Patent ID: 7568000

Claim:
A data processing system for use with a process control system, the data processing system comprising: a first processing plant communicatively coupled to an open network; a second processing plant communicatively coupled to the open network; a primary server communicatively coupled to the open network, wherein the primary server is adapted to execute a data processing application; and a primary data historian communicatively coupled to the primary server, wherein the primary server is adapted to remotely receive first process control information originated by a device of the first processing plant via the open network and remotely receive second process control information originated by a device of the second processing plant via the open network and to store a portion of the received first and second process control information in the primary data historian and wherein the primary server is further adapted to use the data processing application to generate first analysis results specific to the first processing plant from the first process control information and send the first analysis results to the first processing plant via the open network and to use the data processing application to generate second analysis results specific to the second processing plant from the second process control information and send the second analysis results to the second processing plant via the open network.