2013 Wonderware Training Calendar Now Available

Our 2013 training course schedule is posted.

New courses 2013:

• MES 2012 - Quality coming up in March

For your convenience, a PDF version of the course schedule is available for download.

Click here to register for the classes.

HMI Reports Training in Lake Forest, CA on Dec 18-19, 2012 [Update]

UPDATE: Rescheduled to Dec 18-19, 2012.

An HMI Reports training class has been scheduled for Dec 17-18 18-19, 2012 at our training facility in Lake Forest, California.

Click here to register for the classes.

NEW! InBatch 2012 Training

We have released the new InBatch 2012 training course.

As it's predecessor, the new InBatch 2012 course is a 4-day, instructor-led class that provides you with a fundamental overview of the concepts and terms associated with Wonderware InBatch Software. The course includes providing you with the opportunity to apply the product to a batch process application.

This course has been scheduled on a quarterly basis starting in December 2012 at our training facility in Lake Forest, California. Our next session is scheduled for December 11-14, 2012.

Click here to register for the classes.

NEW! InTouch for System Platform 2012 Training

Last month we released the new InTouch for System Platform 2012 training course. The new course is a 5-day update from the previous 4-day course.

As it's predecessor, the new InTouch for System Platform 2012 course is an instructor-led class designed to provide a fundamental understanding of the features and functionality of how Application Server provides visualization for your plant galaxy data using ArchestrA Symbols by seamlessly integrating the InTouch for System Platform software.

This course has been scheduled on a monthly basis starting in September 2012 at our training facility in Lake Forest, California. Our next session is scheduled for November 12-16, 2012.

Click here to register for this class.

How-To: Use Text-to-Speech in an ArchestrA Symbol

Microsoft included their speech engine (SAPI, a COM-based API) in Windows Server 2000 and later versions of their operating system; a managed code version of the API was introduced with the .NET Framework 3.0. The ArchestrA scripting engine, QuickScript.NET, allows calls to both COM and .NET libraries; this and Application Server's capability to import COM and .NET files into the Galaxy makes it easy for you to use Microsoft's speech engine for Text-to-Speech (TTS) and other speech-related functions.

You can use QuickScript.NET within an automation object or in an ArchestrA Symbol. While adding TTS capabilities to an automation object is possible, it might not be a good idea since most likely the object will be deployed to a server-type node with no user physically located at the station. A better approach is to add TTS capabilities to an ArchestrA Symbol since the graphic can be made available to a user through their InTouch application.

For this article, we will focus on the .NET version of the speech engine: System.Speech.Synthesis. This engine allows access to the speech synthesis engine which provides the TTS capabilities, including the conversion of text to speech (even from and to a file) and manipulation of the voice parameters (like speed and volume).

Depending on your operating system, you might have access to only one voice. You can find other voices online (not necessarily for free) that are compatible with the Microsoft speech engine. The API allows you to query the characteristics of all the voices available, like name, gender, and age.

Information Server Training in Lake Forest, CA on Sep 11-12, 2012

An Information Server training class has been scheduled for September 11-12, 2012 at our training facility in Lake Forest, California.

This is our last classroom-based training class for Information Server; the course went online-only last month.

Click here to register for this class.

NEW! Application Server 2012 Training

We have released the new Application Server 2012 training course as an update to System Platform - Application Server 3.1.

As it's predecessor, the new Application Server 2012 course is a 4-day, instructor-led class designed to provide a fundamental understanding of the features and functionality of the Wonderware Application Server 2012 software. The class provides lectures and hands-on labs to supply and reinforce the knowledge necessary to use the ArchestrA tools and services in the System Platform for plant modeling.

This course has been scheduled on a monthly basis starting in June 2012 at our training facility in Lake Forest, California. Our next session is scheduled for August 14-17, 2012.

Click here to register for this class.

Wonderware Training is Hiring!

We are looking for a new Technical Training Instructor for our Lake Forest office in California.

As a Wonderware Instructor you will train customers, our distribution channel, and Invensys employees on different Wonderware products; from Application Server and InTouch to advanced applications, such as MES and ArchestrA Workflow. You will travel around the United States and the world conducting on-site classes at different facilities.

As part of the training team, you will become a Subject Matter Expert for the design and development of the training courses in collaboration with the course development team.

You can find more information and apply for the job here and search for the keywords: Technical Training Instructor

Effective Learning

By Lance Zhou, Principal Technical Training Instructor

Different people learn differently.

Some people can learn about a subject by simply reading a book. Others require a live demonstration of the subject combined with discussions of real-life applications on the topic. Some others have to have hands-on exercises to be able to learn. And then there are the ones that need a little bit of everything.

