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Released: May 1, 2023
Version 6.0.9 is a bug-fix and stability release.
NOTE: SQL 2019 or higher is required for version 6.0.9 and higher. Flow 6.0.8 is the last version that supports SQL 2016.
A number of new features and performance enhancements have been added:
- Tags have just experienced a major feature update! Not only can you perform tag calculations across multiple data sources, but now you can also perform Tag Transforms! Tag Transforms allow you to manipulate Measure and Event data as if they were Tags. Tags can be latched, windowed, offset, and used to create "custom" calculation expressions!
- A long-awaited request! We now have the ability to use Tags on a Widget Chart! Get the latest values of your Tags, or even Calculated Tags, on your dashboards.
- We added the ability to filter attribute columns on an Event Form, no configuration required! Let your users filter their events directly in their browsers.
- We added the ability to export data directly from Event and Time Based forms to a CSV format.
- Event and Time Based forms now have "static" headers, making it easier to navigate your data entry sheets!
- Event Tables can now include a Comment column to show some additional context for each event, really useful when scanning for detail!
- We optimized the processing of Calculated Measures that have Event Context associated with them. In some cases, this processing has been reduced from minutes to seconds, making important information available to your decision-makers as soon as they need it.
- The Flow API has had a few enhancements relating to Shift Pattern configuration and adjustment. Combined with other operational tools, like Inductive Automation's Ignition, you can build your own screens to allow your users to create and update their shifts.
- We have updated a few "under-the-hood" technology components to the latest versions, bringing with them enhanced security and improved performance!
Please see the 6.0.0 release notes below for important information, What's New, and upgrade instructions.
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Release 6.0.8 | Build 6.0.8103.650
Released: November 28, 2022
Version 6.0.8 is a bug-fix and stability release. One notable new feature is the addition of front-end filtering of attributes on the Pareto Chart and Event Based Table.
Please see the 6.0.0 release notes below for important information, What's New, and upgrade instructions.
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Release 6.0.7 | Build 6.0.7056.940
Released: October 17, 2022
Version 6.0.7 is a bug-fix and stability release. Some of these include:
- We had some issues with the migration of Form configuration from previous versions. Apologies to our customers that were affected by this.
- Our MQTT Consumer module that is used to send information to a Broker via SparkplugB was not sending certain default values. This caused an issue for certain MQTT nodes like Ignition.
- When using HTTPS for underlying Flow communication, the Config Tool could not access raw data. This has been resolved.
Please see the 6.0.0 release notes below for important information, What's New, and upgrade instructions.
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Release 6.0.6 | Build 6.0.6022.1250
Released: September 6, 2022
Version 6.0.6 is a bug-fix release, although we have included a few small enhancements:
- Improved error messaging from deployed data sources back to the Data Engines. This will help you troubleshoot issues with your data sources.
- Support for running Flow on Azure SQL Edge, the small-footprint, edge-optimized SQL database engine.
- Enabling calculated tags to evaluate despite dependent tags being deployed across disparate Data Engines, potentially running on disparate servers.
Please see the 6.0.0 release notes below for important information, What's New, and upgrade instructions.
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Release 6.0.5 | Build 6.0.5984.820
Released: August 1, 2022
Version 6.0.5 is a bug-fix release. We resolved a Flow Bootstrap bug that would have affected a small number of customers using direct SQL authentication.
Please see the 6.0.0 release notes below for important information, What's New, and upgrade instructions.
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Release 6.0.4 | Build 6.0.4981.650
Released: July 29, 2022
Version 6.0.4 is a bug-fix release. We resolved a number of small (and large) bugs. About 42 of them actually. We also made some small aesthetic adjustments and a couple of "quality of life" enhancements to make configuration of template charts and forms a little easier.
Please see the 6.0.0 release notes below for important information, What's New, and upgrade instructions.
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Release 6.0.3 | Build 6.0.3935.1270
Released: June 13, 2022
Version 6.0.3 is a bug-fix release. We resolved a few bugs and made some small aesthetic adjustments.
Please see the 6.0.0 release notes below for important information, What's New, and upgrade instructions.
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Release 6.0.2 | Build 6.0.2915.1180
Released: May 24, 2022
Version 6.0.2 is a bug-fix release. We sorted out a few small bugs and added the ability to use Model Attributes in a Calculated Tag.
Please see the 6.0.0 release notes below for important information, What's New, and upgrade instructions.
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Release 6.0.1 | Build 6.0.1914.950
Released: May 23, 2022
Version 6.0.1 is a bug-fix release. Yes, we had a small hiccup with 6.0.0 relating to Event Attribute calculations. And, while we were fixing that, we sorted out a few other small bugs that we found.
