1. A digital data processing device comprising a processor that executes programming that configures that device as an apparatus for configuring at least one of a controlled process, a process control system, a control level hierarchy, and the apparatus for configuring the control system (one or more of which are hereinafter referred to as the “control system”), the apparatus comprising: a plurality of objects, each object representing a configurable entity in the control system, each object being associated with an object type and each object type being (i) directly associated with one or more type categories and (ii) indirectly associated with one or more other type categories through one or more hierarchical relationships; at least one object (hereinafter referred to as a “connection” object) identifying combinations of object types that form one or more permissible relationships, wherein the connection object specifies a role that an object serves in an actual or potential parent/child relationship, the role including any of a parent role and a child rote, and wherein the connection object identifies, for the object that serves in a child role, any of a weight and other quantitative attribute (hereinafter collectively referred to as “weight”) associated with the object, and the connection object identifies, for the object that serves in a parent role, a capacity in weight of the object to support relationships with objects that serve in a child role; the apparatus validating a potential relationship between objects identified during configuration of the control system by comparing the object types with which they are directly and/or indirectly associated with the one or more permissible relationships identified by the connection object, and wherein multiple instances of the object are created and each object created inherits object type characteristics as a user associates said object with said type category using the hierarchical relationships and further wherein a first instance characteristics may differ from a second instance characteristics for non-identical objects of the same type.