A method and system for automatically determining a processing path is provided. The method includes generating an input criteria associated with performing a hardware apparatus implemented process. Metadata describing the input criteria is generated and stored. Weighting factors associated with the metadata are generated and a specialized hardware apparatus executing the hardware apparatus implemented process is enabled. Measurement characteristics associated with conditions resulting from the specialized hardware apparatus executing the hardware apparatus implemented process are retrieved from a plurality of hardware sensors. A resource database catalog for hardware based data processing resources is queried and an optimization process for determining an optimized processing path for processing the metadata with respect to the resource database hardware based data and the measurement characteristics is executed. The optimized processing path is executed resulting in specified control decisions associated with controlling the specialized hardware apparatus.