Data Models

Data Models are an easy-to-use way to replicate a data structure to multiple places in your namespace. Suppose you have an asset definition you want to standardize everywhere it appears. A data model stores that definition once and applies it wherever you need it.

A data model defines a small, self-contained sub-namespace. You version it and instantiate it across your namespace, so every place that uses it shares the same structure. When the standard evolves, you publish a new version of the model rather than editing each copy by hand.

Two Ways to Create a Data Model

You can start a data model in two ways:

  • Derive it from an existing namespace node: the fastest way when you already have a structure you want to standardize.

  • Start from a blank model: define the structure directly in the data model.

Derive a Data Model from an Existing Node

When you derive a model, you capture the structure of a node you already built and turn it into a reusable model.

  • Click the node you want to base the model on, for example, the welding-cell folder.

  • Click the + control next to its name to open the Add Node Type menu.

  • Under Data Model Actions, click Derive New Model.

Derive a new data model from a namespace node

The Create Data Model page opens, pre-populated with the structure of the selected node.

A data model derived from the welding-cell node

The page has the following fields:

Field Description

Data Model Name

Required. A name for the model. For example, welding-cell.

Version

Required. The version of the model, such as v1. When you publish changes as new versions, every instance can track a specific version of the structure.

Status

The lifecycle state of the model. A new or edited model begins as a Draft.

Description

Optional context describing the model and its purpose.

Nodes

Required. The sub-namespace the model defines, displayed as a tree. When you derive a model, the tree mirrors the source node. In this example, the welding-cell folder with its temperature and telemetry tags, and the fields inside telemetry (such as area, status, site, equipment, battery, humidity, line, enterprise, temp, and ts).

Use Add Root Node, Remove, and Deselect All to adjust the structure, and click a node in the tree to view and edit its details. To save your progress, click Save as Draft.

Start a Data Model from a Blank State

To build a model without an existing node, create a new data model and define its structure directly. Give the model a Data Model Name and Version, then use Add Root Node to build the node tree that represents the structure you want to standardize. As with a derived model, the platform keeps your work as a Draft until you are ready to use it.

Version and Publish a Data Model

A data model moves through a simple lifecycle. While you build or edit it, the model is a Draft. Click Save as Draft to keep your progress. When the model is ready, you publish it as a version.

A published version is immutable. After you publish a version, you cannot change its structure. To change a model, create a new draft, make your adjustments, and publish it again as a new version. Existing instances continue to reference the version you created them from, so publishing a new version never alters structures already in use.

Each model has its own list of versions, which you can reach from the Data Models area.

The version list of a data model

The version list shows every version of the model:

Column Description

Version Name

The version identifier, such as v1.

Created

The date you created the version.

Published

The date and time of publication, if the version is published.

Status

The lifecycle state of the version: Draft or Published.

Actions

Actions available for the version, such as View.

To start a new version, click Create Draft.

Reuse a Data Model in the Namespace

After you publish a data model, you apply it anywhere in the namespace from the Add Node Type menu of a parent node.

  1. Select the parent node where you want to place the model (for example, line-1 under machining), and click the + control to open the Add Node Type menu.

  2. Under Data Model Actions, click Instantiate Data Model.

    Instantiate a data model under another node

  3. In the Select Data Model dialog, choose the model, pick the version to instantiate (for example, welding-cell at v1), and click Next.

    Select the data model and version to instantiate

  4. In the Define Instantiation Variables dialog, enter an Instance Name (required) and an optional description. If the model defines required variables, provide a value for each. If it does not, the dialog shows This model has no required variables.

    Provide the instance name and any required variables

  5. Click Instantiate Model.

The platform adds a node at that location with the model’s predefined structure: the same welding-cell structure, now standardized under machining, without a manual rebuild.

Once instantiated, the model is visible and active in the namespace. It appears as a data model node (here, new-welding-cell under machining/line-1) that contains the model’s structure, and its nodes behave like any other namespace nodes.

The instantiated data model active in the namespace

The Add Node Type menu offers two related entries:

  • Instantiate Data Model (under Data Model Actions): create a node from a selected data model.

  • Data Model Instance: add a node based on a model, so the node inherits the model’s predefined structure.

For how these appear while building the namespace, see Add Data Model Nodes.