---
title: Adding measurements to an OPC-DA collector
slug: how-tos/gP6_-addin
docTags: cUV_Sa6jBAIeXJcsVeSZ9,11HRbizM9olUCcNKOmSMd
createdAt: 2025-09-24T11:04:25.164Z
---

Measurements can be added to an OPC-DA collector by:

- Manually adding measurements
- Bulk importing measurements
- [Adding measurements using the API](docId\:oCUYPOPzCoUIhWWzC_VJ7)

## Manually add a measurement

:::hint{type="info"}
Follow the guide on [Creating a measurement](docId\:u5-07YlMs2jiX9Kz-m-lB) for general instructions on how to create a measurement.
:::

Once the collector is successfully configured, you can add one or more **measurements**. A measurement defines which OPC-DA item should be read and stored.

To create a new measurement manually, open the **Measurements** page in the Factry Historian web interface and click **+ Create Measurement**.

Next, fill in the **Name** of the measurement and optionally add a short **Description**. This will make it easier to find and recognize the measurement later when searching for measurements to trend or configure.

Choose the OPC-DA **Collector** you configured before, and select the time-series **Database** where the data should be stored.

Select the correct **Datatype** (for example, Boolean, Number, or String) based on what the OPC-DA server reported for this item in the discovery step.

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/SMPo4IS9FkillUAMsur2c/Se5YDSNjHNiOmcKa4acOe-20250918-143148.png)

### Basic settings

In the settings panel below, provide the **ItemID**. This tells the collector exactly which variable to read from the OPC-DA server.

:::hint{type="info"}
For an initial test, you can leave the fields **CollectionType**, **CollectionInterval**, and **CollectionOffset** at their default values. If you need more control, you can find detailed explanations of these optional settings in the reference documentation for the [OPC-DA collector](docId\:kp91_LGM4jw-dIQr0a6Z2).
:::

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/SMPo4IS9FkillUAMsur2c/0_Hi6Jx2PeOsiTOCw8S4b-20250918-143148.png)

### Expected outcome

Once you have submitted your measurement, and all settings are correct, you should see the following:

- The measurement status changes to **Good** within about 10 seconds.
- The measurement appears in the list of configured measurements.
- The **data preview panel** begins to display live values coming from the selected OPC-DA item. Click the refresh icon if it does not refresh automatically.

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/SMPo4IS9FkillUAMsur2c/7gavkUP_uP4gKVqDxYSMt-20250918-143148.png)

## Bulk import measurements

:::hint{type="info"}
Follow the guide on [Importing measurements in bulk](docId\:G5wek8Z-fIPXAU2YmzIRZ) for general instructions.
:::