Automatic linkage of process event data to a data historian

A process control system for use in a process plant, comprising:

• one or more controllers coupled to one or more field devices;
• a data historian having a data historian processor and a data historian memory;
• a workstation having a workstation processor and a workstation memory;
• a communication network communicatively connecting the data historian, the one or more controllers and the workstation;
• a first configuration routine stored on the workstation memory and adapted to be executed on the workstation processor to enable a user to specify a configuration of the process control system including enabling a user to specify relationships between the sub-elements and one or more higher level elements within the process control system configuration, and to download changes to the configuration of the process control system to the controllers;
• a second configuration routine stored on the workstation memory and adapted to be executed on the workstation processor to automatically provide information pertaining to the sub-elements being associated with the one or more higher level elements within the process control system configuration to the data historian for use by the data historian in storing process data generated during operation of the process control system;
• and
• a configuration list stored in the data historian memory adapted to store the information pertaining to the sub-elements being associated with the one or more higher level elements within the process control system configuration.

A method of configuring a process control system having a data historian and having one or more controllers communicatively connected to one or more field devices within a process plant, the method comprising:

• enabling a user to specify higher level elements within the process plant which are to be used to perform activities within the process plant;
• enabling a user to specify relationships between one or more sub-elements associated with one or more of the higher level elements within the process plant to create a configuration for the process control system for use by the data historian in storing process data generated during operation of the process control system;
• downloading changes to the configuration of the process control system to the controllers;
• and
• automatically informing the data historian of the sub-elements associated with the one or more higher level elements as a result of the user specifying the one or more sub-elements of the one or more higher level elements.