RTConnect
Allen-Bradley PLC HISTORIAN
The easiest way to log data from an Allen-Bradley PLC. Traditional Allen-Bradley PLCs excel at deterministic control but were never designed to function as long-term repositories of process data. That limitation leaves valuable operational history untracked and inaccessible for analysis.
The RTConnect Allen-Bradley PLC Historian extends the life of process data by providing:
Persistent storage of high-frequency, high-volume PLC datasets
Structured access to process data for analysis, root cause analysis and compliance
Traceable and audit-ready datasets with secured, time-stamped records
Operational intelligence for predictive maintenance, energy optimization and process tuning
Seamless integration with SCADA, MES, ERP and cloud ecosystems through industry-standard protocols
PLC Historian Overview
The RTConnect Allen-Bradley PLC Historian is a hardware-based solution that provides a dedicated industrial platform for persistent time-series data collection. Operating entirely on-premise, the historian captures high-resolution logs from Allen-Bradley PLCs, structures them into historian records and makes them available for downstream systems.
With the RTConnect A-B PLC Historian, you own your PLC data. There are no subscriptions, licensing constraints, or third-party middleware. Configurable storage (up to 1TB), a complete set of industry-standard protocols and direct integration with InfluxDB for visualization and analytics, makes the historian an anchor point for both closed OT environments and hybrid IT/OT architectures.
A Secure PLC Historian for Any Control Network
Closed OT
A secure, stand-alone PLC data logging platform
- Local record storage with options up to 1TB
- Absolute data ownership —no cloud access, recurring licensing or third-party middleware
- Deterministic access through email, USB or local network file services
- Dedicated local browser interface
IT to OT
A bridge between plant-floor instrumentation and enterprise IT or cloud systems
- Multi-protocol forwarding
- Physical and logical separation of OT and IT traffic
- Embedded InfluxDB engine to expose historian datasets to Grafana and other analytics clients
- Transformation of raw PLC data into metadata-rich information model
Turn Process Data into Actionable Insights
Raw data trapped in your Allen-Bradley PLCs is only valuable when it is transformed into actionable information. The RTConnect Allen-Bradley Historian acts as a data instrumentation layer, automatically converting ephemeral PLC tags into structured, time-stamped datasets.
This process unlocks the variables hidden inside your PLCs and creates modeled data structures used for KPI tracking, predictive maintenance, root cause analysis and other advanced analytics.
- Calculate key performance indicators, such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), with 100% accuracy
- Schedule maintenance before unplanned downtime occurs by monitoring real-time conditions
- Reconstruct equipment failures with precise, high-resolution event recording
- Track energy consumption to identify waste and optimize resource usage
- Identify hidden bottlenecks and stoppages that directly affect your profit margin
Log Allen-Bradley PLC Data the Easy Way!
Deploy the Historian within your control network.
Automatically discover connected PLCs and available data tags through the web browser interface.
Define triggers that will create data records: cyclic sampling intervals (down to 100ms), event conditions and schedule windows.
Apply optional transformations or modeled dataset configurations.
The result is a structured historian dataset, designed from the ground up to reflect your production logic and operational priorities.
Real-World Result:
Uncovering a Recurring PLC Failure
Discover how a well-known, international product development facility deployed the RTConnect Allen-Bradley PLC Historian to provide engineers with visibility of their industrial process data and identify the root cause of a recurring PLC failure.
Allen-Bradley PLC Historian Key Features
Multi-Protocol Data Forwarding
Publish PLC data to any destination through a complete suite of standard industrial protocols including:
Auto-Discovery of PLC Tags
Use a simple, browser-based user interface to automatically scan your networked PLCs and create a data model from selected tags.
No Software Installation
Manage your entire data environment through a responsive, intuitive web interface. With built-in filtered views and easy export functions, you can verify your data integrity and generate quick reports without installing proprietary software.
InfluxDB & Grafana-Ready Datasets
Feed high-resolution PLC data directly to InfluxDB to power professional, real-time performance dashboards in Grafana and other visualization platforms.
Industrial-Grade Local Storage
Select the storage volume that matches your application’s footprint. The historian provides high-capacity storage options of 128GB, 512GB, or 1TB, ensuring you never run out of room for critical process data.
Modeled Dataset Creation
Create structured, modeled datasets that organize your data by machine, line or shift, ensuring that your information arrives at its destination pre-contextualized and ready for analysis.
Real-time, Built-in Data Transformation
Normalize your data before it reaches your database. Use arithmetic operations, bitwise operators, logical functions and even custom JavaScript routines to ensure every record written aligns with your operational KPIs.
Flexible Data Scheduling
Take control over how and when your data is captured. Granular schedule-, cyclic- and event-based triggers capture exactly the data you need without using up valuable storage space.
Native Support for Allen-Bradley PLCs
The RTConnect Allen-Bradley PLC Historian supports the following PLC families:
Why Trust RTA to Protect Your Allen-Bradley PLC Data?
RTA is dedicated to being your protocol partner. When you call, a live person answers the phone. If you talk with sales, you will get honest answers and recommendations. When you get support, it is from an engineer (or Enginerd® as we like to call them here) who had a hand in the product’s development and testing.
For gateway solutions and more check out our Allen-Bradley PLC Solutions page.