23.3             SQL Server  2005

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 relational database management system can be used with WebAccess for data logging to a database (ODBC Logs).  This SQL Server Database will replace the Access Database ( bwPdata.mdb) that is the default database used for Process Data including:

·         Analog Tag Log

·         Discrete Tag Log

·         Text Tag Log

·         Analog Change Log

·         System Log

·         Action Log

·         Alarm Logs. 

The Data for Scheduled reports will be stored in the SQL Server database (The Analog Tag Log).  

Note that the "Tag" database used for Project Manager remains an Access Database (bwcfg.mdb)

The steps to switch to an SQL Server database are:

1.      Install SQL Server from CD ROM using the install wizard.

2.      Configure SQL Server using SQL Server Management Studio

3.      Create User Name and Password to Log in to SQL Server using SQL Server Authentication (only use NT Authentication if you really know what you are doing).

4.      Create a New Database. You should create an empty database. WebAccess will create all the data tables in needs. 

5.      Create an ODBC System DSN on the Project Node to connect to the SQL Server database using SQL Server Authentication with username and password created in step 3.

6.  Create an ODBC Log Data Source in WebAccess Project Manager. Enter the ODBC DSN from step 9 and user name and password from step 3.

7.  Select the new ODBC Log Data Source in Project Manager.

SQL 2005 is the current version available from Microsoft.  SQL Server needs to be installed once, on one computer, usually the Project Node, but can be any computer in your network.

SQL Server 2005 requires 512 MB of RAM.  Workgroup and Enterprise offer unlimited datatable sizes.

The Express version is limited to 2 GB size for datatables, which is the same as Microsoft Access.  So there does not appear to be any benefit in changing from Access to SQL Server Express.

It is recommended to have the Project Node and the SQL Server as part of the same Domain. It is also possible to install SQL Server on the Project Node.  You will have to consider the ramifications of installing SQL Server on a combined Project/SCADA node.

This database can grow very large if you collect analog real-time data every minute or faster. The Log to ODBC function in WebAccess can be as fast as once a minute for analog tags. (Intervals are from once a minute to once per hour for each tag).  Discrete data is recorded potentially as fast as the scan rate of the communications to the PLC (as fast as 100 milliseconds).  You should consider creating this database on another computer, hard drive or partition that can not fill the same hard drive as your operating system (preventing you from rebooting) or WebAccess (preventing you from opening database configurator)..