VANGUARD Data Collection Tools
Collect and Categorize Relevant Manufacturing Data

Good manufacturing reporting solutions have the ability to categorize collected manufacturing data in the data model. Unrelated data spread across multiple types of data storage may require less work up front, but are nearly impossible to implement when creating useful reports on the back-end.

One of the greatest strengths of VANGUARD MDA is the VANGUARD Data Collection Tools. These automated data analytics tools capture incoming manufacturing data throughout each phase of the production process and direct the data for categorization within the data collection model.

The suite of VANGUARD MDA data collection tools performs a diverse range of operations such as purging the data cache, pausing data collection batches and cycles, alarm management, historical data collection, and other Part 11 compliant data collection tasks. Each process relates disparate data together to produce rich data visualizations and reporting unmatched by any other manufacturing data solution.

VANGUARD MDA data collection tools forward the information to an Enterprise Database (SQL Server) on a regular basis, caching large manufacturing data sets through distributed architecture. The tools also have the ability to store the data locally to ensure continuous operation during network or other IT outages while providing a layer of data collection independent of the SCADA or HMI processes.

VANGUARD MDA data collectors perform the following functions:

• Start automatically and collect manufacturing data during batch operations
• Cache data throughout entire batch process and associate all collected manufacturing data with a unique batch identifier for fast indexing and association with batch record
• Function as a separate disconnected process through the Data Writer app to uncouple data collection and data writing functions
• Monitor and record step transitions, alarms, audit trail events, and process data

Additional features of VANGUARD Data Collection Tools include:

• tbTAGS

The “Tags” table is a collection of manufacturing data points that need to be monitored and sampled on a regular basis by the data collectors. Similar to a typical process historian, the value of these tags are collected and stored along with the rest of the batch record.

The manufacturing data collection process also provides context-based data collection and storage capabilities that work in conjunction with traditional process historian data collectors. Unlike a traditional historian however, many of the tag values are only collected while a batch is in progress, saving valuable space in the data store.

• tbDATALOG_BATCH

When a TAG’s data is read during a batch operation, its value is stored in this table along with the Batch / Phase ID being executed. This provides a simple way to retrieve the manufacturing data needed for each batch without having to search by date and time only.

VANGUARD MDA data collection interface provides simple controls for executing data collection operations, enhancing the productivity of your manufacturing processes. Contact Allurént today to learn how VANGUARD Data Collection Tools can optimize the organization of your manufacturing platform data.