About Orion
Available starting in NiagaraAX-3.4, Orion is an Object-Relational (O/R) mapping architecture provided to support distributed-applications, large systems, and other applications that may benefit from having relational data modeled as Niagara objects. As a new mapping architecture for Niagara components, Object-Relational Mapping does not replace the "config.bog" (station) file but provides for the creation of a new Niagara "space" (the Orion space) that is stored outside the station database file (like histories, files, and modules). This new functionality includes a means for alternative and multiple system hierarchy displays that can be used for data presentation, system identification, and navigation.
As part of this module (
), the Orion API includes the following:
- BRdbms
this is the RDBMS "driver" that existed in earlier (before NiagaraAX-3.4) versions of NiagaraAX to model an Rdbms database for supporting SQLServer and Oracle database implementations. Applications (including stations running on smaller JACEs) are able to implement O/R mapping and maintain database independence by running a local instance of any of the following RDBMS types:
- HSQLDB
- DB2
- MySQL
- Oracle
- SQL Server
- BOrionService
this is the Niagara service, shown below that enables the Orion database in a station and allows the station and its applications to use the Orion database.
The Orion service has a Status, Fault Cause, and Enabled properties, as shown below.
This service allows a station and its applications to use a local relational database running in controllers (including embedded JACEs) to manage and display distributed-system (or distributed-application) information. This managed and configurable information includes certain types of Niagara component data that are well suited for the relational model.
- BIOrionApp
this is an installable application that has a set of Orion object types that allow you to manage data in the Orion database.
- BOrionSpace
this is the component space for storing Orion objects. Other types of “space” include "History", "File", and "Virtual" space. An example ORD using the orion space is shown below.
- BOrionObject
this is a common subclass for all objects stored in the Orion database. It represents an object associated with Orion that also knows what database it is associated with.
- OrionSession
this is a CRUD (Create, Read, Update and Delete) interface for interacting with the Orion Database and managing object persistence