IEC 61987-10:2009

Industrial-process measurement and control - Data structures and elements in process equipment catalogues - Part 10: List of Properties (LOPs) for Industrial-Process Measurement and Control for Electronic Data Exchange - Fundamentals

IEC 61987-10:2009 provides a method of standardizing the descriptions of process control devices, instrumentation and auxiliary equipment as well as their operating environments and operating requirements (for example, measuring point specification data). The aims of this standard are:
- to define a common language for customers and suppliers through the publication of Lists of Properties (LOPs),
- to optimize workflows between customers and suppliers as well as in processes such as engineering, development and purchasing within their own organizations,
- to reduce transaction costs.
The standard describes industrial-process device types and devices using structured lists of properties and makes the associated properties available in a component data dictionary. This bilingual version, published in 2010-11, corresponds to the English version. The French version of this standard has not been voted upon.
This publication is to be read in conjunction with IEC 61987-1:2006.

Mesure et contrôle des processus industriels - Structures de données et éléments dans les catalogues d'équipement de processus - Partie 10: Liste de propriétés (LOP) pour l'échange électronique de données pour la mesure et le contrôle de processus industriels - Principes essentiels

La CEI 61987-10:2009 fournit une méthode de normalisation des descriptions des dispositifs de contrôle de processus, des équipements d'instrumentation et des auxiliaires ainsi que leurs environnements de fonctionnement et les exigences de fonctionnement (par exemple, les données de spécification du point de mesure). Les buts de cette norme sont les suivants:
- définir un langage commun pour les clients et les fournisseurs en publiant des listes de propriétés (LOP),
- optimiser les flux de travaux entre clients et fournisseurs ainsi que dans les processus, par exemple l'ingénierie, le développement et les achats,
- réduire les coûts des transactions.
La présente norme décrit des types de dispositifs de processus industriels en utilisant des listes structurées de propriétés. Ses propriétés sont mises à disposition dans un dictionnaire de données de composants. La présente version bilingue, publiée en 2010-11, correspond à la version anglaise. La version française de cette norme n'a pas été soumise au vote.
Cette publication doit être lue conjointement avec la CEI 61987-1:2006.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 22-Jul-2009
• ICS: 25.040.40 - Industrial process measurement and control
• ICS: 35.100.20 - Data link layer
• Technical Committee: SC 65E - Devices and integration in enterprise systems
• Drafting Committee: WG 2 - TC 65/SC 65E/WG 2
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 23-Jul-2009
• Completion Date: 31-Aug-2009

Relations

• Corrected By: IEC 61987-10:2009/COR1:2012 - Corrigendum 1 - Industrial-process measurement and control - Data structures and elements in process equipment catalogues - Part 10: Lists of properties (LOPs) for industrial-process measurement and control for electronic data exchange - Fundamentals
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Overview

IEC 61987-10:2009 defines fundamentals for exchanging standardized device and equipment information in industrial-process measurement and control. It establishes a method for creating Lists of Properties (LOPs) that describe process control devices, instrumentation, operating environments and measurement-point requirements to enable consistent electronic data exchange between customers, suppliers and engineering tools.

This part of IEC 61987 is intended to be read with IEC 61987-1 and relies on component data dictionary principles (e.g., IEC 61360) to provide common semantics for device catalogues and automated workflows.

Key topics and requirements

• Lists of Properties (LOPs): Standardized collections of properties used to describe device types, operating data and environment information suitable for inquiries, offers and integration.
• Property structure: Definitions of properties, attributes and grouping into blocks of properties and views for modular, reusable descriptions.
• Structural concepts: Cardinality, polymorphism and composition/aggregation to model device complexity and composite devices.
• LOP types: Differentiation of administrative (ALOP), operating (OLOP), device (DLOP) and commercial (CLOP) LOPs to support varied lifecycle and business needs.
• Data separation: Clear distinction between structural data (persistent descriptive data) and transaction data (inquiry/offer specific values).
• Concept identifiers & dictionaries: Use of concept identifiers linked to a component data dictionary (IEC 61360 / ISO 13584) to ensure unambiguous semantics and reuse across systems.
• Electronic exchange readiness: Guidance for packaging LOP content for electronic messages and integration with data models (e.g., ebXML) and CAE/ERP systems.

Applications and users

IEC 61987-10 is practical for:

• Device manufacturers and suppliers creating machine-readable product catalogues and e-catalogues.
• End users, engineering and procurement teams who require standardized device specifications for quoting, purchasing and system integration.
• EPC contractors, system integrators and CAE/ERP/maintenance tools that consume device data for project engineering, automation and lifecycle management.
• IT architects implementing B2B electronic data exchange between supplier and customer systems to reduce transaction costs and duplicate data entry.

Benefits include faster engineering workflows, reduced errors in procurement, clearer supplier-customer communication and lower transaction costs through interoperable device data.

Related standards

• IEC 61987-1 (catalogue structure)
• IEC 61360 (component data dictionary / data model)
• ISO 13584 (PLIB / properties dictionaries)
• ebXML / ISO 15000 (example exchange frameworks)

Keywords: IEC 61987-10, Lists of Properties, LOPs, industrial-process measurement and control, electronic data exchange, component data dictionary, device catalogue, IEC 61360.

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 61987-10 ®
Edition 1.0 2009-07
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Industrial-process measurement and control – Data structures and elements
in process equipment catalogues –
Part 10: Lists of properties (LOPs) for industrial-process measurement and
control for electronic data exchange – Fundamentals

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester.
If you have any questions about IEC copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication,
please contact the address below or your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

IEC Central Office
3, rue de Varembé
CH-1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland
Email: [e-mail]
Web: www.iec.ch
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigenda or an amendment might have been published.
ƒ Catalogue of IEC publications: www.iec.ch/searchpub
The IEC on-line Catalogue enables you to search by a variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical committee,…).
It also gives information on projects, withdrawn and replaced publications.
ƒ IEC Just Published: www.iec.ch/online_news/justpub
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published details twice a month all new publications released. Available
on-line and also by email.
ƒ Electropedia: www.electropedia.org
The world's leading online dictionary of electronic and electrical terms containing more than 20 000 terms and definitions
in English and French, with equivalent terms in additional languages. Also known as the International Electrotechnical
Vocabulary online.
ƒ Customer Service Centre: www.iec.ch/webstore/custserv
If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or need further assistance, please visit the Customer Service
Centre FAQ or contact us:
Email: [e-mail]
Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
IEC 61987-10 ®
Edition 1.0 2009-07
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Industrial-process measurement and control – Data structures and elements
in process equipment catalogues –
Part 10: Lists of properties (LOPs) for industrial-process measurement and
control for electronic data exchange – Fundamentals

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
PRICE CODE
X
ICS 25.040.40; 35.100.20 ISBN 978-2-88910-597-7
– 2 – 61987-10 © IEC:2009(E)
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.4
INTRODUCTION.6
1 Scope.10
2 Normative references .10
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations .11
3.1 Terms and definitions .11
3.2 Abbreviations .15
4 Structural elements and concepts of lists of properties .16
4.1 General .16
4.2 Structural elements .16
4.2.1 Properties.16
4.2.2 Blocks of properties.18
4.2.3 Views .19
4.3 Structural concepts .19
4.3.1 Cardinality .19
4.3.2 Polymorphism.20
4.3.3 Composition/Aggregation.21
5 Types of Lists of Properties .22
5.1 General .22
5.2 Administrative List of Properties (ALOP).22
5.3 Operating List of Properties (OLOP) .23
5.4 Device List of Properties (DLOP).23
5.5 Commercial List of Properties (CLOP) .24
5.6 Additional types of Lists of Properties.24
5.7 LOP types for composite devices .25
6 Structural and Transaction Data .25
6.1 Concept Identifier .25
6.2 Structural Data .26
6.3 Transaction Data.26
Annex A (normative) Conceptual model of a List of Properties .30
Annex B (informative) Usage of LOPs.34
Annex C (informative) Use cases for engineering.41
Bibliography.48

