System and methodology facilitating data warehousing of controller images in a distributed industrial controller environment

An industrial control system, comprising:

• an archive component that manages revisions of one or more controller images;
• and
• an SQL database that stores and permits access to the one or more controller images, the access provided by way of the archive component, the one or more controller images are stored as a complete and compiled version of elements required to operate a PLC program;
• the archive component mediates access to the SQL database and determines the revisions based upon differences of a retrieved image as compared to a previously stored image in the SQL database, the archive component further comprising a check-in feature to automatically provide a versioning function to manage the revisions, and
• the archive component further comprising a sharing feature that marks two or more images as being shared, images that are marked as shared receive changes from an associated image if changes are made to the associated image, and a branching feature to remove shared status from the two or more images.

A data warehousing system for an industrial controller, comprising:

• means for accessing an SQL database;
• means for archiving controller images on the SQL database, the controller images are archived as a complete and compiled version of elements required to operate a PLC program, the elements include logic instructions and associated data table files that direct PLC operations;
• means for generating metadata for the controller images;
• means for controlling access to controller images via the metadata;
• means for determining differences by comparing check-sums between the controller image and a checked out image;
• means for storing check-sum information of the controller image, if differences exist between the controller image and the checked out image;
• and
• means for tagging the controller images in accordance with who manipulated a prior image and when the controller image was last manipulated.

A data warehousing system for an industrial controller, comprising:

• a client component that communicates to an industrial controller to upload and download at least one binary image from the controller;
• and
• an SQL server that stores at least one binary image in conjunction with associated metadata that is generated by the client component, the at least one binary image is stored as a unitary and inseparable binary image;
• the client component stores a newer revision of the binary image on the SQL server if differences have occurred in the binary image from a previous version of the binary image, the client component also stores check-sum information of the binary image, and
• the client component further comprises a sharing feature that marks two or more images as being shared, images that are marked as shared receive changes from an associated image if changes are made to the associated image, and a branching feature to remove shared status from the two or more images.