Methods and Apparatus for Configuring Remote Access of Process Control Data

A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for providing process data from a process control system to a remote computing device that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing device, cause the computing device to:

• receive configuration data describing a configuration of at least part of the process control system from one or more components within the process control system via a first network, wherein the configuration data includes information associated with a plurality of entities within the process control system, and wherein the information associated with each entity includes at least one tag;
• receive a query from the remote computing device via a second network, the query including one or more search parameters associated with the tags of the entities;
• identify one or more entities based upon the one or more search parameters and the tags associated with the one or more entities;
• generate a list of entries including entries associated with the identified one or more entities;
• communicate the list to the remote computing device via the second network;
• receive a selection of a set of entries from the list via the second network from the remote computing device;
• receive a set of data values including data values associated with the set of entries via the first network from a data server;
• and
• communicate the data values associated with the set of entries to the remote computing device via the second network.