MindSphere Terms
This chapter describes the most important MindSphere terms. The chapter facilitates your entry into the world of MindSphere and helps you to gain a deeper understanding of MindSphere.
Asset
In the Online help of the MindSphere documentation you can find the description of asset:
"An asset is a digital representation of a machine or an automation system with one or multiple automation units (e.g. PLC) connected to MindSphere.
MindSphere data collection and data provisioning is based on so called (virtual) assets. This can be anything like a pump, motor, PLC, an entire tool machine, a production line, a robot, a crane, a car, a windmill and so on. The data of an asset is collected and sent to MindSphere to make that data available for further processing and analytics."
(https://documentation.mindsphere.io/#/kiosk, 2018)
For more information, see the MindSphere documentation.
Aspect
In the Online help of the MindSphere documentation you can find the description of aspect:
"Aspects are a data modeling mechanisms for assets. Aspects group related data points based on their logical association. For example: The pump skid has an aspect e.g. "Energy_consumption" that contains the datapoints: "power", "current", "voltage" etc. Aspect is specified in Asset Manager and its name can be freely chosen, but should have conjunction to datapoints and a physical asset. An aspect can consist of several variables."
(https://documentation.mindsphere.io/#/kiosk, 2018)
For more information, see the MindSphere documentation.
Data source, Aspect, Variables
In the Online help of the MindSphere documentation you can find a description of a data source, aspects and variables:
"In Asset Manager devices like MindConnect Nano are defined as the data source. The device sends data points to MindSphere. These data points must be connected to the aspects and variables. Asset Manager uses aspects and variables as data containers.
Within MindSphere you add data points to a data source to collect the data, for example from a control unit. In the next step you have to link the data points to the respective variables of an aspect."
(https://documentation.mindsphere.io/#/kiosk, 2018)
For more information, see the MindSphere documentation.
