How to configure data logging

Set up data logging or publishing to send CAN bus messages or tag values to files, InfluxDB, Prometheus, a Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) broker, or a webhook. Choose a destination in the table, then follow the steps on this page and the settings on that component's page. This page holds the steps every destination shares: adding the component, selecting tag collections, starting it, checking it, and fixing the common failures.

Prerequisites

An active profile with components configured
Access to the destination: a file system or a Secure Shell (SSH) File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) server, InfluxDB, Prometheus, an MQTT broker, or a webhook receiver
The Modify components permission, which allows loggers and publishers to be added
The licensed feature in the What it needs column of the destination table, if any

Licensing lists the features of each edition.

Choose a destination

Destination	Component	Category	What it needs
A file on the local file system	CAN File Logger (native CAN bus messages), TAG File Logger (tag values)	Loggers	No licensed feature
A file on an SFTP server	CAN SFTP Logger, TAG SFTP Logger	Loggers	No licensed feature
InfluxDB v1	InfluxDB v1 Logger	Loggers	No licensed feature
InfluxDB v2 or v3	InfluxDB v2 Historian, InfluxDB v3 Historian	Historians	Historians
Prometheus	Prometheus Logger	Loggers	No licensed feature
An MQTT broker	MQTT Publisher	Publishers & Subscribers	Data Relay
An HTTP(S) URL	Webhook Publisher	Publishers & Subscribers	Data Relay

The TAG loggers log the values of the tags in selected tag collections. The Loggers and Historians write to a queryable store, so you can retrieve the data later without a live connection. You can also read Historian data back through the APIs. The MQTT Publisher and Webhook Publisher push to a receiver that is listening at that moment. InfluxDB V1, V2, and V3 are separate, incompatible products, so the component must match the installed InfluxDB version.

For InfluxDB Cloud and the InfluxDB-side setup, refer to How to log data to InfluxDB. For recording tags to a file so they can be replayed, refer to Log tags to a file.

Add the component

Select ADD COMPONENT in the side menu or on the home page.
Select the logger or publisher type from the table in Choose a destination.
Enter its settings, which the component page in the table lists, including the tag collections to log as described in Select tag collections.
Select ADD COMPONENT at the bottom of the dialog. The button reads SAVE when you change the settings of an existing component.

A component whose licensed feature is missing shows as unavailable.

Select tag collections

The TAG File Logger, TAG SFTP Logger, InfluxDB loggers and historians, Prometheus Logger and both publishers log only the tags in the collections you select.

In Collections, add a row for each tag collection to log or publish.
Select the collection in that row.

These components start only when at least one collection is configured.

Start the logger or publisher

Make sure the logger or publisher is added to the active profile. The Auto Connect setting starts the component when the profile loads, and Connections and reconnecting describes its default. With Auto Connect off, start the component yourself. Then check the component's status in the component list.

Check that data is flowing

For file logging, look in the log folder on the machine running Profinity (can_bus_logs/ for a CAN File Logger, tag_logs/<profile name>/<logger name>/ for a TAG File Logger), or in the remote directory on the SFTP server, for new log files.
For InfluxDB or Prometheus, query the database, or the Prometheus server, to confirm that data is arriving, and check the status of the logger or historian component.
For MQTT or a webhook, subscribe to the configured MQTT topic, or check the webhook receiver's own logs, to see published messages, and check the publisher's status for connection information.

Troubleshooting

No data is logged

A logger or publisher that writes nothing is usually not running, or has no tag collection to log. Check that the component is active. For a TAG logger, InfluxDB, Prometheus, or a publisher, also check that at least one tag collection is selected, because those components start only when a collection is configured. Then check that the components that feed the tags are receiving data.

A connection error appears

A connection error means the destination cannot be reached or does not accept the credentials. Check the network connection to the destination and the credentials. For InfluxDB, confirm that the component type matches the installed InfluxDB version, because the wrong component type causes connection failures. The Profinity logs record connection errors.

Data is missing

Gaps in logged data usually come from a logging interval that is too long for the data or from a component that stopped receiving data. In Snapshot mode, a shorter Update Interval (Seconds) gives more detailed data, and Logging modes describes what the other modes do with it. Also check that the component that supplies the data is receiving it.

Loggers: file, tag, InfluxDB, and Prometheus logger settings