TIMEBASE
TimeBase: Capturing Data at the Speed Your Equipment Runs
Most factory data, production counts, batch records, hourly energy readings, arrives at a pace that any standard database handles comfortably. A smaller set of applications, high-speed vibration analysis, sub-second process control loops, or diagnostic data from fast-moving equipment, generate far more data far faster, and need a database built specifically for that pace. TimeBase is the high-performance time-series database INGSOL uses for these demanding workloads, as part of our wider data infrastructure for factories and manufacturing plants. This page explains what TimeBase is, when INGSOL uses it, and how it fits within our technology stack.
What Is TimeBase?
TimeBase is a high-performance time-series database designed for capturing, storing and querying very high-frequency, timestamped data with minimal latency. It is built to handle continuous streams of readings arriving many times per second, and to make that data available for immediate analysis without the write and query delays that general-purpose databases can experience under this kind of load.
TimeBase is not a general replacement for PostgreSQL or TimescaleDB, and INGSOL does not use it for every kind of industrial data. It earns its place specifically where data frequency and query speed requirements exceed what a standard time-series database is optimised for, complementing rather than replacing the rest of the data infrastructure.
Why INGSOL Includes TimeBase in the Stack
Built for extreme write and query speed:
TimeBase is engineered to ingest very high volumes of timestamped data with minimal delay, suited to sensor streams that update many times per second rather than every few seconds or minutes.
Low-latency access to fresh data:
For applications such as vibration monitoring or high-speed line diagnostics, the time between a reading being captured and being available for analysis needs to be as short as possible.
Efficient storage of dense data:
TimeBase stores high-frequency data efficiently, keeping storage practical even as very high-resolution data accumulates over time.
Fits alongside the rest of the stack:
TimeBase is used alongside, not instead of, PostgreSQL and TimescaleDB, so a plant is not forced to choose a single database technology for every workload it has.
How INGSOL Uses TimeBAse in Practice
High-Frequency Vibration and Condition Monitoring
Predictive maintenance models often depend on vibration data captured at high sampling rates to detect the earliest signs of bearing wear, imbalance or misalignment. INGSOL uses TimeBase to capture and store this data at the resolution needed for reliable early detection, rather than downsampling it to a rate a general database can comfortably handle.
High-Speed Line and Process Diagnostics
Equipment running at high speed, such as fast-cycling machinery or high-throughput lines, can generate diagnostic data far more quickly than standard reporting intervals capture. TimeBase supports this kind of high-resolution diagnostic capture, useful when investigating intermittent faults that only appear at a granular time scale.
Supporting Advanced Predictive Models
Where INGSOL’s industrial AI and predictive maintenance models depend on fine-grained trends in vibration, temperature or current draw, TimeBase provides the underlying data resolution and query performance these models need, feeding into the analytics and dashboards built on top.
Alongside TimescaleDB and PostgreSQL
INGSOL selects the right database for the workload rather than defaulting to one technology across the board. PostgreSQL holds structured production, asset and configuration data. TimescaleDB handles the majority of general time-series data, sensor readings, OEE history, energy consumption, at the frequency most industrial applications require. TimeBase is reserved for the smaller set of applications where data frequency and latency requirements go beyond what TimescaleDB is optimised for. This layered approach means a factory is not paying the cost or complexity of a specialised, high-performance database for data that does not need it, while still having that capability available where it does.
TimeBase Within the INGSOL Technology Stack
TimeBase sits within INGSOL’s data infrastructure layer, alongside PostgreSQL and TimescaleDB. High-frequency data typically reaches TimeBase directly from edge devices or through Node-RED integration flows, and feeds into the predictive maintenance models and Grafana dashboards that depend on fine-grained, low-latency data. This keeps the demanding parts of a plant’s data workload isolated from general reporting and production data, so neither slows the other down.
Why Manufacturers Choose INGSOL's node-RED Implementation
TimeBase is introduced only where a workload genuinely requires it, avoiding unnecessary complexity for data that TimescaleDB or PostgreSQL already handle well.
High-frequency data capture is specified around the specific failure modes and diagnostic needs of your equipment, not a generic sampling rate.
TimeBase is deployed as part of INGSOL's wider Data & Intelligence and industrial AI capability, so high-frequency data feeds directly into the predictive models and dashboards built on top of it.
INGSOL deploys TimeBase where standard time-series storage is not fast enough, giving your predictive maintenance and diagnostic applications the resolution they need. Get in touch to discuss how TimeBase fits your technology stack, or a Digital Transformation Maturity Assessment for your plant.
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