Wonderware technical training courses are designed as a 4-step learning experience:

1. Instructor-delivered lecture on the topic
2. Instructor demonstration of the software feature or capability (often using a different example than the one given in the hands-on exercises - or as we call them, labs)
3. Instructor answers questions surrounding the subject
4. Participants practice the discussed feature by performing the associated lab(s)

Part of the design of a new course (being a brand new course or a revision of an existing one) includes the length of the class. In other words, the definition of the number of days required to successfully execute the 4 steps mentioned above and to meet the learning objective of the class. Once the course has been layed out and all the labs have been defined, a preliminary number of days is set and a BETA class is scheduled to test the new course and verify that the allocated number of days is the right match to effectively meet the learning objectives.

---

Lance Zhou is a Principal Technical Training Instructor for Wonderware products at Invensys Operations Management.

InBatch Training in Lake Forest, CA on May 29 - June 1, 2012 [Update]

UPDATE: Registration for this class has been closed. Thank you for your interest.


An InBatch training class has been schedule for May 29 - June 1, 2012 at our training facility in Lake Forest, California. This is in addition to our regular quarterly scheduled class (March, June, September, December).

Click here to register for either of these classes.

NEW! Information Server 2012 eLearning Training [Update]

UPDATE: All five modules are available now.

We are moving the training for Information Server from a classroom-based session to recorded sessions distributed online. The new Information Server 2012 eLearning training has been designed as 5 independent modules:

• Administration: Wonderware Information Server 2012 configuration, security enforcement and customization
• TableWeaver: Creating customized data displays by getting from SQL and web datasources and representing them with drill-down capabilities
• ActiveFactory Reporting Web Site: Wonderware Information Server 2012 integration with Historian Client
• ArchestrA Reports: Managing ArchestrA Reports through Wonderware Information Server 2012
• Visualization Integration: Integrating process visualization from Wonderware InTouch and Wonderware Application Server

The Administration and TableWeaver modules are available now. Stay tuned for announcements of the remainder modules availability.

Click here to register for these modules.

How-To: Correct Default SQL Native Client Configuration in Information Server

By Alessandro Panzetta, Sr. Technical Training Instructor

In some scenarios it may happen that the Wonderware Information Server portal is using and old version of the SQL Native Client to create datasources. This may be due to a SQL Server upgrade, a Wonderware Information Server upgrade, and so on.

SQL Native Client for SQL Server 2005 is called SQLNCLI while for SQL Server 2008 this is called SQLNCLI10.

While creating datasources in Wonderware Information Server it may happen that the wrong SQL Native Client is used.

How-To: Resize an Array UDA in Application Server

Wonderware Application Server allows the creation of 1-dimensional array User-Defined Attributes (UDA) in automation objects. These array UDAs are configured with a pre-defined number of elements that can vary from 1 to 32767 in size, as well as default values for each element.

You can modify the number of elements of the array on runtime by modifying the Dimension1 property of the UDA. The Dimension1 property is not user writeable, so a script is needed to modify the property. If you resize an array up to more elements, the new added elements will have the default value of the corresponding data type (e.g. 0 for numbers, false for Booleans, and "" for strings); on the other hand, if you resize the array down to a smaller dimension, the values of the "deleted" elements will be lost.

Find a small example after the break.

NEW! Optimizing Application Server Training

We have released a new Optimizing Application Server training course. It is a 2-day instructor-led class designed to provide existing Application Server users with the tools needed to effectively design and troubleshoot Wonderware Application Server projects.

This course has been scheduled on a quarterly basis starting in January 2012 at our training facility in Lake Forest, California. Our next session is scheduled for April 17-18, 2012.

Click here to register for this class.

NEW! System Platform Maintenance Training

We have released a new System Platform Maintenance training course. It is a 3-day instructor-led class designed to provide a basic understanding of the Application Server, Device Integration Servers, and Historian Server software as components of the System Platform, as well as the skills necessary to perform diagnostics and maintenance tasks in an existing application. The class provides lectures and hands-on labs designed to illustrate the discovery, identification and resolution of runtime problems, installation guidelines, and best practices.

This course has been scheduled on a bi-monthly basis starting in April 2012 at our training facility in Lake Forest, California.

Click here to register for this class.

IntelaTrac SuperUser Training in Lake Forest, CA on Feb 21-23, 2012

An IntelaTrac SuperUser training class has been schedule for February 21-23, 2012 at our training facility in Lake Forest, California. This is in addition to our regularly bi-monthly scheduled class in Houston, Texas, which in February happens to be also on the 21-23.

Click here to register for either of these classes.

Training Learning Paths [Update]

There are two distinct learning paths available to you for your technical training needs. The correct learning path depends on which Wonderware products comprise the infrastructure of your system or solution:

• Wonderware System Platform, or
• Wonderware InTouch

If you are not familiar with the products, it might not be obvious to identify which infrastructure is in place. Things to look for to identify the correct learning path:

• If your application is using the ArchestrA framework, developed from the ArchestrA IDE, hosted in a Galaxy, and is object-based, the infrastructure is Wonderware System Platform
• If your application is tag-based, the infrastructure is Wonderware InTouch