Managing Projects with Applications

Traditional SCADA systems often organize resources into projects, providing a structured way to manage all the elements of an industrial automation solution. Iotellect, doesn't have a dedicated "project" object type. Instead, any context, such as a device, dashboard, or model, is treated as a resource which can be added to an application. Applications, thus, supersede projects and provide numerous advantages including:

Version Control: Applications can be used with a version control system such as Git, allowing changes to resources to be tracked, managed, and restored as needed.
Modular Design: Each application comprises a collection of reusable resources, promoting a modular design approach where different parts of a project can be developed and tested independently, then combined as needed.
Simplified Deployment: Applications can be packaged as plugins or exported as folders, simplifying deployment to multiple Iotellect servers.
Centralized Management: All the resources associated with a project (application) are grouped and managed together, providing a centralized view of the project structure.

The following guide explains how the Applications module can be used to manage resources as a "classic" SCADA project, and provides a comparison with how similar elements appear in a classic SCADA project.

Creating an Application

Classic SCADA	Typically, a new project is created by providing a name and a location in the file system where the project files will be stored. The project file often has a proprietary file extension which can only be accessed by the SCADA development environment.
Iotellect	A new application is created as a context in the Iotellect unified data model. In the System Tree, open the context menu for the Applications node (located under the currently logged-in user) and select the Create Application action. The properties window requests a Name, a Description, and an Application Folder Path. The Application Folder Path indicates the folder on the Iotellect where resources will be saved during the application export. The application context is saved as a `.prs` file in the specified application folder.

Classic SCADA

Typically, a new project is created by providing a name and a location in the file system where the project files will be stored. The project file often has a proprietary file extension which can only be accessed by the SCADA development environment.

Iotellect

A new application is created as a context in the Iotellect unified data model. In the System Tree, open the context menu for the Applications node (located under the currently logged-in user) and select the Create Application action. The properties window requests a Name, a Description, and an Application Folder Path. The Application Folder Path indicates the folder on the Iotellect where resources will be saved during the application export. The application context is saved as a .prs file in the specified application folder.

The first step in organizing a new project is to create an Application context. In the System Tree, open the context menu for the Applications node, located under the currently logged-in user, and select the Create Application option.

The properties window allows you to enter identifying information about the application, including its Name and Description. Enter an appropriate name, following the context naming conventions. The Application Folder Path indicates the folder on the Iotellect where resources will be saved during the application export. Click OK to create the new application.

Adding Resources to the Application

Classic SCADA	SCADA resources such as devices, tags, HMIs, and trends are commonly added to a project one by one. In some systems it may be possible to automatically import multiple resources. Most systems include a resource management window, which allows for a view of all resources included in the project.
Iotellect	Once an application context has been created, its resources can be defined by populating the Resources property of the application. Open the Configure action of the application context menu to open the Application Configuration window. The Resources table lists the resources which comprise the application. Add a row to the table for each resource associated with the application, specifying the resource's context path and properties such as description, category, version, and dependencies. Resources can also be added by dragging and dropping resources onto the Applications node in the system tree and selecting Add Resources.

Classic SCADA

SCADA resources such as devices, tags, HMIs, and trends are commonly added to a project one by one. In some systems it may be possible to automatically import multiple resources. Most systems include a resource management window, which allows for a view of all resources included in the project.

Iotellect

Once an application context has been created, its resources can be defined by populating the Resources property of the application. Open the Configure action of the application context menu to open the Application Configuration window. The Resources table lists the resources which comprise the application. Add a row to the table for each resource associated with the application, specifying the resource's context path and properties such as description, category, version, and dependencies. Resources can also be added by dragging and dropping resources onto the Applications node in the system tree and selecting Add Resources.

Once the application has been created, its resources can be defined by populating the Resources property of the application. Open the Configure action of the Applications context menu to open the Application Configuration window.

The Resources table lists all the resources which comprise the application. Add a row to the table for each resource associated with the application and configure it with the following properties:

Resource: Context path to the resource to be included in the application.
Description: Textual description of the resource, which may be localized for multiple languages.
Context Description: Textual description to apply to the context created during the application deployment.
Category: String identifier to categorize the resource within the application's resource table.
Subcategory: Additional identifier for categorizing resources.
Group Name/Description: Defines a group to which the resource will be added during deployment.
Version: An integer indicating the resource version.
Dependencies: A table of resources upon which the current resource depends.

