Accessing and updating a configuration database of distributed physical locations within a process control system

摘要

A process control system distributed between a first physical location (12) and a second physical location (14), wherein the first and second physical locations are substantially geographically separated from each other, the process control system comprising: a first database (30) communicating with the first physical location (12) is arranged to store a first record; a second database (54) located at the second physical location (14) for storing a second data set; a slow communication link (16) communicatively connecting the first physical location and the second physical location; and a communication routine that uses the slow communication link (16) to copy a portion of the first record from the first database (30) and stores the copied portion of the first record as the second record in the second database (54); wherein the first database (30) is a master database storing a master copy of the first record and the second database (54) is a briefcase database storing copies of at least a portion of the first record as a second record stored in the first record Process control system to be used at the second physical location (14); and wherein the first physical location (12) includes database access means arranged to implement a lock operation to lock any portions of the first record in the first database (30) to prevent the locked data from being modified wherein the communication routine includes a reservation process that initiates the locking operation to lock a data item in the first database (30) when the data item is copied to the second database (54) to thereby store the data item in the first database (30). to reserve.