SAP Plant Connectivity (SAP PCo)
Shop floor connectivity
Shop floor connection via OPC
SAP Plant Connectivity (PCo) provides a comprehensive communication infrastructure to connect the production level with SAP Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and SAP ERP in terms of information technology.
SAP PCo is characterized by high flexibility and can be configured quickly and easily because it is based on standardized communication interfaces. PCo is built on the Microsoft .NET Framework and uses web service technology.
SAP PCo is configured via the Plant Connectivity Management Console client application.
Scope of functions
SAP PCo consists of the following elements:
- Source system
- Target system
- Agent instance
- Notification
PCo elements
Source system
Target system
Agent instance
Notification
Source system
The source system is the system from which the information is retrieved by PCo.
A PCo installation can communicate with different source systems using vendor-independent standards, such as:
PCC Standard (OPC); PCo supports the following OPC specifications:
- OPC Unified Architecture (UA)
- OPC Data Access (DA)
- OPC Historical Data Access (HDA)
- OPC Alarms & Events (A&E)
OLE DB (e.g. ODBC, MS Excel and MS Access)
File Monitor
Socket
Target system
The target system describes the system to which the information is to be sent by the PCo. The following target systems are available as recipients of the data:
- SAP Digital Manufacturing Cloud (SAP DMC)
- SAP Manufacturing Execution (SAP ME)
- SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence (SAP MII)
- SAP Business Technology Platform, IIoT
- Business Suite systems, e.g. SAP ERP
Agent instance
For individual connection.
SAP PCo is used to create agent instances that provide high-performance data connections between SAP applications and industry-specific standard data sources, such as industry standards for the plastics, semiconductor, or food industries.
Notification
SAP PCo provides notification capabilities to monitor data source elements or tags for changes. After defined triggers, appropriate notifications are triggered and the necessary tags are sent to the defined target systems. The notification functions complement the functions of the SAP MII Universal Data Server (UDS) components.
Matching workshops on the topic of SAP Plant Connectivity:
Live-Demonstration
Request a live demonstration of SAP Plant Connectivity to get a better idea of how it can be used in your production.
Chris Leinemann
Customer Solution Advisor