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Document Type: Tutorial
NI Supported: Yes
Publish Date: Aug 15, 2008

Considerations for Choosing an HMI Package

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Overview

National Instruments offers a choice in industrial automation software, because we know our users have very different needs. Both Lookout and the LabVIEW Datalogging and Supervisory Control (DSC) Module provide flexible environments in which you can add innovative features to your application; however, in some application areas, one or the other might be the best solution for your application.

Table of Contents

  1. Common Features of Both the DSC Module and Lookout
  2. Typical DSC Module Applications
  3. Typical Lookout Applications
  4. Using Both the DSC Module and Lookout in an Application

Common Features of Both the DSC Module and Lookout

Both the DSC Module and Lookout provide the following functionality:

  • OPC (OLE for Process Control) server and client capability
  • PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) driver support
  • Access and control of your process via a web browser
  • MES (Manufacturing Execution System) connectivity, security, and SPC (Statistical Process Control)
  • Distributed alarming and trending
  • Data logging
  • Continuous, batch, and discrete process control

    Typical DSC Module Applications

A typical DSC Module application has the following features:

  • Ideal for users familiar with LabVIEW who want to quickly develop an industrial automation application.
  • Ideal for applications that involve motion control, high-speed data acquisition, or image acquisition.
  • Ideal for applications that involve complex analysis. LabVIEW includes a vast set of powerful VI (Virtual Instrument) libraries that can be used for sophisticated number crunching, analysis, or control.
  • Works with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module and intelligent FieldPoint.

    Typical Lookout Applications

A typical Lookout application has the following features:

  • An easy-to-use, no-programming interface is required. This is ideal for a large percentage of industrial automation applications where monitoring and supervisory control is required, but advanced analysis is not.
  • Online configuration speeds up development and debugging.
  • Lookout's (version 4 and later) networking makes the development of client/server and multi-server applications straightforward. These applications can take advantage of the built-in network security.
  • Lookout's Citadel database makes it easy to share historical data, including alarm and event data, over the network.
  • Lookout has native drivers for the most popular I/O devices and remote telemetry units (RTUs). Configuration of these drivers is built-in.

    Using Both the DSC Module and Lookout in an Application

If you are interested in features from both packages, then you can use both the DSC Module and Lookout in your application. A typical scenario for this would be when you want an easily-configurable interface to an RTU with the capability of online configuration, but would also like to have some extensive analysis or interface with image acquisition or motion control. You could use Lookout for the RTU connectivity and the DSC Module for the analysis. Currently, Lookout and the DSC Module are both OPC server and OPC client capable. You could use the OPC connectivity to exchange data between the DSC Module and Lookout.

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