How do I manually enter data into PI Data Archive?

There are several ways to manually input values into PI tags — useful for lab results, manual readings, or correcting bad data.

PI System Management Tools (SMT)

1. Open PI SMT and connect to your PI Data Archive.
2. Go to Data > Archive Editor.
3. Search for the tag, select a timestamp, and enter the value.
4. You can also edit or delete existing archive events.

PI Manual Logger

PI Manual Logger is a dedicated web application for routine manual data entry:

• Create tours (groups of tags to be entered together).
• Operators follow a tour and enter values at each stop.
• Supports validation rules (min/max range checks).
• Tracks who entered what and when.

PI Web API

import requests

# Write a single value
requests.post(
    f"{base_url}/streams/{web_id}/value",
    json={
        "Timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:00:00Z",
        "Value": 42.5,
        "UnitsAbbreviation": "degC"
    },
    auth=auth, verify=False
)

PI DataLink (Excel)

Use the PIPutVal function in Excel:

=PIPutVal("TagName", B2, A2, "PIServer")

Where B2 is the value and A2 is the timestamp.

Best Practices

• Use PI Manual Logger for recurring manual entry workflows.
• Set appropriate PI point security to control who can write values.
• Use annotations to mark manually entered values.
• Consider creating a separate point class for manual-entry tags with no compression.