Best Data Historians of 2025

Use the comparison tool below to compare the top Data Historians on the market. You can filter results by user reviews, pricing, features, platform, region, support options, integrations, and more.

Overview of Data Historians

A data historian is a specialized type of software that allows users to store and analyze data from industrial processes. It collects, stores, and displays time-series process data from devices such as sensors, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), distributed control systems (DCSs), analyzers, and actuators. Data historians provide access to predefined reports for easy review of operational details or individual records for drilling down into specific events. Data historians can also be used to build custom analytical models with the ability to spot trends over longer periods of time.

Data historian software provides visibility into industrial operations by capturing normalized time-stamped data from many different sources which allows engineers to know what happened when and why it happened. This opens up possibilities for predictive maintenance, process optimization/automation, and other key improvements in efficiency or product quality. The vast amounts of data stored in the data historian also allow it to serve as an audit trail since all historic information can be quickly accessed at any time. In addition, some storage systems provide the ability to replay historical process activities so that users can easily visualize how the system has evolved over time and identify areas for improvement or investigate problems more efficiently.

Data historians are designed for scalability which helps them remain effective regardless of growth in operations size or complexity. Most systems support multiple simultaneous connections from various applications both onsite and remotely as well as local archive storage for quick retrieval when needed. The ability to connect disparate systems also makes integration with analytics platforms like Machine Learning easier so that organizations can take advantage of insights derived from their historical process data more efficiently than ever before. Moreover, many modern solutions offer features like cloud deployment along with user-friendly real-time dashboards and alerting capabilities which provide deep visibility into operations without having to sift through raw datasets manually on a regular basis.

Why Use Data Historians?

1. Data historians are great for analyzing patterns and trends in data over time. They allow a user to collect, store and analyze vast amounts of historical data quickly and easily.
2. Data historians make it possible to monitor business operations more effectively by providing a visual representation of how the company is performing across departments and locations, as well as over different timespans.
3. Data historians can also help identify correlations between various metrics, thereby enabling businesses to create more efficient processes and maximize output while minimizing risk.
4. By using data historians, businesses can also gain insights into customer behavior, allowing them to develop much better targeted marketing campaigns that drive ROI results more quickly than without such analysis tools.
5. Furthermore, data historians provide useful information for both short-term decision making (such as pricing strategies) and long-term planning (for example determining the feasibility of new products or services).
6. Finally, data historians facilitate real-time tracking of operational performance which means organizations can stay ahead of any issues before they affect their bottom line or customer experience negatively - leading to improved efficiency and cost savings in the long run.

Why Are Data Historians Important?

Data historians are an essential tool for organizations to keep track of and analyze their data. Without a data historian, companies may lack the ability to accurately measure the performance or success of their operations.

Data historians allow businesses to store large amounts of historical data in a single place, which can be easily accessed and analyzed when needed. With this stored information, companies can pinpoint trends that are important to understand their current business environment. This allows them to make more informed decisions on how best to serve their customers or how they should plan for the future.

Data historians also enable companies to quickly look up past records that are necessary for making decisions about operations management and production concerns. Data historians help businesses determine what products were successful in what time period, as well as any factors that influenced those sales, such as seasonality or promotional activity from competitors. These records provide insight into where improvements need to be made; this helps ensure that processes are working efficiently without relying solely on intuition or guesswork.

Overall, data historians play an invaluable role in helping businesses thrive by providing accurate records and insights into analyzing past performance so they can improve operations planning and make changes accordingly in order to remain competitive in today's ever-changing marketplaces

Features of Data Historians

1. Database Storage: Data historians store large datasets in a specialized database, allowing huge amounts of data to be stored and organized efficiently.
2. Time Series Analysis: Data historians provide the ability to analyze data over time, allowing users to identify trends in data and make better decisions.
3. Real-Time Tracking: Data historians enable real-time tracking of key performance indicators (KPIs) from production systems, allowing for rapid decision-making based on up-to-date information.
4. Scalability: With powerful servers and cloud solutions, data historians are architected to handle massive amounts of data from multiple sources that can scale with business needs as they change over time.
5. Security & Accessibility: Due to their high standards of security and privacy protocols, data historians ensure secure storage and access control for all sensitive production information, protecting it from unauthorized access or malicious interference.
6. Automated Reporting & Alerts: Through automated report generation and alert triggers based on specific parameters, such as unexpected events or pre-defined thresholds being exceeded, organizations can stay informed in real-time about plant operations without needing manual intervention to generate reports or recognize potential issues arising during production processes.
7. Visualization Capabilities: The advanced graphical capabilities provided by certain brands of historian solutions allow users to visualize their entire production landscape in near real time via interactive dashboards which facilitate quick decision-making by providing an easily digestible overview of the state of activities at hand.

