Data Services
Database & Alarm Management
Turning raw process data into actionable intelligence while keeping alarm systems effective and manageable.
The Challenge
Alarm floods and unusable data undermine operator effectiveness
Many SCADA systems suffer from alarm overload—operators receive hundreds or thousands of alarms per day, most of which are nuisance alarms that don't require any action. When every screen is full of yellow and red indicators, operators become desensitized and critical alarms get lost in the noise. Studies consistently show that alarm floods are a contributing factor in major process safety incidents.
On the data side, facilities often have years of historian data but lack the database organization and reporting tools to extract value from it. Process trends are buried in poorly tagged data points, regulatory reports require manual compilation, and operational insights that could improve efficiency go undiscovered.
These issues typically stem from databases that were configured during initial system installation and never systematically reviewed or maintained as the facility evolved. Tags accumulate, alarm setpoints drift, and the system gradually becomes less useful to the people who depend on it.
Our Approach
Structured databases and rationalized alarms per ISA 18.2
We approach database and alarm management as an engineering discipline, not an afterthought. For alarm management, we follow the ISA 18.2 alarm management lifecycle: we benchmark your current alarm performance, conduct alarm rationalization workshops with your operators, establish alarm design criteria, implement changes, and monitor results to verify improvement.
Our database management services include standardized tag naming conventions, logical grouping of process variables, and structured historian configuration that makes data retrieval and reporting efficient. We design database structures that scale with your facility and maintain consistency across multiple sites in regional SCADA systems.
Every project includes comprehensive documentation—alarm philosophy documents, alarm setpoint databases, tag naming standards, and historian configuration records—that give your team the foundation to maintain the system effectively after our work is complete.
Capabilities
Database & Alarm Management Capabilities
What we deliver.
Alarm Rationalization
ISA 18.2-based alarm rationalization including benchmarking, consequence analysis, setpoint optimization, and nuisance alarm elimination.
SCADA Database Design
Standardized tag naming conventions, logical database organization, and scalable structures for single-site and multi-site SCADA systems.
Historian Configuration
Process historian setup, data compression optimization, and custom report development for operational analysis and regulatory compliance.
Alarm Philosophy Documents
Comprehensive alarm philosophy and alarm management plan documentation aligned with ISA 18.2 and facility operational requirements.
Industries
Industry Applications
How database & alarm management applies across sectors.
Water & Wastewater Treatment
Alarm rationalization for treatment plant SCADA systems, regulatory reporting database configuration, and historian-based process optimization.
Regional Utility Systems
Multi-site database standardization, centralized alarm management, and consistent tag naming across distributed SCADA networks.
Industrial Process
Process database organization, production reporting, and alarm management for manufacturing and terminal operations.
FAQ
Database & Alarm Management FAQ
Common questions about this service.
What is alarm rationalization?
What is ISA 18.2?
Can you integrate our historian data with reporting tools?
How long does an alarm rationalization project take?
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