Topic Browser

Real-time exploration of your Unified Namespace data via Management Console or GraphQL API.

Management Console

Access via management.umh.app → Topic Browser (not the Classic version).

Interface Overview

• Left panel: Hierarchical topic tree following ISA-95 structure

• Right panel: Details for selected topic (metadata, values, history)

• Auto-aggregation: Combines data from all your UMH instances

• Live updates: Real-time data without manual refresh

Key Features

Topic Tree Navigation:

• Expand/collapse hierarchy levels (Enterprise → Site → Area → Line → Equipment)

• See data contracts (_raw, _pump_v1) and virtual paths

• Search bar for filtering by topic name or metadata

Topic Details Panel: When selecting a topic, view:

• Location: Physical hierarchy path

• Data Contract: Applied schema (_raw, _pump_v1, etc.)

• Current Value: Latest data with timestamp

• Metadata: Including original device tags (see Metadata and Tracing)

• History: Last 100 values as chart (time-series) or table (boolean/string)

Topic Browser showing DB1.DW20

GraphQL API

Programmatic access at http://localhost:8090/graphql (per instance).

Basic Query

{
  topics(filter: {
    text: "temperature",
    meta: [{ key: "data_contract", eq: "_pump_v1" }]
  }) {
    topic
    metadata {
      key
      value
    }
    lastEvent {
      ... on TimeSeriesEvent {
        producedAt
        numericValue
        scalarType
      }
    }
  }
}

cURL Example

curl -X POST http://localhost:8090/graphql \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "{ topics(limit: 10) { topic } }"}'

Configuration

internal:
  topicBrowser:
    desiredState: "active"  # Enable/disable

agent:
  graphql:
    enabled: true           # Enable GraphQL API
    port: 8090             # API port
    debug: false           # Set true for GraphiQL UI

Common Use Cases

Finding Specific Data

1. Use search bar for partial matches (e.g., "temp" finds all temperature topics)

2. Filter by metadata like data contract or location

3. Check metadata section for original device tags

Verifying Data Flow

1. Select topic to see current value

2. Check "Produced At" timestamp for freshness

3. Review history chart for patterns

4. Inspect metadata for source bridge

Debugging Issues

1. Verify topic exists in tree

2. Check metadata for bridged_by to identify source

3. Look for original tag names (e.g., opcua_tag_name, s7_address)

4. Compare timestamps to detect delays

Performance Notes

• Topic Browser stores last 100 values per topic

• Extremely rapid updates are batched for display

• Large namespaces (>10,000 topics) may load progressively

• Each UMH instance has its own Topic Browser service

Next Steps

• Metadata and Tracing - Understanding metadata fields