Where does InfoBatch get data?

InfoBatch is designed to connect to virtually any modern manufacturing information system. The InfoBatch Connector library includes generic ODBC and OPC HDA interfaces, as well as specific connectors for process and batch historians.

What can InfoBatch report?

InfoBatch reports can encompass critical process parameters, alarms, events, operator actions, trends, and detailed exception/limit violation summaries, as well as cycle times associated with critical operations.

What are the benefits of using InfoBatch?

InfoBatch is unique in that it was designed as a flexible, hierarchical manufacturing reporting suite. InfoBatch is flexible in that it can acquire report data from a wide range of manufacturing systems. As a result, InfoBatch can be deployed without expensive infrastructure upgrades. In fact, in many cases InfoBatch can generate reports within minutes of installation.

InfoBatch is hierarchical because manufacturing data is seldom “flat”. That is, the hierarchical structure enables InfoBatch to put data in the correct context. For example, consider the case where a unit procedure report includes a table of alarms. InfoBatch implicitly filters the alarm records by unit, thus making the report portable across all units. Hierarchical reporting is one of the reasons why InfoBatch users have been able to configure comprehensive reports in as little as 20 minutes.

How does InfoBatch differ from other manufacturing software?

Several key attributes differentiate InfoBatch. First, unlike most manufacturing execution systems (MES) and historians, InfoBatch does not replicate data. Instead, data is retrieved from the source each time a report is generated. By eliminating replication, InfoBatch avoids the cost, complexity, reliability, and validation issues associated with data replication.

Second, InfoBatch reports are hierarchical in nature. An InfoBatch report is a logical tree. Each branch in the tree corresponds to a process or product hierarchy. When report rules are attached to a branch, the report output is automatically placed in the correct context. For example, a trend graph that is attached to a phase only spans the duration of that phase.

Third, InfoBatch is configured rather than programmed. All InfoBatch configuration tasks are simple point-and-click operations. Reports can be created with less training, lower development costs, and fewer errors than program/macro oriented environments.

Finally, InfoBatch is vendor-neutral. There is no hidden agenda to sell process tags or replace existing databases/historians. As a result, InfoBatch works well with legacy systems and is likely to complement any new manufacturing systems.

How does InfoBatch differ from database reporting tools?

The InfoBatch Connector library is designed to work with manufacturing systems, in particular process historians and databases. InfoBatch aggregates three basic data types that are common to manufacturing systems. First, InfoBatch hierarchies map the process/product genealogy that is a fundamental attribute of virtually every manufacturing process. Second, InfoBatch has native support for time-based process data. Third, InfoBatch can combine event data with genealogy and time-based data.

To quantify the advantages of InfoBatch, consider the following conclusion that a leading manufacturer of pharmaceuticals came to after comparing InfoBatch with Crystal Reports. If more that seven reports were required, InfoBatch was more cost-effective for this manufacturer than Crystal Reports, due to reduced development, debugging, and validation costs.

Can InfoBatch be used for more than batch reporting?

InfoBatch is in fact very general purpose in nature. As a result, InfoBatch is suitable for any reporting application where:

• Data is aggregated from various data sources
• Reports encompass time-based data
• Reports are structured
• Reports incorporate limit violation/exception handling
• Report format dictates a rich presentation environment
• Reports must be printed, viewed, or converted to Acrobat PDF documents
• Reports must be automatically generated at a specific rate or event

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