Patent ID: 7242991

Claim:
A method of graphically configuring a system for process, factory-floor, environmental, computer aided manufacturing-based or other (collectively, “process”) control, comprising: (A) selecting from among a plurality of first icons, each representing a triggering event, an icon representative of a selected triggering event, (B) selecting from among a plurality of second icons, each representing a respective action, one or more respective selected actions, (C) defining a workflow by positioning the selected icons with respect to one another, the positioning determining, during workflow execution by a production engine, the one or more selected actions to be taken in response to the selected triggering event, (D) configuring a database to include a runtime component having a representation of the workflow and operational parameters obtained from at least one other database, each other database associated with a control application that is a client of the production engine, and (E) performing process monitoring or process control using the workflow and the configured database.