Figure 1 – Layers of electronic exchange procedures considered in this standard.
Figure 2 – Support for business-to-business relationships through the use of Lists of
Properties .8
Figure 3 – A property and its attributes .17
Figure 4 – Interpretation of a block of properties.18
Figure 5 – Illustration of cardinality .20
Figure 6 – Illustration of polymorphism .21
Figure 7 – Structure of a composite device .22
Figure 8 – Relationship between property values in the OLOP and DLOP .24
Figure A.1 – Simplified UML scheme of an LOP.30

61987-10 © IEC:2009(E) – 3 –
Figure A.2 – Conceptual UML scheme of the data model .31
Figure C.1 – Use of LOP types at individual project stages .41
Figure C.2 – Data exchange in the engineering workflow .42
Figure C.3 – Structural and transaction data for inquiry and offer.44
Figure C.4 – Data exchange throughout the life-cycle of a device .47

Table 1 – Example of concept Identifiers .26
Table 2 – Example of transaction data .27
Table 3 – Example of visualisation of the transaction data .29
Table B.1 – Suggestion for an Administrative List of Properties .34
Table B.2 – Example of Operating List of Properties .37
Table B.3 – Example of Device List of Properties.38
Table C.1 – Structural and transaction data for the example described .46

– 4 – 61987-10 © IEC:2009(E)
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
INDUSTRIAL-PROCESS MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL –
DATA STRUCTURES AND ELEMENTS
IN PROCESS EQUIPMENT CATALOGUES –

Part 10: Lists of Properties (LOPs) for Industrial-Process Measurement
and Control for Electronic Data Exchange – Fundamentals

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC provides no marking procedure to indicate its approval and cannot be rendered responsible for any
equipment declared to be in conformity with an IEC Publication.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 61987-10 has been prepared by subcommittee 65E: Devices and
integration in enterprise systems, of IEC technical committee 65: Industrial-process
measurement, controls and automation.
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
65E/134/FDIS 65E/145/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

61987-10 © IEC:2009(E) – 5 –
This part of IEC 61987 has to be read in conjunction with IEC 61987-1.
A list of all parts in the IEC 61987 series, under the general titles Industrial-process
measurement and control structures and elements in process equipment catalogues, can be
found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the maintenance result date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in
the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
A bilingual version of this publication may be issued at a later date.

– 6 – 61987-10 © IEC:2009(E)
INTRODUCTION
The exchange of product data between companies, business systems, engineering tools and,
in the future, control systems (electrical, measuring and control technology) can run smoothly
only when both the information to be exchanged and the use of this information have been
clearly defined.
In the past, requirements on process control devices and systems were specified by
customers in various ways when suppliers or manufacturers were asked to quote for suitable
equipment. The suppliers in their turn described the devices according to their own
documentation schemes, often using different terms, structures and media (paper, databases,
CDs, e-catalogues, etc.). The situation was similar in the planning and development process,
with device information frequently being duplicated in a number of different information
technology (IT) systems.
Any method that is capable of recording all existing information once only during the planning
and ordering process and making it available for further processing gives all parties involved
an opportunity to concentrate on the essentials. A precondition for this is the standardization
of both the descriptions of the objects and the exchange of information.
IEC 61987-1 makes an important step towards this goal by defining a generic structure in
which product features of industrial process measurement and control equipment with
analogue or digital output can be arranged. This facilitates the understanding of product
descriptions when they are transferred from one party to another. Part 1 of this series of
standards applies to the production of catalogues of process measuring and control
equipment in paper form supplied by the manufacturer of the product.
The objective of IEC 61987-10 is to make processes involving measuring and control devices
more efficient. This means that in addition to the device catalogue data of IEC 61987-1,
information on operational and environmental aspects of the device is required. These
aspects should be described and expressed in a form that can also be exchanged
electronically and handled automatically.
In IEC 61987-10, devices are specified by creating lists of properties (LOPs). The properties
themselves are compiled into blocks that describe particular features of a device. By
compiling blocks, it is possible to produce a list of properties that completely describe a
particular device type or the surroundings in which the devices is or will be installed and
operate.
This part of IEC 61987 deals with the following.
• It concerns both properties that may be used in an inquiry and a quotation. It also
addresses detailed properties required for integration of a process control device in
systems for other tasks, such as planning (for example in Computer Aided Engineering
(CAE) systems), maintenance and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
• It provides a method for standardization that helps both suppliers and users of process
control equipment and systems to optimize workflows, both within their own companies
and in their exchanges with other companies. Depending on their role in the process,
engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors may be considered to be
either users or suppliers.
• It ensures the clarity of the information provided, as the data and structures are described
in unambiguous terms.
It should also be noted that the component data dictionary might also be used for other
applications, for example the generation of parts lists. It is also possible to generate legacy
specifications from the same source.

61987-10 © IEC:2009(E) – 7 –
Layers of electronic date exchange

Data model:  IEC 61360-2
Dictionary:
IEC 61360
IEC 61360
ISO 13584-42 Properties,
DiDiccttiiononaarryy
Dictionary
LOPs, Units, …
Dictionary IEC 61987-11 and further
LOLOPPss, Uni, Unittss,, . .
Content:
Methodology
SuSubbjjeecct ot off
SuSuSuSubbbbjjjjeeeecccct ot ot ot offff
IEC 61987-10
IIIEEECCC 61987 61987 61987
IIIIEEEECCCC 61987 61987 61987 61987  - -
??? ???
Data model: IEC 61360 - -
??? ???
- and f10 ff10 ffurther
10 ff10 ff10 ff10 ff
- -
(ISO 13584-25)
- -
Specifications
- -
- -
Content: IEC 61987-11 and further
- -
- -
(interpreted structures)
Data model: e.g. ISO 15000 ebXML
ExamExamExampppllleee i is innn
ExamExamExamExampppplllleeee i i i innnn
Examples in
IIIEEECCC 61987 61987 61987  Messages
IIIIEEEECCCC 61987 61987 61987 61987
IEC 61987-10
Content: Transaction Enquire Offer
InInInqqquuuiiirrreee
data message message
E-mail E-mail
Data exchange
framework
Fax Fax
XML XML
IEC  1277/09
Figure 1 – Layers of electronic exchange procedures considered in this standard
The individual layers of data exchange considered in this part of IEC 61987 are described as
follows (see also Figure 1).
Dictionary: To achieve standardized, distributed, common semantics of the devices, this
standard describes a concept dictionary that captures terms, definitions and relationships of
the devices. The basis is an IEC component data dictionary for industrial process
measurement and control devices that uses the data models of IEC 61360-2 and
ISO 13584-42. The dictionary content comprises the properties and blocks which will be
defined in future IEC 61987-11, etc. The same standards also define lists of properties for
process measurement and control devices.
NOTE 1 Not all devices will be included in the first edition of the dictionary, and it is possible that other devices
will be added as new devices and technologies are developed.
Specifications: A process engineer planning a particular area in a plant uses an electronic
specification sheet which draws its content from the component data dictionary. Similarly, a
manufacturer quoting for an industrial process measuring device that fulfils the conditions
defined in the specification sheet defines his device according to another specification sheet,
which again draws its content from the component data dictionary. In interpretation of the
specifications, the patterns of cardinality or polymorphism are evaluated.
Messages: Communication messages containing information about sender, receiver and
transport protocol are generated from specifications.
NOTE 2 The generation of messages is not in the scope of this standard.
Data exchange framework: The messages are sent from one business partner to the other
using data exchange frameworks. These can be conventional (e-mail, fax) using templates as
described in Annex C of this standard, or XML message based distribution frameworks.

