1. A process control system comprising: a server that includes a processor that has access to a database system, the processor executing program code for the process control system; a table of process records in the database system, each process record indicating a current status of a process being controlled by the system; a table of administrative query records in the database system, each administrative query record specifying an administrative query that is associated with a query on the table of process records and with a plurality of administrative activities; and the processor executing a portion of the program code which selects one of the administrative queries for execution, executes the query associated therewith, and performs an associated administrative activity of the plurality thereof with regard to a result set of the process records returned by the associated query; and a log table in the database system that has records logging executions of the query and process records returned thereby and from whose records the portion of the code can, when executed, determine whether a record belonging to the result set is in one of a plurality of states with regard to the current execution of the administrative query; wherein: which of the plurality of administrative activities is performed with regard to a record belonging to the result set depends on the state of the record.