Patent ID: 7882250

Claim:
A system of the type including multiple functions relating to production, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), maintenance and automation, configured to provide simultaneous access to a plurality of data sources, the data sources stored in various devices, each having a separate interface for accessing the data contained in the data source, the various devices including an automation device, an ERP device, and an MES device, the system comprising: a central interface device simultaneously accessible by multiple users and in communication with each of the plurality of data sources, wherein the central interface device comprises mechanisms for simultaneously providing a uniform, central, single point of access to predetermined data sources of the plurality data sources, the central interface device comprising: (a) a restricted access administration device providing role-based access for each of the multiple users, wherein the restricted access administration device identifies a user and, based on a role of the user, enables or restricts access to predetermined data sources; (b) a data acquisition device controlled by the restricted access administration device and in communication with each of the plurality of data sources, the data acquisition device configured to fetch data from the predetermined data sources as determined by the restricted access administration device based on the role of the user and to assemble the data for the user; (c) a polling device for cyclically polling the data from the predetermined data sources based on a production criterion defined by the user, wherein the polling device (1) monitors and evaluates the data for attainment of the production criterion, (2) generates a corresponding message indicating to the user when the production criterion has been attained, and (3) assembles and makes available to the user the data relevant to attainment of the production criterion when the user is next logged in to the system; and (d) a visualization device having a plurality of portal modules enabling data fetched from the plurality of data sources to be viewed simultaneously in a visualization window wherein data is visualized uniformly and predetermined for the user based on the role of the user.