Industrial Process Control Data Access Server Supporting Multiple Client Data Exchange Protocols

A process data access server enabling client applications incorporating potentially multiple differing data exchange protocols to access process data stored at potentially many different locations in a process control system, the process data access server comprising:

• a device protocol interface facilitating accessing process data storage locations within the process control system;
• a set of client data exchange protocol modules enabling client applications to request access to process data storage locations via the process data access server according to particular client data exchange protocols supported by the set of client data exchange protocol modules;
• and
• a data access server engine for executing process data access requests, received by the process data access server via the set of client data exchange protocol modules, by accessing, via the device protocol interface, data storage locations corresponding to the process data access requests, and wherein the data access server engine includes a client application data exchange protocol abstraction layer comprising a set of operations callable by ones of the set of client data exchange protocol modules in response to receipt by the set of client data exchange protocol modules of process data access requests.