Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk Historian SE DataLink 4.2 User Guide - Manual (Page 65)

Chapter 5
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Module Database Objects
The FactoryTalk Historian Module Database provides an entirely different
way to build the infrastructure of a spreadsheet. If your FactoryTalk
Historian server's module database is configured and includes objects that
represent the tags you want to use, your spreadsheets can be easier to build
and provide more flexibility and potential for re-use.
The FactoryTalk Historian Module Database is typically configured by
your system or FactoryTalk Historian administrator, and stores aliases and
properties that refer to FactoryTalk Historian points and their attributes,
respectively. The hierarchical structure of these objects provides a
relational context between points.
For example, you may have five FactoryTalk Historian points that
represent the levels of five individual, identical tanks. Each point has a
different tag name and represents a different physical object, but their
usage and monitoring requirements are the same.
By retrieving objects from the module database, you can create a single
spreadsheet built on the aliases and properties that represent all five tanks.
Module database functions resolve these objects into tag names and
attribute values. Parallel module paths for each tank provide a different
context for the alias references.
With this type of structure, you can use the same spreadsheet to alternate
between views of multiple assets. For instance, when you select the name
of any of the five tanks in a spreadsheet cell, the alias mapping to the
matching FactoryTalk Historian point allows DataLink functions to
retrieve values for the appropriate tank.