Glossary · IIoT, data and AI
Operational data acquisition
Also known as: BDE, Production data acquisition, Shop floor data collection
German: Betriebsdatenerfassung (BDE)
In manufacturing, operational data acquisition is the collection of data about production orders, operations, quantities, scrap, times and personnel at the point where the work happens. It is the organizational and order-related counterpart to machine data acquisition and a common function of MES.
- IIoT
In one sentence
Operational data acquisition records order, quantity, scrap, time and personnel data on the shop floor, typically as an MES function.
Example
At the end of each operation, a machine operator books good quantity, scrap and the reason for a setup delay on the terminal next to the press.
How it applies
- Engineering: Decide which data is booked manually, which is derived from machine signals via Machine data acquisition, and how the two are reconciled against the production order.
- Operation: Booking screens must be quick and unambiguous. Poorly designed reason codes produce data that looks precise but is not.
- Documentation: Describe booking workflows, reason code catalogs and correction rules in the operator instructions, and keep catalogs under version control since reports depend on them.
Operational data acquisition vs. machine data acquisition
Operational data acquisition (German BDE) is order- and person-related: who did what, for which order, with what result. Machine data acquisition (German MDE) is machine-related: states, counts, cycle times and process values captured automatically from the controller. Together they feed OEE and production reporting.
Where personnel data is recorded, works council and data protection requirements usually apply; these need to be clarified with the plant, not assumed.