Ignition Edge remote tag provider can't access database for query tags

Ignition
1

I currently have two Ignition gateways: an edge gateway to interface with many remote PLCs, and a cloud gateway with perspective for building views, etc. The edge gateway acts as a remote tag provider to the cloud gateway. I also have some organizational/admin information in a postgres db.

In trying to build out the UDT to describe a piece of equipment, I'm running into the problem that I can access the PLC tags from the remote (edge) tag provider, and can access the database from a separate tag provider on the cloud, but I have no way of accessing both and combining into one UDT. For example, I have pump speed from the edge tag provider, and pump name and location from the database. Is there a way to combine tag providers? Alternatively, I'd be happy to use query tags in the edge tag provider, but it can't 'see' the db.

The workaround I'm currently using is to run a db query on a schedule and save the result to a dataset tag. I then use expression tags in the UDT to look up the equipment name, location, etc from the dataset tag. Can anyone see any major drawbacks from this approach?

Thanks!

2

I'm fairly certain that edge cannot access external databases.

What's your ultimate goal? Display the database information on the edge display?

4

Thanks for a prompt reply! Ultimate goal is a cohesive UDT with PLC tags + admin information for display and editing from the views built on the cloud gateway.

5

Where is the admin info displayed?

6

So, you need a database connection in your facility(ies). Upgrade Edge to Standard. You are trying to create an architecture that is not intended to be possible on Edge.

7

If you need to display information from the database on the edge, Phil is correct. You'll need to upgrade if you want to do something other than somehow triggering the query at the cloud level and pushing the data into tags on the edge.

However, if you only want to display the information from the database on the cloud this is how I would handle it:

There are 2 options that I can see that both involve 2 UDTs, I think I prefer the second.

  1. One "Edge" UDT and one "Cloud" UDT where the cloud UDT inherits from the edge.
    a. This would require you to set up an EAM job that would need to be run manually to sync the base UDT from the edge to the cloud tag providers any time the UDT on the edge changes.
  2. One "Edge" UDT and one "Cloud" UDT where the cloud UDT includes a parameter that is the path to the corresponding Edge UDT instance in the remote tag provider.
    a. Your views would then indirect reference everything for the edge UDT using that path parameter.