Methods and apparatus for process, factory-floor, environmental, computer aided manufacturing-based or other control system using hierarchically enumerated data set

In a method of operating a process, factory-floor, environmental, computer aided manufacturing-based or other (collectively, “process”) control system, the improvement comprising

• A. establishing one or more objects or other data structures (collectively, “objects”) to maintain values associated with the control system, wherein at least a selected object is adapted to maintain a value selected from among the hierarchical tree of values that characterize the system;
• B. executing a workflow processing engine to process one or more workflows, each defining one or more actions to be taken in response to events occurring with respect to the process and/or control applications;
• C. the executing step including processing at least one workflow defining one or more data collection actions that include one or more of said objects, at least one which includes the selected object,
• D. obtaining, as a consequence of executing a data collection action including the selected object, a value that is selected from among the hierarchical tree of values and that is associated with the control system.

A system for process, factory-floor, environmental, computer aided manufacturing-based or other (collectively, “process”) control comprising:

• A. a workflow processing engine that processes one or more workflows, each defining one or more actions to be taken in response to events occurring with respect to the process and/or control applications,
• at least one workflow defining one or more data collection actions that include one or more objects or other data structures (collectively, “objects”) adapted to maintain values that are associated with the control system and that are selected from among one or more hierarchical trees of values that characterize the system;
• B. a plurality of control applications that interface with an operator and/or control equipment for the process;
• C. the workflow processing engine including an action processor that selectively responds to a trigger indicative of a timer or a scheduled or other event by executing a data collection action to obtain a value that is selected from among the hierarchical trees of values and that is associated with the control system.