Data Historian Evaluation Worksheet

Use this worksheet to compare vendors side by side. Fill it in during demos, vendor calls, or pilots.

Feature	Vendor A	Vendor B	Vendor C
Tag Resolution
Tag Capacity
Data Storage & Retention
Protocol Support
Third-Party Connections & Exports
Architecture Type
Role-Based Access
Audit Trails
Encryption
User Interface
Search & Visualization Tools
Customization Options
Training Availability
Support Type
Total Cost

Vendor Checklist

Question	Vendor A	Vendor B	Vendor C
What does an implementation usually look like?
How long does onboarding typically take to complete?
Can we migrate data from our existing historian solution?
What is your pricing model (by tag, user, license)?
Can you support multi-site installations?
How do you support your customers’ post-launch?

Question	Notes
Who will actually use this system day to day, and what do they need from it?
What’s our current tag count, and how much room do we need to grow?
What systems does this need to connect to?
What’s our internal bandwidth for implementation and training?
What compliance or security requirements do we need to meet?
What’s our budget, and how does it align with the vendor’s pricing model?

Different roles in your organization will value different features in a data historian. Use this guide to map your team’s priorities.

Role	Top Concern	Ideal Feature(s)
Plant Manager	Uptime	Fast alerts + clear dashboard views
Engineer	Root-Cause Analysis	Historical trend comparison + contextual data
Data Analyst	Advanced Modeling	Easy export, structured data, API access
Maintenance Lead	Early Warning	Automated reports
IT/OT Specialist	Security & Compliance	Role-based access, encryption, audit trails

Tip: Align your vendor evaluation with your team’s roles to ensure adoption across departments.