Data Integrity: ALCOA+ Concept

Attributable

Risk: While sharing licenses can reduce system cost, it can violate the integrity of the metadata rendering it unattributable

Eurotherm Remedy: Password protected accounts determine permission for which actions can be carried out bu a user's role definition. Actions are logged within the audit trail, and the Security Manager feature can be linked to Microsoft® Active Directory for simplified and centralized user management. 

Contemporaneous

Risk: Lack of time stamping measures can encourage backdating and exclusion of data.

Eurotherm Remedy: Process data and metadata (events, notes, messages, etc.) are automatically recorded at the time of the action against a timestamp. Recording devices can be synchronized across the system via connection to an SNTP (Simple Network Time Protocol) server. 

Legible

Risk: Paper records are susceptible to alterations and incorrect scaling of measured values. Tracking them can be complex.

Eurotherm Remedy: Process data and alarm history are digitally available in readable form for real-time and historical views via the HMI, recorder screen, Data Reviewer software, SCADA interface, data historian and reporting packages. Metadata, including audit trail information is also available for analysis, queries and periodic reviews.

Original

Risk: Paper based records and data digitally recorded in CSV or TXT files can be easily edited and modified.

Eurotherm Remedy: Original process data and metadata are digitally recorded and stored in Eurotherm proprietary tamper resistant binary-checksummed file format (.UHH).

Accurate

Risk: Hand written records, poorly positioned sensors and measurement drift in recording equipment can lead to data misinterpretation and inaccuracies.

Eurotherm Remedy: Recording digitally via high accuracy inputs, expertise in sensor positioning, and procedures to cover instrument loop calibration and validation, help to confirm that values read are representative of the actual process conditions.

(+) Complete

Risk: Values and actions recorded in different places, and communication dropouts during recording or achieving can lead to missing raw data/metadata.

Eurotherm Remedy: Recording digitally via high accuracy inputs, expertise in sensor positioning, and procedures to cover instrument loop calibration and validation, help to confirm that values read are representative of the actual process conditions.

Available

Risk: Retrieving data from paper trails or multiple archives can be time consuming.

Eurotherm Remedy: High availability system architecture, including uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and redundant instrumentation, servers, historians and communication networks enable fast retrieval of data.  Data reviewer software can access data quickly by batch code, recorder/group name or time/date.

Consistent

Risk: If not timestamped, the recording sequence and data audit trail cannot be relied upon.

Eurotherm Remedy: Data is recorded chronologically, with the date and time stamp in the expected sequence. Process data, alarms and events stored in the UHH files can be viewed as a trend via Data Reviewer software, where inconsistencies or missing data are evident. 

Enduring

Risk: Paper trails can get lost or disintegrate over time.

Eurotherm Remedy: Digitally recording data in a file format with long term compatibility retrieval support helps to ensure data is available from historian databases years after it is recorded. 

T2750 PAC

6100A/6180A Paperless Graphic Recorder

nanodac™ Recorder/Controller

Data Reviewer