SCADA
Wonderware InTouch SCADA
Build a working plant screen in Wonderware InTouch, with tags, animation, alarms, trends and a live PLC link.
Wonderware InTouch 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 13.5 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$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 13.5 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, 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
- AVEVA/Wonderware InTouch (trial). Hardware: none, the PLC link is done against a simulator.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Build a tag database for an InTouch application
- Draw and animate a plant mimic
- Add operator input, alarms and trends
- Script behaviour and add recipes and reports
- Connect the application to a PLC
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: Beginner. Beginner. Some PLC familiarity helps but is not assumed: module 1 covers what a SCADA talks to.
What you need
Software: AVEVA/Wonderware InTouch (trial).
Hardware: None, the PLC link is done against a simulator. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
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. 13.5 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1What SCADA Is, and Where It Sits, with lab practice: 17m
- 2Installing InTouch and Finding Your Way Around22m
- 3The Tag Database, with lab practice: 42m
- 4Drawing the Plant, Graphics and Navigation, with lab practice: 7m
- 5Making It Move, Animation Links, with lab practice: 1h 27m
- 6Colour as Information, with lab practice: 22m
- 7Operator Input, with lab practice: 23m
- 8Alarms and Trends, with lab practice: 51m
Show the other 3 modules
- 9Scripts, Recipes and Reports44m
- 10Connecting a PLC, and the Capstone, with lab practice: 8h 21m
- 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 (1 tool)
Required
- 01Free trial
AVEVA InTouch HMI
AVEVA
- Runs on
- Windows (check the vendor system requirements)
- Account
- Registration on the AVEVA trial form (name, work email, company, phone, job title, country)
AVEVA offers a fully functional InTouch HMI trial after you register and accept the EULA. WindowViewer can also run in demo mode with no tag or window limit, but it times out after two hours and must be restarted.
Steps
- 1.Open the AVEVA InTouch HMI trial page.
- 2.Fill in the form and accept the EULA.
- 3.Download the trial from the link AVEVA provides.
- 4.Install InTouch HMI as administrator.
- 5.Build screens in WindowMaker and test them in WindowViewer.
- In demo mode WindowViewer stops after two hours; save your work and restart it.
Official download pageengage.aveva.com
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 the same SCADA skills you use in InTouch in the process lab: read a plant, bind tags to a screen, set alarms and trace a signal from the field to the PLC.
- Read the P&IDProcess lab, about 20 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Read the P&ID
- Build an operator screenProcess lab, about 45 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Build an operator screen
- Alarm rationalisationProcess lab, about 50 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Alarm rationalisation
- Loop checkProcess lab, about 35 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Loop check
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 16 hours
Pharma purified-water loop on InTouch: Tagname Dictionary, alarm groups, USP conductivity scripts and an audit-ready FAT
Design, build, test and document an InTouch application for a pharmaceutical purified-water generation and distribution loop. The application has these parts. A Tagname Dictionary against a CompactLogix over an OI Server. A plant mimic on the ISA-101 pattern. Alarm groups with ISA-18.2 priorities. Tag logging of conductivity and temperature. QuickScripts that apply the USP <645> Stage 1 limit and time the hot-water sanitisation. The security and event logging a 21 CFR Part 11 audit expects. You deliver the application, your own tag list and FAT record, and the operator's hand-over note. The sample pack shows what an integrator hands a regulated plant.
- 8documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- Laboptional: in the 3D lab
- 6things to hand in
- 16 hof work, at your pace
- URSUser Requirements: Purified Water System PW-1 Supervisory Control
- Network architectureSystem and Network Architecture: PW-1 SCADA
- HMI specHMI Specification: Window Hierarchy and Window Specification, PW-1
- Tag listTagname Dictionary and Naming Convention: PW-1
- Alarm listAlarm List: PW-1
- SDSSoftware Design Specification: Scripts, Logging, Security and Event Logging
Do it in the lab: 5 steps.
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.
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$23.99 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.
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 internshipMore 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: Instrumentation Tools, Industrial Automation Maven (Louis Wyn), AVEVA Select California. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Instrumentation Tools · Industrial Automation Maven (Louis Wyn) · AVEVA Select California. 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.
- 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
Which InTouch version does the course use?
AVEVA InTouch HMI, the product still widely known by its old name, Wonderware. The lessons were recorded on a recent version, and the things the course teaches, tags, animation links, alarm groups, historical logging and scripting, work the same way across the versions you will meet on a plant floor.
How do I get InTouch, and what happens when the trial ends?
AVEVA publishes a free trial through its own site; you register with an email address and download it. When the trial expires you are not stuck: an installed copy still runs in demo mode, which gives you unlimited tags and windows in sessions of about two hours. You restart WindowViewer and carry on. It is not suitable for a real plant, but it is fine for finishing this course and for practising afterwards.
Do I need a PLC to do the exercises?
No. The connectivity module works against a simulator, so you can build the tag database, drive the animation from live values and watch the link drop and recover, all on one machine.
What kind of computer do I need?
A 64-bit Windows machine with 8 GB of RAM and a few tens of gigabytes free, plus administrator rights to install. InTouch is Windows-only; a Windows virtual machine works if you give it enough memory.
Should I do the PLC course first?
It helps but it is not required. Module 1 covers what a SCADA actually talks to, so you can start here. Most people find the two together make more sense than either alone, and both are free, so there is nothing to lose by doing the Siemens course alongside this one.
Why teach Wonderware rather than a newer SCADA?
Because it is what is running. InTouch sits on a very large number of plant floors worldwide, and the person maintaining it is often the person who gets hired. Newer platforms are worth learning next; this is the one most likely to appear in a job advert you can actually answer today.
Is the Wonderware InTouch SCADA course really free?
Yes. All eleven modules, every practice task and every 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 an AVEVA qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment and carrying a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not an AVEVA or Wonderware credential and we will never describe it as one. Those come from AVEVA and no third party can award them.
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 Wonderware InTouch SCADA course cover, module by module?
The Wonderware InTouch SCADA course has 11 modules. It opens with "What SCADA Is, and Where It Sits", goes through "Installing InTouch and Finding Your Way Around", "Making It Move, Animation Links", "Operator Input" and "Connecting a PLC, and the Capstone" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the Wonderware InTouch SCADA course?
After the Wonderware InTouch SCADA course: Build an InTouch tag database that will not fall over at 500 tags; Draw a plant mimic and animate it from live process values; Take safe operator input without letting a typo reach the plant. 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 Wonderware InTouch SCADA course, and does it cost anything?
For the Wonderware InTouch SCADA course, software: AVEVA/Wonderware InTouch (trial). Hardware: none, the PLC link is done against a simulator. The course itself is free.
Is the Wonderware InTouch SCADA course suitable for me, and what level is it?
Wonderware InTouch SCADA is rated beginner. Beginner. Some PLC familiarity helps but is not assumed: module 1 covers what a SCADA talks to. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control, and takes about 13.5 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the Wonderware InTouch SCADA course?
Skills from the Wonderware InTouch SCADA course (for example: build an InTouch tag database that will not fall over at 500 tags) 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
Wonderware InTouch SCADA, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.