# Data from text file to chart

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/data-from-text-file-to-chart/95839>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [September 11, 2024, 10:32am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/data-from-text-file-to-chart/95839 "2024-09-11T10:32:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Thorolfur\_Kristjans1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@Thorolfur\_Kristjans1](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Thorolfur_Kristjans1)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 10:32am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/data-from-text-file-to-chart/95839/1 "2024-09-11T10:32:15Z")

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Hi. Quite new to Ignition and need a bit of guidance.

I get measurement data from multiple remote sensors via text files once per day that I need to store and show in a graph.

What is the best method to do this? Reading the files and parse the data is not the issue. My question is where is it best to store the data and timestamps they can easily be shown on time series graphs for example.

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**Author:** ![Nathan\_Moore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d78d45/32.png) [@Nathan\_Moore](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Nathan_Moore)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 10:55am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/data-from-text-file-to-chart/95839/2 "2024-09-11T10:55:27Z")

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The best way to store this data would likely be using ignitions tag history. Once you parse the data you could write it to the history of a tag then that tag can be viewed in any of Ignitions charts.

You can use system.tag.storeTagHistory to do this:

> **[system.tag.storeTagHistory | Ignition User Manual](https://www.docs.inductiveautomation.com/docs/7.9/appendix/scripting-functions/system-tag/system-tag-storeTagHistory)**
>
> Inserts data into the tag history system, allowing Tag history to be recorded via scripting.

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**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 2:13pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/data-from-text-file-to-chart/95839/3 "2024-09-11T14:13:11Z")

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I would upsert each data file into a real database, then connect to that database with the DB Table Historian to allow the rest of Ignition to use it transparently as a historian:

> **[DB Table Historian Provider | Ignition User Manual](https://www.docs.inductiveautomation.com/docs/8.1/ignition-modules/tag-historian/tag-history-providers/db-table-historian-provider)**
>
> The DB Table Historian Provider acts as a bridge between tables in a database connection and the Tag Historian Module, mapping columns in the tables as "available Tags", thus allowing Tag History Queries to access the content of the table. Usually...