Collecting and delivering data to a big data machine in a process control system

A process control device for controlling a process in a process plant, comprising:

• an interface to a communications network of the process plant;
• a cache configured to store data,
• the data including at least one of:
• (i) data generated by the process control device for transmission, (ii) data created by the process control device, or (iii) data received by the process control device, and
• the data corresponding to at least one of the process plant or the process controlled in the process plant;
• and
• a multi-processing element processor having at least one processing element designated to cause the data to be stored in the cache and to cause at least a portion of the data to be transmitted, via the communications network, for storage at a centralized data storage area corresponding to the process plant,
• wherein the process control device is one of:
• a field device configured to perform a physical function to control the process,
• a controller configured to receive an input and generate, based on the input, an output to control the process, or
• an input/output (I/O) device disposed between and communicatively connecting the field device and the controller.

A system for supporting big data in a process plant, the system comprising:

• a communications network having a plurality of nodes,
• the communications network configured to deliver data to be stored at a unitary, logical data storage area;
• the unitary, logical data storage area configured to store, using a common format, multiple types of data from a set of data types corresponding to at least one of the process plant or a process controlled by the process plant, and the set of data types including continuous data, event data, measurement data, batch data, calculated data, and configuration data;
• each node of the plurality of nodes configured to (i) cache respective first data that is at least one of generated by, created by, or received at the each node, and to (ii) cause at least a portion of the cached data to be transmitted, via the communications network, for storage at the unitary, logical data storage area;
• and
• at least one node of the plurality of nodes is further configured to (iii) receive second data that is at least one of generated by, created by, or received at another node of the plurality of nodes, and to (iv) cause the second data to be transmitted for storage at the unitary, logical data storage area.