The fact that the cooperation platform Engineering Base (EB) can handle the most diverse complementary systems with various standards, file and data transfer formats, and how it does so, has been known and verifiable for some time. AUCOTEC’s developers have now used this openness to make it even easier for users to “funnel” external data into EB. You can feed the platform even with highly complex data using the new open format EBML, which works in an XML-based manner, without programming work or special EB knowledge.
Accelerating the transfer of legacy data
EBML not only simplifies the configuring of the data transfer. The transfer itself also takes significantly less time – about 10 times less than an API (Application Programming Interface). This is a considerable advantage, especially in the case of legacy data transfers (LDT). If millions of pieces of information, also usually representing millions of euros economically, are to be transferred to EB in one fell swoop in order to make the most of them as quickly as possible, then time is of value in itself.
The plant is always smarter afterwards
Now, reading data into an empty database is not rocket science. If, however, information about devices, containers or the like from a second source is already available in EB, EBML can identify them and, for example, fill attributes of the objects with content or add sub-objects. This enables the digital twin of a plant or machine to be intelligently merged from a wide range of sources. The interface also detects discrepancies, but it can be configured so that they are only documented to prevent the data transfer from having to be restarted every time. This tolerance is unique – and the digital twin’s data model ends up being much smarter than the old documentation.
IT relieved
Data that is not huge in terms of volume, but which is regularly forwarded to EB – always including conflict control – can be transferred just as easily and consistently. This can also be as-is information from maintenance, IOT data for predictive maintenance or results from in-house calculation tools with individual algorithms in addition to 3-D, simulation or ERP data. Integrating EB into business processes and transferring external data has never been easier. EBML is thus the right track in every sense. This accelerates projects, relieves IT and all those who have limited programming abilities. The standard format to which all interfaces to EB will be converted in future does not require detailed knowledge, neither of EB nor of programming languages or methods. It is all about configuring.
