FactorySQL Under the Hood

FactorySQL brought magic to the plant floor. It would have been called "Yesware" except that name was already taken. This is because you could say "yes, I can do that" to practically any PLC to SQL database interaction you could imagine.

Want to log PLC values? No problem. Want to send recipes to PLCs? Go for it. Want to mirror PLC addresses in the SQL database so that web pages can display and control PLC values? Go for it. Want to copy whole sections of PLC memory to another PLC somewhere else. Yes you can. In fact, the possibilities are endless but they boil down to being able to say "yes, I can do that" while everyone else is shaking their heads "no."

I've had two integrators sit beside me on a major project where all they ever said was "I'm not sure how we'd go about that" and all I ever said was "don't worry, we'll take care of it," and then we would, usually in minimal time. The other integrators looked kind of dumbfounded because I kept doing this. But my secret was FactorySQL.

Well, now we have Ignition and under the hood we still have FactorySQL but it's no longer called that. Now we call it the SQL Bridge Module. But it does all the same things and more. For example, you can make programming changes while groups are running without interrupting anything, just like online programming changes in a PLC.

I fear one thing though. With all the excitement about the Ignition platform I'm afraid we're neglecting to tell people about the real power they have under the hood with the SQL Bridge Module. The other day when one of the sales people showed it to someone they were blown away by what they saw - they could hardly believe what they were seeing was true.

So my message to you... check it out. You'll be amazed at what you can do.

Today, even a kid could install Ignition

We have been, since the beginning, fanatical about delivering greater and greater user friendliness. I wanted, and demanded, an installation that took minutes and which worked the first time, every time, when downloaded and installed.

FactorySQL and FactoryPMI were revolutionary products. But they were separate products that had to work with third party products before they could do anything. More than one person got lost in the installation process. But Ignition is another story. The installation process is so simple it's gotten ridiculous.

I thought, "I'll bet even a kid could install Ignition." So I decided to have my ten-year-old god-daughter give it a try. I sat her down at my desk, pointed her to our website and asked her to download Ignition and install it. I had to show her where to find it on our website, but with a little direction she downloaded Ignition and installed it. The time? Four and a half minutes! When I told her she just installed enough software to run a huge manufacturing plant, her eyes got real big and she started grinning from ear to ear.

If you think I'm exaggerating, you should try it for yourself by downloading it here. If you think it sounds too good to be true, because you've installed other SCADA/MES software that took all day or several days, then give Ignition a try and convince yourself. If you think the learning curve would be too much, just remember my god-daughter – if even a ten year old could do it ...

So what can you do with software that installs in under five minutes? It's got to be pretty limited, right? Wrong. If you really want to know what it can do, read my earlier blog entitled "The Three Minute Misconception". Not only can you start developing right away, but you can have a simple application up and running in half an hour (not to mention launching a dozen clients). But the best part is, you don't even have to contact us to try it out.

Just so you know, we don't do those funky 30-day trials. Our trial is unlimited just like everything else about Ignition. Splurge on it!