Pisystem

pisystem, commonly styled as the PI System, is a platform for industrial data management and time-series storage. It captures, stores, organizes, and visualizes high-frequency process data from sensors, controllers, and automation equipment to support real-time monitoring and analytics.

The PI System originated with OSIsoft in the 1980s and became widely used in manufacturing, energy, utilities, and life sciences. In 2021, OSIsoft was acquired by AVEVA, and the PI System continues as part of AVEVA’s industrial data platform.

Core components include the PI Data Archive, a high-performance historian; the PI Asset Framework (AF), which models data around assets; and PI Vision for visualization. Data collectors, such as PI Interfaces and PI Connectors, bring data from field devices, with access via the PI Web API, PI SDK, and PI DataLink.

Data in the PI System are stored as time-stamped tags with metadata; AF enables asset-centric modeling with attributes, hierarchies, and event frames for sequences or states. The system supports real-time streaming, historical queries, and built-in analytics.

Typical uses include real-time monitoring, performance analysis, historical reporting, predictive maintenance, energy management, and integration with MES, ERP, and other enterprise systems. The PI System acts as a centralized historian and data bus, enabling dashboards, alarms, and advanced analytics.

Limitations include cost, deployment complexity, potential vendor lock-in, and cybersecurity considerations for industrial networks. Successful deployments emphasize data quality, standardized naming, governance, and scalable architecture.

Related topics include time-series databases and data historians; the PI System remains a leading proprietary platform in industrial automation, with interoperability through connectors and open interfaces.