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Advantages

• Standard connectors to real-time data via FactoryTalk® Live Data (Logix, PLC/SLC, FactoryTalk® View, 3rd-party controllers, etc.) and historical data via FactoryTalk® Historian PLUS connectivity to other real-time and historical data sources.
• All manufacturing data is accessible in real-time.
• All you need is a web browser to view published reports, current dashboards, and real-time KPIs.
• Time-to-value: Pre-configured reports, trends and dashboards provide out-of-the-box functionality in hours; create your own on the first day of use.
• Published reports are always current – to maximize productivity and minimize cost.
• Drag-and-drop functionality lets you overlay equipment, line and plant trends for comparison and optimization.

On-Demand Product Demo Available

Manufacturing Reporting Shouldn't Be So Difficult

Manufacturing reporting is hard. At best, it is labor intensive – pulling the right data from various manufacturing systems, putting it into a spreadsheet, rationalizing, correlating, calculating, formatting and delivering. It takes time and commitment. And by the time anyone gets around to reading and reviewing those reports, the information is stale. At worst, you don't bother and you miss important information about manufacturing – information you need to increase productivity and reduce cost.

Most manufacturing operations are heterogeneous, comprised of numerous systems from multiple data sources, with proprietary user interfaces and unique reporting solutions. Attempts to bring them together into a common architecture, single vendor or industry standard have generally been unsuccessful. So, reporting is typically labor intensive and often delivered as a synopsis of what happened in the past, when it may be too late to take corrective action.

Problem Solved.

FactoryTalk® VantagePoint from Rockwell Automation is a powerful web-based reporting package that brings all data together into a single information management and decision support system. Whether your plant is built on the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture™ or combines our plant floor capabilities with those from other control providers, you now can access data from anywhere. Now plant personnel have the data and information, in the context they need to make timely decisions and avoid the inevitable bad news syndrome.

FactoryTalk Connectivity

FactoryTalk VantagePoint offers out-of-the-box, direct connections to FactoryTalk® Live Data sources such as Rockwell Automation and 3rd-party controllers, FactoryTalk® View, the powerful FactoryTalk® Historian, and real-time data sources.

In addition, FactoryTalk VantagePoint provides optional connectors for virtually all manufacturing systems, blending data with Rockwell Automation's own Integrated Architecture components to provide a single, virtual data source for all your analysis and reporting needs, including:

• Native connectivity for third-party historians, such as:

• Wonderware® IndustrialSQL Server
• GE Proficy™ Historian
• OSIsoft® PI System™
• OPC DA connectivity for adding non-Rockwell Automation real-time data sources
• OPC HDA connectivity for non-Rockwell Automation historians

This means your information is always current – always what you need to make those critical decisions that make the difference. You have "one version of the truth" because all data remains in the original source locations and no separate data warehouse is created. Better decisions can be made based on real-time information, not stale warehoused or secondhand data. And it all happens automatically, in real time, when users request information they need to do their jobs.

Time to Value

Your time is valuable. With FactoryTalk VantagePoint, there is no need to waste time learning how to create reports. No complicated tools and programming languages are necessary. No manual gathering of data and stuffing it into Microsoft® Excel spreadsheets.

It is easier to install, set up and connect to data sources so you can typically be up and running in less than an hour. FactoryTalk connectors install automatically and access Factory Talk ® Directory services to locate sources of data. The wizards present you with the data and map the Userdefined Data Type (UDT) and System-defined Data Type (SDT) structures into the model. You only need a web browser to connect to the VantagePoint servers – there is no software to install.

Once you have installed FactoryTalk VantagePoint, you will quickly be able to view and use the included, preconfigured web reports, trends and dashboards, such as:

• Key performance indicator (KPI) monitoring
• Alarm and event reports
• Control loop reports
• Device and equipment reports
• Reports on batches, production runs and shifts

Reporting Limits

You can use each pre-configured report as is, or as an example to follow for creating your own. All report elements are reusable, so future needs can easily be accommodated. Report creation could not be easier. Simply drag-and-drop, get it the way you want it, and then publish it with just one click. You can create individual ad hoc reports or publish them in combination for users to see in the content viewer. All reports, trends, dashboards and applications are usable across all lines, work cells and plants, providing information in the context requested by each user.

The bottom line is you have extensive application power you never thought possible for doing:

• Multiple time periods, batch management, horizontal stacking
• Zoom, pan, live data, statistics, and so forth
• Informative and appealing graphics viewable anywhere in the plant
• High-performance links for data-on-demand
• Easy resizing and use of pictures
• Good time-series data management with live updates
• Extraordinary transactional data management for items and properties

Single Access Point for All System Data

FactoryTalk VantagePoint makes it easier to handle changes to your data sources. As you add new components and systems to your existing operations, simply connect the new data sources and re-synchronize the model. You do not need to change the reports themselves, so you can easily accommodate changes to your mix of equipment and systems. VantagePoint is object oriented and all components are reusable.

Powerful Reporting Components

FactoryTalk VantagePoint includes some of the most powerful reporting components in the industry. You may begin by creating an ad-hoc report, then when you have it just right, you can publish it with a simple click of the mouse. The objects are immediately a part of the model and are accessible from the reports list by anyone with a web browser and user permission. You may view the reports directly or via the Content Viewer Portal.

Trending and Plotting

FactoryTalk VantagePoint incorporates two of the most versatile and powerful trending and plotting applications in the world. With drag-and-drop simplicity, you can drop simple tags or complete objects onto the plot. Change time periods, stack traces, switch between historican and real-time data...all with a single button click.

Microsoft Excel Add-In

As with plotting, simply drag the single value or entire object onto the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and FactoryTalk VantagePoint will configure the report for you. Touch it up, format cells and regions to your liking, even create some graphs and charts from the data. Once you have published the report, you no longer need the spreadsheet. It is perfectly preserved for you in the model. And it is not necessary to have Excel installed on any system to be able to view the report.

Dashboard Builder (Optional)

If you can think of it, you can create a data object with the dashboard builder. To create dashboards, you will need to install both Microsoft Excel and the Dashboard Builder, but users do not need either one. Animated scales, dials, tables and so much more are easily configured using this powerful tool.

Content Viewer/Portal

View individual published reports by clicking on them in the report list, or invoke the powerful Content Viewer Portal and view combination reports configured by dragging elements into zones on a portal page. Linking elements to other reports allows you to "zoom-in" to get more detail from any given report. Select parameters to reuse a particular report for multiple, similar manufacturing elements.

Upgrade to FactoryTalk VantagePoint EMI

FactoryTalk VantagePoint simplifies enterprise deployment. As you gain experience with this powerful new reporting software, you may find that your company needs expanded functionality to extend its use more broadly within the enterprise.

FactoryTalk VantagePoint is upgradable to the full FactoryTalk® VantagePoint EMI without requiring yet another system installation. You simply improve what you already have by:

• Upgrading the license to unlock advanced server functionality.
• Obtaining and invoking advanced connectors for global databases and enterprise systems.
• Extending the number of users through named and/or concurrent licenses, as needed.
• Attach to the larger set of data sources and extend the FactoryTalk VantagePoint model to accommodate the expanded scope of the project.

FactoryTalk Services

FactoryTalk Services are the foundation of the FactoryTalk Integrated Production and Performance Suite. They provide a flexible solution that includes activation procedures, a common address book, centralized authentication and access control, and uniform diagnostics that can help reduce costs and extend the life cycle of your existing infrastructure investments.

Get More Information

For information about ordering FactoryTalk VantagePoint, contact Rockwell Automation today. Or learn more by visiting http://www.rockwellsoftware.com.