– 8 – 61987-10 © IEC:2009(E)
EXAMPLE: One example of a XML message distribution framework is ISO 15000 (ebXML).
The methodology to create these specifications and the description of the mechanisms that
are required to compile meaningful data into such specifications are defined in this standard.
Several aspects of the devices are also the subject of standardisation in this standard. For
example, one aspect describes the operating environment at the installation point, that is the
conditions under which a process measuring device must operate, and another describes the
device specification which meets these conditions.
The properties contained in the component data dictionary however, may also serve other
purposes, for example, the precise location of the production unit or control loop might form
part of administrative and commercial exchanges. Similarly, more precise engineering data
such as the designation of terminals or device calibration data might also be exchanged by
means of additional specification sheets or by supplementing the device specification sheets.
Beyond the scope of this standard is the specification of transactional data required to
exchange electronic specification sheets between companies, as shown in the messages
layer of Figure 1. Similarly, no particular framework for data exchange is specified.
Each device type is defined by an LOP containing the properties that apply to it. This is a
basic requirement for exchanging device information between different information technology
(IT) systems.
The use of the LOPs therefore supports data exchange between systems in a business-to-
business relationship and between systems within an organization, for example, CAE or ERP
systems (see Figure 2). This standard also makes provision for the storage of device data as
LOPs in process control systems or field devices.

Supplier
Customer
Development
Planning/CAE
Design
Lists of Properties
Purchasing/Materials
Materials Management
of IEC 61987
Management
Services
Maintenance
Sales/Distribution
IEC  1278/09
Figure 2 – Support for business-to-business relationships
through the use of Lists of Properties
IEC 61987-10, IEC 61987-11 and further
IEC 61987-10 defines the approach for structuring lists of properties for electrical and process
control equipment, for example measuring devices, actuators, motors, low-voltage switchgear,
etc., in order to facilitate fully automatic engineering workflows in the planning and
maintenance of industrial plants and to allow both the customers and the suppliers of the
devices to optimize their processes and workflows.
Future IEC 61987-11 will contain lists of properties for measuring device types commonly
used in the process industry.
61987-10 © IEC:2009(E) – 9 –
Subsequent parts of IEC 61987 are already planned. These will contain lists of properties for
other device families, such as actuators or signal conversion devices.
The properties themselves are to be found in the IEC Component Data Dictionary and follow
the semantics and the structure of the IEC 61360 and ISO 13584 series of standards.
The concept of properties and structured lists is the subject of various standards. The data
model described in the IEC 61360 and ISO 13584 series of standards is used in this standard.
The structure defined for industrial-process measuring equipment in IEC 61987-1 is used,
with some additions and modifications, to organise the contents of Device LOPs into blocks.

– 10 – 61987-10 © IEC:2009(E)
INDUSTRIAL-PROCESS MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL –
DATA STRUCTURES AND ELEMENTS
IN PROCESS EQUIPMENT CATALOGUES –

Part 10: Lists of Properties (LOPs) for Industrial-Process Measurement
and Control for Electronic Data Exchange – Fundamentals

1 Scope
This part of IEC 61987 provides a method of standardizing the descriptions of process control
devices, instrumentation and auxiliary equipment as well as their operating environments and
operating requirements (for example, measuring point specification data). The aims of this
standard are
• to define a common language for customers and suppliers through the publication of Lists
of Properties (LOPs),
• to optimize workflows between customers and suppliers as well as in processes such as
engineering, development and purchasing within their own organizations,
• to reduce transaction costs.
The standard describes industrial-process device types and devices using structured lists of
properties and makes the associated properties available in a component data dictionary.
The intention is to produce a reference dictionary which allows a description of the inquiry,
offer, company internal and other descriptions of process control systems, instrumentation
and auxiliary equipment based on list of properties.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document.
For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition
of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
IEC 60529:1989, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code)
Amendment 1 (1999)
IEC 61346-1:1996, Industrial systems, installations and equipment and industrial products –
Structuring principles and reference designations – Part 1: Basic rules
IEC 61360 (all parts), Standard data element types with associated classification scheme for
electric components
IEC 61360-1, Standard data element types with associated classification scheme for electric
components – Part 1: Definitions – Principles and methods
IEC 61360-2, Standard data element types with associated classification scheme for electric
components – Part 2: EXPRESS dictionary schema
IEC 61987-1, Industrial-process measurement and control – Data structures and elements in
process equipment catalogues – Part 1: Measuring equipment with analogue and digital
output
61987-10 © IEC:2009(E) – 11 –
ISO 1000, SI units and recommendations for the use of their multiples and of certain other
units
ISO 13584 (all parts), Industrial automation systems and integration – Parts library
ISO 13584-42, Industrial automation systems and integration – Parts library – Part 42:
Description methodology: Methodology for structuring part families
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1.1
administrative list of properties
ALOP
list of properties describing the aspect concerning initiating, tracking and completing a
transaction
NOTE 1 The administrative list of properties contains, for example, information about the type of document (for
example, inquiry, quotation) and the issuing details (for example, contact data of the author) and may be placed at
the head of the transaction document.
NOTE 2 An ALOP may apply to a transaction of multiple instances of one or more device types, and will seldom
be related to only a single device type.
3.1.2
aspect
specific way of selecting information on or describing a system or an object of a system
[IEC 61346-1, 3.3]
EXAMPLE: Such a way may be
– information about how to describe an object (device) – the describing aspect,
– information about the surrounding conditions in which a device operates – the operating aspect.
3.1.3
attribute
characteristic of an object or entity
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.1.1]
EXAMPLE: Properties, blocks, LOPs, units of measure etc. are entities.
3.1.4
block of properties
collection of properties relating to (describing) one concept of the device type being
considered, for example device output, environmental conditions, operating conditions, device
dimensions
NOTE 1 A block may also comprise other blocks of properties.
NOTE 2 A block of properties is a feature class in the sense of the series of standards IEC 61360 and ISO 13584.
3.1.5
cardinality
pattern defining the number of times a concept reoccurs within a description

– 12 – 61987-10 © IEC:2009(E)
NOTE 1 In IEC 61987-10 and future parts of IEC 61987, cardinality is used to indicate the repetition of blocks of
properties or LOPs.
NOTE 2 In structural data cardinality defines the fact that the block may be repeated, whereas in transactional
data the cardinality defines the number of times the block is repeated.
NOTE 3 Cardinality may be zero.
NOTE 4 Cardinality allows a block of properties contained in a list of properties to be used more than once for a
particular transaction in order to describe, for example, a device with several different outputs or more then one
process cases in describing the requirements for a device.
NOTE 5 Cardinality is mapped to IEC 61360 data model by means of a property that is placed directly before the
block or property which can be repeated. The repeated block or property occurs in the structural data only once but
in the transaction data as many times as the value of the cardinality property defines
3.1.6
characteristic
abstraction of a property of an object or of a set of objects
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.4]
NOTE 1 Characteristics are used for describing concepts.
NOTE 2 This standard uses properties to describe devices, their operating environment (ambient conditions) or
other aspects.
3.1.7
commercial list of properties
CLOP
list of properties describing the aspect concerning business workflows
NOTE A commercial list of properties contains for example prices, costs, delivery times, transport information,
and order or delivery quantity.
3.1.8
composite device
device composed of various devices
NOTE These devices might be supplied as a whole or the parts comprising the assembly of the composite device
might be supplied individually.
EXAMPLE: A control valve which consists of the valve itself, a drive and a positioner.
3.1.9
concept
unit of knowledge described by a unique combination of characteristics
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.1, modified]
EXAMPLE: IEC 61987 subsumes LOP, blocks, properties, unit of measure, values etc. as concepts.
3.1.10
concept identifier
sequence of characters, capable of uniquely identifying that with which it is associated, within
a specified context
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.1.3, modified]
NOTE This standard prefers the approach of IEC 61360-1 with a six-character code, which is unique for all
concepts.
3.1.11
customer
organization or person that receives a product

