CAD*I Database: An Approach to an Engineering Database Version 4.0

CAD models constitute isolated islands of data stored in independent files, and the creation and maintanence of relations between pieces of information stored in several files of a multi-user environment is a complex task. At a conceptual level, a relational database management system (DBMS) associated with the language SQL is the ideal tool to create and maintain such relations. At the implementation level, it is of the highest importance to define the optimum granularity of information to be stored in the database in order to get a good response time from such a system. Part of an ESPRIT research report concerning engineers in the CAD*I project, this study explores the possibility of using a database management system (DBMS) for computer-aided design (CAD). Conditions are derived that enable CAD systems to manage CAD models containing increasing amounts of data and more intelligent relations.