ISA Data Model reference

The ISA Data Model deployment pack (dp:models:isa_manufacturing_extension) provides a standards-compliant manufacturing domain model for batch and discrete manufacturing operations. Built on ISA-95 and ISA-88, it deploys as Cognite Toolkit modules that extend the Cognite Core Data Model (CDM) and Industry Data Model (IDM), and ships with containers, views, SQL transformations, seed data, and a workflow to orchestrate data loading. The model integrates two manufacturing standards: ISA-95 for the organizational hierarchy (Enterprise → Site → Area → ProcessCell → Unit → EquipmentModule) and ISA-88 for batch procedural control (Recipe → Procedure → UnitProcedure → Operation → Phase). It is built around an asset hierarchy to simplify navigation, with AI-friendly naming across all views and properties. The model is intentionally a starting point: it includes placeholders and structures where projects can add properties and add or remove views as needed.

The ISA Manufacturing model is delivered as cherry-pickable modules (dp:models:isa_manufacturing_extension and its search module) inside the single Data models deployment pack (dp:models). “Data models” is one pack — selecting it in the Toolkit lets you choose the model(s) you need without deploying the others.

Who it’s for

Target personas:

Data engineers — deploy and configure the model with the Cognite Toolkit.
Data modelers — extend the ISA-95 / ISA-88 model for your project.
Subject matter experts — process and manufacturing engineers who validate batch and production data.

Use this pack when:

You are setting up a new CDF project for manufacturing operations and need an ISA-95/ISA-88 compliant data model without building it from scratch.
You need to integrate organizational hierarchy, batch execution, production management, and process data into a unified, queryable structure.
You want AI-ready views, CDM/IDM compliance, and cross-hierarchy navigation (ISA-95 organizational ↔ ISA-88 procedural) out of the box.
You are extending an existing CDF project with a standardized manufacturing, batch control, or work order data model.
You want a validated reference model to compare against an existing manufacturing data model.

When not to use this pack:

If your project is oil and gas operations rather than manufacturing, use the Oil and Gas Data Model deployment pack instead.
If your manufacturing domain does not use batch control and has no need for an ISA-88 procedural hierarchy — this model will require significant simplification.

What’s included

Component	Description	Optional?
`isa_manufacturing_extension`	Enterprise module — owns the 24 containers, 26 canonical views, and the composed ISA Manufacturing data model (`ISA_Manufacturing_DOM`). Deployed to the `dm_dom_isa_manufacturing` space and treated as the durable contract.	No
`isa_manufacturing_extension_search`	Solution module — search-optimized `Search*` views mapped to the enterprise containers, deployed to the `dm_sol_isa_manufacturing_search` space and optimized for CDF Search and Industrial Canvas.	Yes
ISA Manufacturing containers	Column-level schemas for each entity (Area, Batch, Equipment, and more). Container files are prefixed with `dm_dom_isa_manufacturing_` and bound to the enterprise space.	No
ISA Manufacturing views	Logical views over containers with relationships. Many views implement standard `cdf_cdm` interfaces such as `CogniteActivity`, `CogniteDescribable`, and `CogniteTimeSeries`.	No
Connection transformations	`tr_isa_*` transformations that materialize and maintain instances and relations for all views, including the ISA-95 ↔ ISA-88 cross-hierarchy relations.	Yes
Workflow (`wf_all_isa_raw_to_isa_manufacturing`)	Dependency-aware orchestration of all transformations with retry logic (3 retries per task) and timeout protection. The asset tree build is the critical path; overlay transformations run in parallel after it.	Yes
RAW seed data (CSV)	Sample data for testing — one seed table per entity (20 in total, including `isa_asset`, `isa_equipment`, `isa_timeseries`, `isa_work_order`, `isa_batch`, `isa_recipe`, and more), staged in the `isa_all_manufacturing` RAW database during deployment.	Yes
Location filter examples	Two example location filter YAML files for scoping data by location in access control.	Yes

Prerequisites

Verify all of the following before you start:

Cognite Toolkit version 0.8 or later is installed. See Setting up.
A cdf.toml file exists in your project root. If it is missing, run cdf modules init and select Create toml file (required).
Authentication is configured and verified — run cdf auth init and cdf auth verify using a local .env file. See Authentication and authorization.
You can enable feature flags for your CDF project in Cognite Unleash, or can request it from your CDF administrator.

Install and deploy

You can add the ISA Manufacturing modules to an existing Toolkit project or start a new project from scratch.

