Saturday, May 2, 2009

Web based database technology Wrapping up my California trip with one last meeting report. A couple of years ago I received an intriguing email from Steve Hechtman, president of Inductive Automation. I met him for a brief chat at an ISA Expo, but I really had trouble understanding the company through just the couple of short encounters and the company's Web site. My note was "Web-based HMI based on IT principles." Well, that doesn't do justice to the company's capabilities. We sat down with lead developers Colby Clegg and Carl Gould and now I think I have a far better understanding of the company. Among the things we discussed was how to come up with a better way for them to describe the company since it's far more than Web-based HMI. The company has two products--FactorySQL and FactoryPMI (plant management interface). But they don't have their own SQL (for structured query language-a technology for database management) database unless needed by customers and the HMI is not just a little package to draw pretty pictures. Plus, the "Web-based" part of the description does not necessarily mean the Software as a Service or Cloud Computing paradigm that has all the buzz right now. One comment was "we're a database company." That would be the foundation. The first product connects programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and other devices to SQL databases such as MySQL or Microsoft SQL Server. The typical connector is OPC. They know databases (and IT), so that they know how to structure and interface to large databases and build on the enterprise applications. They'll use MySQL, Python and Java to build databases and interfaces as needed. (Python is a Web programming language--not the snake). So, on the one hand they build manufacturing databases with technologies that enable them to rival historians for all but the fastest update applications. The second part of what they do is provide tools for customers to extract data from those databases and build custom displays using a technology called Java Web Start -- these allow the client to use Internet and Web technologies but not through the browser. So the user's client application looks like an application, not Internet Explorer or Firefox. This is a flexible tool that allows users to customize the information and visualization that most suits them. If the user is "engineer-challenged" due to layoffs or whatever, the company has support staff to help. The products and technology allow it to easily play in the Manufacturing Intelligence space as well as HMI and SCADA. In fact, they've noticed that different industry verticals refer to SCADA in different ways emphasizing the problem Inductive has in describing all they do. The Web Start technology also allows them to offer clients at no charge. There is no complex pricing, just a price for the main package. I mentioned that I seldom delve into software pricing because it can get pretty complex. They proposed that that would be a good article topic--the complexity. We'll see. Anyway, this is a new company with some pretty interesting technology. They also have the wherewithall to learn marketing--often the downfall of technical entrepreneurial companies. They should do well. 3:00:00 PM    comment []