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Prerequisites

To use myExpert for managing your plant, the following prerequisites must be met.

Systems

myExpert is designed for use with the following process control systems:

  • PCS 7: To use the SIMATIC PCS myExpert base package you need a SIMATIC PCS 7 installation with V8.1 or later and a compatible SIMATIC Management Console (SMMC) version. For the additional Health module, you need a SIMATIC PCS 7 installation with V8.2 or later.
  • PCS neo: The Cloud Services Lifecycle and Service are included in the PCS neo Software Maintenance contract “Dynamics” starting from PCS neo v3.1. Instead of the SMMC, the SIMATIC PCS neo Administration Console (AC) will be used.

Inventory Sources

myExpert supports the following inventory sources and exports:

  • SIMATIC Management Console (SMMC):
    • Network View File = Software of the plant (of the process control system)
    • Plant View File = Hardware of the plant (of the process control system)
  • SINEC NMS:
    • Control Report File = Network Components

Further information can be found in the following documentation:

Option Health

The "Health" option requires an active online connection to collect and process current data. myExpert Health receives plant performance data through a cloud API endpoint and processes it within the application.

How Data Reaches myExpert:

Plant systems must deliver metrics to the myExpert cloud API in the required JSON format via HTTPS. How this data is collected and transmitted on the plant side is outside the scope of myExpert - any tooling that meets the interface requirements can be used.

A typical on-premises setup might include:

  • Data collectors (e.g., Metricbeat) installed on monitored workstations to capture PC performance metrics (CPU load, memory, disk I/O), communication load, process monitoring, and disk space.
  • An aggregation engine (e.g., Logstash) to collect, transform, and push data to the myExpert cloud API on a scheduled basis.

Data Flow:

Plant Systems → Data Collection (e.g., Metricbeat) → Aggregation & Push (e.g., Logstash) → Cloud API (myExpert)

Note

myExpert receives data at its cloud API interface. The collection and transmission setup on the plant side — including any tools such as Metricbeat and Logstash — is not part of the myExpert application. The example configuration provided in the documentation serves as a recommended reference. Any alternative tooling may be used, provided the data conforms to the myExpert Health JSON API schema and security requirements (HTTPS/TLS v1.3, authentication).

Documentation: Detailed information on the API interface, data schema, and the example on-premises setup can be found in the specific documentation for the "Health" option.

Manual for the myExpert Health Option

Scope of Software Validity

myExpert supports the management and monitoring of all components (devices) within the supported process control systems (PCS 7 and PCS neo). This includes both software and hardware components as exported via the supported inventory sources.