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SCADA

FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA

Build a plant SCADA application in FactoryTalk View Site Edition, from displays and Logix tags to alarms, trends and security.

FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control. It has 11 modules and takes about 16.2 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$28.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.

  • Free
  • Intermediate
  • 16.2 hours
  • Self-paced
  • Certificate optional
  • Lab practice in your browser
See what you learn

No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$28.99, optional.

Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control
Jobs
Roles that use this skill: SCADA engineer, HMI developer, control room technologist and systems integrator. No course guarantees a job.
Tools
FactoryTalk View Studio (SE) is paid: it runs 7 days without activation, then in two-hour demo sessions. FactoryTalk Linx comes with it; Logix Emulate is paid, with a Logix Echo trial on request. Hardware: none. Logix Emulate provides tags.
Updated
FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course cover
FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course cover

After this course you can

By the end you will be able to:

  • Create SE applications and clients
  • Build displays, navigation and global objects
  • Reference Logix controllers through FactoryTalk Linx
  • Configure alarms and trend with TrendPro
  • Log data, set up security and back up applications

Who it is for, and what you need first

Who it is for

Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control.

Level: Intermediate. Intermediate. Allen-Bradley PLC basics assumed.

What you need

Software: FactoryTalk View Studio (SE) is paid: it runs 7 days without activation, then in two-hour demo sessions. FactoryTalk Linx comes with it; Logix Emulate is paid, with a Logix Echo trial on request.

Hardware: None. Logix Emulate provides tags.. What to download, and how.

How this course works

  1. Watch the lessons

    Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.

  2. Read the notes

    Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.

  3. Practise in the 3D labOptional

    Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.

  4. Check yourself

    Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.

  5. Final assessment

    Pass the final once you have been through the modules.

  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptional

    Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.

What you learn

11 modules in order, at your own pace. 16.2 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.

  1. 1Installation, Applications and Clients16m
  2. 2Displays, Objects and Navigation, with lab practice: 50m
  3. 3Controllers, Tags and Communications, with lab practice: 43m
  4. 4Global Objects and Pop-ups39m
  5. 5Alarms: FactoryTalk Alarms and Events, with lab practice: 39m
  6. 6Trends and History, with lab practice: 42m
  7. 7Data Logging and Databases56m
  8. 8Recipes, Security and e-Signatures47m
Show the other 3 modules
  1. 9Scripting and Advanced Objects58m
  2. 10Application Manager, Backup, Migration and Deployment2h 1m
  3. 11Final Assessment

Software you need

What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.

Show what to download (3 tools)

Required

  1. 01

    FactoryTalk View Studio (Machine Edition and Site Edition)

    Rockwell Automation

    Paid only
    Runs on
    Windows 10 or 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit, or Windows Server 2019/2022/2025
    Account
    A Rockwell Automation account and a product serial number from a purchased licence

    FactoryTalk View is paid software with no public trial. If a licensed install cannot find its activation it runs for a 7-day grace period; after that FactoryTalk View ME runs only in a demo mode that allows two hours of use. Rockwell says FactoryTalk View SE should be downloaded with a server or station serial number.

    Rockwell Automation product pagerockwellautomation.com

    Legitimate free routes

  2. 02

    FactoryTalk Linx (formerly RSLinx Enterprise)

    Rockwell Automation

    Free
    Runs on
    Windows 10 or 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit
    Account
    A free Rockwell Automation account (sign in to the Product Compatibility and Download Center)

    Rockwell lists FactoryTalk Linx under Free Software on its download centre; it ships with the FactoryTalk Services Platform, which is included with most Rockwell software. Add-ons such as FactoryTalk Linx Gateway and Data Bridge are separate paid products.

    Official download pagecompatibility.rockwellautomation.com

    Alternatives

    • RSLinx Classic Lite: Free Rockwell communications driver, used with RSLogix Micro Starter Lite.

Optional

Useful, not needed to finish the course.

  1. 03

    Studio 5000 Logix Emulate and FactoryTalk Logix Echo

    Rockwell Automation

    Paid, 30-day Logix Echo trial on request
    Runs on
    Windows
    Account
    A Rockwell Automation account; the Logix Echo trial is requested through a form on Rockwell's page

    Both emulators are paid Rockwell products. Rockwell offers a 30-day FactoryTalk Logix Echo trial licence on request; Logix Emulate has no trial on its product page. Both also need a licensed Studio 5000 Logix Designer to create the programs you emulate.

    Rockwell Automation product pagerockwellautomation.com

    Legitimate free routes

Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.

