Data Acquisition
The component handles data from IoT sensors and various sources, including physical devices, ERP systems, SCADA/MES systems, and databases. It provides functionalities to collect data and send commands to these systems, acting as a gateway and offering a common interface to interact with different data sources. It allows implementers to make implementation decisions as long as they provide the required interfaces for i4 components.
Benefits
Provide functionality to manage data sources and bring data into the ZMDP system through several channels (IoT component REST endpoints, Message Bus topics, etc)
Exploit performances and reliability of enterprise level underlying IoT engine implementation (Cumulocity) while providing decoupling through a generic REST interface avoiding future vendor lock-in.
Provide an easy-to-use graphical interface for the development of data source connectors (through the Open Source NodeRed software) which requires minimal to no code writing
Data Source (devices) Registration and Connection
Devices and IoT data sources need to be registered to enable interaction with the physical world and allow i4 Apps to access and control them. Registration involves specifying configuration parameters, using installed adapters, and defining sensors or IIoT items associated with the data source.
Data Source Management and Monitoring
The system provides administration functions to manage. Users can browse and filter the list of registered data sources, view their status and configuration information. Detailed information such as connection status, service status, and alarms are available to identify and resolve issues.
Synchronous Data Acquisition
The component provides functionality for reading data from data sources, both synchronously and asynchronously. Synchronous reading involves direct calls or polling, while asynchronous reading utilizes push and pub/sub mechanisms to send data to zApps or other components within the i4 platform.
Asynchronous Data Acquisition
The i4 platform has drawbacks related to blocking and latency issues. To overcome these, an efficient asynchronous mechanism is implemented, where data is provided to subscribed i4 apps and components through a publish/subscribe concept using the i4 Service and Message Bus.
Additional resources
Training Academy
Software Documentation
Read our easy to follow documentation to learn how to use the i4 Components.