61987-10 © IEC:2009(E) – 13 –
EXAMPLE: Consumer, client, end-user, retailer, beneficiary and purchaser.
NOTE A customer can be internal or external to the organization.
[ISO 9000:2005, 3.3.5]
3.1.12
definition
representation of a concept by a descriptive statement which serves to differentiate it from
related concepts
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.3.1]
3.1.13
device
material element or assembly of such elements intended to perform a required function
[IEC 60050-151, 151-11-20]
NOTE 1 A device may form part of a larger device.
NOTE 2 For measuring devices the identifier is the measuring principle, for actuators, the design/style and the
operating principle.
NOTE 3 A List of Properties is defined for each device type, thus defining the structural data.
3.1.14
device list of properties
DLOP
list of properties describing a device
NOTE It may contain data relevant for CAE systems.
3.1.15
enumerated value domain
value domain that is specified by a list of all its permissible values
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.3.14]
3.1.16
list of properties
LOP
collection of properties applicable to a particular device type, its blocks and its aspects
NOTE 1 A list of properties, as defined in this standard, consists of blocks of properties.
NOTE 2 Lists of properties can be compiled for various aspects of a device type that are represented by different
LOP types, for example, user requirements are part of the operating LOP, device description is the aim of the
device LOP, commercial information is included in the commercial LOP, etc.
3.1.17
LOP type
list of properties concerning a device type describing one aspect of the device type
NOTE 1 Each aspect of a device is described by its own LOP type.
NOTE 2 LOP types of an LOP for a given device type create the first construction level of an LOP.
3.1.18
manufacturer
maker of the device (who may also be the supplier, the importer, or the agent) in whose name
usually the certification, where appropriate, was originally registered

– 14 – 61987-10 © IEC:2009(E)
[IEC 60050-426, IEV 426-15-07, modified]
3.1.19
operating list of properties
OLOP
list of properties describing the aspect concerning the operational conditions of the device
and additional information regarding its design
3.1.20
permissible value
expression of a value meaning allowed in a specific value domain
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.3.28]
3.1.21
polymorphism
pattern that allows substitution of a single concept in the same context by a different more
specific (specialized) concept
NOTE 1 A specialised polymorphic block can replace a more generic one in the same context.
NOTE 2 A polymorphic operator (control property) can act in selecting between of various specialisations.
3.1.22
property
characteristic common to all members of an object class
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.3.29]
NOTE IEC 61987-10 uses object classes to indicate device types, types of operating environment or other
aspects.
3.1.23
reference property
property that references a block of properties
NOTE 1 A reference property is a property with data type class_instance_type according to ISO 13584-42 and
IEC 61360-2.
NOTE 2 Although reference properties are mandatory in the data model, it is not mandatory to show the reference
property for all representations of devices. Sometimes it is sufficient to show the name of the referenced block
only. For example the representation in Annex B shows only the referenced blocks.
3.1.24
supplier
organization or person that provides a product
EXAMPLE: Producer, distributor, retailer or vendor of a product, or provider of a service or information.
NOTE 1 A supplier can be internal or external to the organization.
NOTE 2 In a contractual situation, a supplier is sometimes called “contractor”.
[ISO 9000:2005, 3.3.6]
3.1.25
structural data
data that define the structure of a list of properties, that is, the specific properties and blocks
of properties to be included in a list of properties and the way in which they are structured
NOTE Structural data can be represented as sheets for each device type and can be provided in PDF format, as
an XLS worksheet or XML structure file.

61987-10 © IEC:2009(E) – 15 –
3.1.26
transaction data
compilation of data containing device properties and their assigned values, as well as the
block structure, as required for transfer from one system to another
NOTE 1 When the transaction data are transmitted, only those properties to which a value has been assigned in
the structural data will actually be transferred.
NOTE 2 A property is represented in the transaction data normally by its ID code, the assigned value and unit of
measure. These and other details depend on the schema used for data transfer.
3.1.27
value domain
set of permissible values
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.3.38]
3.1.28
value list
enumerated value domain
3.1.29
view
personalized subset of a list of properties for a device type
NOTE 1 Only those properties or blocks of properties that have been selected in the view for a given list of
properties will actually be displayed.
NOTE 2 The transaction data are determined by the list of properties and not by the view.
3.2 Abbreviations
For the purposes of this standard, the following abbreviations apply.
ALOP Administrative LOP
BSU Basic Semantic Unit
CAE Computer Aided Engineering
CLOP Commercial LOP
DLOP Device LOP
ERP Enterprise Resource Planning
ILOP Installation LOP
IT Information Technology
LOP List of Properties
MLOP Maintenance LOP
P & ID Piping and Instrumentation Diagram
OLOP Operating LOP
International System of Units (French: Système international
SI d’unités)
UML Unified Modelling Language
XML Extensible Markup Language

– 16 – 61987-10 © IEC:2009(E)
4 Structural elements and concepts of lists of properties
4.1 General
A list of properties is a compilation of properties. Such a list may be structured or linear.
• A linear LOP has no explicit internal relationships. All the properties are arranged on one
level, possess equal importance, and can be sorted according to any desired criteria.
• A structured LOP takes account of internal relationships. Properties are compiled into
blocks of properties that describe a particular feature of an object.
Both types of LOPs are machine readable but the structured LOP has several important
advantages especially if the number of properties of an LOP is large. The structured LOP in
form of a list is considerably easier to read and analyse. A block of properties which describes
a complex feature of an object can be handled similar to a single property. Once a block has
been created, it can be introduced in more than one place of the same LOP representing
features of the same type but not identical. The same block can be introduced in different
LOPs concerning different device types.
4.2 Structural elements
4.2.1 Properties
4.2.1.1 Attributes of a property
Properties are specific features serving to describe objects, for example, process control
devices. These features include requirements and boundary conditions, either imposed by the
environment in which the device is to operate or which should be taken into consideration
during operation. They also include all technical details of the device.
A property itself is defined by the attributes assigned to it, such as preferred name, definition,
unit and format. The attributes are those specified in IEC 61360-2 and ISO 13584-42, for
example
• code,
• version number,
• revision number,
• preferred name,
• preferred letter symbol,
• definition,
• source of the definition,
• note,
• remark,
• formula
• figure (if necessary),
• data type (instead of format),
• property type classification code,
• unit of measure,
• value list.
61987-10 © IEC:2009(E) – 17 –
Figure 3 presents an example of attributes for a ‘Degree of protection of housing’.

Property
defined_by
Example
Attributes
Preferred name Degree of protection of housing
AAA019
Code
Version number
Revision number
Numerical classification according to IEC 60529 preceded by the symbol IP applied to
Definition
the enclosure of electrical apparatus to provide protection of persons against …
IEC 60529: Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosures (IP Code)
Source of the definition
Value code Value meaning
Value list
1 IP 20
2 IP 22
3 IP 54
4 IP 55
5 IP 64
6 IP 65
ect.
IEC  1279/09
Figure 3 – A property and its attributes
4.2.1.2 Engineering units of measure
The engineering unit of measure is one of the most important attributes of a property
representing a physical variable. For many countries it is sufficient to specify the use of SI
units. Despite major efforts to achieve international standardization, however, the use of the
SI system has not yet become established engineering practice throughout the world. In order
to increase the acceptability of this series of standards and to ensure that data can be
exchanged worldwide, this series of standards will specifiy a set of SI and non-SI units in
future IEC 61987-11 and further parts that shall be used in data exchange. SI units are mainly
defined in ISO 1000.
In some cases, for example, for measuring equipment, it is necessary to allow a set of units
for one property. This standard specifies a list of allowable engineering units for each property
including a “Default unit of measure”. Furthermore, the units are grouped according to scale.
NOTE In an engineering tool used to process LOPs in accordance with this standard, a unit selection list may be
provided, allowing the engineer to select the correct unit for his specific application.
4.2.1.3 Property classification type
For engineering tasks it is important to be able to compare the values of quantitative
properties representing the same physical variable. This need is met by the attribute “property
type classification code” (short “type classification“). Its values are 3-character codes in
accordance with IEC 61360-1 and ISO 13584-42. Only properties that have the same property
type classification can be related to one another (compared, values added or subtracted).
NOTE An engineering tool can support this feature.