Practise in the 3D lab

Practise what you design in View SE: an operator overview with trends, and alarm limits and priorities that do not flood the operator.

Calibrate 4 to 20 mAWatch

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Course project, about 20 hours

Automotive paint shop on FactoryTalk View SE distributed: servers, global objects, Alarms and Events, DataLog, security

You will build and test a FactoryTalk View SE network distributed application for an automotive paint shop: servers, global objects, alarms, data logs and security. You hand over the application, your tag list and FAT record, and a backup and restore note.

This project at a glance
  1. 8documents in the pack
  2. 8steps to follow
  3. 6things to hand in
  4. 20 hof work, at your pace
  • HMI specSCADA Display Hierarchy and Display Specification: FactoryTalk View SE, Talmora Paint Shop
  • Tag listTag List and Naming Convention: Controller UDT Members Referenced through the Linx Shortcuts
  • Alarm listAlarm List: Paint Shop Areas (ALMA / ALMD Configuration and Severity)
  • SDSSCADA Software Design: Application Structure, Global Objects, Alarms and Events, DataLog, Security
  • Network architectureNetwork Architecture: Three Control Cells, SCADA Zone and Plant Office
  • IP planIP Address Plan and Device List: Paint Shop Control VLAN 610 and SCADA VLAN 620

The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.

After the course, your next step

Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.

Sample EDWartens Certificate of Completion for FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA

Sample. The issued certificate carries your name, your final score, a certificate ID and a QR code that opens its verification page.

Optional

A certificate you can verify

Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$28.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.

Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.

An operator at a control desk facing a video wall of process screens and trends.
Free · 4 weeks · free certificate

SCADA and HMI

Eight short weeks of tags, screens, alarms and trends: notes, diagrams, a few videos and practice in LADX Mini and free web SCADA tools. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.

See the internship

More free courses

Roles that use this skill

  • SCADA engineer
  • HMI developer
  • Control room technologist
  • Systems integrator

These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.

Plain notes

  • Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
  • Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
  • No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
  • Lessons by: Rockwell Automation, KS Automation, PLCGurus.NET, ProLogic PLC, Shane Welcher SR, McNaughton-McKay Electric Company, Insights In Automation. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.

PLCGurus.NET · ProLogic PLC · Shane Welcher SR · McNaughton-McKay Electric Company · Insights In Automation · Rockwell Automation · KS Automation. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.

Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

See the 3D lab
  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Why learn with EDWartens

What you get with this course, and what comes after it.

  • Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
  • Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
  • Video lessons with written notes and a project.
  • An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
  • Free internships to keep practising afterwards.

Common questions

SE or ME?

Machine Edition runs on PanelView terminals; Site Edition is the PC-based supervisory system. The free HMI course covers ME; this course is SE.

Do I need a ControlLogix?

No. Logix Emulate or a simulated controller provides tags for every exercise.

Are the lessons official?

Most are Rockwell Automation's own videos, complemented by two independent creators; all are credited below.

Is the FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course really free?

Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.

What certificate do I get, and is it a Rockwell qualification?

An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a Rockwell Automation credential and is never described as one.

Who made the video lessons in the FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course?

The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.

How long does the FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course take?

Plan on about 16 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the eleven modules at your own speed.

Do I have to use the lab?

No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.

Is the lab free?

Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.

What topics does the FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course cover, module by module?

The FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course has 11 modules. It opens with "Installation, Applications and Clients", goes through "Displays, Objects and Navigation", "Alarms: FactoryTalk Alarms and Events", "Data Logging and Databases" and "Application Manager, Backup, Migration and Deployment" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.

What can I do after the FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course?

After the FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course: Create local, network station and network distributed applications and clients; Build displays, objects, animation and navigation menus; Reference Logix controllers via Linx and OPC UA; use direct, client and extended tags. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.

What software and hardware do I need for the FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course, and does it cost anything?

For the FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course, software: FactoryTalk View Studio (SE) is paid: it runs 7 days without activation, then in two-hour demo sessions. FactoryTalk Linx comes with it; Logix Emulate is paid, with a Logix Echo trial on request. Hardware: none. Logix Emulate provides tags. The course itself is free.

Is the FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course suitable for me, and what level is it?

FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA is rated intermediate. Intermediate. Allen-Bradley PLC basics assumed. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control, and takes about 16.2 hours at your own pace.

Which jobs use the skills from the FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course?

Skills from the FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA course (for example: create local, network station and network distributed applications and clients) are used in roles such as SCADA engineer, HMI developer, control room technologist and systems integrator, and in SCADA engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.

Start free today

FactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADA, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.