I have a sensor, a BME280, its great looking at the values in the particle dashboard, but their is no simple tutorial or anything I have found that simplifies this simple process for a non-developer.
I want the data that is being produced, in my own Database, and visualize the output.
Why does this require a rocket science degree?
Please make an integration with Plot.ly and a DBaaS such as Mlab…for the love of all that is sacred and holy, make this simpler.
I can understand that getting the data out can be frustrating. It will require a little bit of understanding of using webhooks to make it happen though.
https://docs.particle.io/guide/tools-and-features/webhooks/#how-webhooks-work
I am personaly using Librato: https://www.librato.com/
If you try this and run into any difficulty, let me know and I can try to help.
Yep, I have seen tutorials for that, they don’t do me any good, convoluted.
Same with webhooks, its convoluted.
And everytime someone brings up Thingspeak, relayr, keen etc. I want to scream, those are all 3rd parties, I don’t want third parties to have my data in the first place, otherwise I would have just spent the money on a product already conceived.
It would be great if their were integrations that were actually actionable, such as Plot.ly or compose MLAB. Either that or put up a job board so I can hire someone who can get the job done.
So you want Particle to have an easier way to plot your data. Where is that data stored if you don’t want a 3rd party to have your data?
Particle got its roots by people who are makers/builders/doers. For me the environment here has been supportive of those who are not afraid of getting dirty to learning something new and make mistakes.
Maybe at some point in the future Particle will have a more integrated way to visualize your data over time but for now you will have to roll up your sleeves.
Have you looked at Blynk? http://www.blynk.cc/ They integrate pretty easily into Particle and have their own calls to push data to them. Its mobile app only but you can get a nice little history graph of values.
Best of luck
If you define rocket science as knowing when you throw something up in the air too slow it'll come back to the ground, then yes, you need that kind of rocket science degree, but for a lot of people on this board who had their first encounter with the IoT world with Particle they seem to be mostly happy with what's there, what support they get when asking friendly and eagerly awaiting what might come next.
I have seen the negative chat here about the Omega 2 for instance, maybe that’s because it looks like a fully finished product with a web portal and the simplicity expected in an “app” based society?
For instance, their marketing video with a GUI based around their Relay module.
Why doesn’t that exist for particle? The board is standard, it has 4 relays, it is a FIRST party Particle product, I want a GUI that looks like the board in a web-app, that I can click a relay on and off.
I have a need to use the STANDARD relay board particle sells, I have one collecting dust in the bubble wrapped anti-static bag on my shelf, but their exists ZERO actionable code to use it?
Zero web-app to interface with said relay board.
This can’t be just me who thinks that is insane. I for one feel slightly oversold on a product now seeing a $5 board WITH these apps and GUI’s included.
Your Photon came with a Tinker firmware preloaded, and there is a Tinker App on Apple/Google/Windows store, to download onto your phone.
Plug the Photon into your Particle Relay Shield, switch it on, got to your Tinker app, select digital Write for one of the pins clearly printed onto the shield (D3, D4, D5, D6) and switch your relays.
Oh yes, reading is also a skill required for a rocket science degree
So much about ZERO 
But yes, the $5 Omega 2 is a nice device, but it won't do everything you want it to do for you without effort either.
And that "negative chat" was not meant to discredit a fellow product, but to point out that it will also have its limitations and that running Linux does not necessarily mean it'll will compare well for all tasks.
@Cloud, you also need to seriously consider Blynk as it compliments Particle devices with a great way to put together interactive GUIs on mobile devices with little programming knowledge. The Particle devices were designed as a prototype-to-product platform, perhaps not aligning with your needs. An equivalent Arduino configuration also does not come with turnkey mobile apps for relay shields! This is where a strong supportive Community is important and we have one here. Check out the Tutorials section and ask questions. You would be amazed what “non-programmers” have been able to do without getting frustrated 
So you've disabled the Cloud connection then, relying on a local connection only, I presume? I mean, after all, Particle is a third party as well... Plot.ly is a third party as well...?
You could host a DIY server solution that'll store/plot this data for you. If you do a quick google, I'm sure you'll find plenty.
If that's not what you're after, then maybe, just maybe you'd need to put in a bit effort of your own, and set aside your prejudice against third parties. Ranting about the current situation isn't going to be much of a solution either, unless that somehow magically solves your issues.
What is your final goal with these devices, might I ask? They're labeled as 'development kits', the 'development' part is there for a reason.
Again, instead of complaining about the lack of something to control the relays, why not making an effort to create it? (never mind that there are several easy to use solutions out there already) The platform is open-source, and as such it's intended for people to at least make an effort. If that's not something you're willing to do, then perhaps you're better of buying a finished product, or hiring someone to build one for you.
You can't compare a linux board to an embedded device, they each have their purpose. Just my two cents.
I for one feel slightly oversold on a product now seeing a $5 board WITH these apps and GUI's included.
You can't honest blame Particle for that. When you are creating something for the first time you are going to go through several version/tools/processes. If Particle isn't doing what you want it to do, then move on to what works for you. I've spent hundreds of dollars on different microcontrollers and tried out many different online services. And I won't stop looking for the next best thing either.
Just remember, you can make your own sandwich or you can get a brown bag lunch someone else made for you. Take your pick.
Hey @Cloud, we feel your frustration.
Have you had a look at https://www.hackster.io/particle? there are over 400 projects posted.
True, not all of them might do exactly what you want to do, but some of them might help you go in the right direction.
Integrating these things requires some effort, can’t lie to you.
As mentioned already, blynk is awesome!
and the omega2 looks awesome too!
Best of luck,
Gustavo.
@Cloud, you might take a look at controleverything.com’s website. They offer some plug and play solutions involving the BME280 sensor you mentioned as well as a multitude of relay boards. Yes, I realize you have already acquired hardware, but their offerings are pretty simple to use and they provide sample application software. You would have to munge together a couple different sample apps, but it’s fairly straight forward.
They also offer their Mobicle service for visualization, albeit without historical plotting. I also agree with @gusgonnet’s recommendation for hackster as a source of ideas and usually well-thought-out instructions.
I’m not associated with controleverything, other than being a satisfied customer.
The Omega2 looks very promising for the right application and I agree that its web console looks pretty cool, too.
Alternatively, and if you really want your data to be yours and only yours, you could install your local particle cloud in a raspberry pi, then dump all your logs in a db in that same server
However, I imagine this taking some effort…
Gustavo.
Don’t hate the idea. Would the local server run on a Raspberry pi 3 well enough?
You could also take a look on http://tinamous.com. Integration of particle devices is quite simple, but of course data are still in “the cloud”
It’s run on a pi just fine, though it doesn’t have all the features the ‘real’ cloud has, so it’s a compromise.