Resource Types

A SCADA system is composed of a number of different resources working together. These resources can be physical devices, such as sensors, controllers, and actuators. They can also be logical entities defined in software, such as tags, trends, alarms, and HMIs. Iotellect provides a unified model for representing and managing these disparate resources, allowing for flexible and scalable SCADA implementations.

The following table lists typical SCADA resources and their Iotellect counterparts. Note that in several cases the name and general purpose of a resource are the same between traditional SCADA systems and Iotellect. However, the implementation and capabilities within Iotellect may offer additional advantages, such as enhanced data processing, visualization options, and flexible integration with other system components.

Classic SCADA	Iotellect	Notes
I/O Channels/Tags	Device Variables/Settings	In Iotellect, every device connected to the system is represented by a Device context. Device variables (settings) within this context correspond to the I/O channels or tags of the classic SCADA system.
HMI	Dashboards	HMI functionality in Iotellect is implemented with Dashboards that provide graphical user interfaces for monitoring and control.
Trends	Charts Reports	Iotellect offers multiple methods for creating trends based on statistical data, variable history, or any other data source available within the unified data model.
Alarms	Alerts	Alerts in Iotellect provide a flexible mechanism for defining and managing alarms based on events, variable states, or any other criteria.
Master Station/Server	Iotellect Server Server	Iotellect Server is the central component of the Iotellect platform, responsible for data acquisition, processing, and distribution.
RTU/PLC	Device Context	Each RTU or PLC connected to Iotellect is represented as a Device context within the unified data model.
Communication Infrastructure	Device Drivers, Plugins	Iotellect supports various communication protocols and methods through device drivers and plugins, enabling seamless integration with diverse hardware.
Historian	Event History, Statistics	Iotellect allows historical data to be stored persistently as Events or aggregated into Statistics channels.
Database	Storage Facility	Iotellect supports multiple types of storage facilities, including relational, NoSQL, graph databases, and file storage.
Scripts/Calculations	Models, Scripts	Complex data processing and calculations are implemented in Iotellect using models with rulesets and/or scripts written in the expression language, as well as other common languages like Java and Python.
Project	Application	Applications within Iotellect supersede projects by providing version control, modular design, simplified deployment, and centralized resource management.

Exporting the Application

Classic SCADA	Depending on the system, projects can be exported as a single file (often proprietary), multiple files, or a directory containing all project files and assets.
Iotellect	The Application can be saved in one of two ways: either as a plugin or to an on-disk folder. Each method has advantages for different usage scenarios, from application distribution to managing application development.

Exporting as a Plugin

Classic SCADA	Some SCADA systems support exporting projects as plugins for further deployment. The plugin often has a custom file extension and a version which indicates compatibility with the SCADA system.
Iotellect	The Pack action of an Application context packages the Application and its resources as a standard Iotellect plugin (a `.jar` file). The plugin may then be installed on any other Iotellect instance, and will contain the packaged contexts as well as a copy of the application itself, with its associated resources and properties.

The Pack action of an Application context packages the Application and its resources as an Iotellect plugin (a .jar file). Once this plugin is deployed on a target server, its resources are available for use.

Exporting to Folder

Classic SCADA	In cases where export as a plugin is not supported, projects can be exported to an on-disk folder for backup or migration between systems.
Iotellect	The Export action saves the application's configuration and resource files (`.prs`) to a folder on the Iotellect file system. Each resource included in the Application, whether a Device, Model, Dashboard, Alert, Event Filter, etc., is exported as a separate `.prs` file. In addition to the resources, a file `application.properties` contains properties of the application itself, as well as a table listing the resources included in the Application. This folder is synchronized with a version control system (such as Git, Mercurial, SVN, etc.) for managing application development and deployments to multiple Iotellect.

Classic SCADA

In cases where export as a plugin is not supported, projects can be exported to an on-disk folder for backup or migration between systems.

Iotellect

The Export action saves the application's configuration and resource files (.prs) to a folder on the Iotellect file system. Each resource included in the Application, whether a Device, Model, Dashboard, Alert, Event Filter, etc., is exported as a separate .prs file. In addition to the resources, a file application.properties contains properties of the application itself, as well as a table listing the resources included in the Application. This folder is synchronized with a version control system (such as Git, Mercurial, SVN, etc.) for managing application development and deployments to multiple Iotellect.