– 18 – 61987-10 © IEC:2009(E)
4.2.1.4 Value lists
It is helpful to be able to select the values to be assigned to the properties from value lists.
This applies especially to properties for which standardized, alphanumerical expressions of
value may exist.
NOTE This standard does not determine the number of values per property exchanged in the transactional data.
4.2.2 Blocks of properties
If all properties of a device type are arranged with equal importance on one single level, the
list will become less understandable the more properties are added. Clarity can be achieved
by structuring the properties in blocks.
A block of properties consists of one or more properties describing an abstraction of a feature
of a device type. A block of properties may contain other blocks of properties nested to the
necessary level as dictated by the technical requirements, see Figure 4. At the lowest level, a
block will contain only properties. The block structure within the list of properties is illustrated
by the Unified Modelling Language (UML) schema shown in A.1.1.

LOP LOP
LOLOLOLOLOPPPPP
Flowmeter Flowmeter
Property 1 Property 1
Property 2 Property 2
Property 3
Property 3
Rated operating
Reference property: Property block
conditions
Rated operating
Rated operating
consists_of conditions
conditions
Property 41
Property 41
Property 5
Property 42
Property 42
Property 43
Property 43
Property 5
IEC  1280/09
Figure 4 – Interpretation of a block of properties
If sub-blocks are present, a reference property is included in the higher-level block to refer to
the respective sub-block and to fix the place where the sub-block should be introduced. In the
case shown in Fig. 4, the reference property “Operating Conditions” refers to the property
block with the same name. The reference property does not appear in the electronic
specification sheet but is replaced by the block name.
Every block has a name and definition as per IEC 61360-2 and ISO 13584-42 but no value.
Blocks are structured in a similar way to properties a
...

IEC 61987-10 ®
Edition 1.0 2009-07
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Industrial-process measurement and control – Data structures and elements in
process equipment catalogues –
Part 10: Lists of Properties (LOPs) for Industrial-Process Measurement and
Control for Electronic Data Exchange – Fundamentals

Mesure et commande des processus industriels – Structures de données et
éléments dans les catalogues d’équipement de processus –
Partie 10: Liste de propriétés (LOP) pour l’échange électronique de données
pour la mesure et le contrôle de processus industriels – Principes essentiels

All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either IEC or
IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester.
If you have any questions about IEC copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication,
please contact the address below or your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

Droits de reproduction réservés. Sauf indication contraire, aucune partie de cette publication ne peut être reproduite
ni utilisée sous quelque forme que ce soit et par aucun procédé, électronique ou mécanique, y compris la photocopie
et les microfilms, sans l'accord écrit de la CEI ou du Comité national de la CEI du pays du demandeur.
Si vous avez des questions sur le copyright de la CEI ou si vous désirez obtenir des droits supplémentaires sur cette
publication, utilisez les coordonnées ci-après ou contactez le Comité national de la CEI de votre pays de résidence.

IEC Central Office
3, rue de Varembé
CH-1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland
Email: [e-mail]
Web: www.iec.ch
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigenda or an amendment might have been published.
 Catalogue of IEC publications: www.iec.ch/searchpub
The IEC on-line Catalogue enables you to search by a variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical committee,…).
It also gives information on projects, withdrawn and replaced publications.
 IEC Just Published: www.iec.ch/online_news/justpub
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published details twice a month all new publications released. Available
on-line and also by email.
 Electropedia: www.electropedia.org
The world's leading online dictionary of electronic and electrical terms containing more than 20 000 terms and definitions
in English and French, with equivalent terms in additional languages. Also known as the International Electrotechnical
Vocabulary online.
 Customer Service Centre: www.iec.ch/webstore/custserv
If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or need further assistance, please visit the Customer Service
Centre FAQ or contact us:
Email: [e-mail]
Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
A propos de la CEI
La Commission Electrotechnique Internationale (CEI) est la première organisation mondiale qui élabore et publie des
normes internationales pour tout ce qui a trait à l'électricité, à l'électronique et aux technologies apparentées.

A propos des publications CEI
Le contenu technique des publications de la CEI est constamment revu. Veuillez vous assurer que vous possédez
l’édition la plus récente, un corrigendum ou amendement peut avoir été publié.
 Catalogue des publications de la CEI: www.iec.ch/searchpub/cur_fut-f.htm
Le Catalogue en-ligne de la CEI vous permet d’effectuer des recherches en utilisant différents critères (numéro de référence,
texte, comité d’études,…). Il donne aussi des informations sur les projets et les publications retirées ou remplacées.
 Just Published CEI: www.iec.ch/online_news/justpub
Restez informé sur les nouvelles publications de la CEI. Just Published détaille deux fois par mois les nouvelles
publications parues. Disponible en-ligne et aussi par email.
 Electropedia: www.electropedia.org
Le premier dictionnaire en ligne au monde de termes électroniques et électriques. Il contient plus de 20 000 termes et
définitions en anglais et en français, ainsi que les termes équivalents dans les langues additionnelles. Egalement appelé
Vocabulaire Electrotechnique International en ligne.
 Service Clients: www.iec.ch/webstore/custserv/custserv_entry-f.htm
Si vous désirez nous donner des commentaires sur cette publication ou si vous avez des questions, visitez le FAQ du
Service clients ou contactez-nous:
Email: [e-mail]
Tél.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
IEC 61987-10 ®
Edition 1.0 2009-07
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Industrial-process measurement and control – Data structures and elements in
process equipment catalogues –
Part 10: Lists of Properties (LOPs) for Industrial-Process Measurement and
Control for Electronic Data Exchange – Fundamentals

Mesure et commande des processus industriels – Structures de données et
éléments dans les catalogues d’équipement de processus –
Partie 10: Liste de propriétés (LOP) pour l’échange électronique de données
pour la mesure et le contrôle de processus industriels – Principes essentiels

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
X
CODE PRIX
ICS 25.040.40; 35.100.20 ISBN 978-2-88912-273-8
– 2 – 61987-10 Ó IEC:2009
CONTENTS
FOREW ORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
1 Scope . 10
2 Normative references . 10
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations. 11
3.1 Terms and definitions . 11
3.2 Abbreviations. 15
4 Structural elements and concepts of lists of properties . 16
4.1 General . 16
4.2 Structural elements . 16
4.2.1 Properties . 16
4.2.2 Blocks of properties . 18
4.2.3 Views . 19
4.3 Structural concepts . 19
4.3.1 Cardinality . 19
4.3.2 Polymorphism . 20
4.3.3 Composition/Aggregation . 21
5 Types of Lists of Properties . 22
5.1 General . 22
5.2 Administrative List of Properties (ALOP) . 22
5.3 Operating List of Properties (OLOP) . 23
5.4 Device List of Properties (DLOP) . 23
5.5 Commercial List of Properties (CLOP) . 24
5.6 Additional types of Lists of Properties. 24
5.7 LOP types for composite devices . 25
6 Structural and Transaction Data . 25
6.1 Concept Identifier . 25
6.2 Structural Data . 26
6.3 Transaction Data. 26
Annex A (normative) Conceptual model of a List of Properties . 30
Annex B (informative) Usage of LOPs . 34
Annex C (informative) Use cases for engineering . 41
Bibliography . 48