Please see the 6.0.0 release notes below for important information, What's New, and upgrade instructions.
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Release 6.0.0 | Build 6.0.0911.900
Released: May 20, 2022
Version 6.0.0 is a major release that includes a number of new features, performance enhancements and bug fixes:
Important
- From version 6.0.0 upwards, all Flow Integrations (i.e. Data Sources, Data Consumers, and Notification Services) will need to be deployed to a Flow Platform in the Deployment View. This change has been made to optimize communication with third party systems. It is advised that Flow Integrations are deployed on the servers running the respective third party systems where possible. For example, deploying a Canary Data Source to the Canary Server will optimize and streamline data transfer to Flow.
- From version 6.0.0 upwards, the Flow Mobile Notification Service will be deprecated. If you are still using Flow Mobile, please make sure you replace it as the Notification Service for all Message definitions that are using it. Alternative messaging apps that Flow supports include MS Teams, Slack and Telegram.
What's new?
Tags
- Tags represent the raw data passed through from a Data Source like a SQL Database query or a Historian tag. Tag data is made up of timestamp, value and quality "points".
- Tags are used for the following:
- Measures, where primary aggregations can be configured (e.g. Time Weighted Average, Minimum, Maximum, Range, Counter, Time in State, etc.)
- Calculated Tags, where multiple Tags can be used in calculation expressions. Points from each Tag are normalized by timestamp, value and quality ("point" normalized) and the calculation expression is applied to every row in the resulting data set ("row-based" calculation). User-Defined Functions can be used in Tag Calculations. Tags from different Data Sources can be combined in a Tag Calculations.
- Pass-Through Charts, where both Tags and Calculated Tags can be displayed.
- Public API, where both Tags and Calculated Tags can be requested.
Forms
- Forms are now located in the "Information" tab at the bottom right of Flow Config. This means they share a common "Information Model" and associated security configuration with Charts and Dashboards. This reduces duplicate folder security configurations that needed to be performed in previous versions.
- The configuration of a Form now has a similar look-and-feel to that of Charts. This also means Forms have additional formatting flexibility similar to what you have become accustomed to with Charts.
- Forms can now be configured using template Measures and Events, making Form configuration reusable.
Buffering
- Have you ever wanted Flow to access a real-time Data Source? Well, now you can with version 6.0.0's new buffering capability. Flow will buffer 7 days worth of raw data for use within Flow tags, measures and events.
- Flow buffering is currently available for experimentation via:
- Telegraf, which has a number of input plugins, including protocols such as Modbus
- MQTT, which supports both SparkplugB or Custom payloads
- OPCUA
Event Triggering
- Events can now be "projected", which is really useful if you want to access a production plan, or a maintenance schedule, or work orders into the future!
- Events that are triggered by SQL queries can now be configured with a "Refresh Trigger", allowing these Events to be automatically refreshed when their underlying data source is updated.
Dashboard Navigation
- Have you ever wanted a quick way to get from one dashboard to the next? Well, now you can with the new Navigation component. Use it to create links or buttons to other charts, forms, or dashboards!
Demo License
- Whenever you create a new Flow System, you will now have access to an automatically generated Demo License for 700 Tags, 500 Measures, and 10 Events for a period of 90 days.
Upgrading existing Flow Systems
Existing users must please note the following key steps before upgrading your Flow Systems:
Before Upgrading
- Undeploy all components using your existing Flow Config
- Perform a Database backup
- Stop the Flow Bootstrap Service
- Make a note of the Administrative user that is used to run the Flow Bootstrap Service
Technology updates to .Net Framework and .Net Core
If you're running Flow 5.4 or 5.5 you will have already installed these updates. If not, then .Net Framework needs to be upgraded to version 4.8 and .Net Core to version 3.1. Here are some links to download and install these components:
Installation and migration
- Run the Flow.msi installer you have downloaded
- Confirm the Flow Bootstrap Service's logon details are set to the Administrative user noted above
- Open Flow Config, select your Flow instance in the "Connect" dialog box, connect and then accept the migration process when prompted. If any error messages are received, please contact our support team.
- Deploy all components
NOTE: Changes to the Database schema and Private API
As always, with Major releases like this one, we may modify the Flow Database schema or Private API for performance improvements or for the addition of new functionality. In 6.0.0, we have modified the way Form configuration and data serving is handled. If you are accessing the Flow Database or Private API directly for either Form configuration or data, which we unfortunately do not support, you may need to modify those queries, or better still, migrate them to our public API. If you suspect this may be the case, please follow an upgrade testing procedure before migrating your production Flow system. And as always, make sure you backup your Flow Database before attempting any migration.
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