1. A process data access server enabling client applications incorporating potentially multiple differing data exchange protocols to access process data stored at potentially many different locations in a process control system, the process data access server comprising: a device protocol interface facilitating accessing process data storage locations within the process control system; a set of client data exchange protocol modules enabling client applications to request access to process data storage locations via the process data access server according to particular client data exchange protocols supported by the set of client data exchange protocol modules; a data access server engine for executing process data access requests, received by the process data access server via the set of client data exchange protocol modules, by accessing, via the device protocol interface, data storage locations corresponding to the process data access requests, and wherein the data access server engine includes a client application data exchange protocol abstraction layer comprising a set of operations callable by ones of the set of client data exchange protocol modules in response to receipt by the set of client data exchange protocol modules of process data access requests; and a loading mechanism for determining a presence of at least one of the set of client data exchange protocol modules upon a machine for executing the process data access server, and loading the at least one client data exchange protocol module during a startup process that integrates the at least one client data exchange module with the data access server engine.