PERA Enterprise Integration Website

A large industrial enterprise is one of the most complex entities created by man. PERA provides a way to break down enterprises into understandable components. This allows designers and operating staff to see the "20,000 ft view" and where the detail around them fits in.

This web site describes:

• The PERA Reference Model for CIM, including the three basic components of any enterprise:
• Production Facilities (pink),
• Humans and Organization (magenta), and
• Control and Information Systems (blue)


• All Lifecycle Phases from enterprise definition to decommissioning


• Fundamental Concepts for design and operation of any enterprise including:

  Master Planning Project Execution Operating Procedures Risk Management

  Design Standards Architecture Levels Professional Roles Principal Organizational Roles



• The Navigation bar at the left selects Enterprise Integration topics including standards, products, project management, etc.

The PERA methodology is unique, in that it addresses:

• Human Roles and Organizational aspects of the enterprise in parallel with facilities and Control and Information Systems,
• All Architecture Levels from plant equipment to the board room,
• All Control and Information Systems from plant sensors to the Internet, and
• All types of Enterprise, including continuous process industries, discrete manufacturing, or service providers.

The Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture (PERA) has been placed in the public domain to encourage its use and development. It is our intent on this PERA website to:

1. Introduce concepts of enterprise integration including the latest approaches and tools,
2. Provide detail to explain why and how to use PERA,
3. Provide links to additional information , including training tutorials, procedures and forms, reference systems, etc., to benefit end users.

While items 1) and 2) are provided on this website for free, providers of additional "level 3" information from other websites, hardcopy publishers, software and service providers, may request payment.

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Legal Stuff

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No royalty is requested for this material, nor is a login required.

Technical Stuff

This site may be viewed with any browser that supports "Frames". As you browse the resources we provide links to, you may return to any of our major topic areas with a single click (in the left menu bar). If, however, external websites "take over: your browser, you may return to the PERA website with the browser's "back arrow".

You may need an Acrobat Reader "plug-in" for your browser to download some documents (eg. the PERA Master Planning Handbook). The Acrobat Reader is a freely available plug-in from Adobe. Follow the instructions on the Adobe page to download the Reader.

by Gary Rathwell

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