System for configuring a process control environment

A method of configuring control devices in a process plant, the method comprising:

• defining a control strategy associated with a process plant using a graphical user interface, the control strategy for maintaining a process variable at a desired level;
• storing the defined control strategy in a database as a plurality of interconnected objects;
• and
• causing data corresponding to the plurality of interconnected objects to be distributed among a plurality of separate control devices in a process plant to configure the plurality of separate control devices to implement the control strategy, wherein one of the plurality of separate control devices is a field device that performs a physical step in a field and includes a processing unit to implement a specific portion of a control strategy and a second one of the plurality of separate control devices is a controller, wherein a first object implemented by the field device and a second object implemented by the controller communicate with one another to implement the control strategy to maintain the process variable at the desired level.

A computer readable medium having stored thereon machine executable instructions, the machine executable instructions capable of causing the machine to:

• permit a user to define a control strategy associated with a process plant, the control strategy for maintaining a process variable at a desired level;
• store the defined control strategy in a database as a plurality of interrelated objects;
• and
• cause data corresponding to the plurality of interrelated objects to be distributed among a plurality of separate control devices in a process plant to configure the plurality of separate control devices to implement the control strategy, wherein one of the plurality of separate control devices is a field device that performs a physical step in a field and includes a processing unit to implement a specific portion of a control strategy and a second one of the plurality of separate control devices is a controller, wherein a first object implemented by the field device and a second object implemented by the controller communicate with each other to implement the control strategy to maintain the process variable at the desired level.