The use of robots has significant potential to be a universal and flexible core technology for collaborative or fully automated production. However, a lack of technologies to realize economically feasible advanced sensor-based applications prevents robots from realizing their full potential. In VADER, we develop a digital engineering assistant for data-driven automation of industrial production processes with robots, that fits into existing Industry 4.0 infrastructures. The assistant offers selected assistance functions for crucial steps in the entire planning to commissioning process as a service. Research focuses on deployment strategies in the cloud or edge, allowing the user retain full sovereignty over their data.