Figure 1 – Layers of electronic exchange procedures considered in this standard . 7
Figure 2 – Support for business-to-business relationships through the use of Lists of
Pr o pe rties . 8
Figure 3 – A property and its attributes . 17
Figure 4 – Interpretation of a block of properties . 18
Figure 5 – Illustration of cardinality . 20
Figure 6 – Illustration of polymorphism . 21
Figure 7 – Structure of a composite device. 22
Figure 8 – Relationship between property values in the OLOP and DLOP . 24
Figure A.1 – Simplified UML scheme of an LOP . 30

61987-10 Ó IEC:2009 – 3 –
Figure A.2 – Conceptual UML scheme of the data model . 31
Figure C.1 – Use of LOP types at individual project stages . 41
Figure C.2 – Data exchange in the engineering workflow . 42
Figure C.3 – Structural and transaction data for inquiry and offer . 44
Figure C.4 – Data exchange throughout the life-cycle of a device . 47

Table 1 – Example of concept Identifiers . 26
Table 2 – Example of transaction data . 27
Table 3 – Example of visualisation of the transaction data . 29
Table B.1 – Suggestion for an Administrative List of Properties . 34
Table B.2 – Example of Operating List of Properties . 37
Table B.3 – Example of Device List of Properties . 38
Table C.1 – Structural and transaction data for the example described . 46

– 4 – 61987-10 Ó IEC:2009
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
INDUSTRIAL-PROCESS MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL –
DATA STRUCTURES AND ELEMENTS
IN PROCESS EQUIPMENT CATALOGUES –

Part 10: Lists of Properties (LOPs) for Industrial-Process Measurement
and Control for Electronic Data Exchange – Fundamentals

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 61987-10 has been prepared by subcommittee 65E: Devices and
integration in enterprise systems, of IEC technical committee 65: Industrial-process
measurement, controls and automation.
This bilingual version, published in 2010-12, corresponds to the English version.
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
65E/134/FDIS 65E/145/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.

61987-10  IEC:2009 – 5 –
The French version of this standard has not been voted upon.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
This part of IEC 61987 has to be read in conjunction with IEC 61987-1.
A list of all parts in the IEC 61987 series, under the general title Industrial-process
measurement and control – Data structures and elements in process equipment catalogues,
can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the stability date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data
related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
The contents of the corrigendum of May 2012 have been included in this copy.

IMPORTANT – The 'colour inside' logo on the cover page of this publication indicates
that it contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct
understanding of its contents. Users should therefore print this document using a
colour printer.
– 6 – 61987-10 Ó IEC:2009
INTRODUCTION
The exchange of product data between companies, business systems, engineering tools and,
in the future, control systems (electrical, measuring and control technology) can run smoothly
only when both the information to be exchanged and the use of this information have been
clearly defined.
In the past, requirements on process control devices and systems were specified by
customers in various ways when suppliers or manufacturers were asked to quote for suitable
equipment. The suppliers in their turn described the devices according to their own
documentation schemes, often using different terms, structures and media (paper, databases,
CDs, e-catalogues, etc.). The situation was similar in the planning and development process,
with device information frequently being duplicated in a number of different information
technology (IT) systems.
Any method that is capable of recording all existing information once only during the planning
and ordering process and making it available for further processing gives all parties involved
an opportunity to concentrate on the essentials. A precondition for this is the standardization
of both the descriptions of the objects and the exchange of information.
IEC 61987-1 makes an important step towards this goal by defining a generic structure in
which product features of industrial process measurement and control equipment with
analogue or digital output can be arranged. This facilitates the understanding of product
descriptions when they are transferred from one party to another. Part 1 of this series of
standards applies to the production of catalogues of process measuring and control
equipment in paper form supplied by the manufacturer of the product.
The objective of IEC 61987-10 is to make processes involving measuring and control devices
more efficient. This means that in addition to the device catalogue data of IEC 61987-1,
information on operational and environmental aspects of the device is required. These
aspects should be described and expressed in a form that can also be exchanged
electronically and handled automatically.
In IEC 61987-10, devices are specified by creating lists of properties (LOPs). The properties
themselves are compiled into blocks that describe particular features of a device. By
compiling blocks, it is possible to produce a list of properties that completely describe a
particular device type or the surroundings in which the devices is or will be installed and
operate.
This part of IEC 61987 deals with the following.
· It concerns both properties that may be used in an inquiry and a quotation. It also
addresses detailed properties required for integration of a process control device in
systems for other tasks, such as planning (for example in Computer Aided Engineering
(CAE) systems), maintenance and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
· It provides a method for standardization that helps both suppliers and users of process
control equipment and systems to optimize workflows, both within their own companies
and in their exchanges with other companies. Depending on their role in the process,
engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors may be considered to be
either users or suppliers.
· It ensures the clarity of the information provided, as the data and structures are described
in unambiguous terms.
It should also be noted that the component data dictionary might also be used for other
applications, for example the generation of parts lists. It is also possible to generate legacy
specifications from the same source.

61987-10 Ó IEC:2009 – 7 –
Layers of electronic date exchange

Data model:  IEC 61360-2
Dictionary:
IEC 61360
IEC 61360
ISO 13584-42 Properties,
DicDicttiioonnaryary
Dictionary
LOPs, Units, …
Dictionary IEC 61987-11 and further
LLOPsOPs, Units, , Units,  .
Content:
Methodology
SuSubbjecject ot of f
SuSuSuSubbbbjecjecjecject ot ot ot of f f f
IEC 61987-10
IEC IEC IEC 666191919878787
IEC IEC IEC IEC 66661919191987878787  - -
???  ???
Data model: IEC 61360 - -
???  ???
- and fu110 ff0 ffrth er
11110 ff0 ff0 ff0 ff
- -
(ISO 13584-25)
- -
Specifications
- -
- -
Content: IEC 61987-11 and further
- -
- -
(interpreted structures)
Data model: e.g. ISO 15000 ebXML
ExExExaaample mplemple s iiin n n
ExExExExaaaample mple mple mple iiiin n n n
Examples in
IEC IEC IEC 666191919878787  Messages
IEC IEC IEC IEC 66661919191987878787
IEC 61987-10
Content: Transaction Enquire Offer
InquInquInquiiirrre e e
data message message
E-mail E-mail
Data exchange
framework
Fax Fax
XML XML
IEC  1277/09
Figure 1 – Layers of electronic exchange procedures considered in this standard
The individual layers of data exchange considered in this part of IEC 61987 are described as
follows (see also Figure 1).
Dictionary: To achieve standardized, distributed, common semantics of the devices, this
standard describes a concept dictionary that captures terms, definitions and relationships of
the devices. The basis is an IEC component data dictionary for industrial process
measurement and control devices that uses the data models of IEC 61360-2 and
ISO 13584-42. The dictionary content comprises the properties and blocks which will be
defined in future IEC 61987-11, etc. The same standards also define lists of properties for
process measurement and control devices.
NOTE 1 Not all devices will be included in the first edition of the dictionary, and it is possible that other devices
will be added as new devices and technologies are developed.
Specifications: A process engineer planning a particular area in a plant uses an electronic
specification sheet which draws its content from the component data dictionary. Similarly, a
manufacturer quoting for an industrial process measuring device that fulfils the conditions
defined in the specification sheet defines his device according to another specification sheet,
which again draws its content from the component data dictionary. In interpretation of the
specifications, the patterns of cardinality or polymorphism are evaluated.
Messages: Communication messages containing information about sender, receiver and
transport protocol are generated from specifications.
NOTE 2 The generation of messages is not in the scope of this standard.
Data exchange framework: The messages are sent from one business partner to the other
using data exchange frameworks. These can be conventional (e-mail, fax) using templates as
described in Annex C of this standard, or XML message based distribution frameworks.

