On-premises, hybrid, or cloud-enabled real-time data historian and operational data infrastructure that collects, stores, contextualizes, and visualizes high-frequency time-series process data. It is validatable infrastructure deployed "in validated environments" — not a QMS, LIMS, or electronic batch record system, and not a pre-validated or inherently 21 CFR Part 11-compliant product.
The PI System originated as the "Plant Information System" from OSIsoft (founded 1980) and has been deployed in industrial operations for over four decades. Its exact product name per the vendor is "AVEVA™ PI System™," delivered commercially through the "AVEVA PI Data Infrastructure" offering. AVEVA announced the OSIsoft acquisition on 25 August 2020 at a $5.0 billion enterprise value and completed the purchase on 19 March 2021 for a final consideration of £3,831.4 million; AVEVA is now a member of the Schneider Electric group.
Its core function is to ingest sensor and process data from PLCs, DCSs, SCADA, LIMS, and other sources, store it in the proprietary PI Data Archive with sub-second resolution, contextualize it through the Asset Framework (AF) data-modeling layer, and surface it via PI Vision dashboards, PI DataLink (Excel), and APIs. Core components are AVEVA PI Server (PI Data Archive + PI Asset Framework), AVEVA Edge Data Store, and the CONNECT industrial intelligence platform, plus connectivity products (PI Interfaces, PI Connectors, AVEVA Adapters). Optional add-ons include PI Vision, PI DataLink, PI Integrator for Business Analytics, AVEVA RtReports, PI Manual Logger, and PI System Access.
For pharma, AVEVA positions the system as the "foundation for Pharma 4.0" supporting real-time operational visibility, end-to-end batch traceability and recall readiness, environmental monitoring, and audit-ready historical records. AVEVA states that 25 of the top 25 global pharmaceutical companies use the PI System. The PI System is a data historian, not a QMS, LIMS, or electronic batch record system. AVEVA positions it as validatable data infrastructure deployed "in validated environments," with regulatory compliance achieved through the customer's own computerized-system validation rather than as an out-of-the-box certification.
Deployment is on-premises, hybrid, and cloud (SaaS via CONNECT / AVEVA Data Hub); AVEVA describes a "hybrid operations data platform" spanning edge, multiple plants, and cloud. AVEVA cloud offerings are hosted on Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) — Pfizer built its cloud PI infrastructure on AWS. Region availability is undisclosed. On-prem keeps data in the customer environment whereas CONNECT is SaaS with data residing in AVEVA's cloud.
Access is via browser-based PI Vision and Excel via DataLink; SSO is provided through AVEVA Connect using OpenID Connect (OIDC) on OAuth 2.0, with federated identity for enterprise IAM, and PI Data Archive supports Windows Integrated Security and OIDC. Mobile-app availability is undisclosed. APIs include PI Web API (REST), AF SDK (.NET), PI SQL Framework, and OMF (OSIsoft Message Format) for ingress. Named connectors include OPC DA/HDA/UA, AspenTech CIM-IO, RDBMS, SAP, MQTT, and 450+ interfaces; data standards include OPC-UA, OPC DA/HDA, OMF, and MQTT. Scale/performance is a single PI Server managing up to 20 million tags, tested to 300,000 events/second real-time and 100,000 events/second archived, with multi-server PI Collective for high availability.
Pricing is subscription via AVEVA Flex Credits; new licenses for major engineering and operations solutions are subscription-only as of the March 2023 transition, with a stated target of 80% of customer licenses moving from perpetual to subscription by 2025. PI Server is purchased through the AVEVA PI Data Infrastructure subscription paid with Flex credits, with per-server or aggregate (dynamically allocated) tag-subscription options. Credits are consumed based on PI Data Archive tag count, number of interfaces, connected clients/users, active modules, and CONNECT usage; AVEVA does not publish a credit rate card, and over-allocation is billed via top-up credits. Pricing is enterprise/quote-only with no published starting price.
Reported deal sizes (from public procurement data and a vendor-competitor analysis, not AVEVA list prices): a mid-size utility with 25,000–50,000 tags reported $108,570/year; a larger deployment was extrapolated to ~$162,000/year; top-up credits were documented at $14.44/credit. A historical per-server-era chemical-site comparison cited ~€200,000+ first-year license plus ~€40,000/year maintenance. Customers report 2x–4x increases versus the prior per-server model. Flex enterprise pricing typically spans 3+ year contracts (standard tier 1–3 years). A demo is available; one third-party listing states no free trial access. Validation-support fees are separate partner costs; setup fees are not disclosed.
Single-site greenfield historian deployments are commonly weeks-to-months; a six-month timeframe was reported by TQS Integration for a multi-site (eight production sites) data-standardization project at a large pharma client. Precise SMB-vs-enterprise timelines are not disclosed. Implementation, AF modeling, interface configuration, PI Vision display design, validation support, and training are typically delivered by AVEVA Select partners / system integrators (Eigen, E Tech Group, TQS Integration), priced separately from licenses; training is also available from AVEVA via instructor-led, virtual, and private classes.
Migration capabilities include the PI-to-PI interface, PI Builder/CSV exports, AF XML export/import, SQL backup restore, and AWS Application Migration Service for cloud lift-and-shift. Reported implementation pitfalls include complex initial setup and a steep learning curve (G2/Gartner reviews), the need for a dedicated PI administrator, data-integration friction, and the end-of-life of ProcessBook (2024) requiring display migration to PI Vision and associated re-validation.
Anonymous feedback from pharmaceutical professionals using this solution
4.6 out of 5
Based on 21 verified reviews
Users report strong real-time data collection, reliable long-term historian performance, broad connectivity, and good technical support, with several calling it the best historian for large organizations.
Users report complex/lengthy initial setup, a steep learning curve, weak native analytics requiring add-ons, data-integration friction, and a clunky online interface; customer support "is not effective as in the past," according to a pharmaceuticals senior solution specialist (Verified reviewer, G2). Capterra value-for-money scores 2.8.
Share your experience with AVEVA PI System anonymously. Your insights help pharmaceutical professionals make better software decisions.
Contribute Anonymous FeedbackPublicly disclosed pharmaceutical and biotech organizations
Jump to section