--- title: Add an instance slug: manufacturing-connect-edge/add-an-instance docTags: createdAt: 2026-09-14T15:09:58.318Z --- An instance represents a specific asset (a machine, device, or line) created from a model. When you add an instance, you select the model it inherits its structure from and then fill in the actual values: the real-world attribute data for that asset and the data topics that feed its dynamic attributes. This topic shows you how to add an instance, configure its values and topics, and check the payload it publishes. For the model an instance inherits from, see [Create and configure a model](docId\:Jy1YDZLh-eEqhqVxN1umI). :::hint{type="info"} **Note:** Also see [Digital Twins](docId:0QmU0Kw7Q9x15xscz7pGV) for overview and background information. ::: ## Before you begin Before you add an instance, make sure you have: - A Digital Twins model to build the instance from. - The metadata values for the asset this instance represents, such as plant, area, and manufacturer. - The topics that feed the model's dynamic attributes: DeviceHub tags, integration topics, or other message broker topics. - Values for any parameters the model defines. ## Add an instance When you add an instance, you set a few key options that affect how data is published: - **Interval:** How often Manufacturing Connect Edge assembles and publishes the full instance payload. Enter `0` to disable interval-based publishing. Use the `pollonce` topic instead to trigger on demand. - **Flatten Hierarchy:** Converts nested JSON objects to single-level, dot-notation key-value pairs (for example, `dynamic_attribute.Temperature.value: 30`). Enable this when sending payloads to tabular databases such as SQL or InfluxDB. - **Publish Attributes:** Creates additional, targeted topics for individual static and dynamic attributes alongside the main instance topic. Enable this when downstream consumers need only part of the full payload. See [Publish specific attributes](docId\:qY7PtLRIoarYofrcIxT59). **To add an instance:** 1. Navigate to **Digital Twins** > **Instances**. The *Instances* pane appears. 2. Click the **Add an instance** tile. The *Add an Instance* dialog appears. ::Image[]{src="https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/SSUUxKZUk9bFTEPNn_6Zo/9IDgko5Zv8kIi5TovT02B_image.png" size="80" isUploading="false" width="808" height="343" darkWidth="808" darkHeight="343" position="flex-start" showCaption="false" indent="2"} 3. Search for or select the model to associate with this instance. 4. Enter a name for the instance. 5. In **Interval**, enter the publishing interval in seconds. Enter `0` to disable interval-based publishing. 6. In **Topic**, review the default topic for this instance. The topic follows the format `digitaltwins..`. 7. To flatten nested JSON structures, select **Flatten Hierarchy**. 8. To publish individual attribute topics in addition to the main topic, select **Publish Attributes**. 9. Click **Add**. ## Configure the instance After creating the instance, select its tile in grid view to open the configuration page. The instance inherits its attribute structure from the model. Here you fill in the real values and map live data topics. Click **Save** after making changes, then click **Restart instance** to apply them. ### Enter static attribute values The *Static Attributes* tab lists the metadata fields defined in the model, each holding the placeholder value the model set. Replace those placeholders with the actual values for this asset. For example, replace the plant name, area, and manufacturer with the values for the specific machine this instance represents. **To enter values for an asset:** 1. Open the *Static Attributes* tab. 2. Click the **Edit** icon for an attribute. 3. Enter the value for this asset. 4. Repeat for each remaining attribute. 5. Click **Save Instance**. To set many values at once, click **Import Attributes** and open a CSV file that contains them. Include the `InstanceName` column so that the import sets the values on this instance rather than on the model. See [Create and configure a model](docId\:Jy1YDZLh-eEqhqVxN1umI) for the required CSV format. ### Map dynamic attributes The *Dynamic Attributes* tab lists the real-time data fields defined in the model. For each one, map the topic that feeds it for this asset: a DeviceHub tag, an integration topic, or another message broker topic that publishes the relevant data. If a dynamic attribute has a topic expression defined in the model, its topic is read-only in the instance. To change that topic, edit the topic expression in the model or set the instance's parameter values. :::hint{type="warning"} **Important:** Data for a dynamic attribute appears in the instance payload only when that attribute has a topic mapped to it. ::: **To map the topics for this asset:** 1. Open the *Dynamic Attributes* tab. 2. Click **Edit** for an attribute. ::Image[]{src="https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/SSUUxKZUk9bFTEPNn_6Zo/qPeWRFdFBedZQXQOgemlD_image.png" size="80" isUploading="false" width="1433" height="562" darkWidth="1433" darkHeight="562" position="flex-start" showCaption="false" indent="2"} 3. Search for a DeviceHub tag, or enter the name of an integration topic or another message broker topic. 4. Repeat for each remaining attribute. 5. Click **Save Instance**. To map many attributes at once, click **Import Attributes** and open a CSV file that contains the topic mappings. ### Set parameter values A parameter lets one topic expression in the model resolve to a different topic in each instance. **To set the parameter values for this instance:** 1. Select the instance and click **Open Parameters**. The *Instance Parameters* dialog appears. 2. Set the value of each parameter for this instance. 3. Navigate to the *Instance Dynamic Attributes* page and confirm that each topic expression resolved to the topic you expect. ### View the payload The *Data Access* tab shows the topic the instance publishes on and the assembled JSON payload it carries. To view the payload: 1. Open the *Data Access* tab. The tab shows the instance topic and its interval. The topic follows the format `digitaltwins..`. 2. Click **Subscribe**. The payload appears as Manufacturing Connect Edge assembles and publishes it. 3. To reuse the topic elsewhere, click the **Copy** icon. 4. Click **Unsubscribe** to stop viewing the data. ## Publish specific attributes When **Publish Attributes** is enabled for an instance, Manufacturing Connect Edge creates additional topics that publish subsets of the full payload. **Static attributes** publish all key-value pairs to a single topic at the instance's configured interval: ```javascript digitaltwins...StaticAttributes ``` **Dynamic attributes** each publish to their own topic, event-driven based on when new data arrives for that attribute: ```javascript digitaltwins... ``` **Example:** a model named `CNC` with an instance named `CNC001`, an interval of 10 seconds, and dynamic attributes `Temperature`, `Current`, `Pressure`, and `Power`: - Static attributes topic (publishes every 10 seconds): `digitaltwins.CNC.CNC001.StaticAttributes` - Temperature topic: `digitaltwins.CNC.CNC001.Temperature` - Current topic: `digitaltwins.CNC.CNC001.Current` - Pressure topic: `digitaltwins.CNC.CNC001.Pressure` - Power topic: `digitaltwins.CNC.CNC001.Power` **To subscribe to these topics:** 1. When adding or editing the instance, select **Publish Attributes**. 2. Navigate to **Analytics** > **Instances** and add the DataHub Subscribe processor. 3. Enter the topic for the attribute you want to subscribe to. Examples: - `digitaltwins.CNC.*.Power`: subscribes to the Power attribute for all CNC instances - `digitaltwins.CNC.CNC001.>`: subscribes to all attribute topics for CNC001 :::hint{type="info"} **Note:** You can use wildcards in these topics. Use an asterisk (`*`) to match a single segment (model name or instance name), or a right angle bracket (`>`) to match everything after a given point. ::: ## Related topics - [Digital Twins](docId:0QmU0Kw7Q9x15xscz7pGV) - [Create and configure a model](docId\:Jy1YDZLh-eEqhqVxN1umI) - [Configure parameters](docId\:m_seaH7Fr5-NZN3PqQ8my) - [Configure transformations](docId\:djzGkgdYE-L970Bcv1P8A) - [Model and instance actions](docId\:VIZ9vZEXRVYCMp2sENn9K)