Solution Overview
The volume of operational data and the complexity of the systems handling that data is increasing. This growing complexity brings with it challenges. How can a company keep data and information within different systems in sync? How can they reduce the time spent entering and handling data and increase the time spent improving operations? To meet these challenges, companies have to develop contextual asset information and versatile models so that end users with different objectives can view assets according to their needs. The CIM Adapter from SISCO uses a Common Information Model (CIM) to automatically configure Asset Framework (AF) and organize data points, or PI Tags, within the context of familiar models. Once AF is running, end users can navigate a variety of asset models to solve different business and engineering problems with greater speed, more flexibility and minimal disruption.
The SISCO CIM Adapter reduces the time required to deploy and maintain AF, automates entry of data, minimizes errors, and allows for searching PI Tags in the context of other models. With the adapter, AF becomes a single repository of operational data that can be used for a variety of applications. One end user can view a single asset type across facilities to improve CBM, while another views the asset within the context of line operations for process optimization. For electric utilities, this flexibility and automation allows them to better manage smart grid systems and reduces manual reconfiguration and data handling. Put simply, with the SISCO CIM Adapter, companies spend less time configuring data and more time improving business operations.
Solution Approach
The SISCO CIM Adapter is an import tool that automatically configures AF according to industry standard models (e.g. IEC and ISA in the power industry), models derived from applications, or customer defined models. It manages AF Elements and relationships and allows for PI Tag creation and management through an extensible schema in the AF Library. This extensible schema is maintained through true modeling techniques, (e.g. Unified Modeling Language) and can be maintained and documented in an electronic format. The model repository in AF is created and maintained through the use of internationally standardized file formats (CIM XML). These formats allow for full import, merging of imports, and incremental updates without disrupting existing AF structures or requiring a re-import of data. The heterogeneous model information can then be exported to other applications in CIM XML format so that they may be synchronized. The SISCO CIM Adapter also has advanced model management functionality that allows for efficient maintenance due to incremental update support. Additionally, when combined with SISCO’s standards-based integration, the CIM Adapter can keep AF in sync with external systems.