A SCADA system consists of field devices, logic controllers (PLC or RTU), and supervisory system by SCADA software.
A qualified SCADA software is required to have the following characteristics:-
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HMI (Human Machine Interface): as the front end interface for users to control and monitor the process in real time. Graphics and animation are normally used to visualize the operation process to achieve user friendly interfaces.
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Communication: the gateway to communicate and poll to/from field devices and PLC, which is essential to ensure the industrial process can be automated.
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Logging: data logging is important to keep important data in database for evaluation and record purpose.
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Trend and report: it is always necessary to record all the important data or readings from ongoing processes. Therefore SCADA shall features the automated report generation functionality, and trend/graph plotting features, which includes storing in database for future retrieving purpose also.
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Alarm: alarm is required to alert or give warning on any unwanted events, which is critical to avoid any emergency happens as well as ensuring the safety by notifying operators instantly.
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User and security role control: this function is required to ensure security by having different roles of user controls, so that you can restrict certain action to particular user role only.