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The Cognite PI extractor is distributed as a Windows installer (.msi file). When you run the .msi file, a setup wizard guides you through the installation process. The installer creates a Windows service and installs the binary files needed to run the extractor.

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Before you start

You can use OpenID Connect and your existing identity provider (IdP) framework to manage access to CDF data securely. Read more.
  • Set up a Windows Update schedule. Note that the update may reboot the machine, causing extractor downtime.
  • Download and run the installation files for the extractor from CDF.
Set Modify permission under Properties in the installation folder to avoid permission issues.

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Run as a Windows service

1

Start the PI extractor service

Start the PI extractor service using the Windows service or with a command line:
net start PiExtractor
The Windows service is named Cognite Pi Extractor 4.3.0, and the command line for the net start and net stop commands is named PiExtractor.
2

Verify service is running

Verify that the service is running.
Running the Windows service
3

Configure startup type

Open the Properties for the service and set the Startup type to Automatic (Delayed Start):
Setting up the Windows service
4

Verify extractor is running

If you’ve configured the extractor to log messages to a file, you’ll find the log files in the configured path, for instance, logs/log.txt. These should contain progress messages similar to the example below:
Verify that the extractor is running
If you’ve configured the extractor to push metrics, you can inspect the extractor operation and health in real-time using a Grafana board.

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Run the extractor behind a proxy

1

Edit configuration file

Open and edit the PiExtractor.exe.config file from the installation directory.
2

Add system.net section

Add the system.net section under configuration with this content:
<system.net>
    <defaultProxy>
        <proxy  proxyaddress=""
                bypassonlocal="True"
        />
        <bypasslist>
            <add address="[a-z]+\.contoso\.com$" />
        </bypasslist>
    </defaultProxy>
</system.net>
3

Configure proxy settings

Configure the proxy address and bypass rules according to the proxy server you want to use.
4

Restart the service

Restart the extractor service. Read more about the default-proxy-element.

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Upgrade the extractor

To upgrade the current extractor version, download and run the .msi file for the new version. The installer detects the current installation directory, updates the software, and keeps the configuration as-is. The sample configuration file is a part of the software package and is overwritten during an extractor upgrade.
1

Download installer

Download the PI extractor .msi file from CDF.
2

Note current settings

Take note of the currently installed version in case of a rollback and of the service properties in the Properties dialog.
During the upgrade, the installer resets all custom service properties to their default values, such as the service recovery settings.
3

Run the installer

Run the installer.
4

Update service properties

Update the custom service properties you noted in step 2.
5

Verify extractor version

Verify that the extractor is running and that the version displayed in the Starting PI Extractor logline matches the upgraded version.
6

Check metrics

Check the metrics and verify that the extractor resumes operation.
If you’ve configured additional services to extract from multiple sources, the installer won’t change the settings for these services during upgrades. If you’ve created multiple services, the following dialog appears during the upgrade:
Upgrade extractor with multiple services
The installer uses the default options, stops the services, and restarts the services after the upgrade. Otherwise, a server reboot is required to complete the upgrade process.

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Uninstall the extractor

1

Open uninstaller

Run the installer and select Remove the extractor or open Add or remove programs from the control panel.
2

Remove extractor

Remove Cognite PI extractor.
3

Optional. Clean up files

Optionally, remove the installation directory with the configuration file and logs.
4

Optional. Delete the installer

Optionally, delete the .msi file.
Last modified on January 27, 2026