Integrated databases for the utility engineering environment

The author proposes a linking of common database information for use by all personal-computer programs, thus requiring the maintenance of only one database. The method requires the utility to study each of its database files and the individual components of these files. Decisions must be made on the necessity of each piece of information. A study of all existing file structures must be made. After completing all of these steps it is necessary to determine the type of database manager, operating system, and network. If multiple software vendors are involved, each vendor must be contacted to determine compatibility with planned systems. If there is no programmer on staff, one must be hired or a database consultant chosen. After these preliminaries are completed and the software written, the task of converting the database can be started. This is generally a manpower-intensive activity, but as time proceeds, the benefits become readily apparent.<>