How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love InBatch
Do you remember the now classic scene in The Lion King where a group of hyenas are saying the name of the king, “Mufasa,” to each other and the mere mention makes them shudder? “Ooooh! Do it again!” In my experience, there is an automation product that has the same effect on engineers and customers alike. What product is that? Wonderware’s InBatch! No other software product has made my friends and colleagues shiver and shrink.
So why does InBatch instill “Mufasa” level dread? Oddly enough, the main reason InBatch is feared is the same reason it’s worthwhile. It’s powerful. InBatch is an incredibly flexible product that can do just about anything imaginable in automation and recipe management. But the only way to make it so powerful is to make it incredibly configurable. And that means that InBatch requires a pretty steep learning curve before that potency is accessible. People just don’t know how to use it. And when they try, their efforts often go poorly. It has taken me years and multiple projects to really get my arms around this software and figure out all the ins and outs and how-tos and what-to-dos. And now I feel like I am there. I am on board. The power is mine!
Over the past year and a half, I’ve been working on multiple projects with one of our partners who has had a long history with InBatch and has solid standards regarding how their installations operate. Their standards are highly integrated with System Platform, InTouch, and all the other Wonderware products. Their visualization approach prominently presents what is running and how efficiently without having to use the standard Environment Display tools. And the best of all, it works really well.
So for a year and a half, I’ve been living and breathing InBatch. I’ve been leveraging what we’ve done in the past. I’ve been learning from what our partner is doing. I’ve been adapting what I know for new project challenges. The thought of the next InBatch project no longer fills me with terror. I’m looking forward to the next opportunity to use this powerful software.
So do you fear InBatch? Tell us about your experience!