Method for operating an automation facility, wherein the automation facility is provided with - a simulation server, which has a simulation framework for simulation of the process behaviour of sensors and/or actuators according to a simulation model, wherein a large number of simulation models is stored in the simulation server, and these can be loaded into the simulation framework, - a simulation interface for simulating the communication behaviour of the sensors and/or actuators and for connecting the modelled process behaviour to a controller, wherein the simulation interface transmits simulated process input values of the controller and the controller generates process output values for the actuators from the process input values and the process output values are transmitted via the simulation interface to the simulation framework, and - an operator system (11, 25) for process control and process operation, characterised in that - stored on the simulation server for at least some of the simulation models is metadata (16, 17) in each case, which is associated with one of the simulation models in each case and contains simulation-specific information for the respective simulation model in each case, wherein a test value derived from the metadata (16, 17) is transmitted to a service unit of the operator system (11, 25), - the test value associated with the respective simulation model is loaded into a function block of the controller, wherein the test value is supplied by the simulation framework via the simulation interface to the controller, - the test value loaded into the function block is stored in a process image of the operator system (11, 25) by the controller, and - by means of the service unit of the operator system (1, 25), the test value transmitted by the simulation server is compared with the test value stored in the process image by the controller. - a simulation server, which has a simulation framework for simulation of the process behaviour of sensors and/or actuators according to a simulation model, wherein a large number of simulation models is stored in the simulation server, and these can be loaded into the simulation framework, - a simulation interface for simulating the communication behaviour of the sensors and/or actuators and for connecting the modelled process behaviour to a controller, wherein the simulation interface transmits simulated process input values of the controller and the controller generates process output values for the actuators from the process input values and the process output values are transmitted via the simulation interface to the simulation framework, and - an operator system (11, 25) for process control and process operation, characterised in that - stored on the simulation server for at least some of the simulation models is metadata (16, 17) in each case, which is associated with one of the simulation models in each case and contains simulation-specific information for the respective simulation model in each case, wherein a test value derived from the metadata (16, 17) is transmitted to a service unit of the operator system (11, 25), - the test value associated with the respective simulation model is loaded into a function block of the controller, wherein the test value is supplied by the simulation framework via the simulation interface to the controller, - the test value loaded into the function block is stored in a process image of the operator system (11, 25) by the controller, and - by means of the service unit of the operator system (1, 25), the test value transmitted by the simulation server is compared with the test value stored in the process image by the controller.