Patent ID: 7703021

Claim:
A process control system that includes a processor and a data storage device accessible to the processor, the processor executing a relational database system that has tables stored in the storage device and the process control system comprising: tables in the relational database system that relate a set of process-related records that are used to control processes to a set of users of the process control system, a particular user having one or more relationships to a particular process-related record, a relationship of the relationships being specified by a value in the particular process-related record, and that relate users of the set of users to one or more permissions, each permission permitting a user who has a particular relationship to a particular process-related record to view the particular process related record; the process control system permitting the particular user to view the particular process-related record only if there is a combination of the permissions related to the particular user and the relationships which the particular user has with the particular process-related record such that the particular user is permitted to view the particular process-related record, the one or more particular relationships by which a particular user is relatable to a particular process-related record including being a member of a project to which the particular process-related record is related, being a creator of the particular process related record, being a member of a group of users which includes the creator of the particular process-related record, being a user to whom the particular process-related record has been assigned, or being a user who belongs to an entity that is related to the particular process-related record; and the one or more permissions including a project permission that indicates that a user is permitted to view process-related records that are related to a project to which the user belongs, a group created permission that indicates that a user is permitted to view process-related records that were created by a user group to which the user belongs, a created permission that indicates that a user is permitted to view process-related records that were created by the user, an assigned permission that indicates that a user is permitted to view process-related record that are assigned to the user, or an entity permission for a user who belongs to an entity that is related to the process-related record.