A dynamic data exchange (DDE) server which allows external programs to access power management data is presented. The DDE server provides a mnemonic cross reference between register items and standardized, alphanumeric parameter names. This mnemonic interface allows the user to retrieve data from a device without knowledge of the actual device register item number. Also, the DDE server automatically performs time synchronizing for all supported devices and provides a consistent waveform and event interface. The DDE server is optimized for either the Modbus RTU or Ethernet protocol. The DDE server includes toolkit functions which are used to maintain DDE communication and protocol timers and to maintain active topic and item lists. The DDE server acts as a link between a client requesting device data and a field device which can provide the data. The DDE server communicates to the field device through communication ports and to the client via DDE message link. A client sends its requests to server to read/write some device registers. The server maps each request to suitable device read/write request packets and carries out the necessary transaction with device. Then it relays the result back to the client after processing and casting the collected device data to proper format.