What Types of Users Can Benefit From Data Historians?

• Business Analysts: Data Historians can provide data analysts with insights into past trends and patterns to inform them about future decisions.
• Researchers: Data Historians enable researchers to access information from different points in time, to analyze changes that have occurred over the years.
• System Administrators: Data Historians help system administrators keep track of configurations, identify problems, and ensure continuity between system states across different times.
• Financial Analysts: Data Historians offer financial analysts the ability to detect correlations between market events and financial performance for better predictions about potential investments.
• Software Developers: By allowing developers to view how user interaction with a program has changed at different points in time, they can identify areas of improvement or modifications that need to be made.
• Quality Assurance Professionals: With access to long-term trends, quality assurance professionals can make well-informed decisions on when training should take place or which new processes are most likely to bring improvements or increased compliance.
• Automation Engineers: Data Historians provide automation engineers with detailed information on process behavior over long periods – helping them optimize efficiency and reduce cycle times.

How Much Do Data Historians Cost?

The cost of data historians can vary depending on a number of factors and configurations, so it is difficult to provide an exact answer. Generally speaking, the cost for a comprehensive data historian suite can range from tens of thousands of dollars for basic packages up to several hundred thousand dollars or higher for more complex enterprise-level offerings. The best way to determine the cost associated with implementing a data historian solution is to work with an experienced vendor who can configure a package that meets your specific needs and budget.

The key features, quantity and quality of sensors, type of hardware required and complexity of analytic capabilities desired all play a role in determining the ultimate price tag for purchasing a data historian package. For example, if you’re looking for real-time alerts based on advanced analytics powered by machine learning algorithms, the price will likely be higher than if you simply needed to store time-series measurements from various sensors around your facility. It’s also important to consider whether you have existing hardware that could be leveraged as part of the installation or if new equipment must be purchased as well.

In summary, there is no single answer when it comes to determining the exact cost associated with implementing a data historian solution as every project has its own unique set of requirements that must be taken into account. However, companies should investigate vendors carefully before making any purchase decisions in order to ensure they are getting the most bang for their buck while meeting their organization's specific objectives.

Data Historians Risks

• Data Security: Data historians store large amounts of complex data, making them particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Without proper security protocols in place, attackers can access private information stored in the historian and use it for their own malicious purposes.
• Interruption of Service: If a data historian fails or is not regularly monitored, it can cause downtime and disruption of service. This results in slower data access and potential losses for businesses depending on the historian’s output.
• Data Corruptions: Incorrectly programming the historian or storing faulty data can lead to corrupted files that are no longer useful. It is important to ensure correct usage of the software, as well as verifying that any new data input into the system is valid.
• Data Loss: Hardware malfunctions or power outages could lead to permanent loss of valuable stored data if there are no adequate backup systems in place. Regular scheduled backups should be made to prevent a total disaster in this case.

Data Historians Integrations

Data historians can integrate with a wide range of different types of software. This includes enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, which is typically used for activities such as accounting and customer relationship management, as well as operational technology (OT) related applications that manage physical assets such as sensors and controllers. Additionally, data historians can be integrated with process control systems like SCADA or EMI/RDSI to collect real-time data from devices in the field. Business intelligence tools such as Business Objects, QlikView and Tableau can also be integrated with data historians to provide insights into historical performance for advanced analytics analysis. Finally, presentation layer tools like dashboards are often integrated so users can have a graphical representation of their datasets.

Questions To Ask Related To Data Historians

1. What type of data does the historian collect?
2. How is that data organized, and how is it kept safe?
3. What processes or methods do they use to store and/or retrieve information?
4. How detailed are the records that they keep?
5. Are there any gaps in the timeline when researching specific topics?
6. Is there an online platform associated with their research that makes it easier to access information quickly and accurately?
7. How often is the recorded data updated, and what criteria is used for updating it?
8. Does the historian have any specialized capabilities, such as a language proficiency or expertise in particular subjects which might be helpful for certain projects?
9. What techniques does the historian use to interpret various types of source material when conducting research (e.g., primary documents, oral histories, manuscript collections)?
10. In what ways can their findings around historical events or stories help guide our understanding today?