Dream Report: Rockwell Connection Configuration

Summary

This tutorial demonstrates how to set up Dream Report for data visualization from Rockwell controllers. It guides users through defining drivers, configuring communication with a Rockwell PLC using IP address and slot ID, and testing the connection. The video also shows how to create a simple report with auto-update settings and display real-time data from the controller. Finally, it covers generating a PDF report and viewing data updates on a web page, encouraging viewers to engage with the tutorial.

Takeaways

• 🔧 Dream Report is a tool for visualizing data from multiple sources.
• 💻 The tutorial demonstrates setting up communication with a Rockwell controller.
• 🛠️ To begin, define drivers for communication with real-world devices in Dream Report.
• 📍 Configure the Rockwell driver by providing the IP address and slot ID using the Sip path syntax.
• 🔗 Test the configuration to ensure successful connection to the Rockwell controller.
• 📑 After testing, retrieve tags from the controller for use in reports.
• 📈 Create simple reports in PDF and Web formats for data visualization.
• ⏰ Set the report to auto-update every 5 seconds for real-time data reflection.
• 🔗 Use expression data fields to link report elements with data from the controller.
• 📊 The video shows how to run the project and view data updates in both PDF and Web formats.

Q & A

What is the purpose of Dream Report?

Dream Report is a reporting tool designed to visualize data from multiple sources.

How does one begin setting up Dream Report for communication with a Rockwell controller?

To set up Dream Report for communication with a Rockwell controller, one must first define the drivers for communication to real-world devices by accessing the driver configuration.

What information is required to configure the Rockwell driver in Dream Report?

The required information includes the IP address of the PLC, the path or slot ID, and the CPU type of the Rockwell controller.

What is the IP address and slot ID used in the video for the Rockwell controller configuration?

The IP address used is 192.168.10.202, and the slot ID is 0, as the controller is in slot zero with the CPU.

What is the significance of the 'Sip path Syntax' mentioned in the script?

The 'Sip path Syntax' is used for getting to the Rockwell controller, consisting of a path for the rack and a slot ID.

How can one verify the successful configuration of the Rockwell driver?

One can verify the successful configuration by testing the connection, which should result in a 'test connection succeeded' message.

What tags were pulled into Dream Report from the Rockwell controller in the example?

The tags pulled into Dream Report were 'temp' and 'amps'.

How often does the report auto-update in the web format as demonstrated in the video?

The report is set to auto-update every 5 seconds in the web format.

What type of data field is used to display the 'amps' tag value in the report?

An 'Expression Data' field is used to display the 'amps' tag value in the report.

How can users provide feedback on the video's helpfulness?

Users can provide feedback on the video's helpfulness by clicking the like button below the video.

What is the next step for users interested in learning more about Dream Report?

For users interested in learning more about Dream Report, they should contact their local ESN representative.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Setting Up Dream Report with Rockwell Controller

This paragraph introduces Dream Report as a tool for visualizing data from multiple sources and provides a tutorial on setting up communication with a Rockwell controller. The speaker demonstrates how to define drivers for real-world device communication, specifically for Rockwell Automation PLCs. The process involves configuring the driver with the IP address and slot ID of the PLC using the Sip path syntax. The tutorial shows testing the connection, retrieving tags from the controller, and setting up a simple report to display data. The report is configured to auto-update every 5 seconds on the web, and the speaker guides through creating an expression data field to display the 'amps' tag from the controller. The video concludes with running the project and verifying the data update in both PDF and web formats.

Keywords

💡Dream Report

Dream Report is a reporting tool mentioned in the script, which is used for visualizing data from multiple sources. It is the central theme of the video, as the tutorial aims to guide viewers on how to effectively use this tool. The script describes how to set up communication with a Rockwell controller using Dream Report, highlighting its capabilities in data visualization and reporting.

💡Rockwell controller

A Rockwell controller is a type of programmable logic controller (PLC) used in industrial automation. In the context of the video, it is the real-world device that Dream Report is configured to communicate with. The script details the process of setting up a connection to the Rockwell controller, which is essential for data retrieval and visualization in Dream Report.

💡Driver configuration

Driver configuration refers to the setup process for establishing communication between Dream Report and external devices like the Rockwell controller. In the script, this involves defining the drivers, specifying the IP address, and configuring the path or slot ID. It is a critical step in ensuring that Dream Report can interface with and retrieve data from the Rockwell controller.

💡IP address

The IP address is a numerical label assigned to devices connected to a network, which allows them to communicate with each other. In the video script, the IP address of the Rockwell controller (192 16810 202) is provided as part of the driver configuration process in Dream Report. This address is necessary for the tool to locate and communicate with the controller on the network.

💡Path or Slot ID

The path or slot ID is a unique identifier used in the configuration of industrial controllers like the Rockwell PLC. In the script, it is mentioned as part of the configuration process where the rack and slot numbers are specified (e.g., rack 1, slot 0). This information is crucial for Dream Report to correctly address and communicate with the specific controller module.

💡SIP path syntax

SIP path syntax is a method of addressing used in industrial communication protocols to specify the location of a device or module within a system. The script mentions using SIP path syntax to reach the Rockwell controller, which involves specifying the rack and slot numbers to identify the controller's position within the network.

💡Logics or Compact Logic PLC

Logics or Compact Logic PLC refers to a specific model of programmable logic controller manufactured by Rockwell Automation. In the script, this is the type of CPU used in the Rockwell controller that Dream Report is being configured to communicate with. Understanding the specific model of the PLC is important for proper configuration and data retrieval.

