The iFIX Alarm ODBC Service inserts alarms, messages, and the electronic signature audit trail into an ODBC-compliant relational database. The data is parsed into a set of columns you can query to produce reports and perform analysis. You can configure the columns you want to include in your relational database table using the Alarm ODBC Configurator.
You can configure the Connection Lost Tag in the Alarm ODBC Service Configuration dialog box, which allows you to specify a database tag that is used to indicate a broken connection with the relational database.
You can also configure a temporary file to store alarms when the Alarm ODBC Service cannot connect to the relational database. The temporary file is encrypted. This feature prevents the loss of any electronic signature messages while the relational database is down or offline. If you do not want a temporary file, leave the Lost Connection File field blank.
Other iFIX alarm destinations, such as the Alarm History and Alarm File, also receive electronic signature messages. Due to space constraints, these destinations do not display every part of the signature, but they do show who performed the action, who verified the action, a description of the action and the time the action took place. These destinations do not represent the electronic signature audit trail, but can be used to quickly check on recent actions.
TIP: For the most reliable performance, run the Alarm ODBC Service on the SCADA nodes in your application, and not on the iClients.
Refer to the Implementing Alarms and Messages manual for more information on the Alarm ODBC Service and other alarm issues.
