Keysight Data Logger Software: Setup, Limits, and a Multi-Instrument Alternative

Keysight data logger software, paired with a unit like the 34972A or DAQ970A, is a standard way to capture temperature, voltage, and other measurements over time. It works well within Keysight's ecosystem. This guide covers how to set it up, where it runs into limits, and how TestFlow turns any instrument into a scriptable, multi-vendor data logger.

The standard Keysight data logging setup

A typical Keysight data logging stack is a switch and measure unit such as the 34972A or DAQ970A, populated with multiplexer modules, driven by software:

• •BenchVue DAQ app for code-free logging on a PC.
• •Built-in logging on the instrument front panel for simple runs.
• •Custom software over SCPI for anything beyond the defaults.

Setup involves choosing sensor types per channel, setting a scan interval, defining duration, and configuring export.

Where Keysight data logger software hits limits

The software is solid for Keysight-only benches, but a few limits appear in practice:

1. 1

   Single-vendor. It is built for Keysight hardware. Adding a non-Keysight instrument to the same logging run is not the design intent.

2. 2

   License gating. Advanced logging in BenchVue sits behind a paid license.

3. 3

   Local and manual to share. Logging configurations live on one PC, and moving a setup to another lab or engineer is manual.

4. 4

   Limited automation logic. Beyond simple scans, you end up writing SCPI anyway.

The multi-instrument alternative: TestFlow

TestFlow treats data logging as a workflow, not a per-instrument app, so it scales across vendors and machines.

• •Any instrument, one workflow. Drive a Keysight DAQ970A, a 34972A, and a non-Keysight DMM or supply in the same logging run.
• •Datasheet to logging plan. Upload the datasheet for your DAQ unit and TestFlow builds the channel setup and scan sequence.
• •Scriptable without scripts. TestFlow generates and runs the instrument commands, so you get automation logic without maintaining SCPI.
• •Repeatable and shareable. A logging workflow runs identically on any machine and can be shared across a team.
• •Open execution. Runs use the TestFlow runner or the cloud runner on GitHub.

Keep your hardware, change the software layer

You do not need to replace your 34972A or DAQ970A to get multi-vendor, shareable, scriptable logging. You need a software layer that is not locked to one brand.

Start free at testflow.io, upload your data logger datasheet, and build a multi-instrument logging workflow in minutes.