What is a Time Series Database?
A Time Series Database (TSDB) is a database optimised for storing, processing and analysing data captured over time, such as sensor values, measurement data and process parameters.
TSDBs form the backbone of systems such as SCADA, Historian, Condition Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance within industrial automation.
🧠 How does a TSDB work?
- Time-based storage
- Each data point consists of a timestamp and one or more values
- For example: 2025-07-26 08:00:00 → Temperature: 72.3 °C
- Optimised for writing and retrieval
- High ingestion rate (thousands per second)
- Efficient retrieval of ranges, trends and averages
- Functions specific to time series
- Aggregations (average, min/max, delta)
- Compression and downsampling (e.g. 1s → 1 min → 1 h)
- Retention management (older data automatically removed or archived)
🏭 Application in industrial environments
- Historian systems for production and process data
- Trending of sensor data (e.g. temperature, pressure, flow)
- Analysis of performance and deviations in SCADA
- Data storage for Digital Twin or Edge Computing
- Support for Predictive Maintenance via AI/ML
Typical data sources:
- PLCs, RTUs, Sensors, Drives, HMI
- OPC UA, MQTT, Modbus gateways
- IIoT platforms and cloud integrations
🔍 Popular TSDB platforms
| TSDB | Application / Characteristics |
|---|---|
| OSIsoft PI | Widely used in industry, broad ecosystem |
| InfluxDB | Open source, widely used in IIoT and OT monitoring |
| TimescaleDB | PostgreSQL-based, suited to combining with IT data |
| Proficy Historian | Industrial Historian solution from GE |
| Ignition Tag Historian | SCADA integration from Inductive Automation |
🔐 Security aspects
- Authentication and Access Control at data level
- TLS encryption for data-in-transit
- Manage retention and audit logs in line with compliance requirements (NIS2, GxP)
- Protection against data loss via Backup, High Availability and Immutable Backup
- Restrict direct access to the TSDB via Firewalls, VPN, Jump Server
In OT environments, it is crucial to guarantee both data integrity and availability.
📌 In summary
A Time Series Database (TSDB) is indispensable for capturing and analysing process data over time. They form the core of industrial data storage, Monitoring and optimisation.