How to Select the Best SCADA Training
SCADA system examples: SCADA system oil pipeline, SCADA system water, etc.
Working with SCADA systems when not properly trained and qualified can be almost as dangerous as working with PLCs without proper PLC training. Sometimes it can be even more costly to a company. While explaining the best way to learn SCADA systems below, I will reference a company’s approach that was to develop to be the best while remaining cost-effective.
“Before purchasing a SCADA System training course, see if it meets or exceeds the criteria below.”
Learn SCADA systems the best way consist of three phases.
1. A strong foundation in SCADA basics
2. Vendor-specific SCADA training
3. More advanced SCADA topics and related courses
For training on technical subjects to be effective, your ability to apply the new knowledge and/or training in the workplace, depends on the quality of your foundational training. Your SCADA basics training in this case. So, I will expand on the criteria for the first phase, SCADA basics foundational training.
SCADA System Basics:
- Prerequisites
- - PLC Basics
- - Above average computer literacy
- - Problem-Solving (including troubleshooting)
- - Critical Thinking
- - Attention to details
- - Ability to work and learn independently
- Introduction to SCADA Systems
- Introduction to editing at least one brand of SCADA software
- Introduction to SCADA communicating with PLC, PAC, etc.
- Introduction to Configuring and displaying alarms
- Introduction to Industrial Network Security
- Written tests along the way to reinforce the above introductions
- Experience installing and modifying a real SCADA software product
- Instructor evaluation that student meets prerequisites and has successfully modified real SCADA software
In the above SCADA basics foundational training bullet list, under recommended minimum prerequisites, PLC basics are recommended. This is because SCADA systems are primarily SCADA software communicating with, and displaying data from the full control systems like PLC, PAC, RTU, etc. In the best SCADA basics course example, that needs is addressed by bundling both a PLC basics course and a SCADA course, as one low-cost purchase. If you scroll to the bottom of the course description pages, you will also see a recommended learning path. (See a copy below for that SCADA course’s recommended learning path.) You will first notice, it has a lot more than just learning PLCs before taking on SCADA. Even if you are just an industrial IT person and not maintenance, you will learn it is best to also take a basic HMI course before SCADA. That is because it lists the best full learning path, the above bullet list is just the recommended minimum learning path.
Learning Path:
We recommend …
1st Industrial Electrical Training Video Course (10 DVD Set w/ workbook)
2nd Electrical Motor and Controls Course
3rd PLC Basics
4th HMI Basics
5th PAC — Controllogix and RSLogix 5000
6th PLC Training scholastic Video Course (10 DVD Set w/ workbook)
If you hop on over to PLC-Training.org you will see depending on one’s occupation, there are certain learning paths that can be skipped. An IT person does not necessarily need industrial electrical training before working with SCADA. They would just consult the plant’s maintenance/electrician when needed.
The recommended PLC SCADA course bundle mentioned above, in order to keep it highly cost-effective, has worked into the teaching, training, and testing process itself; ways to indirectly test for the required prerequisite attributes like attention to detail, problem-solving, computer literacy, etc. Users will even have to google how to write a counter line of code in Python programming language. Some maintenance and electricians can find that to be quite challenging, whereas some IT people find PLC ladder logic to be challenging. 😊 The CEUs with this particular course are well-earned.
To wrap up the discussion on learning SCADA System basics (foundational training), most of the SCADA courses on the market today will cover the basic introductions mentioned in the above bullet. Note also, they are just scholastic educational courses, not actual training courses. (Most don’t have an instructor evaluating, other than seeing if you have answered the written question correctly.) The one exception that most educational SCADA courses leave out of their basic introductions, and one of the most important in this time of cyber warfare, is the “Introduction to Industrial Network Security”.
Short of SCADA vendor training, I also have not seen the other SCADA courses give students hands-on experience installing and modifying a real SCADA software product like the one linked above does. (Plus, students of the above example SCADA course, keep the free SCADA software to continuously improve their knowledge and experience. Something the training company is known for.)
SCADA Vendor Training:
The second phase of the best way to learn SCADA systems is to get some SCADA vendor training. Getting the foundational SCADA basics outlined above first, is a must if you are to get the most out of the SCADA vendor training. Often a large part of vendor training is sales on their product and/or biased toward their product. So, you want to be able to soak up as much of the 20% new knowledge they deliver as you can. By having a good SCADA basics first foundation first, before you attend the vendor training. That will help a lot, even if it is the typical vendor teaching approach … ‘high speed, if you get it, you get it. If you don’t you don’t.” So, then the next obvious question is …
What brand of SCADA software should I get vendor training on?
My recommendation would differ depending on each person’s situation. If you are currently working for a company, seek out the vendor of the SCADA software your company is using. If you are planning on working in a particular industry, find the SCADA brand most commonly used in that industry. You will find the most popular brands vary by industry, be it production, building industry, city municipalities, etc. Even within those industry segments, it is segmented further. For example, the most popular brand for the power industry, may not be the same brand that is most popular in the wastewater industry. If you have no idea what industry you may wind up in, seek the most popular SCADA brand for the country you are in. For example, depending on the US industry, you may pick one of Emerson, Schneider (Wonderware), Honeywell, ABB, or FactoryTalk. In the UK, you may pick Siemens Win-CC or Wonderware. Asia? Yokogawa, Omron
As a side note, realize just because a SCADA brand may be popular in a particular country, doesn’t mean that brand comes from that country. (The US is a melting pot.) I give you the major brands as an example … Schneider Electric (France), ABB (Switzerland), Siemens (Germany), Emerson Electric (US), and Rockwell Automation (US), while other major players in this market include General Electric (US), Honeywell International (US), Yokogawa Electric (Japan), and OMRON (Japan). If none of the above SCADA software selection criteria helps, consider going with the easiest to use and learn. Win-CC or FactoryTalk.
More Advanced SCADA Courses:
A great source for advice on what more advanced topics related to SCADA would be good to take, see PLC-Training.org again. At the bottom of the page for each of their 10 learning phases, you will find related course recommendations. For more advanced than just SCADA basics, I would start your considerations at their last 4 learning phases leading up to learning phase 10 which is SCADA.
Those courses might be, but are not limited to …
1. Process Automation Controllers (PAC)
2. Standard Ethernet networking course
3. An industrial network protocol like DeviceNet and/or Fieldbus
4. Proportional Integral Derivative loops (PID)
5. Introduction to Python programming language
6. Introduction to SQL database queries
7. Object Linking and Embedding [OLE] for Process Control (OPC)
Save a copy of his article in PDF format to your device for future reference. Tap SCADA PDF
I hope this article sheds some light on SCADA training and better prepared you to select the best SCADA course for you.
