The product attributes database (PAD): first of a new class of productivity tools for product development

The Product Attributes Database (PAD) is a new type of information system that serves as a single, network-accessible repository of all the parametric information that describes a project at any phase of implementation. PAD goes beyond previous engineering databases in that it includes both a human interface and a machine interface. The machine interface allows a wide range of engineering and administrative tools to work together through the database over a network. At the low end of the range are "apparently" simple Publish and Subscribe "sheets" that can be placed into a workbook to allow the user to link spreadsheet calculations to the database. Part of the automated machine interface Programming Interface (API) engineering design and analysis tools to link directly to the database over a network. The human interface is through an application called the Product Attributes Conversation Tool (PACT). PACT includes a simple Graphical User Interface (GUI) that allows project team members to read and write to the PAD from network accessible computers. The PAD database schema was developed concurrently with a naming convention and a security system. The result is a system in which users know exactly where to look for specific design parameters and how to name new parameters that are to be added to the database.