The new version of COPA-DATA’s zenon Software Platform

Download zenon 14

The new version of the zenon software platform improves the user experience and efficiency in project planning in many areas, including the creation and editing of Smart Objects. zenon 14 also impresses with a more comprehensive Web Visualization Service (WVS). The innovations in zenon 14 ensure even more connectivity and openness, e.g. thanks to OPC UA Gateway certification or enhancements to the GraphQL Interface.

In order to be at the cutting edge of Microsoft technology, version 14 of the zenon software platform uses SQL Server 2022.

The highlights mentioned here are just an excerpt of what zenon 14 offers. Please refer to the release notes for the complete list of new features.

You are also welcome to get in touch with your local sales representative.

download zenon 14 ISO here (9,78 GB)

Engineering of Smart Objects

zenon 14 ensures faster and easier engineering of Smart Objects. Instead of recurring and manual processing of the variable assignment of Smart Objects, a multi-search and replace function saves valuable time during mapping. For example, it is possible to search specifically for a predefined prefix and to adapt and maintain all affected elements uniformly.

Distributed engineering is supported when creating and editing projects with Smart Objects. This has improved centralized management and engineering without users getting in each other's way.

Import of externally configured Process Gateway configurations
With zenon 14, it is possible to import existing external Process Gateway configurations into the Engineering Studio. This allows you to easily switch after an update and take advantage of the integrated Process Gateway configurations, such as automatic startup, control via functions and gateway monitoring.

Automatic Line Coloring (ALC)

To keep the configuration of ALC aliases clearer, ALC elements and ALC aliases can be marked with different colors, making it easier to distinguish between them.

New features in the zenon Service Engine

With zenon 14, not only the project planners but also the equipment operators experience numerous improvements in the application.

Alarm management
For example, alarm management in the Alarm Message List (AML) has been simplified. Column-based sorting of entries and a filter line directly in the list make it easier to handle the AML in daily use. Additional columns also allow more information to be displayed.

Spontaneous gap detection during data recording and easier data handling
With values that only change sporadically, spontaneous archiving (archiving when values change) can result in gaps in the display of data. In zenon 14, a time period can be defined using spontaneous gap detection, after which the last known value of a variable is written to the archive. In the Extended Trend or in GraphQL interface queries, it is guaranteed that the data is readily available for the requested duration. This makes an important contribution to data integrity, facilitates the analysis of the data and at the same time keeps the storage requirements low.

In addition, it is even easier to work with data in Extended Trend: the selection of variables has been simplified and the identifier can now be displayed in the output list.

Module Type Package

Process orchestration and modular production with Module Type Package (MTP)

The Orchestration Studio for process orchestration is natively integrated in zenon 14. As the MTP standard is constantly evolving, all newly released parts are supported (currently Part 1 to 6).

The template project has a new look and feel and is compatible with the current Orchestration Studio. It has a basic project framework with menus, templates and image templates and can also be implemented as an HTML5 project.
An API extension has been implemented for importing MTP files from a marketplace.
The device status and the current device status can be displayed in MTP Device Management. The physical location of a device can also be recorded.
With ready-made calculation blocks, internal modules can be added to the orchestration in Orchestration Studio using drag & drop.
With the MTP Gateway, it is also possible to make non-MTP-capable devices compatible with the MTP standard in order to benefit from faster integration. The MTP Gateway paves the way for the transition to the concept of modular production without having to overhaul existing machines.

Web Visualization Service

Updates to the Web Visualization Service (WVS)

The improvements to the Web Visualization Service (WVS) enable visually appealing and high-quality Human Machine Interface (HMI) or monitoring solutions in web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and Safari (iOS) with extended functionalities. The display of Faceplate screens is now supported and even large or complex process images can be kept in view with the zoomable zenon worldview. Furthermore, the WVS enables the selection of template recipes and the creation and execution of control recipes (no editor) by means of batch control. Additional command actions have been added to the command output for sending switching commands.

Innovations in the IIoT services

The Trend Visualizer enables the HTML5-based display and analysis of historical data and is available as part of the Historian 360 solution. Even users without project engineering knowledge can configure individual trends and tables.

The new zenon Dashboard Service offers an easy way to visualize data from the zenon software platform on the web. Individual dashboards based on predefined widgets can be created directly in the browser. Even without in-depth knowledge of project and system architecture, it is possible to access shared data points, alarms and events directly.

There are also new features in other IIoT services. The Identity Service can now also be used for the Service Engine and Report Engine. This makes it easier to centrally manage users and access rights in the zenon software platform. In Device Management, the distribution of zenon projects to different devices and their monitoring has been improved in terms of user-friendliness.

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Granular query resolution with GraphQL and Reporting

The GraphQL interface offers a definable query resolution. Previously, querying archive values provided the exact image of how the data was recorded within a specified time period. However, it is not always necessary to query all recorded data. There is now an option to specify the time resolution for each query of archive values. In addition, query parameters can be added to existing archive values. These features not only improve the performance of the value query, they also enable an optimized display of trends, e.g. in the Trend Visualizer, or the targeted query of aggregated values instead of raw data.

The zenon Report Engine has been migrated to SQL Server 2022 and enables sophisticated process analyses, production optimizations and online reporting.

Connectivity news

The driving force behind zenon: Connectivity news

The OPC UA Server in the Process Gateway has been successfully tested for conformity and is listed as a certified product on the OPC Foundation website.

The OPC UA Process Gateway supports the sending of a translated language according to the language table of the project in the OPC UA event communication for AML / CEL. Events for the Chronological Event List (CEL) can now also be sent under Linux and historical data can be retrieved from archive variables.

The OPCUA32 driver enables the configuration of an optional prefix for variable names. This can be customized per connection to facilitate the import of variables from different servers with the same information model.

Validity information of the OPC UA certificates for the communication of the OPC UA client driver is available. This allows the timely renewal of certificates and can prevent downtime.

The S7TIA driver has been updated and supports version 19 of the TIA platform, as well as communication with a PLC with current firmware, even if only secure communication is allowed. The password for the access level can also be parameterized.

Under Linux, the Logic Service offers the functionality familiar from its use under Windows: the extended communication between the Service Engine and Logic Service means that variables created in the Engineering Studio can now also be used in the Logic Service. In addition, further fieldbus drivers are available under Linux.
Thus zenon offers a platform-independent integrated solution with the Service Engine and the Logic Service.

It is now possible to monitor the current status of a process gateway in the Service Engine and to trigger an alarm if the gateway is no longer active. The monitoring of the integrated process gateway can be realized by using a variable.

Further development of the Service Engine under Linux

The COPA-DATA team has made great progress with the migration of the zenon Service Engine to Linux. The OPC UA gateway has been extended as an interface, so events and historical data can now also be called up. Licenses can now be activated on Linux machines. This applies to both software-based dongles and hardware dongles. The dependency on a Windows-based license server in the network for successful licensing of the Service Engine no longer exists. Furthermore, the execution of scripts and functions can now be triggered, such as reloading the Service Engine, acknowledging alarms or starting archive recording. All extensions for zenon 14 allow a more flexible use of the Service Engine as a platform-independent gateway.

Industry-specific highlights

Download: zenon 14 Highlights

zenon 14 - HIGHLIGHTS - Energy & Infrastructure

zenon14_Highlights_2024_Energy_EN.pdf
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zenon 14 - HIGHLIGHTS - Food & Beverage

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zenon 14 - HIGHLIGHTS - Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical

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