The RMS database for a semiconductor process line is established on the basis of product groups or categories, wherein all members of a category are linked by a common feature, such as a common basic design or a common basic technology. Common process recipes in a specified category may then be set up only once, thereby reducing the amount of effort for establishing the database. Moreover, new product types may be readily incorporated into the categories, thereby enabling the employment of the already-established category-specific context information.