Ability to exclude specific branches from syncing through PI Data Collection Manager
The PI Data Collection Manager User Interface has the options to "Collect All Data from this Entire Database" and "Collect Data from a Specific Branch". What we want to do instead is to "Collect All Data from this Entire Database EXCEPT from a specific branch". This is because the users in the target (test) database do not have permissions to configure the branch (element) that we want to exclude from syncing. The current workaround is to install a PI System Connector for each branch of the database that we want to include.

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AdminAllison Muraski (Admin, OSIsoft) commented
While the connector can’t exclude a branch, you can include multiple branches in the connector using multiple data sources. So instead of installing a PI System Connector for each branch, you configure a data source for each branch.
Check out the data source configuration reference below, mainly the section on collecting data from a specific branch and let us know how that option may or may not be able to meet your needs.
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Brent Bregenzer commented
I agree this would be a good feature. Something that comes to mind as a possible workaround is to make a second duplicate hierarchy in the same DB that uses references to the original, but excludes the branch that you don't want to sync. This 2nd hierarchy could then be the one used for PSC. I haven't had a chance to test this, but I think it should be possible. Please let us know what you think.