A method for operating an automation system having automation units, a computer program for implementing the method and a computer system having such a computer program, wherein technology-oriented plant description data is stored in the automation system, the plant description data is organized in an object tree with nodes and edges, and wherein the plant description data comprises references to program data in individual automation programs and nodes of the object tree (36) containing references to program data are stored in or at least also in that automation unit which provides the respective program data.

A method for providing an attribute of an element in a processing system having a plurality of elements, the processing system being represented as a directed graph having a plurality of nodes and directed edges, each node representing an element, each node having an attribute, and each directed edge representing a relation between two elements of the plurality of elements, the method including: selecting one node of the plurality of nodes as a starting node; constructing a subgraph, the subgraph including all the nodes that are forward-connected by at least one directed edge from the starting node; and outputting all nodes and the attribute of the nodes of the subgraph.

An intrinsically-safe handheld field maintenance tool includes a controller, a process communication module, and a display. The process communication module is configured to communicate with a field device using a process communication protocol. The display is coupled to the controller. A user interface module is also coupled to the controller and is configured to receive user input. The controller is configured to detect a user input help request and provide a video output on the display in response to the user input help request.

An engineering system for an industrial process automation system, wherein objects predefined by a user selection are loaded for processing from a database into at least one processing memory area, where upon initiation of a user release of objects to be released that have been loaded into a selected processing memory area, a check is performed to establish whether a processing memory area directly of higher priority is present, direct predecessors in the processing memory area of higher priority are determined for releasable objects that have been loaded into the selected processing memory area and added to the releasable objects upon a positive result, objects hierarchically subordinate to objects among the releasable objects to be released are determined and tagged for release, and where objects tagged for release, via a change of their assignment, are shifted from the selected user memory area into the user memory area of higher priority.

A handheld field maintenance tool includes a training mode. The handheld field maintenance tool has a process communication module operably coupleable to a field device, a user interface, and a controller coupled to the process communication module and the user interface. The controller is configured to interact with a user through the user interface, and is configured to provide a simulation function where at least one characteristic of the field device, indicated through the user interface, is generated by the controller instead of the field device.

A method for providing an attribute of an element in a processing system having a plurality of elements, the processing system being represented as a directed graph having a plurality of nodes and directed edges, each node representing an element, each node having an attribute, and each directed edge representing a relation between two elements of the plurality of elements, the method including: selecting one node of the plurality of nodes as a starting node; constructing a subgraph, the subgraph including all the nodes that are forward-connected by at least one directed edge from the starting node; and outputting all nodes and the attribute of the nodes of the subgraph.

An engineering system for an industrial process automation system, wherein objects predefined by a user selection are loaded for processing from a database into at least one processing memory area, where upon initiation of a user release of objects to be released that have been loaded into a selected processing memory area, a check is performed to establish whether a processing memory area directly of higher priority is present, direct predecessors in the processing memory area of higher priority are determined for releasable objects that have been loaded into the selected processing memory area and added to the releasable objects upon a positive result, objects hierarchically subordinate to objects among the releasable objects to be released are determined and tagged for release, and where objects tagged for release, via a change of their assignment, are shifted from the selected user memory area into the user memory area of higher priority.

An intrinsically-safe handheld field maintenance tool is provided. The tool includes a process communication module configured to communicate with a field device in accordance with a process industry communication protocol. A controller is coupled to the process communication module and is configured to provide at least one function related to maintenance of the field device. Program instructions embodied on a computer readable medium coupled to the controller, the program instructions causing the controller, when executed by the controller, to provide operator rounds functionality, CMMS/EAM functionality and/or ERP functionality.

A handheld field maintenance tool with improved diagnostic functions is provided. The tool includes a process communication module configured to interact with a field device. A controller is coupled to the process communication module. The controller is configured to execute a number of improved diagnostic functions relative to the field device. The controller may obtain contextual information relative to a current field maintenance operation and preload at least one resource relative to a next field operation step. The controller may obtain process alarm information through a wireless communication module, and field device alert information through the process communication module and provide an indication on a display relative to both process alarm information and field device alert information. The controller may execute a sequence of field device maintenance operations on the field device in response to a signal from a user input device. The controller may obtain snapshot information in response to a signal from a user input device.