FILES: Automated Engineering Data Management System

One approach to engineering data base management has been presented herein. The problem is a complex one and has no apparent correct or incorrect solution. Various techniques have been tried by other investigators. Each generation brings new ideas and hopefully better approaches to engineering data management. FILES is a relatively new system that incorporates ideas from predecessor systems and includes features that were not present in the earlier systems. Among these are flexibility, a separate data definition language, a distinct data management compiler, data management execution system, and machine independence. Its use through POLO grammars is extremely simple. Grammar references to information which resides in data bases are very similar to FORTRAN data references. If one had to point to the one major advantage of using a system such as FILES, it would clearly be that the integration of independently developed modules is possible and apparently extremely effective as has been demonstrated in the development of the FINITE system.