Glossary · System coordination, integration and orchestration
Self-description
Also known as: Self-describing component
German: Selbstbeschreibung
In industrial automation and Industrie 4.0, self-description is the ability of a device, machine or module to provide machine-readable information about itself, such as identity, capabilities, interfaces, data and parameters, in a standardized format that other systems can interpret.
- System integration
In one sentence
Self-description means a device or module provides machine-readable information about its identity, capabilities and interfaces in a standard format.
Example
An OPC UA server on a new dosing module exposes its identification, available skills and parameters through a companion specification information model, so the orchestration layer can use it without custom coding.
How it applies
- Engineering: Common formats include device description files (GSDML, EDS, IODD), OPC UA information models with companion specifications, the Module Type Package (MTP) and asset administration shells. The benefit depends on shared semantics; a proprietary self-description helps little.
- Integration: Self-description is the basis for Plug and produce, Self-configuration and automated engineering.
- Maintenance: Keep the self-description consistent with the actual firmware and hardware version; outdated descriptions cause integration errors.
- Documentation: Technical documentation can be part of a component's self-description, for example as an iiRDS package or links to manuals in an asset administration shell. Documentation teams should make sure that the documentation versions referenced match the device versions described.
Self-description vs. documentation
Self-description is machine-readable and aimed at software. Documentation is aimed at people. They complement each other and should share identifiers and version information.