1.2 How does Data Integrator Work?

Data Integrator is an optional component of the Operations Center platform and requires a license key.

The Data Integrator provides a development environment to define custom adapters that leverage information from strategic and business databases.

1.2.1 Step 1. Define the Adapter Definition

The first step is to create an adapter definition. Define everything about the adapter type—the database it uses, the elements that are created, including their properties and icons, and which alarm information is available.

The Data Integrator Definition Editor enables pointing and clicking through the process of defining all aspects of the adapter definition. It reads the database schema and allows dragging and dropping table names and table columns directly from the database schema in order to construct the adapter definition.

Adapter definitions can be reused across organizations that have many instances of the same database distributed throughout their environment.

1.2.2 Step 2. Deploy the Adapter Definition

The next step is deploying the adapter. Operations Center makes this new adapter definition available as a run-time adapter. When a user deploys an adapter, the deployed definition is included in the Adapter Type drop-down list.

1.2.3 Step 3. Create the Adapters

To leverage the new adapter, Admin users create adapter instances just as they create any other Operations Center adapter. When started, the new adapter automatically leverages data from the defined database and builds out all the elements, properties, and alarms. Everything is available in the Elements hierarchy in the Operations Center console.

A deployed adapter definition can be edited and maintained based on changing needs or database changes. However, changes do not take effect until the adapter definition is redeployed, thereby protecting users against intermediate changes.