The Export action saves the Application's configuration and resources to a folder on the Iotellect file system. This folder is typically synchronized with a version control system for managing application development and deployment.

Deploying the Application

Classic SCADA	Depending on the system, project deployment can involve copying one or more files to a target machine, installing a program or plugin, modifying operating system parameters, or manually creating resources such as devices and tags in a target SCADA runtime environment.
Iotellect	Deploying an Application consists of creating its associated resources in the Iotellect instance, e.g., automatically creating dashboards, devices, models, etc. The Deploy action of an Application context will create or update each resource defined in the Resources table. If the Remove Orphans parameter of the Deploy action is `True`, orphaned resources, meaning those that are not part of the current application, but were part of a previous version, will be removed. Resources created during application deployment are owned by the Application owner by default but can be assigned a different owner. This allows applications with shared resources to be deployed.

Classic SCADA

Depending on the system, project deployment can involve copying one or more files to a target machine, installing a program or plugin, modifying operating system parameters, or manually creating resources such as devices and tags in a target SCADA runtime environment.

Iotellect

Deploying an Application consists of creating its associated resources in the Iotellect instance, e.g., automatically creating dashboards, devices, models, etc. The Deploy action of an Application context will create or update each resource defined in the Resources table. If the Remove Orphans parameter of the Deploy action is True, orphaned resources, meaning those that are not part of the current application, but were part of a previous version, will be removed. Resources created during application deployment are owned by the Application owner by default but can be assigned a different owner. This allows applications with shared resources to be deployed.

Once the application is packaged using one of the above methods, it can be deployed using the Deploy action. The Deploy action has the following parameters:

Deployment User Mode: Defines the user that will own the resources created by Application deployment.
Deployment User Context: Context of user that should own resources.
Remove Orphans: If true, orphaned resources (that are not part of the current application but were part of a previous version) will be removed once the Application is deployed.

When deployed, the Deploy action creates or updates each resource defined in the Application based on the indicated properties.

Updating the Application

Classic SCADA	Updating a deployed SCADA project often involves backing up the current project state, importing a new project version, and checking the updated resources in the runtime environment.
Iotellect	Once an application has been deployed, it can be updated with a new version. The Update action has several options for how to update the application, either by importing files from an Application Folder Path on the Iotellect or uploading a file to the server. In addition, Handling Existing Contexts allows individual components of the application to be skipped, replaced or updated. Error Handling options allow for the update to be reverted in the case that an error occurs during the update process.

Classic SCADA

Updating a deployed SCADA project often involves backing up the current project state, importing a new project version, and checking the updated resources in the runtime environment.

Iotellect

Once an application has been deployed, it can be updated with a new version. The Update action has several options for how to update the application, either by importing files from an Application Folder Path on the Iotellect or uploading a file to the server. In addition, Handling Existing Contexts allows individual components of the application to be skipped, replaced or updated. Error Handling options allow for the update to be reverted in the case that an error occurs during the update process.

The Update action can be used to modify or update resources associated with the application. Several parameters allow for fine-grain control over how the update will take place:

Operation Type: Indicate the type of data source that will be used to update the application, either a file uploaded via Web UI or from a directory in the Iotellect file system.
Handling Existing Contexts: Indicate the behavior for updating a context which already exists, either to Skip, Replace or Update the existing context.

Removing Resources

Classic SCADA	The mechanism for removing resources in traditional SCADA systems depends on the specific software being used. Common options are either removing the entire project from a server, or individually deleting resources if the project is still deployed on a server.
Iotellect	In Iotellect, the Roll Back action of the Applications context removes all resources created when the application was deployed, essentially reversing the Deploy action. The Application itself, as well as any locally-modified resources, are not removed. Resources can also be removed individually from the application via the Resources property, and then deleted through their context menus. This method is useful for removing old or unused resources from a project without affecting other components.

Classic SCADA

The mechanism for removing resources in traditional SCADA systems depends on the specific software being used. Common options are either removing the entire project from a server, or individually deleting resources if the project is still deployed on a server.

Iotellect

In Iotellect, the Roll Back action of the Applications context removes all resources created when the application was deployed, essentially reversing the Deploy action. The Application itself, as well as any locally-modified resources, are not removed. Resources can also be removed individually from the application via the Resources property, and then deleted through their context menus. This method is useful for removing old or unused resources from a project without affecting other components.

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