Add to an existing project
Start a new project

Add the modules from your project directory:

cdf modules add -d isa_manufacturing_extension isa_manufacturing_extension_search

In an empty directory, initialize a project:
cdf modules init .
In the interactive menu, choose Data models, use Space to select ISA 88/95 Manufacturing Data Model template and ISA 88/95 Manufacturing Search Solution Model, then press Enter to confirm.

The Toolkit creates the modules under modules/datamodels/ and updates your config.<env>.yaml files. Then build and deploy:

Build deployment artifacts

cdf build

The Toolkit substitutes template variables and writes artifacts to the build/ directory. If you need to change the project name or any variables marked <change_me>, edit config.<env>.yaml first — see Configure, build, and deploy modules.

Dry-run the deployment

cdf deploy --dry-run

Inspect the output and confirm that configurations look correct before deploying.

Deploy to CDF

cdf deploy

The Toolkit deploys only configurations that have changed since the last run.

Set up CI/CD (optional)

For governed production deployments, automate build, dry-run, and deploy in a pipeline. See Set up CI/CD pipelines.

After deployment, your project should include:

modules/
└── datamodels/
    ├── isa_manufacturing_extension/
    └── isa_manufacturing_extension_search/

After deploying, enable the FDX_VIEW_SWITCHER feature flag in Cognite Unleash for your CDF project. This enables view navigation, relationship visualization, and enhanced data model exploration in the CDF UI.

Feature flags are project-specific — make sure you enable FDX_VIEW_SWITCHER for the correct CDF project. Contact your CDF administrator if you do not have Unleash access.

Verify the deployment

After deploying, confirm success with these checks:

The cdf deploy command finishes without errors and reports successful deployment of spaces, containers, views, and the data model.
In CDF, navigate to Data Modeling > Spaces and verify that the schema and instance spaces (for example, dm_dom_isa_manufacturing and inst_isa_manufacturing, or your configured names) both exist.
Navigate to Data Modeling > Data Models and verify that the ISA Manufacturing data model is listed and can be opened.
Open the ISA Manufacturing data model and verify that key views are present: Enterprise, Site, Area, ProcessCell, Unit, EquipmentModule, Equipment, Recipe, Procedure, UnitProcedure, Operation, Phase, WorkOrder, Batch, ISATimeSeries, and ISAAsset.
Navigate to Data Modeling > Containers and verify that the expected ISA Manufacturing containers have been deployed in the dm_dom_isa_manufacturing space.

The schema deployment is successful when both spaces exist and all views and containers are accessible in CDF.

If you installed the transformations, workflow, and RAW seed data

These optional components load sample instances into the model. If you deployed them, also confirm:

cdf deploy reports successful deployment of the transformations and the workflow.
Navigate to Workflows > wf_all_isa_raw_to_isa_manufacturing, trigger the workflow, and confirm it completes without errors. All transformation tasks should show a successful execution status. The asset tree build task (tr_isa_asset_all_to_isa_asset) must complete before the ISA-95 overlay transformations run.
In the Data Modeling Search UI, verify that entities such as ISAAsset, Equipment, WorkOrder, and ISATimeSeries contain instances and that cross-hierarchy relationships (for example, Unit → Equipment → Phase → ISATimeSeries) are navigable.

Configuration reference

Parameters are set in config.dev.yaml at the project root. Default values work for an initial test deployment. Each parameter takes its default unless you override it. Where the default is —, you must provide your own value before deploying.

Parameter	Description	Default
`project`	CDF project external ID to deploy to.	—
`enterprise_space`	Schema space for the enterprise containers and views.	`dm_dom_isa_manufacturing`
`instance_space`	Shared instance space for all ISA Manufacturing nodes.	`inst_isa_manufacturing`
`enterprise_dm_version`	Version identifier for the enterprise views and data model.	`v1`
`dataModelExternalId`	External ID of the enterprise (DOM) data model.	`ISA_Manufacturing_DOM`
`datasetExternalId`	CDF dataset used for transformations and lineage tracking.	`ds_isa_manufacturing`
`rawDatabase`	RAW database name where source and seed CSV tables are staged.	`isa_all_manufacturing`
`workflowVersion`	Version tag for the ISA Manufacturing workflow.	`1`

When you also deploy the search solution module (isa_manufacturing_extension_search), align enterprise_space, enterprise_dm_version, and instance_space across both module configs. The search module adds its own search_space, search_dm_version, and search_data_model_external_id, which version independently of the enterprise model.

