Trending Assets Properties

Prerequisites

Before using asset properties to build a trend in Grafana, ensure:

Asset Properties are configured in Factry Historian.

The Factry Datasource is correctly set up in Grafana.

Default usage

To trend asset properties, either create a new dashboard or use the explore functionality. Next, select the Factry Historian datasource plugin as the Data source.

If it's not selected by default, then select the Assets tab.

Select an asset from the asset tree by clicking the Assets field.

Select one or more properties from the Properties field. This field will be polulated by all asset properties configured on the selected asset.

Select an aggregation function and aggregation window. The defaults are mean and $__interval. The $__interval variable is available in Grafana, and will adjust the aggregation window depending on the selected time range in the panel/dashboard.

Optionally, select a Fill type for aggegration windows where not data is present.

Optionally adapt the Grouping By statement. By default, data will be grouped by status.

Optionally filter on tags. For more information, consult Tags & LabelsTags & Labels information.

Optionally filter on values (e.g. only return values >= 0).

Optionally limit the max. amount of returned values.

Asset properties vs measurements

MeasurementsMeasurements are the raw time-series records stored by Factry Historian. They are tied directly to a sensor or signal (e.g. Mixer01_TT101 for a temperature tag).

Asset PropertiesAsset Properties are a semantic layer on top of measurements. They link measurements to specific equipment and provide human-friendly context (e.g. Mixer 1 → Temperature).

When and why to use asset properties

Easier to navigate: users can search by asset hierarchy instead of remembering tag codes.

Cleaner queries: “Mixer 1 temperature” instead of “PLC1.DBT10.TT101”.

Consistent naming: asset properties are centrally managed in Historian configuration.

Using regular expressions

Consult Query with regular expressions.

Dropdown filters make dashboards more interactive: operators can pick which assets or asset properties to display.

Filter with Asset

Supports multi-select using regex (view trends from several assets at once).

Create a Grafana variable listing available assets.

Use that variable in your Factry datasource query to dynamically switch assets.

Example Grafana variable:

Filter with Asset Property

Also supports multi-select (compare multiple properties across one or more assets).

Create a Grafana variable listing property names.

Use that variable in your Factry datasource query to toggle which properties are displayed.

Combine Asset and Property Filters

Using both filters together allows you to create very targeted dashboards:

Operators can first select one or more assets (e.g. all mixers in a line).

Then, they can refine which properties to show (e.g. Temperature and Pressure).

This makes it possible to quickly compare the same property across multiple assets, or compare different properties within the same asset.

A combined filter setup is especially useful for:

Cross-asset comparisons: e.g. trending temperature for all pumps in a plant.

Multi-property diagnostics: e.g. showing vibration, temperature, and current on the same motor.

Troubleshooting

No data returned

If a property does not return data, check whether it is mapped correctly to a measurement in Historian.

Error when using mean with boolean/string

The Factry datasource automatically falls back to last if you apply the mean aggregation function on boolean or string data.

To keep meaningful results, either:

Split queries into multiple datasources on the panel (numeric in one query with mean, string/boolean in another with last).

Or explicitly set the aggregation to last for non-numeric data.