💡Tags

In the context of industrial automation and data reporting, tags are identifiers for data points or variables stored in a controller. The script mentions pulling in tags from the Rockwell controller, such as 'temp' and 'amps', which Dream Report uses to display and report on specific data points from the controller.

💡Report file format

Report file format refers to the different ways in which data reports can be generated and presented, such as PDF or web formats. The script describes setting up Dream Report to produce reports in PDF format and for web viewing, with options to auto-update every 5 seconds. This showcases the flexibility of Dream Report in presenting data in various formats.

💡Expression data

Expression data in Dream Report allows users to create custom data fields that can be used in reports. In the script, the tutorial demonstrates how to create an 'Expression data' field named 'Echo amps' to pull the 'amps' tag value from the Rockwell controller. This feature is used to dynamically display real-time data in the reports generated by Dream Report.

Highlights

Introduction to Dream Report as a reporting tool for visualizing data from multiple sources.

Demonstration of creating and setting up communication with a Rockwell controller.

Step-by-step guide to defining drivers for communication with real-world devices in Dream Report.

Configuration of Rockwell Automation drivers for PLCs and real-time values.

Instructions on naming the driver and clicking configure to enter the IP address and path.

Explanation of using the SIP path syntax for accessing the Rockwell controller.

Details on specifying the CPU type and testing the configuration for a successful connection.

Process of extracting tags from the controller for use in reports.

Tutorial on creating a simple report in PDF and Web formats.

Setting up auto-updates for the web report every 5 seconds.

Adding an expression data field to the report to display values from the controller.

Defining the data source and selecting the specific tag to be displayed.

Running the project and uploading it to the Dream Report runtime engine.

Accessing the runtime Management console to generate and view the PDF report.

Observing the web report auto-updating every 5 seconds to reflect changes from the controller.

Confirmation of successful communication with the Rockwell controller through the report.

Call to action for feedback and further learning about Dream Report through ESN representatives.

Transcripts

[Music]

dream report is a reporting tool that

allows you to visualize data from

multiple sources these videos are

designed to help you get up and running

with dream report in no time so let's

Jump Right In so what we're going to do

is I'm going to show how easy it is to

actually create and set up

communications to a Rockwell controller

So within dream report first thing you

going to want to do when you're creating

any application or starting off uh is to

actually Define your uh drivers for

communication to your real world devices

so I'm going to Quick click on driver

configuration and for Rockwell I'll go

to Rockwell

Automation Rockwell plc's and realtime

values I'm going to give it a

name and then I'm going to click on

configure and during the configuration

process you all give it the IP address

of the PLC and the path or the slot ID

and basically what that is is we're

using the Sip path Syntax for getting to

that Rockwell controller and in my case

the IP address of the Rockwell

controller is

192 16810

202 and the paths if you remember this

is one for the rack and then zero for

the slot well

I'm in slot zero with my CPU so that

would be a zero and then you specify the

CPU type and in my case it's a Logics or

compact logic PLC I'm going to click

test configuration and you can see I've

got a test connection succeeded click

okay and then I'm going to tell it to

get the tags out of that

controller and you can see it pulled in

all the tags and we've got two in there

that we want to be interested in is the

temp and amps tag

and I'm going to click okay and I'm

going to click okay so that's how simple

it is to actually set up the driver to

communicate or for getting data from the

Rockwell controllers uh to test this out

now we're going to go in and we're going

to create just a simple

report and these reports now we're going

to get into this in later videos how to

configure these and set all that up but

for right now I'm just going to go into

report file format I'm going have a PDF

format I'm going to have a Web format

for a PC and I'm going to do settings

and I'm going to just tell it I want to

every 5 seconds I want it to auto update

on the web and again we'll get into the

details of how to compare uh the

settings for reports and things we're

just doing this to test that we're

actually getting values back into dream

report so I'll click okay click

apply click okay and now I'm just going

to drop a data field onto the report and

the one that I'm going to use is this

Express data or expression

data and I'm going to give it a name and

consider we're going to be pulling the

amps tag I'm just going to call it Echo

amps and then I've got to define the

data source so I'll click those three

little uh buttons there or the three

little periods and I'll click Echo

because if you remember whenever I

created the driver for the Rockwell

controller I called it Echo so click on

Echo and then I'm going to pick the tag

that I want in this case I want amps and

I'm going to say okay and then I'm going

to do an ADD and what that's going to do

is it's going to take that expression

data field and TI hits the value from

the controller for that field so Echo

amps is going to be the value we see

displayed so I'm going to click okay now

at this point we're done configuring

this simple report and I'm just going to

tell it to run the

project and it's going to ask me do you

want me to do you want to say save

changes before running the project and

yes I do so at this point is uploading

up to the dream report runtime engine as

soon as it completes doing that I'm

going to see uh the runtime Management

console come up and I can go in here and

do a

generate and when I do that generate I

should be able to open the PDF and we

will see values coming in now while

we're here if you remember I also set up

the the web connection so we want to go

in and we're going to take a look at

that just so we can see that value

change um refresh automatically so I'm

going to go to the web page and there's

21 and 5 seconds later this should

update and there we go so we are

actually communicating to the controller

let us know if this video was helpful by

clicking the like button below if you

want to learn more about dream report

contact your local ESN

[Music]

representative

[Music]