Architecture

The model integrates ISA-95 and ISA-88 into three interconnected hierarchies. The ISA-95 organizational hierarchy provides the physical structure (Enterprise through EquipmentModule). The ISA-88 procedural model defines batch execution (Recipe through Phase). The production management entities (ProductDefinition, ProductRequest, ProductSegment) bridge planning to execution. Cross-hierarchy relationships and ISATimeSeries connect all three. The model splits into two independently versioned modules. The enterprise module owns the containers (the durable contract) and the canonical CDM/IDM-implementing views. The search module maps to those enterprise containers and hosts search-optimized views for CDF Search and Industrial Canvas.

How the views connect

ISAAsset is the single CogniteAsset implementer and the central navigation hub. The ISA-95 organizational views form a child-to-parent chain — each level holds a direct relation to its parent (Site.enterprise, Area.site, and so on) — and Equipment links up to ISAAsset. The ISA-88 procedural views and the production-management views attach through direct relations across the hierarchy, and ISATimeSeries connects process data to assets, equipment, phases, work orders, and product segments. The diagram below shows the forward direct relations between the core enterprise views, labeled with the property that defines each relation. Arrows point from the view that owns the relation to its target; the matching reverse relations (for example, Enterprise.sites, ISAAsset.activities, Equipment.timeSeries) live on the search solution module. Supporting views — QualityResult, Material, MaterialLot, and ISAFile — link to these entities (for example, QualityResult.batch → Batch, Material.recipe → Recipe, ISAFile.assets → ISAAsset) and are omitted here for readability.

ISA-95 organizational hierarchy (Levels 0–4)

The View column lists the deployed views (the ISA-95 equipment hierarchy). The Typical functional level column maps each entity to the ISA-95 functional levels (the automation pyramid: Level 0 sensing through Level 4 business planning).

View	Typical functional level	Purpose
Enterprise	Level 4 (business planning)	Top-level organizational entity. Determines what products to make and manages global logistics and finances.
Site	Level 4 / Level 3	Physical, geographical location where manufacturing operations are performed.
Area	Level 3 / Level 2	Logical or physical grouping of process cells or work centers within a site (for example, a paint shop).
ProcessCell	Level 2 / Level 1	Collection of units performing a specific manufacturing function (for example, an assembly line).
Unit	Level 1 (basic control)	Basic equipment entity that carries out one or more major processing activities (for example, a mixing tank).
EquipmentModule	Level 1	Functional grouping of equipment within a unit (for example, a dosing manifold on the mixing tank).
ControlModule	Level 1 / Level 0	Lowest level of physical equipment, individual sensors, valves, and motors.
ISAAsset	All levels	Generic asset entity for flexible asset hierarchy representation — the central hub for navigation.

ISA-88 procedural model

View	Purpose
Recipe	Master recipe defining manufacturing process steps and parameters.
Procedure	Top-level procedural element coordinating unit procedures.
UnitProcedure	Procedural element defining operations for a specific unit.
Operation	Procedural element grouping phases for specific processing tasks.
Phase	Lowest-level procedural element performing specific processing activities.
ControlModule	Control module for equipment control logic.
Batch	Specific instance of material produced in a single batch process execution. Links to Recipe, WorkOrder, and Site.

Production management

These views cover the ISA-95 manufacturing operations layer — production definitions, requests, and work orders that connect planning to batch execution. The pack models only these operations objects; it does not add separate views for the other ISA-95 automation levels (control, supervisory, or enterprise planning).

View	Purpose
ProductDefinition	Master definition of how products are manufactured — process requirements, resource allocation, and production specifications. Links to Units and ProductSegments.
ProductRequest	Production orders specifying quantities, priorities, and due dates. References ProductDefinitions and links to WorkOrders for execution.
ProductSegment	Discrete segments within a product definition — defines production activities, resource requirements, and process parameter requirements (temperature, pressure, flow rate, pH, and others).
WorkOrder	Work instructions bridging production planning to execution. Implements `CogniteActivity`. Links to ProductRequest, Equipment, Batch, Personnel, and ISATimeSeries.

Supporting entities

View	Purpose
ProcessParameter	Process parameter definitions (ISA-88) — target values, min/max limits, and units of measure. Links to Phases (procedural control) and ProductSegments (production-level tracking).
ISATimeSeries	Time series data linked to ISA entities. Implements `CogniteTimeSeries`. Connects to ISAAsset, Equipment, Phase, ProductSegment, and WorkOrder — enabling process data collection and actual vs. target comparisons.
QualityResult	Quality test results and inspection data. Links to Batches for batch-level quality tracking and compliance.
Material	Master material definition. Links to Recipes (ISA-88) and Batches for material traceability.
MaterialLot	Specific lot or batch of material. Enables lot-level traceability for batch manufacturing and quality control.
Personnel	Person involved in manufacturing operations. Links to WorkOrders for work assignment and performance tracking.
ISAFile	File attachments linked to ISA entities. Provides document management for ProductDefinitions, ProductRequests, ProductSegments, and other ISA entities.

