Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk Historian SE DataLink 4.2 User Guide - Manual (Page 40)

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FactoryTalk Historian DataLink User Guide
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Your goals First consider your goals.
 What data do you want to display in a spreadsheet in order to
monitor performance or answer a business question?
 In which FactoryTalk Historian server does the data reside?
 How can you most effectively display the information, both to
communicate essential points and provide needed background
context?
The answers will help you to determine which FactoryTalk Historian
DataLink functions can return the data most relevant to your task.
Functional One way to build a spreadsheet is simply to add functions (page 33),
building the display around them as needed. Later on you can add tag
information to help clarify what the data represents. This may be the
best approach if you are still exploring your requirements or learning
how FactoryTalk Historian DataLink works.
Structured Another way to build a spreadsheet is to add structure from the
beginning. Use tag search and tag functions (page 51) to add tags
and other attributes as metadata to frame your subject, then add
functions to retrieve the corresponding FactoryTalk Historian point
data. This requires a bit more planning and familiarity with
FactoryTalk Historian DataLink , but once tag information is present in
the spreadsheet, you can use it to build functions more easily through
cell references. Spreadsheets built in this manner are also more
flexible for re-use.
Module-Driven If you have a configured FactoryTalk Historian Module Database for
your FactoryTalk Historian server, you can build maximum flexibility
into your spreadsheet by incorporating objects from your module
database (page 57). Like tag data, module database objects can be
referenced in functions. You can also add module context features to
maximize the potential re-use of the spreadsheet across parallel or
redundant subjects.
Targeted Reports If you are a system administrator, or a builder of spreadsheets for
other users, you may want to place FactoryTalk Historian DataLink
functions on a second spreadsheet in a workbook, and copy/paste the
results to the first spreadsheet for display. Function syntax and
business logic can be hidden and protected by using Excel to secure
the second sheet. This strategy also works well for documents
distributed through FactoryTalk Historian DataLink Server.