Tale of the Tape: Data Historians vs Time Series Databases

The article discusses the differences between data historians and time series databases (TSDBs) like InfluxDB in the context of industrial and manufacturing sectors transitioning from Industry 3.0 to 4.0. Data Historians are domain-specific, tightly integrated with OT control systems, and provide end-to-end solutions but can create vendor lock-in, data silos, and high costs. In contrast, TSDBs like InfluxDB offer open technology, query languages, scalability, lower storage costs, and multiple deployment options but require building custom features and managing an entire ecosystem. The article suggests a "crawl, walk, run" approach to transitioning from data historians to TSDBs based on organizational needs and trade-offs.