Implementing a SCADA strategy requires you to collect the following information:
- Flowcharts of your processes.
- A list of I/O driver or OPC server addresses.
- Your alarm requirements.
- The type of signal conditioning and the range of values that your process hardware can measure. The range of values is called the EGU range.
After you have this data, you are ready to design a database. To help illustrate how to do this, this chapter walks you through the process of designing a chain for the Enviro company, introduced in the section Sample Application. Using these examples, you should be able to create your own blocks and chains for your process database.
As you read this chapter, you may find it helpful to skip ahead and learn how to add a block with Database Manager so that you can create the sample chains described here. By creating sample chains, working with Database Manager, and correcting errors, you learn how to avoid mistakes before you create your actual database.