Key design decisions

Dual-standard model. ISA-95 and ISA-88 are implemented in a single unified module rather than separate packs. This connects a WorkOrder to both a ProductRequest and a Batch (ProductRequest.workOrders, Batch.workOrders), enabling end-to-end traceability from production planning through batch execution without cross-module joins. ISAAsset as the central navigation hub. Only ISAAsset implements CogniteAsset. All hierarchy nodes (Enterprise, Site, Area, ProcessCell, Unit, EquipmentModule, Equipment) link to ISAAsset rather than implementing CogniteAsset individually. This preserves a clean single-hierarchy navigation pattern in CDF applications and avoids UI conflicts in Industrial Canvas and Asset Explorer. Intentional starting point. The module ships with placeholder structures and stub properties where projects are expected to add domain-specific content. Views can be extended with new properties, added or removed, and containers can be extended without breaking the existing schema contract. This keeps the baseline deployable on day one while remaining adaptable to real customer data shapes.

Production planning to batch execution: ProductDefinition → ProductRequest → WorkOrder → Batch → Phase → ProcessParameter
Organizational to procedural: Site → Unit → Equipment → Phase → ProcessParameter → ISATimeSeries
Production planning to process data: ProductSegment → ProcessParameter → Phase → ISATimeSeries
Work management to execution: WorkOrder → Equipment → Phase → Batch → Recipe

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Resolution
`cdf auth verify` fails with 401 Unauthorized	Missing or incorrect credentials in `.env` file.	Run `cdf auth init`, re-enter credentials, then re-run `cdf auth verify`.
Module files unexpectedly overwritten	Ran `cdf modules init . --clean` without committing changes first.	Commit or stash local changes before running the command. Use `cdf modules add` for existing projects to avoid this risk.
Library modules not found during `cdf modules add`	`[library.toolkit-data]` is still present in `cdf.toml`, or `[library.cognite]` is not yet added.	Replace `[library.toolkit-data]` with `[library.cognite]` in `cdf.toml`. The two sections cannot coexist.
`cdf deploy` fails with “Insufficient permissions”	Toolkit service account is missing required CDF capabilities.	Add `spaces:write`, `datamodels:write`, `transformations:write`, `workflows:write`, `datasets:write`, and `rawdb:write` to the CDF group used by the Toolkit.
View switcher not working in CDF UI; relationship visualization missing	`FDX_VIEW_SWITCHER` feature flag not enabled for the project.	Enable `FDX_VIEW_SWITCHER` in Cognite Unleash for the correct CDF project. Contact your CDF administrator if you do not have Unleash access.
Workflow `wf_all_isa_raw_to_isa_manufacturing` fails on the first task	RAW source table `isa_all_manufacturing.isa_asset` is missing or incorrectly named.	Verify that the RAW database and tables exist. For a first-time deployment with seed data, confirm the CSV files were uploaded during `cdf deploy`. The asset tree build (`tr_isa_asset_all_to_isa_asset`) is the critical path — all other tasks depend on it.
Views show no instances after the workflow completes	Overlay transformations skipped due to an upstream failure, or RAW tables are empty.	Check individual transformation execution status in CDF. Overlay failures skip individual tasks but continue the workflow — re-trigger failed tasks or check RAW table contents.

For issues not covered here, contact Cognite support.

Support

Field	Details
Team	Cognite Value Delivery Team
Standards references	ANSI/ISA-95.00.01-2010 (Enterprise-Control System Integration), ANSI/ISA-88.00.01-2010 (Batch Control)
Documentation	Cognite product documentation
Questions and feedback	Deployment Packs group on Cognite Hub
Version	1.0.0
Last updated	2026

​Who it’s for

​What’s included

​Prerequisites

​Install and deploy

​Verify the deployment

​If you installed the transformations, workflow, and RAW seed data

​Configuration reference

​Architecture

​How the views connect

​ISA-95 organizational hierarchy (Levels 0–4)

​ISA-88 procedural model

​Production management

​Supporting entities

​Key design decisions

​Key cross-hierarchy navigation paths

​Troubleshooting

​Support

Who it’s for

What’s included

Prerequisites

Install and deploy

Verify the deployment

If you installed the transformations, workflow, and RAW seed data

Configuration reference

Architecture

How the views connect

ISA-95 organizational hierarchy (Levels 0–4)

ISA-88 procedural model

Production management

Supporting entities

Key design decisions

Key cross-hierarchy navigation paths

Troubleshooting

Support