Data Onboarding

This section describes how to onboard data from various Data Sources and Source Sub Types.

Data Source: Edge IoT Gateway

Please see the preceding section “Edge IoT Gateway” for the initial configuration steps to be performed on the Edge IoT Gateway before using the device for data onboarding.

Source Sub Type: Modbus RTU

This guide explains how to onboard data from devices such as vibration sensors or energy meters using the Modbus RTU protocol over RS485 serial communication. Follow the steps below for configuration and reference for each parameter.

  1. Modbus RTU Settings/ConfigurationConfigure the connection to your Modbus RTU slave device(s) in the Settings tab.…. image….

Port: Serial port (on the gateway) to which the Modbus slave device is connected. E.g., /dev/ttymxc5, /dev/ttyAMA1

Stop Bits: Number of stop bits used (e.g., 1, 2). Stop bits signal the end of a data packet.

Byte Size: Number of data bits that make up a byte sent in the transmission. E.g., 5, 6, 7, 8

Parity: Determines the error-checking method. E.g., N (for None), E (for Even), O (for Odd)

Baud Rate: Speed of communication between the gateway and the slave device. E.g., 9600, 19200, 38400, 115200

Sampling Rate: In seconds. E.g., 1, 5, 30. The gap between each reading taken from the Modbus slave device.

Collect FFT Data & Collect Every: Input Range: 10 to 1440 minutes. Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) converts time-domain vibration signals into the frequency domain, which is crucial for understanding and diagnosing machine health.

Mac Address: Mac address of Gateway

  1. Tags

Tags define the data points you will onboard from your device.Each tag has several fields to configure:

  • Field Definitions:

    • Tag Name: Predefined or custom name for the data point.

    • Address: The register address in the device storing the data for this tag.

    • Unit: Measurement unit (e.g., mm/s for velocity).

    • Description: Optional commentary about the tag.

    • Decode Bits: Number of bits or Length of raw value (e.g., 16, 32).

    • Decode Type: Data format, such as unsign_int, int, or float.

    • Scale: Factor to convert raw data to engineering units.

  • Others

    • Use Bulk Edit for fast changes or Remove Blank Tag to clean unused rows.

    • Incomplete rows will highlight in red until fixed.

  1. Device Registration

This section ties a Modbus slave device to a function, asset, and monitoring point.

  • Field Definitions:

    • Slave ID: Modbus address of the slave device

    • Function: Monitored function

    • Register to an asset?: Mark “Yes” if data should be linked to an asset

    • Asset: The asset the monitoring point belongs to

    • Monitor: The monitoring point or sensor instance being created

  • Others

    • Use Add New Slave ID to insert a new row for a monitoring point.

    • Use Remove Blank Slave ID to delete unused/empty rows

  • Once all monitoring point mappings are done, click Create Gateway to save the configuration.

Source Sub Type: OPC-UA

All Historians that have an OPC-UA Server license installed are supported.

  1. OPC-UA Settings/Configuration:To connect your gateway to an OPC-UA server, fill in the required details in the Settings tab:

  • Field Definitions:

    • OPC Server URL: Enter the URL of your OPC-UA server. Use either the IP address or DNS name, Example: http://192.168.1.1

    • User Name:The username required for OPC-UA server authentication example: pda

    • Password: The password for the above OPC-UA username. Enter securely.

    • Mac Address: Enter or confirm the MAC address of the gateway device. Example: e4:5f:01:ea:85:01

  1. TagsIn the Tags tab, add each data point (tag) you wish to collect from the OPC-UA server. Tags must be defined by the user, as there are no predefined tags.
  • How to Add Tags

    • Click “Add New Node” to insert a new row for a tag.

    • Field Definitions:

      • Node Address: The OPC-UA node address (unique path for the data point).

      • Tag ID: Unique identifier for the tag, typically matching the Node Address.

      • Tag Name: Name for this data point; can be descriptive or match Tag ID.

      • Unit: Measurement unit (e.g., mm/s for velocity).

      • Description: Optional commentary about the tag.

      • Asset Tag?: Mark “Yes” if data should be linked to an asset

      • Asset: The asset the monitoring point belongs to

      • Monitor: The monitoring point or sensor instance being created

  • Others

    • Use Generate Tag IDs to auto-create IDs.

    • Use Remove Blank Node to delete unused/empty rows

  • Once all tag mappings are done, click Create Gateway to save the configuration.

Source Sub Type: Modbus TCP

This guide shows how to onboard data from Modbus-compliant devices that communicate over Ethernet using the Modbus TCP protocol.

  1. Modbus TCP Settings/ConfigurationConfigure the connection to your Modbus TCP server in the Settings tab. This includes network details and device registration.

  • Field Definitions:

    • Host: IP address or DNS name of the Modbus server (slave device)

    • Port: TCP port exposed by the device (Modbus default = 502)

    • Sampling Rate: In seconds. E.g., 1, 5, 30. The gap between each reading taken from the Modbus slave device

    • Mac Address: Mac address of the Gateway

  1. Tags

Tags define the data points you will onboard from your device.Each tag has several fields to configure:

  • Field Definitions:

    • Tag Name: Predefined or custom name for the data point.

    • Address: Holding/Input register number that stores the value

    • Unit: Measurement unit (e.g., mm/s for velocity).

    • Description: Optional commentary about the tag.

