The connectivity between buffers and processes represents the production flow. Data Acquisition, Storage, and Retrieval Once modeled, the data must be collected in real-time. Using models to guide data acquisition facilitates the implementation by providing a structured view of the data. We use the plant models to configure the interface to Cimplicity and, in turn, the PLCs. Time is an essential dimension in understanding the dynamics of production flow.
Some production flows dynamics remain within the bounds of a single production shift.
Others involve multiple shifts, weeks, or months of history. Thus, to understand the dynamics of production flow, data collected in real-time needs to be stored for later retrieval and analysis. The stored data contains detailed histories for every process and buffer in the plant. To retrieve and analyze data more easily, we need to store it in a structured manner, according to the structure of the plant and the production flow, which the plant models capture. We use plant models to generate the underlying schemas for storing data, to provide data retrieval mechanisms in custom-developed and COTS components, and to ensure interoperability.