Connect FactoryTalk Historian to Excel
Why getting FactoryTalk Historian data into Excel is harder than it should be
If you've already tried something and hit a wall, the list below is probably why. FactoryTalk Historian is built on the OSIsoft PI engine, which means the native path to Excel runs through PI DataLink — a powerful tool that was designed for a world where every analyst sat inside the plant network on a managed desktop.
FactoryTalk Historian runs on PI — and PI DataLink is the native Excel tool
Rockwell FactoryTalk Historian is built on the OSIsoft PI Data Archive. That means the standard Excel integration path is PI DataLink — OSIsoft's Excel add-in for pulling PI data into spreadsheets. Many FactoryTalk users don't realize this at first and spend time searching for a "FactoryTalk" specific Excel tool that doesn't exist as a standalone product. Once they find PI DataLink, the real barriers begin.
PI DataLink requires the full PI AF SDK on every machine
PI DataLink isn't a lightweight add-in. It requires the PI Asset Framework SDK — a licensed client software package — installed on every machine that will use it. Each analyst, engineer, or manager who wants to pull FactoryTalk data into Excel needs their own SDK installation, managed and licensed by IT. As your team grows, so does the deployment footprint.
PI DataLink breaks in Excel for the Web
PI DataLink is a traditional COM add-in designed for Excel on the Windows desktop. It doesn't run in Excel for the Web or in workbooks opened through SharePoint or Microsoft Teams. Any workbook that uses PI DataLink functions becomes unusable the moment it's opened in a browser or shared through a Microsoft 365 collaboration workflow. Teams are increasingly working this way — and PI DataLink wasn't built for it.
Every user's machine still needs to reach the OT network
PI DataLink connects directly to the FactoryTalk Historian server, which lives on the OT network. That means every machine using the add-in needs a direct network path to the historian — on the plant floor network or via a carefully managed VPN. Remote workers, office-based analysts, or anyone working from a location without OT access is blocked entirely.
Teams fall back to manual CSV exports when DataLink isn't an option
When PI DataLink isn't available — wrong machine, no VPN, no SDK — teams resort to exporting data from FactoryTalk Historian's built-in tools and pasting it into Excel manually. This works once, for one time range, for one set of tags. Every update means doing it again. It's not a workflow, it's a workaround that scales with headcount instead of automation.
Aggregations end up in cell formulas — and break
PI DataLink pulls raw or lightly processed data into cells. Any averaging, min/max, or time-based aggregation then lives in Excel formulas on top of that data. As tag counts grow, time ranges extend, or report structures change, those formulas become fragile. The workbook breaks when the data shape changes — and fixing it requires someone who understands both the PI data model and the Excel formula layer.
PI DataLink is PI-only — teams with other data sources need separate tools
PI DataLink connects to PI/FactoryTalk Historian and nothing else. If your plant also runs a Wonderware historian, a DeltaV system, a production SQL database, or any other data source, you need different tools for each one. Building a single Excel report that combines FactoryTalk Historian data with production or quality data from other systems requires manual copy-paste between workbooks — or a data integration layer that doesn't exist out of the box.
The approaches teams usually try
Most teams try one of these before looking for a different path.
PI DataLink
Install the PI AF SDK and PI DataLink on each user's machine. Pull FactoryTalk Historian data directly into Excel using DataLink's tag browser and time-series functions. The standard path for on-site users with OT access.
The catch: Requires the PI SDK on every machine and direct OT network access. Breaks in Excel for the Web. Each workbook carries a hard dependency on DataLink being installed — share it with someone who doesn't have it and the file stops working.
PI Web API + Power Query
Deploy the PI Web API on-premise, then use Excel's Power Query to pull data via HTTP. Avoids the PI SDK on user machines, and Power Query connections can be refreshed without DataLink.
The catch: Setting up the PI Web API is an infrastructure project. Power Query against the PI Web API requires PI-specific query construction. Still needs network access to the PI Web API server, and still doesn't work in Excel for the Web.
Manual exports from FactoryTalk tools
Use FactoryTalk Historian's built-in trend or query tools to export data as CSV, then import or paste into Excel. No software installs, no network routing — just the data you asked for, in the file you need.
The catch: Every report is a manual process. There's no live connection, no scheduled refresh, and no way to parameterize the query. When the time range or tag list changes, someone has to start over. This is a workaround, not a solution.
How TrendOps connects FactoryTalk Historian to Excel
TrendOps moves the historian connection off the user's machine entirely. The PI Data Archive stays on the OT network. Your team gets a web add-in that works wherever Excel works — without PI software on any user machine.
The TrendOps Connector runs on-premise, inside the plant network, reading from the PI Data Archive via its native interface.
Data moves from the historian to the cloud over an outbound-only connection. No firewall changes needed on the OT network. No VPN required for end users.
As a Microsoft 365 web add-in, TrendOps Link runs wherever Excel runs — including browser-based Excel and SharePoint-linked workbooks.
Users install TrendOps Link from the Microsoft 365 add-in store. No PI AF SDK, no PI DataLink, no IT deployment required per machine.
TrendOps Link uses a consistent query model across all connected historians. No PI-specific syntax, no DataLink functions to learn.
Averages, min/max, and time-weighted values are computed before data reaches the workbook. Your formulas work on clean, pre-aggregated numbers — not raw PI data with helper columns.
Choose the time resolution and aggregation type that fits the workbook. TrendOps handles the downsampling so Power Query or DataLink don't have to.
If your site also runs Wonderware, AVEVA PI, or DeltaV, TrendOps Link pulls from all of them through the same interface. One workbook can span your entire data landscape.
What you end up with
Desktop, browser, or SharePoint — TrendOps Link works in all of them, without a PI client installation.
No PI AF SDK. No PI DataLink. No per-machine deployment. Users install TrendOps Link from Microsoft 365.
Users query TrendOps Platform from the cloud. No VPN, no plant floor network access required.
FactoryTalk, AVEVA PI, Wonderware, DeltaV — one add-in, one query model, one workbook for all of it.
Your team shouldn't need PI DataLink to work with FactoryTalk Historian data in Excel
TrendOps handles the historian connection on-premise. Your team gets a web add-in that works wherever Excel does — no PI software required.
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