Software for Automation: Architecture, Integration, and Security

This implementation-oriented book provides a clear and concise presentation of how to fully apply software in automation. It provides "how-to" information for all phases of the system lifecycle from configuration, system integration, troubleshooting, and engineering, to administration. Software for Automation explains the application of key software technologies in automation terms: OPC, DDE, ActiveX, VBA, SQL, ODBC, ADO, OLE, COM/DCOM, XML,.NET, and more. The text also addresses concerns and solutions for safety, availability, 21CFR11, and cyber security. One chapter helps engineers justify benefits to management in business terms. Written for automation people, rather than IT professionals and programmers, the introduction gives a cursory understanding of the architecture and technologies themselves, but the focus and examples are on automation applications. This book is a must-have for systems integrators and automation engineers who either need to integrate a system from components or want an older system to coexist with a new. It is ideal for training courses and for self-paced study and will remain a handy reference.