– 8 – 61987-10 Ó IEC:2009
EXAMPLE: One example of a XML message distribution framework is ISO 15000 (ebXML).
The methodology to create these specifications and the description of the mechanisms that
are required to compile meaningful data into such specifications are defined in this standard.
Several aspects of the devices are also the subject of standardisation in this standard. For
example, one aspect describes the operating environment at the installation point, that is the
conditions under which a process measuring device must operate, and another describes the
device specification which meets these conditions.
The properties contained in the component data dictionary however, may also serve other
purposes, for example, the precise location of the production unit or control loop might form
part of administrative and commercial exchanges. Similarly, more precise engineering data
such as the designation of terminals or device calibration data might also be exchanged by
means of additional specification sheets or by supplementing the device specification sheets.
Beyond the scope of this standard is the specification of transactional data required to
exchange electronic specification sheets between companies, as shown in the messages
layer of Figure 1. Similarly, no particular framework for data exchange is specified.
Each device type is defined by an LOP containing the properties that apply to it. This is a
basic requirement for exchanging device information between different information technology
(IT) systems.
The use of the LOPs therefore supports data exchange between systems in a business-to-
business relationship and between systems within an organization, for example, CAE or ERP
systems (see Figure 2). This standard also makes provision for the storage of device data as
LOPs in process control systems or field devices.

Supplier
Customer
Development
Planning/CAE
Design
Lists of Properties
Materials Management Purchasing/Materials
of IEC 61987
Management
Services
Maintenance
Sales/Distribution
IEC  1278/09
Figure 2 – Support for business-to-business relationships
through the use of Lists of Properties
IEC 61987-10, IEC 61987-11 and further
IEC 61987-10 defines the approach for structuring lists of properties for electrical and process
control equipment, for example measuring devices, actuators, motors, low-voltage switchgear,
etc., in order to facilitate fully automatic engineering workflows in the planning and
maintenance of industrial plants and to allow both the customers and the suppliers of the
devices to optimize their processes and workflows.
Future IEC 61987-11 will contain lists of properties for measuring device types commonly
used in the process industry.
61987-10 Ó IEC:2009 – 9 –
Subsequent parts of IEC 61987 are already planned. These will contain lists of properties for
other device families, such as actuators or signal conversion devices.
The properties themselves are to be found in the IEC Component Data Dictionary and follow
the semantics and the structure of the IEC 61360 and ISO 13584 series of standards.
The concept of properties and structured lists is the subject of various standards. The data
model described in the IEC 61360 and ISO 13584 series of standards is used in this standard.
The structure defined for industrial-process measuring equipment in IEC 61987-1 is used,
with some additions and modifications, to organise the contents of Device LOPs into blocks.

– 10 – 61987-10  IEC:2009
INDUSTRIAL-PROCESS MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL –
DATA STRUCTURES AND ELEMENTS
IN PROCESS EQUIPMENT CATALOGUES –

Part 10: Lists of Properties (LOPs) for Industrial-Process Measurement
and Control for Electronic Data Exchange – Fundamentals

1 Scope
This part of IEC 61987 provides a method of standardizing the descriptions of process control
devices, instrumentation and auxiliary equipment as well as their operating environments and
operating requirements (for example, measuring point specification data). The aims of this
standard are
 to define a common language for customers and suppliers through the publication of Lists
of Properties (LOPs),
 to optimize workflows between customers and suppliers as well as in processes such as
engineering, development and purchasing within their own organizations,
 to reduce transaction costs.
The standard describes industrial-process device types and devices using structured lists of
properties and makes the associated properties available in a component data dictionary.
The intention is to produce a reference dictionary which allows a description of the inquiry,
offer, company internal and other descriptions of process control systems, instrumentation
and auxiliary equipment based on list of properties.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document.
For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition
of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
IEC 60529:1989, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code)
Amendment 1 (1999)
IEC 61346-1:1996, Industrial systems, installations and equipment and industrial products –
Structuring principles and reference designations – Part 1: Basic rules
IEC 61360 (all parts), Standard data element types with associated classification scheme for
electric components
IEC 61360-1, Standard data element types with associated classification scheme for electric
components – Part 1: Definitions – Principles and methods
IEC 61360-2, Standard data element types with associated classification scheme for electric
components – Part 2: EXPRESS dictionary schema
IEC 61987-1, Industrial-process measurement and control – Data structures and elements in
process equipment catalogues – Part 1: Measuring equipment with analogue and digital
output
61987-10  IEC:2009 – 11 –
ISO 1000, SI units and recommendations for the use of their multiples and of certain other
units
ISO 13584 (all parts), Industrial automation systems and integration – Parts library
ISO 13584-42, Industrial automation systems and integration – Parts library – Part 42:
Description methodology: Methodology for structuring part families
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1.1
administrative list of properties
ALOP
list of properties describing the aspect concerning initiating, tracking and completing a
transaction
NOTE 1 The administrative list of properties contains, for example, information about the type of document (for
example, inquiry, quotation) and the issuing details (for example, contact data of the author) and may be placed at
the head of the transaction document.
NOTE 2 An ALOP may apply to a transaction of multiple instances of one or more device types, and will seldom
be related to only a single device type.
3.1.2
aspect
specific way of selecting information on or describing a system or an object of a system
[IEC 61346-1, 3.3]
3.1.3
attribute
characteristic of an object or entity
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.1.1]
EXAMPLE: Properties, blocks, LOPs, units of measure etc. are entities.
3.1.4
block of properties
collection of properties relating to (describing) one concept of the device type being
considered, for example device output, environmental conditions, operating conditions, device
dimensions
NOTE 1 A block may also comprise other blocks of properties.
NOTE 2 A block of properties is a feature class in the sense of the series of standards IEC 61360 and ISO 13584.
3.1.5
cardinality
pattern defining the number of times a concept reoccurs within a description

– 12 – 61987-10 Ó IEC:2009
NOTE 1 In IEC 61987-10 and future parts of IEC 61987, cardinality is used to indicate the repetition of blocks of
properties or LOPs.
NOTE 2 In structural data cardinality defines the fact that the block may be repeated, whereas in transactional
data the cardinality defines the number of times the block is repeated.
NOTE 3 Cardinality may be zero.
NOTE 4 Cardinality allows a block of properties contained in a list of properties to be used more than once for a
particular transaction in order to describe, for example, a device with several different outputs or more than one
process cases in describing the requirements for a device.
NOTE 5 Cardinality is mapped to IEC 61360 data model by means of a property that is placed directly before the
block or property which can be repeated. The repeated block or property occurs in the structural data only once but
in the transaction data as many times as the value of the cardinality property defines.
3.1.6
characteristic
abstraction of a property of an object or of a set of objects
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.4]
NOTE 1 Characteristics are used for describing concepts.
NOTE 2 This standard uses properties to describe devices, their operating environment (ambient conditions) or
other aspects.
3.1.7
commercial list of properties
CLOP
list of properties describing the aspect concerning business workflows
NOTE A commercial list of properties contains for example prices, costs, delivery times, transport information,
and order or delivery quantity.
3.1.8
composite device
device composed of various devices
NOTE These devices might be supplied as a whole or the parts comprising the assembly of the composite device
might be supplied individually.
EXAMPLE: A control valve which consists of the valve itself, a drive and a positioner.
3.1.9
concept
unit of knowledge described by a unique combination of characteristics
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.1, modified]
EXAMPLE: IEC 61987 subsumes LOP, blocks, properties, unit of measure, values etc. as concepts.
3.1.10
concept identifier
sequence of characters, capable of uniquely identifying that with which it is associated, within
a specified context
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.1.3, modified]
NOTE This standard prefers the approach of IEC 61360-1 with a six-character code, which is unique for all
concepts.
3.1.11
customer
organization or person that receives a product