    • Decode Bits: Number of bits or Length of raw value (e.g., 16, 32).

    • Decode Type: Data format, such as unsign_int, int, or float.

    • Scale: Factor to convert raw data to engineering units.

  • Others

    • Use Bulk Edit for fast changes or Remove Blank Tag to clean unused rows.

    • Incomplete rows will highlight in red until fixed.

  1. Device Registration

This section ties a Modbus slave device to a function, asset, and monitoring point.

  • Field Definitions:

    • Slave ID: Modbus address of the slave device

    • Function: Monitored function

    • Register to an asset?: Mark “Yes” if data should be linked to an asset

    • Asset: The asset the monitoring point belongs to

    • Monitor: The monitoring point or sensor instance being created

  • Others

    • Use Add New Slave ID to insert a new row for a monitoring point.

    • Use Remove Blank Slave ID to delete unused/empty rows

  • Once all monitoring point mappings are done, click Create Gateway to save the configuration.

Source Sub Type: File

This section describes how to onboard data from CSVs and other flat files into the 4PointX IAoT Platform. When the Source Sub Type is set to File, you are onboarding historical or batch data from files such as .csv. The process described below will help you identify which columns (tags) to collect, specify how to interpret the file, and decide which columns you do NOT want to import.

  1. File Settings/Configuration
  • Upload a Sample File

    • In the Settings tab, look for the File field.

    • Click to upload your sample file (it should be in .csv format or as supported by your integration).

    • Once uploaded, the File Path will display where it’s stored temporarily.

  • Configure File Parsing Settings

    • Separator: Choose the separator used in your file (e.g. CSV, Tab, etc.)

    • Rows to skip: If your file has headers, comments, or other metadata at the top, enter the number of rows to skip before actual data starts.

    • For example, if your data starts from row 97, enter 96 (so the system skips the first 96 rows).

  • Time Configuration

    • Time Field: Select the name of the column that contains the time or date information. This must be present in your file.

    • Time Format: Specify how the date/time is formatted. For example, DD-MM-YYYY HH:MM.

    Note: The selected column can be an actual date field or a string that represents a date.

  • Ignore Specific Columns

    • Ignore Fields: Select any columns you DO NOT want to process or onboard. Add them here so they will be skipped during data import.

  • MAC Address (Required): Enter the MAC address of the source/gateway. This is a unique identifier for your device or data origin.

  1. Tags:Click Next to go to the Tags tab. The system will show columns from your uploaded file.
  • Field Definitions:

    • Field Name: These are original column headers from your file.

    • Tag Name: Here, you must enter a tag name for each column you want to onboard. (You can leave out tag names for columns you want to skip or deselect them in the list.)

    • Register to an asset?: Mark “Yes” if data should be linked to an asset

    • Asset: The asset the monitoring point belongs to

    • Monitor: The monitoring point or sensor instance being created

    • Tip: Red-highlighted fields mean a tag name is missing—fill these before proceeding.

  • Optionally, map units, link to assets, or select a monitoring configuration according to your needs.

  • Once all tag mappings are done, click Create Gateway to save the configuration.

Source Sub Type: SQL

This section describes how to onboard production data from RDBMS databases—such as SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and similar—into the 4PointX IAoT Platform. When the Source Sub Type is set to SQL, you are configuring a direct integration that periodically collects data from a database table according to your requirements.

  1. SQL Settings / Configuration
  • Go to the Credentials tab.
    • Fill in the following details to connect to your SQL database:

      • Server Address: Enter the host/IP address of your database server.

      • Port: Enter the port number (commonly 1433 for SQL Server, 5432 for Postgres, 3306 for MySQL).

      • User Name: The database username with access to the relevant database/table.

      • Password: The password for the above user.

    • Click the Test Connection button.

      • If the connection is successful, you can proceed.

      • If not, review your entries and try again.

  1. Source Details - Table and Columns

  • Go to the Source Details tab.

  • Complete the following required fields:

    • Database: Select a database from the list fetched from the server.

    • Table: Select the table containing the production data.

    • Time Field: Choose the column that acts as the timestamp (e.g., production_date). This field is required for time-based data queries.

    • Time Format: Specify the format if your time field is stored as a string (for example, YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS).

  • Other Configuration Options

    • Ignore Fields/Columns: Enter any column names you do NOT want to collect; these columns will be skipped during onboarding.

    • Conditions: Optionally set data filters (e.g., only fetch rows where a certain value meets a threshold).

    • Schedule Frequency: Set how often the platform queries the database for new data (e.g., every 5 minutes).

  1. Tag Selection & Mapping

  • Go to the Tags tab.

  • The system displays a list of columns from your selected table (excluding those you chose to ignore).

  • For each column you want to onboard as a tag:

    • Column Name: This is the actual name from your database table.

    • Tag Name: Enter a clear, meaningful name for the tag as it will appear in the platform.

    • Unit: Measurement unit (e.g., mm/s for velocity).

    • Description: Optional commentary about the tag.

    • Monitor: The monitoring point or sensor instance being created

Data Source: Third-Party Apps

Source Sub Type: Infinite Uptime

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Source Sub Type: CimCon Digital

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Data Source: Cloud

Source Sub Type: AWS S3

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Source Sub Type: Google Cloud Storage

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Source Sub Type: Azure Data Lake

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