AVEVATM PI DataLinkTM 2023 Release

Notes
Version 5.7.0
2023 © OSIsoft, LLC. All rights reserved

Updated:13-Jun-2023
Table of Contents

Overview
Fixes, Enhancements, and Deprecations
Fixes
Enhancements
Setup
Operating Systems
Microsoft Excel Versions
PI Data Archive Platforms
PI AF Server Platforms
Hardware Requirements
Distribution Kit Files
Installation and Upgrade
Silent Installation
Uninstalling PI DataLink
Known Issues
Security Information and Guidance
Osisoft's Commitment
Vulnerability Commitment
Vulnerability Scoring
Overview of New Vulnerabilities Fixed or Mitigated
Documentation Overview
Technical Support and Resources

Overview
PI DataLink is a Microsoft Excel add-in that enables you to retrieve information from your PI
System directly into a worksheet. Combined with the computational, graphic, and formatting
capabilities of Microsoft Excel, PI DataLink offers powerful tools for gathering, monitoring,
analyzing, and reporting data.
PI DataLink 2023 introduces support for OpenID Connect authentication when it is used with
PI Server 2023 and later. Please see the release notes on my.osisoft.com for additional details
on fixes and enhancements in this release.
Please note that PI DataLink 2023 is compatible with Office 2016, 2019, 2021, and Office
365 (desktop).
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Fixes and Enhancements

Fixes

Work Item Description

30320 Icons are now larger on high resolution displays.

328005 Add-in loads after downgrade from PI DataLink 2023 to PI

DataLink 2022.

35614 PI DataLink RibbonFixer PowerShell script now retrieves the

current user's identity.

213869 PI DataLink Ribbon Fixer PowerShell script now returns a

succeeded instead of an incorrect error message when the
loadbehavior value is corrected.

Enhancements

 OpenID Connect Support

PI DataLink 2023 introduces support for OpenID Connect authentication when it
is used with PI Server 2023 and later.

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Setup

Operating Systems

❑ Windows 11
❑ Windows 10
❑ Windows Server 2022
❑ Windows Server 2019
❑ Windows Server 2016

Microsoft Excel Versions

❑ Microsoft Excel 365 (32-bit & 64-bit) *

❑ Microsoft Excel 2021 (32-bit & 64-bit)
❑ Microsoft Excel 2019 (32-bit & 64-bit)
❑ Microsoft Excel 2016 (32-bit & 64-bit)
 Note: Only Office 365 desktop installation is supported. Office 365’s Office Online,
accessible via a browser, is not supported by PI DataLink.

PI Data Archive Platforms

Minimum PI Data Archive version is PI Data Archive 2012 (3.4.390.16). For future data
support, PI Data Archive 2015 or later is required.

PI AF Server Platforms

Minimum PI AF Server version is PI AF Server 2017.

Hardware Requirements

Physical Memory: Recommended 2 GB. Although 2 GB provides acceptable performance for

many, increasing the available RAM improves performance, especially when there are
multiple applications running simultaneously on the same machine. For spreadsheets with
higher RAM utilization, consider using a 64-bit Office installation.
Processor Speed: 1 GHz processor. A faster processor may help performance if displays have
complex calculations performed locally, but increasing the installed RAM is more likely to
help with general performance.
Hard Disk Space: 300 MB of empty space on the system drive for application files and
registry entries. Also, consider the space necessary to install Office (approximately 3 GB).

Distribution Kit Files

❑ Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Runtimes

❑ Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Tools for Office Runtime (v. 10.0.60724)
❑ PI AF Client 2023

Installation and Upgrade

A self-extracting zip file is supplied as the distribution kit for PI DataLink.

1. Shutdown Microsoft Excel.
2. Unzip the file into a temporary directory.
3. Run Setup.exe from the temp directory and follow the directions.

Silent Installation

For silent installation, follow the steps above for installation and upgrade. However, before
running Setup.exe from the temp directory, delete (or rename) the existing setup.ini file,
rename the silent.ini file to setup.ini, and modify the new setup.ini file to the desired
configuration for silent installation. Running Setup.exe will follow the silent installation
specified in the recently modified setup.ini file.
 Uninstalling PI DataLink

Remove the following from Add/Remove Programs:

1) PI DataLink 2023 (x64)
2) PI DataLink 2023 (x86)
3) PI AF Client 2023
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Known Issues

