Skip to main content

Decommissioning and Re-Adding Machines

What Decommissioning Does​

Decommissioning a machine removes it from your active machine list in MachineMetrics. The machine will no longer appear in dashboards, shop floor boards, or live views.

Historical data is retained. All production data collected before decommissioning remains available in reporting. You will still be able to run historical reports that include the machine's past activity.

Decommissioning cannot be undone

Once a machine is decommissioned, it cannot be restored to its previous state. If you need the machine active again, you must add it back as a new machine. Review Adding a Decommissioned Machine Back before proceeding.

When to Decommission​

Decommission a machine when:

  • The machine has been permanently removed from your facility
  • The machine is sold or scrapped
  • You are replacing a machine with a new one and no longer need the old record

Do not decommission if the machine is only temporarily offline (maintenance, repairs, relocation). Simply disconnecting the data collection method is sufficient for temporary downtime.

How to Decommission a Machine​

Prerequisites:

  • Confirm you no longer need this machine to appear in live dashboards or reports
  • Confirm you do not intend to reconnect this specific machine record

Steps:

  1. Go to Assets → Machines
  2. Select the machine you want to decommission
  3. Click the gear icon (top-right) to open Machine Settings
  4. Navigate to the General Information tab
  5. Click Decommission at the bottom-left of the page
  6. Confirm the action when prompted

The machine will be removed from your active list immediately.

Adding a Decommissioned Machine Back​

If a machine needs to return to active monitoring after being decommissioned, add it back as a new machine. The previous machine record cannot be restored, but all historical data from the original machine remains in your reports.

Steps:

  1. Go to Assets → Machines
  2. Click Add Machine (top-right corner)
  3. Enter the machine details:
    • Machine Name — use the same name as before if you want consistent reporting labels
    • IP Address — confirm this matches the current network configuration
    • Edge Device — select the Edge device the machine is connected to
  4. Click Save and Connect
  5. If the connection type is not auto-detected, click Needs connecting and configure the Data Collection Method manually (see Add a Single Machine)
  6. Reconfigure any custom settings:
Historical data continuity

The new machine record will have its own data history starting from the date it is re-added. The original machine's historical data remains accessible in reports but is stored under the old machine record. If consistent reporting across both periods is important to you, contact MachineMetrics Support for guidance.

Common Questions​

Will my historical reports break if I decommission a machine? No. Historical production data is retained and will continue to appear in reports for the decommissioned machine.

Can I duplicate an existing machine's settings before decommissioning? Yes. Before decommissioning, use the Duplicate option on the Assets → Machines page to copy the machine's configuration. You can then use the duplicate as the starting point when re-adding the machine.

I accidentally decommissioned a machine — what do I do? Contact MachineMetrics Support as soon as possible. While decommissioning cannot be reversed through the UI, the support team may be able to assist depending on how recently it occurred.