Method for configuring an industrial communication network with real-time capability for the cyclical transmission of messages, wherein a respective message comprises a plurality of datasets (DS1,..., DS4), and wherein the communication network comprises - a message source, which is designed to generate and to cyclically send messages; - at least one message sink (16, 17, 18), which is designed to receive and to process the messages; - at least one network component (12, 14), which receives the messages from the message source or one of the network components and forwards same to the at least one message sink (16, 17, 18) or one of the network components; said method comprising the following steps: - determining a network topology of the communication network for the transmission of a data stream to be sent from the message source in the future, in which the messages are each cyclically sent with all datasets (DS1,..., DS4); - identifying which dataset or which of the datasets (DS1,..., DS4) in the data stream a respective one of the message sinks (16, 17, 18) would like to receive; - determining a respective filter (12F, 14F) for each network component (12, 14) by virtue of the components connected to the respective network component (12, 14), comprising message sinks (16, 17, 18) and/or network components, and the datasets (DS1,..., DS4) required for the connected message sinks (16, 17, 18) being identified from the network topology; - setting up the respective filter (12F, 14F) in each network component (12, 14), as a result of which, during operation of the communication network, received messages are filtered in the downstream direction of the data stream in the messages and only the required datasets (DS1,..., DS4) are transmitted. - a message source, which is designed to generate and to cyclically send messages; - at least one message sink (16, 17, 18), which is designed to receive and to process the messages; - at least one network component (12, 14), which receives the messages from the message source or one of the network components and forwards same to the at least one message sink (16, 17, 18) or one of the network components; - determining a network topology of the communication network for the transmission of a data stream to be sent from the message source in the future, in which the messages are each cyclically sent with all datasets (DS1,..., DS4); - identifying which dataset or which of the datasets (DS1,..., DS4) in the data stream a respective one of the message sinks (16, 17, 18) would like to receive; - determining a respective filter (12F, 14F) for each network component (12, 14) by virtue of the components connected to the respective network component (12, 14), comprising message sinks (16, 17, 18) and/or network components, and the datasets (DS1,..., DS4) required for the connected message sinks (16, 17, 18) being identified from the network topology; - setting up the respective filter (12F, 14F) in each network component (12, 14), as a result of which, during operation of the communication network, received messages are filtered in the downstream direction of the data stream in the messages and only the required datasets (DS1,..., DS4) are transmitted.