Historian (Data Historian)

Definition

A data historian is a specialized software system that continuously collects and archives time-series process data, such as temperature, pressure, or flow rate, directly from manufacturing equipment and control systems. Historians are often integrated with or feed data into EBR systems to provide a complete, automated process record alongside manual batch documentation.

Benefits

Automated data capture through a historian removes the risk of transcription errors that come with manually recording equipment readings, and provides a much higher-resolution process record, capturing continuous trends rather than periodic manual checks.

Use Case

A biotech manufacturer integrates its bioreactor control system's data historian with its EBR, so continuous temperature and pH readings throughout a production run are automatically pulled into the batch record, rather than requiring an operator to manually log readings at fixed intervals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Related Terms

• Critical Process Parameter (CPP)
• MES (Manufacturing Execution System)