order for the exchange of data to take place, @aGlance/IT is required for each participating network
partner.
The architecture of the @aGlance/IT software is based on a client-server model. A process known as an
@aGlance/IT server typically runs on the system which "owns" the process control data (e.g., a Micro-
PWC system); a process known as an @aGlance/IT client typically runs on the system which will be a
"consumer" of that data (e.g., a PC or a supervisory control computer). A system can run both client and
server applications simultaneously. The optional Micro-DCI interface to @aGlance/IT is an @aGlance/IT
server available for use on Micro-PWC systems. Client software must be provided by the user.
8.1.2 The @aGlance/IT API for Micro-DCI
Any @aGlance/IT client can connect to any @aGlance/IT server, assuming the minimum requirements for
network transport are met to access the server running on the Micro-PWC system.
The @aGlance/IT Application Programming Interface (API) on Micro-DCI consists of:
• an @aGlance/IT server which can provide data to @aGlance/IT clients,
• support for @aGlance/IT methods (functions) used by:
• commercially available @aGlance/IT client applications (e.g., the @aGlance/IT Add-In for
Excel)
• users engaged in creating custom @aGlance/IT client applications
Also provided is a window-based interface for:
• identifying data structures in Micro-DCI databases (by tagname and atom)
• defining translations for the Micro-DCI atoms to other terminologies, such as the Instrument
Society of America's SP72 standard
• viewing information about servers and server activity.
The implementation of @aGlance/IT on Micro-DCI permits the access of up to 500 points per second from
either the client or server side.