61987-10 Ó IEC:2009 – 13 –
EXAMPLE: Consumer, client, end-user, retailer, beneficiary and purchaser.
NOTE A customer can be internal or external to the organization.
[ISO 9000:2005, 3.3.5]
3.1.12
definition
representation of a concept by a descriptive statement which serves to differentiate it from
related concepts
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.3.1]
3.1.13
device
material element or assembly of such elements intended to perform a required function
[IEC 60050-151, 151-11-20]
NOTE 1 A device may form part of a larger device.
NOTE 2 For measuring devices the identifier is the measuring principle, for actuators, the design/style and the
operating principle.
NOTE 3 A List of Properties is defined for each device type, thus defining the structural data.
3.1.14
device list of properties
DLOP
list of properties describing a device
NOTE It may contain data relevant for CAE systems.
3.1.15
enumerated value domain
value domain that is specified by a list of all its permissible values
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.3.14]
3.1.16
list of properties
LOP
collection of properties applicable to a particular device type, its blocks and its aspects
NOTE 1 A list of properties, as defined in this standard, consists of blocks of properties.
NOTE 2 Lists of properties can be compiled for various aspects of a device type that are represented by different
LOP types, for example, user requirements are part of the operating LOP, device description is the aim of the
device LOP, commercial information is included in the commercial LOP, etc.
3.1.17
LOP type
list of properties concerning a device type describing one aspect of the device type
NOTE 1 Each aspect of a device is described by its own LOP type.
NOTE 2 LOP types of an LOP for a given device type create the first construction level of an LOP.
3.1.18
manufacturer
maker of the device (who may also be the supplier, the importer, or the agent) in whose name
usually the certification, where appropriate, was originally registered

– 14 – 61987-10 Ó IEC:2009
[IEC 60050-426, IEV 426-15-07, modified]
3.1.19
operating list of properties
OLOP
list of properties describing the aspect concerning the operational conditions of the device
and additional information regarding its design
3.1.20
permissible value
expression of a value meaning allowed in a specific value domain
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.3.28]
3.1.21
polymorphism
pattern that allows substitution of a single concept in the same context by a different more
specific (specialized) concept
NOTE 1 A specialised polymorphic block can replace a more generic one in the same context.
NOTE 2 A polymorphic operator (control property) can act in selecting between of various specialisations.
3.1.22
property
characteristic common to all members of an object class
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.3.29]
NOTE IEC 61987-10 uses object classes to indicate device types, types of operating environment or other
aspects.
3.1.23
reference property
property that references a block of properties
NOTE 1 A reference property is a property with data type class_instance_type according to ISO 13584-42 and
IEC 61360-2.
NOTE 2 Although reference properties are mandatory in the data model, it is not mandatory to show the reference
property for all representations of devices. Sometimes it is sufficient to show the name of the referenced block
only. For example the representation in Annex B shows only the referenced blocks.
3.1.24
supplier
organization or person that provides a product
EXAMPLE: Producer, distributor, retailer or vendor of a product, or provider of a service or information.
NOTE 1 A supplier can be internal or external to the organization.
NOTE 2 In a contractual situation, a supplier is sometimes called “contractor”.
[ISO 9000:2005, 3.3.6]
3.1.25
structural data
data that define the structure of a list of properties, that is, the specific properties and blocks
of properties to be included in a list of properties and the way in which they are structured
NOTE Structural data can be represented as sheets for each device type and can be provided in PDF format, as
an XLS worksheet or XML structure file.

61987-10 Ó IEC:2009 – 15 –
3.1.26
transaction data
compilation of data containing device properties and their assigned values, as well as the
block structure, as required for transfer from one system to another
NOTE 1 When the transaction data are transmitted, only those properties to which a value has been assigned in
the structural data will actually be transferred.
NOTE 2 A property is represented in the transaction data normally by its ID code, the assigned value and unit of
measure. These and other details depend on the schema used for data transfer.
3.1.27
value domain
set of permissible values
[ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004, 3.3.38]
3.1.28
value list
enumerated value domain
3.1.29
view
personalized subset of a list of properties for a device type
NOTE 1 Only those properties or blocks of properties that have been selected in the view for a given list of
properties will actually be displayed.
NOTE 2 The transaction data are determined by the list of properties and not by the view.
3.2 Abbreviations
For the purposes of this standard, the following abbreviations apply.
ALOP Administrative LOP
BSU Basic Semantic Unit
CAE Computer Aided Engineering
CLOP Commercial LOP
DLOP Device LOP
ERP Enterprise Resource Planning
ILOP Installation LOP
IT Information Technology
LOP List of Properties
MLOP Maintenance LOP
P & ID Piping and Instrumentation Diagram
OLOP Operating LOP
International System of Units (French: Système international
SI
d’unités)
UML Unified Modelling Language
XML Extensible Markup Language

– 16 – 61987-10 Ó IEC:2009
4 Structural elements and concepts of lists of properties
4.1 General
A list of properties is a compilation of properties. Such a list may be structured or linear.
· A linear LOP has no explicit internal relationships. All the properties are arranged on one
level, possess equal importance, and can be sorted according to any desired criteria.
· A structured LOP takes account of internal relationships. Properties are compiled into
blocks of properties that describe a particular feature of an object.
Both types of LOPs are machine readable but the structured LOP has several important
advantages especially if the number of properties of an LOP is large. The structured LOP in
form of a list is considerably easier to read and analyse. A block of properties which describes
a complex feature of an object can be handled similar to a single property. Once a block has
been created, it can be introduced in more than one place of the same LOP representing
features of the same type but not identical. The same block can be introduced in different
LOPs concerning different device types.
4.2 Structural elements
4.2.1 Properties
4.2.1.1 Attributes of a property
Properties are specific features serving to describe objects, for example, process control
devices. These features include requirements and boundary conditions, either imposed by the
environment in which the device is to operate or which should be taken into consideration
during operation. They also include all technical details of the device.
A property itself is defined by the attributes assigned to it, such as preferred name, definition,
unit and format. The attributes are those specified in IEC 61360-2 and ISO 13584-42, for
example
· code,
· version number,
· revision number,
· preferred name,
· preferred letter symbol,
· definition,
· source of the definition,
· note,
· remark,
· formula
· figure (if necessary),
· data type (instead of format),
· property type classification code,
· unit of measure,
· value list.
61987-10 Ó IEC:2009 – 17 –
Figure 3 presents an example of attributes for a ‘Degree of protection of housing’.

Property
defined_by
Example
Attributes
Preferred name Degree of protection of housing
AAA019
Code
Version number
Revision number
Numerical classification according to IEC 60529 preceded by the symbol IP applied to
Definition
the enclosure of electrical apparatus to provide protection of persons against …
IEC 60529: Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosures (IP Code)
Source of the definition
Value code Value meaning
Value list
1 IP 20
2 IP 22
3 IP 54
4 IP 55
5 IP 64
6 IP 65
ect.
IEC  1279/09
Figure 3 – A property and its attributes
4.2.1.2 Engineering units of measure
The engineering unit of measure is one of the most important attributes of a property
representing a physical variable. For many countries it is sufficient to specify the use of SI
units. Despite major efforts to achieve international standardization, however, the use of the
SI system has not yet become established engineering practice throughout the world. In order
to increase the acceptability of this series of standards and to ensure that data can be
exchanged worldwide, this series of standards will specifiy a set of SI and non-SI units in
future IEC 61987-11 and further parts that shall be used in data exchange. SI units are mainly
defined in ISO 1000.
In some cases, for example, for measuring equipment, it is necessary to allow a set of units
...