Punch List Description

Item
Non-OSIsoft Enabling the “Require that application add-ins are signed by trusted
Issue publisher” Excel setting may require the user to apply the latest updates and
service packs to Windows and Office. PI DataLink assemblies are signed with a
sha256 certificate, which is only supported by updated Windows/Office versions.
The trusted publisher certificate pidlcert.cer can be found in the PIPC\Excel
directory.
Non-OSIsoft If an Excel chart references a PI DataLink function, it will not update when
Issue Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F9 is pressed unless the PI DataLink function references a cell
that has changed or the PI DataLink function being referenced is the Current
Value function.
Non-OSIsoft Tab key does not wrap from the last control to the first control and Shift + Tab
Issue does not wrap from first control to the last control.
Non-OSIsoft If a workbook is protected, DataLink functions can be recalculated by F9 or
Issue Ctrl+Alt+Shft+F9 but not all right-click menu options will work.
N/A Explore/Compare Events task pane no longer supports a fifth attribute filter
(starting in PI DataLink 2016). Existing formula arrays with a fifth attribute value
filter will continue to work correctly but will not have the fifth attribute value filter
available in a re-initialized task pane.
N/A Search results have a limit of 100,000 tags for PI tag searches. This limit may be
less if there are GUID named tags. For AF searches, there is no limit.
N/A Timestamp strings in PI format (i.e. "5-Jan-12") will be parsed as "yy-mmm-dd"
with Asian regional settings. To parse them as "dd-mmm-yy", set the Locale
Independent setting to true.
N/A PIPutVal does not support writing to attributes which are configuration items.
N/A The event-weighted count when used with an expression will return two more
events than are actually there. The default behavior of the PI server is to return
two interpolated values at the period endpoints in addition to the other values in
the period. So these get counted into the return value.
N/A The connection preference for DataLink functions has been set to "Any".
However, since the connection preference is set at the time of the connection,
the order in which the connection is made matters. If DataLink functions are
called first, then it will make a connection with connection preference of "Any". If
the first connection is made with the trend control, tag search or the connection
manager, then the connection preference is "PreferPrimary".
N/A DataLink calls referencing custom data references will return "Data item not
supported by function" unless the author of the custom data reference opts-in
when writing the custom data reference.
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Security Information and Guidance

OSIsoft’s Commitment

Because the PI System often serves as a barrier protecting control system networks and
mission-critical infrastructure assets, OSIsoft is committed to (1) delivering a high-quality
product and (2) communicating clearly what security issues have been addressed. This
release of PI DataLink is the highest-quality and most secure version of PI DataLink
released to date. OSIsoft's commitment to improving the PI System is ongoing, and each
future version should raise the quality and security bar even further.

Vulnerability Communication

The practice of publicly disclosing internally discovered vulnerabilities is consistent with

the Common Industrial Control System Vulnerability Disclosure Framework developed by
the Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group (ICSJWG). Despite the increased risk
posed by greater transparency, OSIsoft is sharing this information to help you make an
informed decision about when to upgrade to ensure your PI System has the best available
protection.
For more information, refer to OSIsoft’s Ethical Disclosure
policy: https://www.osisoft.com/ethical-disclosure-policy/

To report a security vulnerability, refer to: https://www.osisoft.com/report-a-security-

vulnerability/

Vulnerability Scoring

OSIsoft has selected the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) to quantify the
severity of security vulnerabilities for disclosure. To calculate the CVSS scores, OSIsoft
uses the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) calculator maintained by the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). OSIsoft uses Critical, High, Medium and
Low categories to aggregate the CVSS Base scores. This removes some of the opinion-
related errors of CVSS scoring. As noted in the CVSS specification, Base scores range
from 0 for the lowest severity to 10 for the highest severity.

Overview of New Vulnerabilities Fixed or Mitigated

This section is intended to provide relevant security-related information to guide your

installation or upgrade decision. OSIsoft is proactively disclosing aggregate information
about the number and severity of PI DataLink security vulnerabilities that are fixed in this
release.
There were no new vulnerabilities fixed or mitigated in this release.
Documentation Overview
PI DataLink User Guide: An introduction to PI DataLink for the end user. This user guide
provides a product overview, installation procedures, and other topics.
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Technical Support and Resources

For technical assistance, contact OSIsoft Technical Support at +1 510-297-5828 or log a case
through the OSIsoft Customer Portal. Additionally, the Contact Us page on the portal offers
contact options for customers outside of the United States.
When you contact OSIsoft Technical Support, be prepared to provide this information:
• Product name, version, and build numbers
• Computer platform (CPU type, operating system, and version number)
• Time that the difficulty started
• Log files at that time
• Details of any environment changes prior to the start of the issue
• Summary of the issue, including any relevant log files during the time the issue occurred

The PI Square community has resources to help you with your technical questions. PI Developers
Club program offers specific services to developers and system integrators.
OSIsoft, LLC
1600 Alvarado Street
San Leandro, CA 94577 USA
Tel: (01) 510-297-5800
Fax: (01) 510-357-8136
Web: https://www.osisoft.com

AVEVATM PI DataLinkTM 2023

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Version: 5.7.0.0
Published: 6/13/2023