SQL Database Server Integration
MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server are well supported database options that can be used with select Maple Systems HMIs and our free EBPro software to help collect and display data for easier monitoring and analytics. They also support a built-in database query viewer which enables production machines to retrieve data from your central SQL database. By connecting a support HMI to an SQL database you can collect, organize, and store your data in a flexible and trusted database system. This places important information users need to make business decisions in a format easily accessible to corporate IT systems.
Learn More About SQL
What is SQL?
SQL, or Structured Query Language, is a powerful tool for accessing and manipulating data in Relational Database Management Systems (RDMS), two of the most prominent examples being MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server. Microsoft SQL Server allows enterprises to choose from several editions of SQL Server according to their needs and budget, while MySQL is open source.
Both MySQL and SQL Server support multiple programming languages. Both RDBMS support Java, PHP, C++, Python, Ruby, Visual Basic, Delphi, Go and R. But MySQL additionally supports programming languages like Perl, Scheme, Tcl, Haskel and Eiffel.
Our IIoT HMI devices allow you to connect to SQL Databases wherever they may be hosted: locally, off-site, or in the cloud.
Why use a SQL database?
With Maple Systems SQL Database Integrations, you get streamlined storage, collection, and organization of operations data in a standardized SQL format.
By logging your time-series controller data, events and alarms, and recipe parameters into a SQL database, you add redundancy to your existing data backup solutions, while making process data available to IT Administrators and other key decision-makers in your company.
With your HMI syncing to a SQL Database, you also gain access to new tools for performing advanced monitoring, analytics, and reporting:
SQL Queries Permit:
- Conversion between different data formats
- Filtering by any number of conditions
- Linking information together from different tables to create new “views” of your data
With free database connector tools, you can also:
- Synchronize SQL data into Microsoft Excel worksheets which refresh automatically anytime the database is updated
- From these Excel worksheets, generate custom reports and create new visual representations of your data
Microsoft SQL and EBPro
Microsoft® SQL Server is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft. As a database server, it is a software product with the primary function of storing and retrieving data as requested by other software applications-which may run either on the same computer or on another computer across a network (including the Internet). Microsoft® SQL Server can be used with select Maple Systems HMIs to help collect and display data for easier monitoring and analytics; they also support a built-in database query viewer which enables production machines to retrieve data from your central SQL database. By connecting one of these HMIs to an SQL database you can collect, organize, and store your data in a flexible and trusted database system. This places important information users need to make business decisions in a format easily accessible to corporate IT systems.
Follow our MS SQL Quick Start Guide to walk through the steps to set up a Microsoft SQL Server and cMT Database Server object.
MySQL and EBPro
MySQL is a powerful tool that can be used with select Maple Systems HMIs to help collect and display data for easier monitoring and analytics.
MySQL is a relational database management system that uses SQL, or Structured Query Language, as the query language to access data in the database.
By connecting an IIoT-ready HMI to a MySQL database you can collect, organize, and store your data in a flexible and trusted database system. This places important information users need to make business decisions in a format easily accessible to corporate IT systems.
Follow our MS SQL Quick Start Guide to walk through the steps to set up a Microsoft SQL Server and cMT Database Server object.
Easy configuration software makes using MySQL easy. By using the Database Server object in the software, select HMIs unlock the tools you need to:
- Synchronize data and event logs to a remote MySQL server on the local network
- Use third-party software, such as Microsoft Office Excel to display that information
- Easily manage the data on that MySQL server
How do I link up my HMI application with a SQL database?
- Install MySQL or Microsoft SQL Server on a Windows PC and create a Schema in which to store HMI data (or) if your IT Team already has a server configured, request access and login credentials.
- In EBPro, create a new connection using the Database Server Object.
- Configure any Data Sampling object, Alarms/Events, or Recipe Database to sync to the SQL database either based on a trigger, or periodically (automatically; on a given schedule).
OPTIONAL: Set up synchronization between your database tables and a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet using an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) driver.
Connecting your HMI to a SQL database involves just three main steps, with one additional, optional step.
Resources to Get You Started
EBPro Programming Manual
Read how to implement the Database Server object. This object enables connection with MySQL or MS SQL database server, allowing users to send data log or event log to the database, or use SQL Query to access data from the database.
MySQL Sample Project
Demonstrates how to connect and disconnect an EBPro project from your MySQL database and generates data to sync to the database. Refer to the My SQL Quick Start Guide located in our Manuals and Guides section of the Tech Support Center.
MySQL Quick Start Guide
This manual walks you through the steps to set up a MySQL Server and cMT Database Server object, and then uses Microsoft Excel to read historical data from the HMI.