Augment/Replace OSI PI With a Time Series Database

Augment/Replace OSI PI With a Time Series Database | SPONSORED

Industries are rapidly evolving from the era of computer automation (Industry 3.0) to a new phase—Industry 4.0. This shift introduces exciting technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and big data analytics. These advancements allow businesses to collect and use real-time data, improving efficiency, productivity, and smarter decision-making.

OSI PI is a crucial software for collecting and storing real-time data from sensors and equipment and has been a key player in managing industrial data for years. However, as data volumes increase, OSI PI faces scalability, flexibility, and integration challenges. This is where time series databases come into play.

Time series databases are designed to handle large amounts of data recorded over time. They provide quick data writing, efficient storage, and advanced querying capabilities. InfluxDB, an open-source time-series database, excels in data ingestion, storage, and retrieval for large-scale applications, making it a viable alternative to OSI PI.

In this post, we’ll examine why InfluxDB is a better option for handling time series data than OSI PI. We’ll look into OSI PI’s limits, explore InfluxDB’s capabilities and benefits, and discuss real-world examples and future developments in time series data management. Ultimately, you’ll understand how InfluxDB can improve your industrial data management and why it’s worth considering for your specific requirements.

Understanding OSI PI and its limitations

OSI PI is a widely used software for managing real-time data in industries and is particularly useful for handling industrial data. However, as the amount of data grows, some problems with OSI PI become apparent.

• OSI PI has trouble managing large amounts of data efficiently, which can cause performance bottlenecks.
• OSI PI doesn’t always work well with modern data architectures and advanced analytics tools, making it difficult to take advantage of new data management technologies and innovations.
• OSI PI supports a limited range of data types and modern formats, limiting its usefulness in today’s tech landscape.

Given these issues, exploring alternative solutions, such as time series databases, is crucial. These databases are designed to handle large data volumes swiftly, store it efficiently, and offer advanced querying capabilities. They provide better scalability, flexibility, and integration, making them a great fit for modern industrial data needs.

Introducing InfluxDB

InfluxDB is a cutting-edge, customized database for managing enormous amounts of time series data, designed primarily for industrial uses. Here’s why it works so well:

• High Data Handling Capacity: InfluxDB can handle a large number of data entries every second. This makes it ideal for applications that frequently generate data, such as industrial sensors and IoT devices.
• Optimized for Time Series Data: InfluxDB stores time series data efficiently, using disk space wisely and allowing quick data retrieval.

User-Friendly Query Language: InfluxDB uses a query language similar to SQL, enabling complex searches and easy data analysis, without needing to pick up a new language.

InfluxDB is a cutting-edge, customized database for managing enormous amounts of time-series data, designed primarily for industrial uses.

Comparing InfluxDB and OSI PI

• InfluxDB is specifically built for time series data, offering fast data intake and efficient storage right out of the box. On the flip side, OSI PI is more of a general-purpose data historian, which can struggle when dealing with large volumes of time series data.
• With InfluxDB’s SQL-like query language, data processing is more intuitive and flexible than OSI PI.. Plus, InfluxDB integrates seamlessly with modern data tools and frameworks, enhancing support for advanced analytics and machine learning.

Here’s why InfluxDB shines compared to OSI PI:

• Handling Large Data Volumes: InfluxDB is excellent at managing vast amounts of time series data. Even when your data piles up, it keeps working smoothly, unlike OSI PI, which can struggle as data grows.
• Data Type Versatility: InfluxDB is highly adaptable and capable of managing a wide range of data formats. This facilitates connectivity with many data sources and current IoT devices, making it suited for a wide range of industrial situations.
• Speed and Efficiency: InfluxDB is intended for rapid data entry and retrieval. It saves data fast, allowing you to retrieve and analyze it in real time. This speed is essential for monitoring operations and making quick choices.
• Cost Savings: Because InfluxDB is open source, you won’t have to pay high license costs. Furthermore, its efficient storage mechanism lowers infrastructure expenses, making it a budget-friendly option for many enterprises.
• Easy-to-Use Query Language: InfluxDB’s SQL-like language makes it simple to perform complex queries and get insights without needing to learn a completely new language, boosting your productivity.
• Modern Integration: InfluxDB integrates smoothly with modern data analytics and machine learning technologies. This means you can better leverage your data to promote innovation and improve operations.

Overall, InfluxDB excels in scalability, flexibility, performance, cost-effectiveness, and current tool integration, making it a great choice for managing industrial data.

Let’s talk about some real-world success stories where companies have switched from OSI PI to InfluxDB and seen amazing results.

Use cases and case studies

Let’s talk about some real-world success stories where companies have switched from OSI PI to InfluxDB and seen amazing results.

First up, meet Térega. They’re a gas storage and transportation company in southwest France, managing 5,000 kilometers of natural gas pipelines. Térega decided it was time to ditch their old IT system and build something new. So, they created a cloud-native data historian called IO-Base, powered by InfluxDB. They also developed Indabox, a gateway that securely sends data from sensors to IO-Base. This upgrade gave them real-time metrics, endless data ingestion, and seamless integration with other systems. It worked so well that Térega now offers these solutions through their subsidiary, Térega Solutions. You can read more about their solution here.

Next, we have LBBC Technologies, a leader in industrial autoclave technology. They took their “Connected Support” software to the next level by using InfluxDB Cloud. This helps them monitor and troubleshoot their aerospace manufacturing equipment with advanced diagnostic tools. Thanks to InfluxDB, LBBC can detect problems faster and predict maintenance needs, making their support super efficient and keeping their global customers happy. Read more about their solution here.

These stories emphasize how InfluxDB beats OSI PI in scalability, flexibility, and efficiency. By making the switch, these companies have achieved remarkable improvements in their data management operations.

Future outlook and trends

The future of handling and evaluating time series data is rapidly evolving, triggered by the increasing complexity of industrial data. Here are a few crucial trends to follow:

• AI and Machine Learning: Businesses increasingly utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to forecast trends and manage equipment. These technologies help analyze data more deeply and make better predictions.
• Real-Time Data Processing: With more data coming in from various sources, there’s a big push for faster and better real-time data processing. This helps in making quick decisions and staying on top of things.
• Edge Computing: Data is processed closer to where it’s generated rather than sending it far away. This reduces delays and saves bandwidth.

As industries rely more on data, they need efficient and flexible data management tools. InfluxDB’s ability to handle massive amounts of data quickly and work well with advanced analytics tools makes it crucial in driving innovation and improving industry operations.

As industries rely more on data, they’ll need efficient and flexible data management tools.

Conclusion

InfluxDB is a fantastic upgrade with its high-speed data writing, smart storage solutions, easy-to-use query language, and smooth integration with modern analytics tools. Real-life success stories, like Térega, show how switching to InfluxDB can boost data handling, scalability, real-time monitoring, visualization, and analysis.

As industries become more data-focused, having an efficient time series database like InfluxDB is critical;  InfluxDB is set to be a major player in industrial IoT and digital transformation.

If you’re thinking about upgrading or replacing OSI PI, InfluxDB could improve your operations. It handles large and varied data efficiently and works well with advanced analytics and edge computing. You can find some of InfluxDB’s products here. Visit the contact sales page to get a bespoke consultation or begin a proof of concept (POC). You can also sign up for the cloud serverless options to experience the benefits of InfluxDB today.

InfluxDB isn’t a drop-in replacement for OSI PI. A new system built with InfluxDB, also known as a modern data historian, can improve an organization’s time series handling by augmenting or replacing OSI PI. InfluxDB works in conjunction with specialized tools and services to improve the experience of working with legacy data historians such as OSI PI.