4 December 2009 - OPC Office Link 4.2 is now available for download. 

Updates include: General OPC tag writing features. All tag writing features can be installed separately or disabled by the computer administrator. If installed, then the new aribtrary tag writing feature is disabled by default (see the Edit / Configuration menu). The previously existing tag writing features that are part of the sampling process  - for example, for trigger reset -  are enabled by default.

The upgrade is free for users who purchased OPC Office Link on or before 1 January 2008 (to the same type of license); please contact us for a new license key (no new license keys are required for versions 4.1 or later). For users of earlier versions, please contact us regarding upgrade pricing.

I n t r o d u c t i o n

OPC Office Link for Windows 2003/2008 Server, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 simplifies the task of importing live data originating from any Data Access OPC Server into office applications such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, MS-SQL Server, Oracle, Interbase and other ODBC databases. It has never been easier! OPC Office Link has been proven in hundreds of installations world-wide. Its' database and spreadsheet connectivity rivals solutions that can cost you many times more - compare! While easy to use, OPC Office Link has powerful features that fit into your project's budget without limiting your ideas.

Link live data into spreadsheets and other applications capable of OLE Linking via a simple 'Copy & Paste' operation, OPC Office Link works with Excel "as is"; no programmnig required. Linked data will update in the spreadsheet at a configurable rate. Reading and writing groups of OPC items via Excel Visual Basic macros is simplified down to a single function call, allowing Excel to fully control any OPC accessible device in the most effective way. In some cases this can eliminate the need for other HMI software.

Sampling data is made just as easy. By default, OPC Office Link creates an empty Microsoft Access database which can be used to collect samples for later analysis or continuously as live status reports. Use other ODBC databases such as MS-SQL Server, Oracle, Interbase, text files, and also Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, in the same way. OPC Office Link will sample into database tables and spreadsheets as configured, either continuously or controlled by a trigger. Multiple sampling processes can be running concurrently, sampling into the same or different databases, while only one connection per database is required.

Distribute live production data enterprise wide by installing OPC Office Link on different computers to communicate with your remote OPC server or consider installing OPC Office Link on a single machine for live updates into an enterprise wide accessible database (for example, a SQL Server or Oracle database), then only install multiple copies of the reporting software. Use samples stored in your database by OPC Office Link as the basis for active Web server pages to distribute live production data around the world!